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State Planning & Community Affairs committee amends and advances bill to recognize JROTC commitments
Summary
The State Planning & Community Affairs Committee on Feb. 8 amended House Bill 208 to add “Commitment” and approved a committee substitute that designates the second Wednesday in February as "National Swearing In Commitment Day" in Georgia to recognize high-school students who sign intent to join the armed services; the sponsor said the bill creates recognition only and "does not create a state holiday."
The State Planning & Community Affairs Committee on Feb. 8 voted to amend and approve House Bill 208, a measure to designate the second Wednesday in February as "National Swearing In Commitment Day" in Georgia to recognize high-school students who intend to join the armed services.
Sponsor Chairman Chokas told the committee the bill is intended as recognition for students in JROTC programs and said it "does not create a state holiday," noting there is no fiscal responsibility tied to the designation.
The bill drew broad support from members who recounted personal family ties to military service and JROTC programs. Representative LaRicchio said his son’s NJROTC experience led him to enlist and praised the program’s role in discipline and community service. Representative Roberts described his son’s path from NJROTC to a commission through college ROTC and said he supported the measure.
Several lawmakers urged changes to the bill’s language and timing to avoid confusion with formal military swearing-in ceremonies. Representative Jackson, speaking by Zoom, argued February may be "premature" for many students because administrative requirements such as background checks, MEPS processing, ACT/SAT timing and physicals can delay events until later in spring. Chokas responded that the February date was suggested by a high school teacher and that the sponsor’s intent is to "recognize the intent of the young people interested in joining," not to replace formal military ceremonies.
Members debated alternative titles to avoid implying a formal oath. Representative Singleton and others suggested names such as "Commit to Serve Day" or placing "Commitment" into the title. Representative LaRicchio formally offered an amendment to add the word "commitment" to the bill language so it would read "National Swearing In Commitment Day." The committee adopted that amendment by voice vote; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript.
After the amendment, members moved to vote on a committee substitute incorporating the change. The substitute was approved by voice vote. Chairman Chokas thanked the committee for the feedback and reiterated the bill’s purpose: "to bring recognition to the students that are making that commitment" and not to supplant military swearing-in ceremonies.
The committee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript; the actions recorded in the hearing were approval of the amendment and approval of the committee substitute by voice votes. The committee adjourned following the action.
What’s next: The committee approved the committee substitute; the transcript does not record further procedural steps or any subsequent enactment date.
