--- title: HR 1706. Jerry Barnes Memorial Highway; Pickens County; dedicate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1706 cite_as: HR 1706, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1706 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1706.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1706/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74112 date: 2026-03-19 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/hr1705.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1707.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 132 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1706.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1706 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-16 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Rick Jasperse text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1706/2025 upstream_id: 2134495 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - highway dedication - Pickens County - memorial resolution - Georgia Department of Transportation --- # HR 1706. Jerry Barnes Memorial Highway; Pickens County; dedicate ## Text House Resolution 1706 By: Representative Jasperse of the 11th A RESOLUTION Honoring the life of Mr. Jerry Barnes and dedicating a road in his memory; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Mr. Jerry Barnes was a lifelong resident of the Hinton community in Pickens County, Georgia, and graduated from Pickens High School, where he served as president of the Future Farmers of America; and WHEREAS, Mr. Barnes dedicated his life to uplifting others and supporting the needs of his neighbors and community; and WHEREAS, he was an advocate for the youth of Pickens County, volunteering countless hours of his time to educating aspiring farmers to care for and show lambs, calves, and pigs; and WHEREAS, Mr. Barnes was a founding member of the Hinton Volunteer Fire Department, helping to protect lives and property and leading annual fundraisers to obtain vehicles and a building for the department; and WHEREAS, he was a charter member of Pickens Future Farmers of America Alumni, founded the Appalachian Cattleman's Association, and supported numerous organizations such as Pickens 4-H, Leadership Pickens, USDA Farm Services Agency, and Coosawattee Regional Water and Sewage Authority; and WHEREAS, after retiring as a Georgia Farm Bureau agent, Mr. Barnes continued to serve as the voice of the western part of the county as County Commissioner for Pickens County; and WHEREAS, Mr. Barnes was a devoted husband to his wife Marsha, a proud father of Brian and Shelia, and a doting grandfather; and WHEREAS, a man of deep and abiding faith, Mr. Barnes was an active member of Hinton United Methodist Church, where he served as church chairperson and choir director; 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 53 from 1/4 mile East of the intersection with State Route 136CO to Arrowhead Way in Pickens County is dedicated as the Jerry Barnes Memorial Highway. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is authorized and directed to erect and maintain appropriate signs dedicating the Jerry Barnes 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 Mr. Jerry Branes 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 House resolution would name a stretch of State Route 53 in Pickens County the Jerry Barnes Memorial Highway, honoring the late county commissioner and community volunteer. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives honors Jerry Barnes, a longtime resident of the Hinton community in Pickens County, who volunteered extensively with local youth agriculture programs, helped found the Hinton Volunteer Fire Department, and later served as a Pickens County Commissioner. The resolution recounts his community service, family, and church involvement. It then formally dedicates the portion of State Route 53 running from a quarter mile east of its intersection with State Route 136 to Arrowhead Way in Pickens County as the Jerry Barnes Memorial Highway. It directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to erect and maintain signs marking the designation, and instructs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to Barnes's family and to the Department of Transportation. ### What it does - Dedicates the section of State Route 53 in Pickens County between a point a quarter mile east of State Route 136 and Arrowhead Way as the Jerry Barnes Memorial Highway. - Directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to erect and maintain signs marking the highway dedication. - Instructs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to Barnes's family and the Department of Transportation. ### Who it affects This mainly affects the Georgia Department of Transportation, which must install and maintain signage, and residents and travelers on the designated stretch of State Route 53 in Pickens County. It also formally honors the family of Jerry Barnes. ### Why it matters The resolution does not change any law or funding; its practical effect is a new highway name and signage on a specific road segment in Pickens County, serving as a public memorial to a local community figure and former county commissioner. ### Key provisions - The resolved clause designates the named portion of State Route 53 as the Jerry Barnes Memorial Highway. - A further resolved clause authorizes and directs the Department of Transportation to erect and maintain appropriate signs for the dedication. - A final clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to Barnes's family and the Department of Transportation. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-03-16) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-19) - Sponsors: Rick Jasperse - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74112 > The history, votes, and amendments (132 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1706.md?full=1