--- title: HR 36. Ahmaud Arbery Foundation; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr36 cite_as: HR 36, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr36 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr36.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr36/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69437 date: 2025-01-16 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/hr35.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr37.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr36.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 36 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-01-16 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Devan Seabaugh - Rick Townsend - Buddy DeLoach - Steven Sainz - Chuck Efstration text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR36/2025 upstream_id: 1925980 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Ahmaud Arbery - racial justice - youth empowerment - legislative commendation --- # HR 36. Ahmaud Arbery Foundation; commend ## Text House Resolution 36 By: Representatives Seabaugh of the 34th, Townsend of the 179th, DeLoach of the 167th, Sainz of the 180th, and Efstration of the 104th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, on February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a vibrant and promising young man, tragically lost his life in an incident that reverberated across Georgia and the nation, shedding light on the urgent need for racial justice and equality; and WHEREAS, in the wake of this heartbreaking loss, Ahmaud's mother, Ms. Wanda Cooper-Jones, demonstrated extraordinary strength and resilience by founding the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation, transforming her personal grief into a movement for meaningful change; and WHEREAS, the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation is dedicated to promoting racial justice, fostering youth empowerment, and creating stronger, safer communities through advocacy, education, and outreach programs; and WHEREAS, the foundation's work includes efforts to bridge divides, support marginalized communities, and inspire the next generation to embrace inclusion, equity, and fairness; and WHEREAS, through the foundation, the legacy of Ahmaud Arbery serves as a call to action for all Georgians to work toward a society where every individual can live with dignity, safety, and the freedom to pursue their dreams; and WHEREAS, the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation has become a symbol of hope and progress, reminding us that even in the face of adversity, compassion and determination can drive meaningful societal change. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation for its vital work in promoting racial justice and youth empowerment as well as its unwavering commitment to building a better and more equitable Georgia. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body extend their deepest gratitude to Ms. Wanda Cooper-Jones for her courage and leadership as well as honor the enduring legacy of Ahmaud Arbery, whose story continues to inspire change across the state and beyond. 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 Ahmaud Arbery Foundation. ## 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 the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation for its racial justice and youth empowerment work and honors Ahmaud Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, for founding it. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizes the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation, an organization founded by Wanda Cooper-Jones after her son Ahmaud Arbery was killed in an incident in 2020. The resolution states the foundation works on racial justice, youth empowerment, and building safer, more inclusive communities through advocacy, education, and outreach. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally commends the foundation for its work, thanks Cooper-Jones for her leadership, and honors Arbery's legacy. It directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to the foundation. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation for its work on racial justice and youth empowerment. - Extends the House's gratitude to Wanda Cooper-Jones for founding the foundation and for her leadership. - Honors the legacy of Ahmaud Arbery as part of the resolution's stated purpose. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the foundation. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation and its founder, Wanda Cooper-Jones. It does not impose any obligations, funding, or legal changes on any other group, agency, or Georgia resident. ### Why it matters As a commendatory resolution, this measure carries symbolic rather than legal weight. It creates an official state record of the Georgia House's recognition of the foundation's work and of Ahmaud Arbery's legacy, but it does not create new rights, funding, or requirements for anyone. ### Key provisions - The first resolving clause recognizes and commends the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation for its work on racial justice and youth empowerment. - The second resolving clause extends gratitude to Wanda Cooper-Jones and honors Ahmaud Arbery's legacy. - The third resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for the foundation. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-01-16) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-01-16) - Sponsors: Devan Seabaugh, Rick Townsend, Buddy DeLoach, Steven Sainz, Chuck Efstration - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69437 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr36.md?full=1