--- title: HR 1859. Capitol Art Standards Commission and the Governor; place a portrait of Governor Rufus Bullock in the state capitol; urge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1859 cite_as: HR 1859, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1859 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1859.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1859/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74353 date: 2026-03-27 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/hr1858.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1860.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 132 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1859.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1859 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-23 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Gerald Greene - Jan Jones - James Burchett - Karen Mathiak - Ginny Ehrhart text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1859/2025 upstream_id: 2137370 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - state capitol - Georgia history - Rufus Bullock - capitol artwork --- # HR 1859. Capitol Art Standards Commission and the Governor; place a portrait of Governor Rufus Bullock in the state capitol; urge ## Text House Resolution 1859 By: Representatives Greene of the 154th, Jones of the 47th, Burchett of the 176th, Mathiak of the 82nd, and Ehrhart of the 36th A RESOLUTION Urging the Capitol Art Standards Commission and the Governor to place a portrait of Governor Rufus Bullock in the state capitol; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, virtually all Governors of the State of Georgia since the early 19th Century are honored with a portrait in the state capitol; and WHEREAS, Rufus Bullock served as the 46th Governor of the State of Georgia and was the first Republican Governor of this state; and WHEREAS, Governor Bullock is the only Governor of the State of Georgia since at least 1850 who is not honored with a portrait in the state capitol; and WHEREAS, Governor Bullock led the state through some of its more turbulent times in history and was an esteemed private citizen in the later decades of his life; and WHEREAS, Governor Bullock is due the honor and respect paid to other Governors of this state. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body urge the Capitol Art Standards Commission and the Governor to place a portrait of Governor Rufus Bullock in the state capitol. 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 Capitol Art Standards Commission and the Governor. ## 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 urges the Capitol Art Standards Commission and the Governor to add a portrait of former Governor Rufus Bullock to the state capitol. ### Plain-language summary This resolution addresses the fact that Rufus Bullock, Georgia's 46th governor and the state's first Republican governor, is the only Georgia governor since at least 1850 without a portrait displayed in the state capitol. The resolution does not create new law or spend state funding. Instead, it formally urges the Capitol Art Standards Commission, the body responsible for approving artwork placed in the capitol, and the Governor to place a portrait of Bullock in the building. The resolution also directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to send copies of the resolution to the Capitol Art Standards Commission and the Governor so they are aware of the House's request. Because it is a resolution rather than a bill, it expresses the House's position and request but does not require any action to be taken. ### What it does - Formally urges the Capitol Art Standards Commission and the Governor to place a portrait of Governor Rufus Bullock in the state capitol. - States findings that Bullock is the only Georgia governor since at least 1850 without a portrait in the capitol. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to send copies of the resolution to the Capitol Art Standards Commission and the Governor. - Does not appropriate funding or require the Commission or Governor to act, since it is a request rather than a binding mandate. ### Who it affects The Capitol Art Standards Commission, which oversees artwork displayed in the state capitol, and the Governor's office are directly named as recipients of this request. The resolution also concerns the historical legacy of former Governor Rufus Bullock. ### Why it matters If the Commission and Governor act on this request, a portrait of Rufus Bullock, Georgia's first Republican governor, would be added to the capitol's collection, filling what the resolution describes as a historical gap among governor portraits dating back to at least 1850. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses state that nearly all Georgia governors since the early 19th century have capitol portraits and that Bullock, the 46th governor, is a notable exception. - The resolved clause urges the Capitol Art Standards Commission and the Governor to place a Bullock portrait in the capitol. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the Commission and the Governor. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-03-23) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-27) - Sponsors: Gerald Greene, Jan Jones, James Burchett, Karen Mathiak, Ginny Ehrhart - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74353 > The history, votes, and amendments (132 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1859.md?full=1