--- title: HR 1800. Jones, Speaker Pro Tempore Jan; extraordinary service to the State of Georgia; occasion of her retirement; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1800 cite_as: HR 1800, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1800 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1800.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1800/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74281 date: 2026-03-19 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/hr1799.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1801.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1800.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1800 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-19 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Jon Burns - Butch Parrish - Katie Dempsey - Lynn Smith - Charles Martin - Teddy Reese text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1800/2025 upstream_id: 2136383 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - legislative honors - Georgia House of Representatives - Jan Jones retirement - women in Georgia politics --- # HR 1800. Jones, Speaker Pro Tempore Jan; extraordinary service to the State of Georgia; occasion of her retirement; recognize ## Text House Resolution 1800 By: Representatives Burns of the 159th, Parrish of the 158th, Dempsey of the 13th, Smith of the 70th, Martin of the 49th, and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones for her extraordinary service to the State of Georgia upon the occasion of her retirement; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones, the longest-serving Speaker Pro Tempore in United States history, is retiring after more than two decades of dedicated service in the Georgia House of Representatives; and WHEREAS, she was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2002 and has faithfully represented portions of North Fulton and East Cherokee, including the communities of Milton, Mountain Park, and parts of Roswell and Alpharetta; and WHEREAS, a trailblazer for women in Georgia politics, she was elected Speaker Pro Tempore in 2010, becoming the first woman to serve in that role and the highest-ranking woman in Georgia legislative history—she was the first and only woman to date to serve as a conferee on the General Assembly's budget, and she further made history by serving as Georgia's first female Speaker of the House during a leadership transition in 2022; and WHEREAS, prior to her election as Speaker Pro Tempore, she served with distinction as Majority Whip and as Chair of the Education Appropriations Subcommittee; and WHEREAS, officially named the "Mother of Milton" by the city's Mayor and Council, she was instrumental in the creation of the City of Milton and led the successful 2006 cityhood referendum; and WHEREAS, her leadership has focused on improving the lives of women in Georgia and has resulted in transformative investments and reforms in K-12 and higher education; and WHEREAS, widely regarded as one of the foremost legislative experts on public education in Georgia, Speaker Pro Tempore Jones has devoted her career to strengthening educational opportunities and outcomes for students across the state; and WHEREAS, through her leadership and dedication, she made possible lasting policy achievements that expanded opportunity for Georgia students, including strengthening the HOPE Scholarship with STEM grade weighting and expanding Georgia's Pre-K program through increased funding for teacher salaries and additional classrooms; and WHEREAS, her work empowered families and strengthened educational access statewide by increasing options for students assigned to low-performing schools and establishing a statewide network of regional public schools serving students at risk of dropping out, creating additional pathways for success for every learner; and WHEREAS, born in Warner Robins, Georgia, she and her husband, Kalin, have called Milton home for more than 25 years, and together they have been blessed with four children and four grandchildren, with a fifth grandchild on the way; and WHEREAS, through her visionary leadership, deep policy expertise, and unwavering commitment to the people of Georgia, Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones has left an enduring legacy of service, innovation, and opportunity that will benefit generations to come. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones for her outstanding career of public service and extend their deepest gratitude and best wishes upon the occasion of her retirement. 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 Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones. ## 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 honors outgoing Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones for more than two decades of service in the Georgia House of Representatives, marking her retirement. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives honoring Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones as she retires. It does not change any law; instead it recounts her career, including being first elected in 2002, becoming the first woman to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore in 2010, and serving as Georgia's first female Speaker of the House during a 2022 leadership transition. The resolution highlights her role in the creation of the City of Milton, her work on education policy such as strengthening the HOPE Scholarship and expanding Pre-K, and her personal background. It formally states that the House recognizes and commends her service and directs the Clerk of the House to provide her with an official copy of the resolution. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones for her career of public service in the Georgia House of Representatives. - States the House's gratitude and best wishes to Jones on the occasion of her retirement. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute an official copy of the resolution to Jones. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a ceremonial statement rather than a change to Georgia statute. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones. It also involves the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who is tasked with preparing and delivering a copy of the resolution to her. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal or regulatory effect on Georgians; it is a formal, symbolic tribute. Its practical significance is limited to publicly recording the Georgia House's recognition of a long-serving legislative leader's career and retirement. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount Jones's legislative career, including her 2002 election and her historic 2010 election as the first woman to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore. - The resolved clause formally states the House's recognition and commendation of Jones and extends gratitude on her retirement. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy of the resolution available for distribution to Jones. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-19) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-03-19) - Sponsors: Jon Burns, Butch Parrish, Katie Dempsey, Lynn Smith, Charles Martin, Teddy Reese - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74281 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1800.md?full=1