--- title: HR 616. Yao, Mr. Francis Malan; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr616 cite_as: HR 616, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr616 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr616.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr616/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71436 date: 2025-03-18 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/hr615.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr617.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr616.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 616 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-18 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Segun Adeyina - Gabe Okoye - Arlene Beckles - Samuel Park - Jasmine Clark text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR616/2025 upstream_id: 2010577 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - condolence resolution - Georgia House of Representatives - Atlanta diaspora community --- # HR 616. Yao, Mr. Francis Malan; condolences ## Text 25 LC 129 0358 House Resolution 616 By: Representatives Adeyina of the 110th, Okoye of the 102nd, Beckles of the 96th, Park of the 107th, and Clark of the 108th A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Mr. Francis Malan Yao; and for other purposes.1 WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens2 with the passing of Mr. Francis Malan Yao on February 9, 2025; and3 WHEREAS, Mr. Francis Malan Yao was born on April 8, 1945, in As sinie-Mafia, Cote4 d'Ivoire; and5 WHEREAS, from 1977 to 2000, Mr. Francis Malan Yao served with t he United States6 Embassy in Cote d'Ivoire, where he served as a Monitor Extraordinaire and Shift Supervisor7 at the United States Foreign Broadcasting Information Service (FBIS); and 8 WHEREAS, as one of the founding members of the FBIS in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, he9 played a pivotal role in overseeing personnel and assets, as we ll as coordinating United10 States Embassy's bureau coverage of significant regional events across Africa, including11 wars, coups, and natural disasters; and12 WHEREAS, in 2002, Mr. Francis Malan Yao moved to the United Sta t e s , w h e r e h i s13 expertise and commitment were instrumental in training monitors in new FBIS bureaus14 H. R. 616 - 1 - 25 LC 129 0358 across various countries, further solidifying his reputation as a respected leader and mentor;15 and16 WHEREAS, in 2008, Mr. Francis Malan Yao settled in Atlanta, Georgia, where he became17 an active and cherished member of the diaspora community; and18 WHEREAS, he was united in love and marriage to his wife, and wa s blessed with eight19 remarkable children who carry forward his legacy of service, in tegrity, and community20 engagement; and21 WHEREAS, he gave inspiration to many through his high ideals, morals, and deep concern22 for his fellow citizens, and the devotion, patience, and understanding he demonstrated to his23 family and friends were admired by others; and24 WHEREAS, he was a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation25 for integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness, and by the example he made of his life, he26 made this world a better place in which to live; and27 WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous man, Mr. Francis Malan Ya o will long be28 remembered for his love of family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who29 had the great fortune of knowing him.30 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that31 the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory o f Mr. Francis Malan Yao32 and express their deepest and most sincere regret at his passing.33 H. R. 616 - 2 - 25 LC 129 0358 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized34 and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the35 family of Mr. Francis Malan Yao.36 H. R. 616 - 3 - ## 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 Mr. Francis Malan Yao, an Atlanta resident and longtime U.S. Embassy employee in Cote d'Ivoire, who died on February 9, 2025. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a formal tribute from the Georgia House of Representatives marking the death of Mr. Francis Malan Yao. It recounts his life, including his birth in Cote d'Ivoire in 1945, his 23 years working with the United States Embassy there as a founding member of the Foreign Broadcasting Information Service, and his later work training monitors in new bureaus after moving to the United States in 2002. He settled in Atlanta in 2008 and became part of the local diaspora community. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It simply expresses the House's condolences to his family and directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to them. ### What it does - Formally expresses the Georgia House of Representatives' condolences on the death of Mr. Francis Malan Yao on February 9, 2025. - Recounts his career with the United States Embassy in Cote d'Ivoire and his later work training staff in new bureaus after 2002. - Directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution and send it to Mr. Yao's family. ### Who it affects This resolution directly affects the family of Mr. Francis Malan Yao, who will receive a copy of it, and involves the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who is tasked with preparing and distributing that copy. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no legal or regulatory effect, it provides an official, public acknowledgment from the Georgia House of Representatives of Mr. Yao's life and contributions, offering his family a formal record of recognition from the state legislature. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses detail Mr. Yao's biography, including his birth in Cote d'Ivoire in 1945 and his death on February 9, 2025. - The first resolving clause has the House join in honoring his life and expressing regret at his passing. - The second resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute a copy of the resolution to his family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-18) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-03-18) - Sponsors: Segun Adeyina, Gabe Okoye, Arlene Beckles, Samuel Park, Jasmine Clark - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71436 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr616.md?full=1