Editor's notes.

- This Code section was based on Ga. L. 1988, p. 291, § 1; Ga. L. 1992, p. 988, § 1; Ga. L. 2005, p. 143, § 2/SB 144.

Ga. L. 2018, p. 142, § 1/HB 951, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: "The General Assembly finds that:

"(1) Since 2010 the State of Georgia has experienced tremendous job growth, adding more than 500,000 new private sector jobs;

"(2) Georgia's economic successes during this period have resulted from a favorable tax structure and regulatory environment and aggressive economic development initiatives;

"(3) Georgia has been declared by several industry publications, including Site Selection Magazine, to be the best state in the nation for business for the previous four years;

"(4) This economic success has not extended into all of Georgia's rural areas to a desired level;

"(5) As a result, Georgia's rural areas face with challenges distinct from other regions of this state, including loss of population, insufficient health care access, poor infrastructure, diminished opportunity for quality education, scarcity of employment opportunities, and overall lack of economic growth;

"(6) A thorough, intensive, and systematic study of the existing issues in Georgia's rural areas is necessary and appropriate; and

"(7) The objective of such study should be to identify policies and ideas to enhance economic opportunity across the entire state, particularly in rural areas."