Georgia CommonsHR 1427: Congress; pass Thiokol Memorial Gold Medical Act; urge
Last action February 25, 2026 · House Second Readers
A Georgia House resolution urges the U.S. Congress to pass the Thiokol Memorial Gold Medal Act, which would award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 30 workers killed in the 1971 and 1973 Thiokol plant explosions in Woodbine, Georgia.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
This resolution recalls the February 3, 1971 explosion at the Thiokol Chemical Plant in Woodbine, Georgia, which killed 29 workers making trip flares for the Vietnam War, and a 1973 mortar shell explosion at the same plant that killed a 30th worker. It describes the scale of the rescue effort and notes the disaster ranks among the worst industrial accidents in U.S. history. The resolution states that U.S. Representative Buddy Carter introduced a federal bill in 2026, the Thiokol Memorial Gold Medal Act, to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 30 people who died. The Georgia House of Representatives uses this resolution to formally urge Congress to pass that federal bill. It also directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to the President, Vice President, the Speaker of the U.S. House, and Georgia's congressional delegation.
What the bill does
- Formally urges the U.S. Congress to enact the Thiokol Memorial Gold Medal Act, a federal bill honoring 30 workers who died at the Woodbine Thiokol plant.
- Directs the Clerk of the Georgia House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States.
- Directs distribution of copies to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and to each member of Georgia's congressional delegation.
- Recites the historical record of the 1971 and 1973 explosions as the basis for the request to Congress.
Who it affects
This resolution primarily affects the families and memory of the 30 Thiokol plant workers who died, members of Georgia's congressional delegation who receive the resolution, and Congress itself as the body being asked to act. It has no direct legal effect on other Georgians.
Why it matters
Because this is a resolution rather than a law, it does not itself award any medal or change any statute. Its practical effect is to put the Georgia House of Representatives on record supporting the federal Thiokol Memorial Gold Medal Act and to formally notify federal officials of that support.
Key provisions
- Recounts that the February 3, 1971 explosion at the Woodbine Thiokol plant killed 29 workers during trip flare manufacturing for the Vietnam War.
- Notes a 1973 mortar shell explosion at the same plant killed a 30th worker, Joseph E. Wainright.
- States the resolved clause: the House urges Congress to enact the Thiokol Memorial Gold Medal Act, which would award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 30 deceased workers.
- Directs the Clerk of the House to send copies to the President, Vice President, the Speaker of the U.S. House, and Georgia's congressional delegation.
From the bill
“the members of this body urge Congress to enact the Thiokol Memorial Gold Medal Act”
“the Thiokol explosion is the worst disaster in the history of southeastern Georgia and is now ranked as the tenth out of 100 worst industrial accidents in United States history”
Status timeline
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Steven Sainz (R, HD-180)
- Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)
- Inga Willis (D, HD-055)
- Buddy DeLoach (R, HD-167)
- Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)
Topics
- Thiokol plant explosion
- Congressional Gold Medal
- Woodbine Georgia history
- Vietnam War munitions workers
- worker safety