--- title: HR 1495. Payne, Susan; Unity Christian School's 2025-2026 STAR Teacher; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1495 cite_as: HR 1495, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1495 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1495.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1495/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73685 date: 2026-02-25 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/hr1494.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1496.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 134 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1495.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1495 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-25 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Katie Dempsey - Eddie Lumsden - Matt Barton text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1495/2025 upstream_id: 2124817 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - teacher recognition - STAR Teacher program - education honors - Georgia House resolutions --- # HR 1495. Payne, Susan; Unity Christian School's 2025-2026 STAR Teacher; commend ## Text House Resolution 1495 By: Representatives Dempsey of the 13th, Lumsden of the 12th, and Barton of the 5th A RESOLUTION Commending Susan Payne, Unity Christian School's 2025-2026 STAR Teacher; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, a proper quality education for the young people of this state is the single most important objective of the General Assembly; and WHEREAS, Susan Payne has long been recognized by the citizens of this state for the vital role that she has played in the teaching profession and her deep personal commitment to the education of the students of Georgia; and WHEREAS, Susan Payne has earned distinction for teaching excellence and has been honored as Unity Christian School's 2025-2026 STAR Teacher; and WHEREAS, in recognition of her contributions to the education and welfare of young people in this state, it is abundantly fitting and proper for this body to honor the extraordinary accomplishments and academic achievements of this outstanding educator. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body commend Susan Payne, Unity Christian School's 2025-2026 STAR Teacher, and express their most sincere best wishes for continued success. 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 Susan Payne. ## 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 formally commends Susan Payne, a teacher at Unity Christian School, for being named the school's 2025-2026 STAR Teacher. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives honoring a specific teacher rather than a bill that changes any law. It recognizes Susan Payne of Unity Christian School for being selected as the school's STAR Teacher for the 2025-2026 school year, an honor tied to the statewide STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) program. The resolution states the General Assembly's general view that quality education is a top priority, praises Payne's contributions to teaching and student welfare, and formally commends her achievement. It directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for Payne so she can keep it as a record of the honor. It does not create, amend, or repeal any Georgia statute. ### What it does - Formally commends Susan Payne for being named Unity Christian School's 2025-2026 STAR Teacher. - States the House's general position that quality education is a top priority for Georgia's young people. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to Susan Payne. - Does not change, create, or repeal any Georgia law or funding program. ### Who it affects This resolution directly names and honors one individual, Susan Payne, a teacher at Unity Christian School. It has no direct legal or financial effect on other teachers, schools, or the public. ### Why it matters The resolution has no practical legal effect; it does not change any law, funding, or requirement. Its significance is symbolic, giving official state recognition to a teacher's achievement through a formal House document she can keep. ### Key provisions - The resolution's preamble (the 'WHEREAS' clauses) states the General Assembly's view on the importance of education and recounts Susan Payne's recognition as STAR Teacher. - The resolved clause formally commends Susan Payne and expresses best wishes for her continued success. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy for distribution to Payne. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-25) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-02-25) - Sponsors: Katie Dempsey, Eddie Lumsden, Matt Barton - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73685 > The history, votes, and amendments (134 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1495.md?full=1