--- title: HR 227. Gavalis; Joseph; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr227 cite_as: HR 227, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr227 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr227.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr227/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70212 date: 2025-02-11 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/hr226.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr228.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr227.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 227 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-11 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Sharon Cooper - Devan Seabaugh - Don Parsons - John Carson - Ginny Ehrhart text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR227/2025 upstream_id: 1965764 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - memorial resolution - Cobb County - elder abuse prevention - Georgia House of Representatives --- # HR 227. Gavalis; Joseph; condolences ## Text House Resolution 227 By: Representatives Cooper of the 45th, Seabaugh of the 34th, Parsons of the 44th, Carson of the 46th, and Ehrhart of the 36th A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Joseph Gavalis; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens with the passing of Joseph Gavalis; and WHEREAS, during his distinguished career as a federal agent, Joseph Gavalis fought against organized crime and labor racketeering, taking on dangerous mobsters and corrupt labor bosses to protect workers striving to make a living; and WHEREAS, after retiring from federal law enforcement, he and his wife, Susan, settled in Cobb County, Georgia, where he served as a leader and president of his homeowner's association, resolving neighbors' concerns, navigating local government, and acting as a liaison with local police; and WHEREAS, Joseph Gavalis volunteered extensively with the Cobb County government, serving on the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission and as a founding member of the Cobb County Elder Abuse Task Force, where he collaborated with officials and legislators to combat elder abuse; and WHEREAS, as founder of the North Georgia Elder Abuse Task Force, he worked with local and federal law enforcement across the region, educated groups about scams targeting the elderly, and helped resolve local issues related to elder abuse; and WHEREAS, over 10 years, he conducted workshops for approximately 10,000 seniors, teaching them about elder abuse prevention and distributing scent kits to help locate dementia sufferers before harm could occur; and WHEREAS, he gave inspiration to many through his high ideals, morals, and deep concern for his fellow citizens, and the devotion, patience, and understanding he demonstrated to his family and friends were admired by others; and WHEREAS, he was a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation for integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness, and by the example he made of his life, he made this world a better place in which to live; and WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous man, Joseph Gavalis will long be remembered for his love of family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who had the great fortune of knowing him. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Joseph Gavalis and express their deepest and most sincere regret at his passing. 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 family of Joseph Gavalis. ## 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 honors the life of Joseph Gavalis, a former federal agent and Cobb County volunteer known for his work combating elder abuse, and offers condolences to his family. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives rather than a law that changes any statute. It recognizes Joseph Gavalis, a retired federal agent who fought organized crime and labor racketeering before settling in Cobb County, Georgia. The resolution recounts his volunteer work, including serving on the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission, co-founding the Cobb County Elder Abuse Task Force, and founding the North Georgia Elder Abuse Task Force. It notes he ran workshops for about 10,000 seniors over ten years on elder abuse prevention. The House resolves to honor his memory and directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to his family. ### What it does - Formally expresses the Georgia House of Representatives' condolences on the death of Joseph Gavalis. - Recounts his career as a federal agent and his volunteer work in Cobb County on elder abuse prevention. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to send a copy of the resolution to Gavalis's family. - Does not change any Georgia law, create any program, or spend any state funds. ### Who it affects This resolution directly affects the family of Joseph Gavalis, who will receive an official copy. It does not impose obligations on the public, businesses, or government agencies beyond the House Clerk's task of distributing the document. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal effect beyond formally recording the House's tribute and providing a keepsake document to Gavalis's family. It reflects a common legislative practice of honoring constituents' public service and does not alter any Georgia statute or program. ### Key provisions - The resolution's preamble ('WHEREAS' clauses) describes Gavalis's career fighting organized crime and his later volunteer work on elder abuse prevention in Cobb County. - The operative resolving clause states the House joins in honoring his life and memory and expresses regret at his passing. - A further resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to his family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-11) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-02-11) - Sponsors: Sharon Cooper, Devan Seabaugh, Don Parsons, John Carson, Ginny Ehrhart - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70212 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr227.md?full=1