--- title: HB 1082. Victims of Communism Day; November 7 of each year; designate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb1082 cite_as: HB 1082, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1082 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1082.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1082/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72528 date: 2026-03-03 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1081.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1083.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 199 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1082.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 1082 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-01-28 last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute sponsors: - Reynaldo Martinez - Noelle Kahaian - Johnny Chastain - Sandy Donatucci - David Clark - Scott Hilton text_version: Comm Sub has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1082/2025 upstream_id: 2100703 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - state observances - Georgia holidays - legislative findings - communism history --- # HB 1082. Victims of Communism Day; November 7 of each year; designate ## Text The House Committee on Special Rules offers the following substitute to HB 1082: A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapter 4 of Title 1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to holidays and observances, so as to designate November 7 of each year as "Victims of Communism Day"; to provide for observances; to provide legislative findings; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. The General Assembly finds that: (1) Over 100 years have passed since the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the formation of the first communist government under Vladimir Lenin, leading to decades of oppression and violence under communist regimes throughout the world; (2) Based on the economic philosophies of Karl Marx, communism has proven incompatible with the ideals of liberty, prosperity, and dignity of human life and has given rise to such infamous totalitarian dictators as Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, János Kádár, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez, Daniel Ortega, Ho Chi Minh, Wojciech Jaruzelski, and Pol Pot; (3) Communist regimes worldwide have killed more than 100 million people and subjected countless others to exploitation and unspeakable atrocities, with victims representing many different ethnicities, creeds, and backgrounds; (4) Through false promises of equality and liberation or through coercion, brutality, and fear, communist regimes have systematically robbed their own citizens of the rights to freedom of worship, freedom of speech, and freedom of association; (5) Many victims of communism were persecuted as political prisoners for speaking out against these regimes, and others were killed in genocidal state sponsored purges of undesirable groups; (6) In addition to violating basic human rights, communist regimes have suppressed intellectual freedom, cultural life, and self-determination movements in numerous nations; and (7) The State of Georgia is home to many of these freedom-loving victims and their descendants from across the world who came to this great state in pursuit of the American Dream. SECTION 2. Chapter 4 of Title 1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to holidays and observances, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows: "1-4-28. (a) November 7 of each year is designated as 'Victims of Communism Day' in Georgia. (b) The Governor may annually issue a proclamation designating November 7 as 'Victims of Communism Day,' which shall be suitably observed by public exercise at the state capitol and elsewhere as the Governor may designate." SECTION 3. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. A House bill would designate November 7 of each year as 'Victims of Communism Day' in Georgia, adding a new section to state law and allowing the Governor to issue an annual proclamation marking the observance. ### Plain-language summary 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. ### What it does - 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. ### Who it affects 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. ### Why it matters 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. ### Key provisions - 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. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-01-28) - Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (2026-03-03) - Sponsors: Reynaldo Martinez, Noelle Kahaian, Johnny Chastain, Sandy Donatucci, David Clark, Scott Hilton - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72528 > The history, votes, and amendments (199 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1082.md?full=1