--- title: HR 1985. Hairston, Ruben; induction into the Fort Valley State Hall of Fame; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1985 cite_as: HR 1985, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1985 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1985.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1985/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74556 date: 2026-03-27 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/hr1984.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1986.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 134 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1985.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1985 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-27 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Debbie Buckner - David Huddleston - Vance Smith text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1985/2025 upstream_id: 2139217 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - commendation resolution - Fort Valley State Hall of Fame - Georgia law enforcement - college football honors --- # HR 1985. Hairston, Ruben; induction into the Fort Valley State Hall of Fame; commend ## Text House Resolution 1985 By: Representatives Buckner of the 137th, Huddleston of the 72nd, and Smith of the 138th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Ruben Hairston upon his induction into the Fort Valley State Hall of Fame; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Ruben Hairston has distinguished himself through a lifetime of achievement in athletics, public service, and community leadership, earning recognition for his contributions both on and off the field; and WHEREAS, during his collegiate football career, Ruben Hairston earned Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player, Receiver of the Year, and Offensive Player of the Year honors in 1977 and was named to the All-SIAC Football Team in 1979, establishing himself as one of the conference's premier athletes; and WHEREAS, he advanced thereafter to the professional level as a wide receiver with the Detroit Lions in 1979 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 1980, and he continues to support football and youth development as founder of the West Georgia Youth Football Camp; and WHEREAS, transitioning to a career in public service, Ruben Hairston began his work in law enforcement in 1982 as a deputy sheriff in Peach County, Georgia, later serving as part of the Troup County Sheriff's Office and as a magistrate judge in the Troup County Magistrate Court; and WHEREAS, he further distinguished himself through his service with the Troup County Marshal's Office, where he made history the first African American chief marshal in the State of Georgia, as well as his role of chief investigator for the Department of Agriculture; and WHEREAS, his exemplary service in law enforcement was recognized statewide when he was named Chief of the Year in 2002 and runner-up for Chief of the Year in 2001 by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police; and WHEREAS, is it abundantly fitting and proper that this exceptional individual be appropriately honored during this special time. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend Ruben Hairston upon the grand occasion of his well-deserved induction into the Fort Valley State Hall of Fame and extend the most sincere best wishes for continued health and happiness. 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 Ruben Hairston. ## 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 formally recognizes Ruben Hairston for his induction into the Fort Valley State Hall of Fame, honoring his athletic career and decades of law enforcement service in Georgia. ### Plain-language summary This is a commendation resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives honoring Ruben Hairston. It recounts his career as a standout collegiate football player at Fort Valley State, his brief professional football career with the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs, and his long career in Georgia law enforcement, including becoming the first African American chief marshal in the state. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It simply states that the House recognizes and commends Hairston on his induction into the Fort Valley State Hall of Fame and directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for him. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Ruben Hairston by name for his induction into the Fort Valley State Hall of Fame. - Recites his collegiate and professional football achievements and his decades of service in Georgia law enforcement. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to Hairston. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulation; it is a ceremonial statement of the House's recognition. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors Ruben Hairston. It has no regulatory effect on any other group of Georgians, businesses, or government agencies. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal or financial effect on Georgians. Its significance is symbolic: it places the Georgia House of Representatives' formal recognition of Hairston's athletic and law enforcement career into the official record. ### Key provisions - The resolving clause recognizes and commends Ruben Hairston on his induction into the Fort Valley State Hall of Fame and extends best wishes for his health and happiness. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy of the resolution available for distribution to Hairston. - The whereas clauses detail his 1977 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors, his professional football stints, and his law enforcement career including recognition as Chief of the Year in 2002. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-27) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-03-27) - Sponsors: Debbie Buckner, David Huddleston, Vance Smith - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74556 > The history, votes, and amendments (134 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1985.md?full=1