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HR 484

CONGRATS-CHARLES EARLEY

104th Regular Session Introduced by Jehan Gordon-Booth

Nonbinding resolution honors Georgia State University for 2024 achievements and congratulates Charles Earley on his 50-year broadcasting career and October 2025 retirement.

Resolution Adopted
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Bill Summary · HR 484

Summary — H.R. 484 (CONGRATS-CHARLES EARLEY) — Resolution Adopted

Status: Resolution Adopted
Introduced: January 16, 2025

Note on the source text
- The legislative text provided appears to contain two distinct, concatenated resolutions: (1) a resolution recognizing and commending Georgia State University for its accomplishments (detailed accomplishments through 2024), and (2) an Illinois House resolution congratulating Charles Earley (professionally known as Charles “Chuck Collins”) on his retirement from WEEK‑TV. The procedural history likewise mixes entries from multiple jurisdictions and calendars. The summary below describes both pieces as they appear in the submitted text and flags the mixed record.

Purpose and intent

  • Primary purpose (Georgia State University portion): To formally recognize and commend Georgia State University for its institutional achievements in 2024 — educational outcomes, research growth, campus investment, student‑athlete academic performance, and economic impact — and to authorize the Clerk to provide an appropriate copy of the resolution to the university.
  • Secondary purpose (Illinois portion): To congratulate Charles Earley (Charles “Chuck Collins”) on his 50‑year broadcasting career and on his retirement from WEEK‑TV effective October 15, 2025, acknowledging his professional contributions and mentorship.

Key provisions and factual highlights (Georgia State University)

  • Recognizes Georgia State University (founded 1913) as a major urban research university serving more than 52,000 students with campuses in Atlanta (downtown) and satellites in DeKalb, Fulton, and Newton counties.
  • Notes academic and institutional achievements:
    • Ranked the nation’s No. 1 public university for excellence in undergraduate teaching by U.S. News & World Report for five consecutive years.
    • Ranked among the top five “Most Innovative” universities by U.S. News & World Report for about a decade.
    • Since 2003, raised its six‑year graduation rate by 74%.
  • Financial gifts, research, and capital projects:
    • Received an $80 million gift from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation (described as the largest in university history) for downtown campus transformation.
    • Research portfolio: more than $1.2 billion in research expenditures over the past six years.
    • Broke ground on a new nine‑story, $100 million Research Tower on the Atlanta campus.
    • National Institute for Student Success (NISS) received a $2 million grant from the Ascendium Education Group and a U.S. Department of Education “Trailblazer Award”.
    • Nearly $186 million in research funding in FY 2024.
  • Student‑athlete academics: Over 200 student‑athletes earned Sun Belt academic honors for 2023–24; collective GPA 3.39.
  • Economic and strategic impact:
    • Estimated $3.2 billion annual economic impact on metro Atlanta.
    • Adopted a ten‑year strategic plan (“BluePrint to 2033”) organized around four pillars: Student Success 2.0; Identity, Placemaking and Belonging; Innovating Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity; and Beyond College to Career; nearly two dozen initiatives launched.

Key provisions (Illinois / Charles Earley portion)

  • Congratulates Charles Earley (aka Charles “Chuck Collins”) for his distinguished 50‑year broadcasting career spanning news, weather, sports, sales, and mentorship.
  • Wishes him a joyful, healthy, and fulfilling retirement effective October 15, 2025.
  • Formal expression of honor and gratitude; no policy or funding actions.

Who is affected

  • Georgia State University community (students, faculty, staff, alumni), partner institutions benefiting from NISS services, and the broader Atlanta metropolitan economy (symbolic recognition).
  • Charles Earley, WEEK‑TV staff and the Central Illinois broadcasting community (honorific recognition).

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Introduced Jan 16, 2025; multiple entries in the legislative history indicate readings, calendar placements, and adoption actions across several dates (March–April 2025 and October 2025).
  • Several committee referrals listed (including to House Committee on Agriculture and subcommittees) appear inconsistent with the text of an academic/recognition resolution and likely reflect merged or misattributed procedural records.
  • Resolution marked “Adopted” in the provided history; the Georgia State University text includes the instruction authorizing the Clerk to provide a copy to the university.

Impact

  • This is an honorific, nonbinding resolution: it acknowledges accomplishments and expresses official commendation but does not create legal obligations, appropriate funds, or change policy.
  • Practical impact is reputational — public recognition that can support institutional branding, fundraising, and stakeholder morale.

If you need, I can:
- Pull an authoritative chamber record to reconcile the procedural discrepancies, or
- Produce two separate, cleaned summaries: one just for the Georgia State University resolution and one for the Charles Earley / WEEK‑TV retirement resolution.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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