--- title: HR 2087. Northwest Georgia Regional Commission; 65th anniversary; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr2087 cite_as: HR 2087, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr2087 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr2087.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr2087/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74700 date: 2026-04-02 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/hr2086.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr2088.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr2087.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 2087 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-04-02 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Katie Dempsey - Eddie Lumsden - Matthew Gambill - Trey Kelley - Martin Momtahan - Mitchell Scoggins text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR2087/2025 upstream_id: 2141017 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - regional planning - Northwest Georgia - local government - legislative commendation --- # HR 2087. Northwest Georgia Regional Commission; 65th anniversary; recognize ## Text House Resolution 2087 By: Representatives Dempsey of the 13th, Lumsden of the 12th, Gambill of the 15th, Kelley of the 16th, Momtahan of the 17th, and others A RESOLUTION Commending the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission upon its 65th anniversary; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, in the late 1950s, two visionary leaders, T. Harley Harper and Fred F. Starr, traveled the counties of Northwest Georgia promoting the idea of regional cooperation and planning; and WHEREAS, an area-wide organization was formed at a regional conference at Berry College in Rome, Georgia, on May 7, 1959, with more than 400 area business, industrial, and political leaders in attendance to discuss common problems and opportunities in the Coosa Valley region, with two members representing each of the 12 associated counties; and WHEREAS, a reorganization plan was developed under the Georgia General Planning and Enabling Act of 1957, and 11 counties joined together to create the Coosa Valley Area Planning and Development Commission; and WHEREAS, Governor Ernest Vandiver and the Georgia General Assembly agreed to finance the commission at $30,000 per year, and each participating county agreed to contribute 25 cents per capita per annum to supplement the funding; and WHEREAS, with legal authority and funding in place, the Coosa Valley Area Planning and Development Commission began operation on April 1, 1961, becoming the first multi-county organization of its type in Georgia as well as a model for other regions in the state and across the country; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Planning Act of 1989 changed the organization's name to the Coosa Valley Regional Development Center, and other legislative acts amended its responsibilities; and WHEREAS, the North Georgia Regional Development Center was merged with the Coosa Valley Regional Development Center in 2009 to form the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, which serves Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties, their 48 constituent municipalities, and almost one million Georgians; and WHEREAS, the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission works with federal and state partners to provide aging, workforce, economic development, community planning, GIS mapping, small business revolving loan fund, and other services to its members; and WHEREAS, the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission has exemplified regional cooperation through intrastate and interstate partnerships and initiatives with its peers in Georgia and its neighbors in Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina; and WHEREAS, the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission continues to fulfill its mission statement "to improve the quality of life for every Northwest Georgia resident, through orderly growth, conservation of the region's natural and historic resources, and care and development of the region's human resources." NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body commend the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission for 65 years of official service to the people and governments of Northwest Georgia, the State of Georgia, and its peer organizations in the state and Appalachian Region. 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 the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission. ## 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 commends the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission for 65 years of service to Northwest Georgia counties and directs the House Clerk to send it a copy of the resolution. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial House resolution rather than a change to Georgia law. It recounts the history of the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, starting with a 1959 regional conference at Berry College that led to the creation of the Coosa Valley Area Planning and Development Commission in 1961, its renaming in 1989, and its 2009 merger with the North Georgia Regional Development Center to form today's Northwest Georgia Regional Commission. The commission currently serves 15 counties, 48 municipalities, and nearly one million Georgians, providing aging, workforce, economic development, community planning, mapping, and small business loan services. The resolution formally commends the commission for 65 years of service and directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy for distribution to the commission. It does not create programs, spend money, or amend any Georgia statute. ### What it does - Formally commends the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission for 65 years of service to Northwest Georgia and the state. - Recites the commission's history from its 1959 founding conference through its 2009 merger into its current form. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to the commission. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement, since it is a commemorative resolution rather than an amendatory bill. ### Who it affects The Northwest Georgia Regional Commission and the 15 counties and 48 municipalities it serves, including Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal or budgetary effect on Georgians. Its practical significance is symbolic: it gives official state recognition to a regional planning body that provides aging, workforce, and economic development services across a 15 county area of Northwest Georgia. ### Key provisions - Recounts the 1959 Berry College conference and 1961 creation of the Coosa Valley Area Planning and Development Commission under the Georgia General Planning and Enabling Act of 1957. - Notes the 1989 renaming to the Coosa Valley Regional Development Center under the Georgia Planning Act of 1989. - Describes the 2009 merger with the North Georgia Regional Development Center to form the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission. - Resolves that the House of Representatives commends the commission for 65 years of service. - Directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy available for distribution to the commission. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-04-02) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-04-02) - Sponsors: Katie Dempsey, Eddie Lumsden, Matthew Gambill, Trey Kelley, Martin Momtahan, Mitchell Scoggins - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74700 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr2087.md?full=1