--- title: HR 1055. Hembree, Representative Bill; honoring the life and memory; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1055 cite_as: HR 1055, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1055 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1055.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1055/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72400 date: 2026-01-27 status: passed 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/hr1054.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1056.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1055.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1055 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-01-27 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Kimberly New - Jon Burns - Kimberly Alexander - Vance Smith - Don Parsons - Katie Dempsey text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1055/2025 upstream_id: 2095222 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - memorial resolution - Georgia House of Representatives - Bill Hembree --- # HR 1055. Hembree, Representative Bill; honoring the life and memory; condolences ## Text House Resolution 1055 By: Representatives New of the 40th, Burns of the 159th, Alexander of the 66th, Smith of the 138th, Parsons of the 44th, and others A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Representative Bill Hembree; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens with the passing of Bill Hembree on January 15, 2026; and WHEREAS, Bill Hembree was born on March 8, 1966, in Villa Rica, Georgia, a beloved son of Herman Aubrey Hembree and Monta Raye Buchanan Hembree; and WHEREAS, he was united in love and marriage to his wife, Beth, and was blessed with three remarkable children, Will, Thomas, and Miles; and WHEREAS, Representative Bill Hembree faithfully served with the Georgia House of Representatives from 1992-2012, holding distinguished roles including Chairman of Higher Education and Chairman of the Rules Committee, where he worked tirelessly to improve Georgia's higher education system and honorably served the citizens of Georgia; and WHEREAS, he gave inspiration to many through his high ideals, morals, and deep concern for his fellow citizens, and the devotion, patience, and understanding he demonstrated to his family and friends were admired by others; and WHEREAS, he was a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation for integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness, and by the example he made of his life, he made this world a better place in which to live; and WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous man, Bill Hembree will long be remembered for his love of family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who had the great fortune of knowing him. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Representative Chairman Bill Hembree and express their deepest and most sincere regret at his passing. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the family of Bill Hembree. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution honors the life of former state Representative Bill Hembree, who died on January 15, 2026, and directs a copy of the tribute to be given to his family. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a formal tribute from the Georgia House of Representatives marking the death of Bill Hembree, who served in the House from 1992 to 2012 and chaired the Higher Education Committee and the Rules Committee. It recounts his life story, including his birth in Villa Rica, Georgia, his family, and his career of public service. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally expresses the House's condolences and directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for Hembree's family. ### What it does - Formally honors the life and memory of former Representative Bill Hembree and expresses the House's condolences on his passing. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Hembree's family. - Creates no new law, funding, or penalty; it is a ceremonial statement rather than a substantive policy change. ### Who it affects This resolution directly concerns the family of former Representative Bill Hembree, who will receive a copy of the tribute, and the members of the Georgia House of Representatives, who are expressing collective condolences. It has no effect on the general public or on Georgia law. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial consequences for Georgians. Its significance is symbolic, formally recording the House's recognition of a former lawmaker's decades of service and providing his family with an official expression of condolence from the state legislature. ### Key provisions - The resolution recites Bill Hembree's biography, including his birth, family, and 1992-2012 House service as Chairman of Higher Education and Chairman of the Rules Committee. - The resolution portion formally resolves that House members join in honoring his life and memory and express regret at his passing. - A further resolution directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make a copy available for distribution to his family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-01-27) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-01-27) - Sponsors: Kimberly New, Jon Burns, Kimberly Alexander, Vance Smith, Don Parsons, Katie Dempsey - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72400 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1055.md?full=1