--- title: HR 1198. High, Mother Essie Lee Harden; honoring the life and memory; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1198 cite_as: HR 1198, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1198 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1198.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1198/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72761 date: 2026-02-02 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/hr1197.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1199.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1198.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1198 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-02 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Lydia Glaize - Mekyah McQueen - Derrick Jackson - Robert Dawson text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1198/2025 upstream_id: 2104353 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - memorial resolution - Georgia House of Representatives - Monroe County - condolences --- # HR 1198. High, Mother Essie Lee Harden; honoring the life and memory; condolences ## Text House Resolution 1198 By: Representatives Glaize of the 67th, McQueen of the 61st, Jackson of the 68th, and Dawson of the 65th A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Mother Essie Lee Harden High; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens with the passing of Mother Essie Lee Harden High on January 24, 2026; and WHEREAS, Mother Essie Lee Harden High was born on October 26, 1930, in Monroe County, Georgia, a beloved daughter of John Allen and Florence Thrash Harden; and WHEREAS, a woman of deep and abiding faith, Mother Essie was an active member of Parker Chapel AME Church in Culloden, Georgia, and In His Great Name Worship Center in Fairburn, Georgia; and WHEREAS, she gave inspiration to many through her high ideals, morals, and deep concern for her fellow citizens, and the devotion, patience, and understanding she demonstrated to her family and friends were admired by others; and WHEREAS, she was a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation for integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness, and by the example she made of her life, she made this world a better place in which to live; and WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous woman, Mother Essie will long be remembered for her love of gardening, traveling, attending church, taking care of others, and making people laugh as well as her commitment to family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who had the great fortune of knowing her. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Mother Essie Lee Harden High and express their deepest and most sincere regret at her 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 Mother Essie Lee Harden High. ## 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 Mother Essie Lee Harden High, a Monroe County native who died on January 24, 2026, and offers condolences to her family. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution passed by the Georgia House of Representatives. It does not change any law. Instead, it formally recognizes the life of Mother Essie Lee Harden High, who was born in Monroe County, Georgia, in 1930 and passed away on January 24, 2026. The resolution recounts her faith, her church membership at Parker Chapel AME Church and In His Great Name Worship Center, and her character and interests, including gardening, traveling, and caring for others. It directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for her family as a form of official condolence. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and honors the life and memory of Mother Essie Lee Harden High on behalf of the Georgia House of Representatives. - Expresses the House's sincere regret over her passing on January 24, 2026. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare an official copy of the resolution for distribution to her family. ### Who it affects The resolution directly affects the family of Mother Essie Lee Harden High, who will receive an official copy, and reflects recognition by her home communities in Monroe County and Fairburn, Georgia, including her church congregations. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no legal or regulatory effect, it provides an official, public记录 of appreciation from the state legislature, giving the family and community a formal document marking her life and contributions. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses describe her birth, family, faith, and community involvement. - The resolving clause has the House of Representatives join in honoring her life and expressing regret at her passing. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy for distribution to her family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-02) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-02-02) - Sponsors: Lydia Glaize, Mekyah McQueen, Derrick Jackson, Robert Dawson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72761 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1198.md?full=1