HB 1082: Victims of Communism Day; November 7 of each year; designate

Georgia law currently lists various official holidays and observances in Chapter 4 of Title 1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. This bill would add a new section designating November 7 of each year as 'Victims of Communism Day.' The bill opens with legislative findings describing the history of communist governments worldwide, citing figures such as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong, and stating that communist regimes have killed more than 100 million people and suppressed basic freedoms. It notes that Georgia is home to many people who fled such regimes. The operative part of the bill lets the Governor issue an annual proclamation naming November 7 as the observance day, to be marked with public exercises at the state capitol and other locations the Governor designates. The bill does not create a paid holiday, close government offices, or require schools to hold specific programming.

• Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 1-4-28) designating November 7 of each year as 'Victims of Communism Day' in Georgia.
• Authorizes, but does not require, the Governor to issue an annual proclamation recognizing the day.
• Directs that the day be observed through public exercises at the state capitol and other locations the Governor chooses.
• Sets out legislative findings on the history and human toll of communist governments as the stated basis for the designation.
• Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with the new designation.

The designation primarily affects state government, since the Governor's office would be responsible for issuing the optional annual proclamation and organizing observances at the capitol. It also has symbolic significance for Georgia residents and immigrant communities with personal or family ties to countries that lived under communist rule.

The bill creates an official day of recognition rather than a paid holiday, so it does not close schools, courts, or government offices or change anyone's work schedule. Its main practical effect is enabling the Governor to hold public observances at the capitol each November 7.

• Section 1 lists legislative findings describing the history of communism, naming leaders such as Lenin, Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Castro, and stating regimes have killed more than 100 million people.
• Section 2 adds new Code Section 1-4-28, designating November 7 as 'Victims of Communism Day' and allowing the Governor to proclaim it annually with public exercises at the capitol.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard provision to resolve conflicts with existing statutes.

1. 2026-03-03House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2026-02-02House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-01-29House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-01-28House Hopper (House)

• Reynaldo Martinez (R, HD-111)Primary sponsor
• Noelle Kahaian (R, HD-081)
• Johnny Chastain (R, HD-007)
• Sandy Donatucci (R, HD-105)
• David Clark (R, HD-100)
• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)

• state observances
• Georgia holidays
• legislative findings
• communism history