--- title: HR 1558. Barnes, Bishop Leroy; honoring the life and memory; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1558 cite_as: HR 1558, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1558 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1558.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1558/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73832 date: 2026-03-03 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/hr1557.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1559.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 134 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1558.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1558 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-03 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Angela Moore text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1558/2025 upstream_id: 2128641 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - commemorative resolution - Georgia House of Representatives - Atlanta - condolences --- # HR 1558. Barnes, Bishop Leroy; honoring the life and memory; condolences ## Text House Resolution 1558 By: Representative Moore of the 91st A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Bishop Leroy Barnes; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens with the passing of Bishop Leroy Barnes; and WHEREAS, a man of deep and abiding faith, Bishop Barnes accepted his calling into the ministry in 1979; and WHEREAS, in 1989, he became Pastor of St. Mark Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where he would faithfully serve as Senior Pastor for 45 years; and WHEREAS, he was united in love and marriage to his wife, Henrietta, and was blessed with four remarkable children, along with many nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren, and great grandchildren; and WHEREAS, he gave inspiration to many through his high ideals, morals, and deep concern for his fellow citizens, and the devotion, patience, and understanding he demonstrated to his family and friends were admired by others; and WHEREAS, alongside his pastoral work, Bishop Barnes built a distinguished career in the automotive manufacturing industry, retiring from Ford Motor Company after 30 years of exemplary service; and WHEREAS, he was a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation for integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness, and by the example he made of his life, he made this world a better place in which to live; and WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous man, Bishop Barnes will long be remembered for his love of family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who had the great fortune of knowing him. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Bishop Leroy Barnes and express their deepest and most sincere regret at his 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 Bishop Leroy Barnes. ## 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 Bishop Leroy Barnes, a longtime Atlanta pastor and Ford Motor Company employee, and expresses the chamber's condolences to his family. ### Plain-language summary This is a commemorative resolution passed by the Georgia House of Representatives to recognize Bishop Leroy Barnes after his death. It recounts his decades of service as Senior Pastor of St. Mark Baptist Church in Atlanta, his 30 year career at Ford Motor Company, and his family life with his wife Henrietta and their children. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally states that the House joins in honoring his memory and expresses regret at his passing, and it directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for his family. ### What it does - Formally states that the Georgia House of Representatives honors the life and memory of Bishop Leroy Barnes. - Expresses the House's sincere regret and condolences over his passing. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Barnes's family. ### Who it affects This resolution directly affects the family of Bishop Leroy Barnes, who will receive a copy of it, and the Clerk of the House, who is directed to prepare that copy. It has no broader effect on Georgia residents or state law. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial effect and changes no Georgia law. Its practical significance is symbolic: it gives Barnes's family an official document from the state legislature recognizing his pastoral ministry, decades-long career, and community life. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount Barnes's 1979 entry into ministry, his 45 years as Senior Pastor of St. Mark Baptist Church in Atlanta, and his 30 year career at Ford Motor Company. - The resolving clause has the House of Representatives join in honoring his memory and expressing regret at his passing. - A further resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy available for distribution to his family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-03) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-03-03) - Sponsors: Angela Moore - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73832 > The history, votes, and amendments (134 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1558.md?full=1