--- title: HR 1518. Civil Air Patrol; service to the citizens of Georgia; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1518 cite_as: HR 1518, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1518 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1518.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1518/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73750 date: 2026-02-26 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/hr1517.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1519.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1518.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1518 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-26 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Josh Bonner - Clint Crowe - Karen Mathiak - Mike Cheokas - David Jenkins text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1518/2025 upstream_id: 2125955 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Civil Air Patrol - disaster relief - volunteer recognition - emergency services - hurricane response --- # HR 1518. Civil Air Patrol; service to the citizens of Georgia; commend ## Text House Resolution 1518 By: Representatives Bonner of the 73rd, Crowe of the 118th, Mathiak of the 82nd, Cheokas of the 151st, and Jenkins of the 136th A RESOLUTION Recognizing the Civil Air Patrol for their service to the citizens of Georgia; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Civil Air Patrol was founded on December 1, 1941, as an organization of volunteers meant to assist the United States military in national defense by performing aerial coastal patrols and emergency services within the continental United States; and WHEREAS, in 1943, the capabilities of the organization were recognized as vital to national defense, and by Presidential Executive Order, the Civil Air Patrol was assigned to the War Department and subsequently designated by Congress on May 26, 1948, as the official auxiliary to the United States Air Force to perform three distinct missions: emergency services, aerospace education, and cadet programs; and WHEREAS, Civil Air Patrol's association with the United States Air Force in performing these "Missions for America" as part of the United States Air Force's Total Force; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Wing of Civil Air Patrol consists of almost 2,000 volunteer members in 37 squadrons and seven groups located throughout this state; and WHEREAS, Georgia Wing members earned national recognition in 2021 by receiving the Crisis Service Award for their efforts to support Georgia's communities during the COVID-19 pandemic; and WHEREAS, Georgia Wing members, as an intricate component of our national defense, volunteer their services, time, and resources to actively support Civil Air Patrol by conducting missions in homeland security, disaster relief, and emergency services, search and rescue, counter drug, aerospace education, and cadet programs, heavily supporting hurricane relief efforts for Helene and Milton by providing FEMA and GEMA with thousands of aerial images as well as supporting distribution points around the state and conducting "Sundown Patrols" in South Georgia; and WHEREAS, the estimated value of the Georgia Wing members' volunteer hours in 2024 was in excess of $7.6 million; and WHEREAS, these "flying minutemen" of the Civil Air Patrol have, since its inception, consistently provided this state with invaluable emergency services, serving America's communities, saving lives, and shaping futures. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize the selfless contributions that the volunteers of the Civil Air Patrol have made to the State of Georgia. 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 Georgia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. ## 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 the Civil Air Patrol's Georgia Wing for its volunteer service, including disaster relief work during hurricanes Helene and Milton. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any Georgia law. It is a ceremonial statement from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizing the Civil Air Patrol, a volunteer organization that serves as the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force, for its work supporting Georgia communities. The resolution highlights the history of the Civil Air Patrol since 1941, the roughly 2,000 volunteer members of its Georgia Wing spread across 37 squadrons and seven groups, and their work in disaster relief, search and rescue, and aerospace education. It notes the Georgia Wing received a national Crisis Service Award in 2021 for COVID-19 pandemic support and that its volunteers contributed an estimated $7.6 million worth of hours in 2024, including aerial imagery and supply distribution support during hurricanes Helene and Milton. The House directs its Clerk to send a copy of the resolution to the Georgia Wing. ### What it does - Formally recognizes the Civil Air Patrol's Georgia Wing volunteers for their contributions to the State of Georgia, with no changes to law or funding. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the Georgia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. - Cites specific facts about the organization, including its founding in 1941, its designation as the official Air Force auxiliary in 1948, and its roughly 2,000 Georgia volunteers. - Notes the Georgia Wing's role supporting FEMA and GEMA with aerial imagery and distribution points during hurricanes Helene and Milton. ### Who it affects The resolution directly honors the volunteer members of the Civil Air Patrol's Georgia Wing. It does not impose obligations on any other group, though it references the organization's cooperative work with the United States Air Force, FEMA, and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA). ### Why it matters Because this is a commendatory resolution rather than a law, it carries no legal or financial effect. Its practical impact is symbolic: it formally acknowledges volunteer disaster relief and emergency service work performed by Georgians through the Civil Air Patrol during recent hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic. ### Key provisions - The resolving clause states that House members recognize the selfless contributions of Civil Air Patrol volunteers to the State of Georgia. - A further resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to the Georgia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. - The whereas clauses recount the organization's history, its designation as the Air Force's official auxiliary in 1948, and its three core missions of emergency services, aerospace education, and cadet programs. - The whereas clauses cite the estimated $7.6 million value of Georgia Wing volunteer hours in 2024 and support provided during hurricanes Helene and Milton. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-26) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-02-26) - Sponsors: Josh Bonner, Clint Crowe, Karen Mathiak, Mike Cheokas, David Jenkins - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73750 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1518.md?full=1