--- title: HR 1649. Sheriff Russell Tanner Memorial Highway; Johnson County; dedicate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1649 cite_as: HR 1649, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1649 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1649.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1649/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73992 date: 2026-03-12 status: introduced 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/hr1648.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1650.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 132 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1649.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1649 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-09 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - James Hatchett text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1649/2025 upstream_id: 2131392 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - highway dedication - Johnson County - law enforcement recognition - memorial resolution --- # HR 1649. Sheriff Russell Tanner Memorial Highway; Johnson County; dedicate ## Text House Resolution 1649 By: Representative Hatchett of the 155th A RESOLUTION Honoring the life of Sheriff Russell Tanner and dedicating a road in his memory; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Sheriff Russell Tanner was highly regarded by the citizens of his community and state and by local government officials as a person of unquestioned integrity and dedication to the sound principles of law enforcement; and WHEREAS, Sheriff Tanner ably served and protected the citizens of this state as Johnson County Sheriff with an exceptional career in law enforcement that spanned 30 years; and WHEREAS, he served as Deputy Sheriff of Johnson County from January 1, 1962, until July 1984, and was appointed Sheriff of Johnson County by Governor Joe Frank Harris to complete the unexpired term of his predecessor; and WHEREAS, Sheriff Tanner led an exceptional career of public of service, always putting public safety and the citizens of Johnson County first, and his inspiring commitment to the welfare of others stands as a shining example of the positive effect law enforcement professionals have on the lives and well-being of others; and WHEREAS, Sheriff Tanner retired on December 1, 1992, making him the longest serving law enforcement officer in Johnson County history; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that this remarkable and distinguished Georgian be recognized appropriately by dedicating a road in his memory. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AND ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the portion of State Route 78 from Gumlog Road to Union Hill Church Road in Johnson County is dedicated as the Sheriff Russell Tanner Memorial Highway. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is authorized and directed to erect and maintain appropriate signs dedicating the Sheriff Russell Tanner Memorial Highway. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the family of Sheriff Russell Tanner and to the Department of Transportation. ## 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 would honor the late Sheriff Russell Tanner by naming a stretch of State Route 78 in Johnson County the Sheriff Russell Tanner Memorial Highway. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives commemorates Sheriff Russell Tanner, who served Johnson County in law enforcement for 30 years, including as a deputy sheriff and later as sheriff after being appointed by Governor Joe Frank Harris. He retired in 1992 as the longest serving law enforcement officer in county history. The resolution designates the portion of State Route 78 between Gumlog Road and Union Hill Church Road in Johnson County as the Sheriff Russell Tanner Memorial Highway. It directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to put up and maintain signs marking the dedication, and it directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to Tanner's family and to the department. ### What it does - Dedicates the section of State Route 78 between Gumlog Road and Union Hill Church Road in Johnson County as the Sheriff Russell Tanner Memorial Highway. - Directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to erect and maintain signs marking the memorial highway designation. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to Tanner's family and the Department of Transportation. ### Who it affects This mainly affects the family of Sheriff Russell Tanner, residents and drivers in Johnson County who use State Route 78, and the Georgia Department of Transportation, which must install and maintain the memorial signage. ### Why it matters If adopted, drivers on this stretch of State Route 78 will see signs honoring Sheriff Tanner's decades of service, a symbolic but permanent recognition. The Department of Transportation takes on a small ongoing duty to maintain the signage. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses recount Sheriff Tanner's 30-year law enforcement career in Johnson County, including his appointment as sheriff by Governor Joe Frank Harris. - The first resolving clause dedicates the named portion of State Route 78 as the Sheriff Russell Tanner Memorial Highway. - The second resolving clause authorizes and directs the Department of Transportation to erect and maintain appropriate signs for the dedication. - The final resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to Tanner's family and the Department of Transportation. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-03-09) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-12) - Sponsors: James Hatchett - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73992 > The history, votes, and amendments (132 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1649.md?full=1