Section 50-12-130. Creation of Georgia Commission on the Holocaust

   The General Assembly finds and declares that:

   (1) During the period from 1933 through 1945, six million Jews and millions of other Europeans were murdered in Nazi concentration camps as part of a carefully orchestrated program of cultural, social, and political genocide known as the Holocaust;

   (2) All people should remember the horrible atrocities committed at that time and other times in human history as the result of bigotry and tyranny and, therefore, should continually rededicate themselves to the principles of human rights and equal protection under the laws of a democratic society;

   (3) It is desirable to educate our citizens about the events leading up to the Holocaust and about the organizations and facilities that were created and used purposefully for the systematic destruction of human beings;

   (4) Holocaust history is the proper concern of all people, particularly students enrolled in the schools, colleges, and universities of the State of Georgia;

   (5) Programs, workshops, institutes, seminars, exhibits, and other teacher-training activities for the study of the Holocaust have taken place during recent years at various middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities in this state; and

   (6) It is desirable to create a permanent state commission which, as an organized body and on a continuous basis, will survey, design, encourage, and promote implementation of Holocaust education and awareness programs in Georgia and will be responsible for organizing and promoting the memorialization of the Holocaust on a regular basis throughout the state.

Code 1981, § 50-12-130, enacted by Ga. L. 1998, p. 880, § 1.