--- title: HR 261. Gilliard-Gunn, Patt; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr261 cite_as: HR 261, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr261 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr261.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr261/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70357 date: 2025-02-13 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/hr260.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr262.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr261.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 261 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-13 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Lynn Smith - Carl Gilliard - Ron Stephens - Bill Hitchens - Jesse Petrea text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR261/2025 upstream_id: 1970334 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - ceremonial resolution - cultural heritage - Savannah history - Georgia House of Representatives --- # HR 261. Gilliard-Gunn, Patt; commend ## Text House Resolution 261 By: Representatives Smith of the 70th, Gilliard of the 162nd, Stephens of the 164th, Hitchens of the 161st, and Petrea of the 166th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Patt Gilliard-Gunn; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, a dedicated advocate for cultural heritage preservation and community empowerment, Patt Gilliard-Gunn serves as co-founder of the Susie King Taylor Center for Jubilee Inc. and CEO of the Center for Jubilee, Reconciliation & Healing, leading initiatives in cultural enrichment, economic support, and historical reconciliation across the southeastern United States; and WHEREAS, she further serves as the CEO of Underground Tours, a nationally recognized tourism company that highlights the African American journey from slavery to freedom, offering cultural heritage experiences that have been featured in Conde Nast Travel, Time Out Magazine, USA TODAY TRAVEL, and Forbes Magazine; and WHEREAS, her leadership in cultural preservation includes her work with the Savannah Gallery on Slavery & Healing, the Davenport House, and the Slave Dwelling Project, where she played a key role in organizing its inaugural conference and securing over $100,000 in grants and sponsorships; and WHEREAS, she was instrumental in the renaming of a public square in Savannah to "Taylor Square" in honor of Susie King Taylor, the first African American nurse to serve in the Civil War; and WHEREAS, Patt Gilliard-Gunn additionally holds key leadership roles such as chairwoman of the Georgia Gullah Geechee Heritage Society, where she works to advance cultural awareness and advocacy throughout the region; and WHEREAS, her contributions to historical storytelling and media representation have earned widespread recognition, including appearances in the PBS documentary The Cost of Inheritance, the international podcast The Cotton Capital, and THIS IS US, a one-on-one film feature with Oscar-nominated actor Colman Domingo; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstanding accomplishments of this remarkable and distinguished Georgian be appropriately recognized. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend Patt Gilliard-Gunn for her outstanding contributions to cultural heritage preservation, economic development, and social empowerment as well as extend their most sincere best wishes for her continued success. 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 Patt Gilliard-Gunn. ## 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 commends Patt Gilliard-Gunn for her work preserving African American cultural heritage in Savannah and the broader region. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a ceremonial measure from the Georgia House of Representatives honoring Patt Gilliard-Gunn, co-founder of the Susie King Taylor Center for Jubilee and CEO of Underground Tours. It recounts her work in cultural heritage preservation, tourism, and historical reconciliation, including her role in renaming a Savannah public square to Taylor Square after Susie King Taylor, the first African American nurse to serve in the Civil War. The resolution does not change any law. It simply states the House's recognition of her accomplishments and directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for her. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Patt Gilliard-Gunn for her work in cultural heritage preservation and community empowerment. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to her. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulation, since it is a ceremonial resolution rather than legislation. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names Patt Gilliard-Gunn as its subject. It has no regulatory effect on other Georgians, businesses, or government agencies beyond the House Clerk's office, which must prepare and distribute the commemorative copy. ### Why it matters This resolution carries symbolic rather than legal weight. It gives official state recognition to Gilliard-Gunn's cultural preservation and tourism work, but it does not create programs, spend money, or alter any Georgia statute. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe her roles with the Susie King Taylor Center for Jubilee Inc., Underground Tours, and the Georgia Gullah Geechee Heritage Society. - The resolved clause formally commends her contributions to cultural heritage preservation, economic development, and social empowerment. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy available for distribution to her. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-13) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-02-13) - Sponsors: Lynn Smith, Carl Gilliard, Ron Stephens, Bill Hitchens, Jesse Petrea - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70357 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr261.md?full=1