--- title: HR 1329. Newton, Rickey O'Neal; Norcross, Georgia; honoring the life and memory; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1329 cite_as: HR 1329, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1329 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1329.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1329/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73143 date: 2026-02-11 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/hr1328.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1330.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 134 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1329.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1329 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-11 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Arlene Beckles - Billy Mitchell - Gabe Okoye - Matt Reeves - Chuck Efstration - Segun Adeyina text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1329/2025 upstream_id: 2114675 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - memorial resolution - Norcross Georgia - Georgia House of Representatives - condolence resolution --- # HR 1329. Newton, Rickey O'Neal; Norcross, Georgia; honoring the life and memory; condolences ## Text House Resolution 1329 By: Representatives Beckles of the 96th, Mitchell of the 88th, Okoye of the 102nd, Reeves of the 99th, Efstration of the 104th, and others A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Rickey O'Neal Newton of Norcross, Georgia; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Rickey O'Neal Newton was born on July 31, 1952, to the late Ralph and Hattie Mae Newton, and was called home to be with the Lord, leaving behind a legacy of faith, family, and quiet strength; and WHEREAS, at the age of ten, Rickey joined Hopewell Baptist Church, where he established a deep and abiding faith that remained steadfast throughout his life, and even when his health prevented him from attending services in person, he remained spiritually connected by faithfully watching services online; and WHEREAS, Rickey was a proud graduate of Norcross High School, Class of 1970, and dedicated many years of his professional life to his community, including following in his father's footsteps into the construction trade; and WHEREAS, Rickey served as the family historian, possessing an extraordinary memory and deep knowledge of family heritage, making him the trusted keeper of stories and guardian of family history; and WHEREAS, Rickey was a devoted father to his beloved son Rodrick Newton, a loving brother to Beverly Turner, Ronald Newton, Craig Newton, Wanda Fulton, Dana Hines, and Noland Newton, and a cherished uncle, cousin, and friend whose quiet strength and steady presence touched countless lives; and WHEREAS, Rickey O'Neal Newton's life was a testament to the values of faith, family, hard work, and humility, and his memory will continue to inspire all who knew and loved him; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the extraordinary life of this remarkable man be appropriately recognized. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body honor the life and memory of Rickey O'Neal Newton and express their deepest sympathy to his family and friends during this time of loss. 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 Rickey O'Neal Newton. ## 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 Rickey O'Neal Newton of Norcross and offers condolences to his family and friends. ### Plain-language summary This is a memorial resolution passed by the Georgia House of Representatives to honor Rickey O'Neal Newton, a Norcross resident who died after a life described in the resolution as marked by faith, family, and community involvement. The resolution recounts his upbringing, his church membership since childhood, his graduation from Norcross High School in 1970, his career in the construction trade following his father, and his role as family historian. The House resolves to formally honor his memory and express sympathy to his family and friends. It also directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for delivery to his family. The resolution does not change any Georgia law; it is a ceremonial statement by the legislature. ### What it does - Formally honors the life and memory of Rickey O'Neal Newton on behalf of the Georgia House of Representatives. - Expresses the House's sympathy to Newton's family and friends following his death. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Newton's family. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the family of Rickey O'Neal Newton, including his son, siblings, and other relatives, and it affects the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who is directed to prepare and deliver a copy of the resolution. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal or regulatory effect on Georgians generally; its practical outcome is a formal, published tribute in the legislative record and a physical copy given to Newton's family as a gesture of recognition and sympathy. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses recount Newton's birth, upbringing, faith, education at Norcross High School, career in construction, and role as family historian. - The resolving clause states that the House honors his life and memory and expresses sympathy to his family and friends. - A further resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make a copy of the resolution available for distribution to his family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-11) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-02-11) - Sponsors: Arlene Beckles, Billy Mitchell, Gabe Okoye, Matt Reeves, Chuck Efstration, Segun Adeyina - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73143 > The history, votes, and amendments (134 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1329.md?full=1