--- title: HR 414. Duluth Fall Festival; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr414 cite_as: HR 414, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr414 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr414.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr414/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70877 date: 2025-02-26 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/hr413.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr415.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr414.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 414 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-26 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Arlene Beckles - Dewey McClain - Gabe Okoye - Billy Mitchell - Ruwa Romman - Jasmine Clark text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR414/2025 upstream_id: 1985951 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Duluth Fall Festival - Gwinnett County - community recognition - legislative commendation --- # HR 414. Duluth Fall Festival; commend ## Text House Resolution 414 By: Representatives Beckles of the 96th, McClain of the 109th, Okoye of the 102nd, Mitchell of the 88th, Romman of the 97th, and others A RESOLUTION Commending the Duluth Fall Festival; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Duluth Fall Festival has been a cherished annual tradition since its founding in 1983, fostering community spirit, volunteerism, and civic engagement; and WHEREAS, over the past 41 years, the festival has made a lasting impact on the City of Duluth by raising and donating more than two million dollars to support local projects, nonprofits, and community initiatives; and WHEREAS, the festival's contributions include the construction of the Duluth Festival Center, a 1.3 million-dollar event venue that was gifted back to the city, as well as numerous enhancements and donations benefiting local organizations and schools, representing more than $250,000 in cumulative contributions; and WHEREAS, the Duluth Fall Festival has earned national recognition for its excellence, including being named the fifth-greatest festival in the nation by Country Living magazine, ranking among the top 26 festivals in the country according to U.S. News & World Report in 2015, and receiving the Southeast Festivals and Events Association's award for Best Large Festival in the Southeastern United States in 2016; and WHEREAS, as additional testament to the festival's exemplary operation, Best of Gwinnett magazine has recognized the event as the best local festival in Gwinnett County every year since 2009; and WHEREAS, entirely volunteer-driven, the festival relies on more than 300 dedicated volunteers who contribute their time and efforts to ensure its continued success; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the Duluth Fall Festival be recognized for its enduring contributions to the City of Duluth and its commitment to community enrichment. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body commend the Duluth Fall Festival for its outstanding contributions to the community and its role in strengthening civic pride, economic development, and local engagement as well as extend best wishes for 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 the Duluth Fall Festival. ## 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 commends the Duluth Fall Festival for more than four decades of community contributions and civic engagement in the City of Duluth. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives formally recognizes the Duluth Fall Festival, an annual event that began in 1983. It highlights the festival's history of raising and donating more than two million dollars to local projects, nonprofits, and schools, including funding the construction of the Duluth Festival Center, a venue later gifted back to the city. The resolution also notes the festival's national and regional recognition, such as awards from Country Living magazine, U.S. News & World Report, and the Southeast Festivals and Events Association, as well as being named Gwinnett County's best local festival every year since 2009. The resolution directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy for distribution to the festival. It does not change any Georgia law. ### What it does - Formally commends the Duluth Fall Festival for its history of community contributions since 1983. - Recites the festival's fundraising record, including more than two million dollars donated to local projects and nonprofits. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the festival. - Extends the House's best wishes for the festival's continued success without creating any new legal obligations. ### Who it affects The resolution primarily affects the Duluth Fall Festival organization and its volunteers, along with the City of Duluth and Gwinnett County community members who benefit from the festival's donations and events. It carries symbolic weight rather than regulatory effect on any other group. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal or financial effect on Georgians; it is a symbolic honor. Its practical significance is limited to publicly recognizing the festival's decades of fundraising and community work through an official state document. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe the festival's founding in 1983 and its more than two million dollars in donations to local projects and nonprofits. - The whereas clauses cite specific accolades, including recognition from Country Living magazine, U.S. News & World Report, and the Southeast Festivals and Events Association. - The resolved clause has the House of Representatives commend the festival for its contributions to civic pride, economic development, and local engagement. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make a copy available for distribution to the festival. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-26) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-02-26) - Sponsors: Arlene Beckles, Dewey McClain, Gabe Okoye, Billy Mitchell, Ruwa Romman, Jasmine Clark - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70877 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr414.md?full=1