--- title: HR 657. Emma Lou Stover Bridge; Gilmer County; dedicate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr657 cite_as: HR 657, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr657 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr657.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr657/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71498 date: 2025-03-25 status: introduced 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/hr656.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr658.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr657.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 657 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-20 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Johnny Chastain - Jon Burns - Rick Jasperse - Brent Cox - Will Wade - Spencer Frye text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR657/2025 upstream_id: 2012232 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - bridge dedication - Gilmer County - Georgia Department of Transportation - commemorative resolution --- # HR 657. Emma Lou Stover Bridge; Gilmer County; dedicate ## Text 25 LC 39 4770 House Resolution 657 By: Representatives Chastain of the 7th, Burns of the 159th, Jasperse of the 11th, Cox of the 28th, Wade of the 9th, and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing Mrs. Emma Lou Stover and dedicating a bridge in her honor; and for other1 purposes.2 WHEREAS, Mrs. Emma Lou Stover has diligently and conscientiously devoted innumerable3 hours of her time, talents, and energy toward the betterment of her community and state as4 evidenced dramatically by her superlative service for Gilmer County and Georgia; and5 WHEREAS, Mrs. Stover has worked for many years with the Elijay Lions Club, where she6 spearheaded fundraisers to provide financial assistance for sur geries for the visually7 impaired, buying and wrapping Christmas gifts for the less fort unate, and providing8 college-level scholarships for the area's brightest students; and9 WHEREAS, in 1989, she founded the Special Friends Program to support individuals with10 mental and physical disabilities in Gilmer County and the surrounding areas; and11 WHEREAS, this distinguished gentlewoman has given inspiration to many through her high12 ideals, morals, and deep concern for her fellow citizens, including as a steadfast advocate for13 veterans and active duty members of the military through partic ipation with the annual14 community Veterans Day parade; and15 H. R. 657 - 1 - 25 LC 39 4770 WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that this remarkab le and distinguished16 Georgian be recognized appropriately by dedicating a bridge in her honor.17 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AND ENACTED BY THE GENERAL18 ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the bridge on State Route 52 East over Owl Town in19 Gilmer County is dedicated as the Emma Lou Stover Bridge.20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is authorized and21 directed to erect and maintain appropriate signs dedicating the Emma Lou Stover Bridge.22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized23 and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to Mrs.24 Emma Lou Stover and to the Department of Transportation.25 H. R. 657 - 2 - ## 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 House resolution would name a bridge on State Route 52 East over Owl Town in Gilmer County the Emma Lou Stover Bridge, honoring her decades of community service. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia General Assembly rather than a change to state law. It recognizes Mrs. Emma Lou Stover for her volunteer work in Gilmer County, including decades with the Ellijay Lions Club raising money for eye surgeries, Christmas gifts for families in need, and college scholarships, as well as founding the Special Friends Program in 1989 to support people with disabilities and her involvement in the local Veterans Day parade. The resolution's operative effect is to dedicate the bridge on State Route 52 East over Owl Town in Gilmer County as the Emma Lou Stover Bridge. It directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to put up and maintain signs marking the dedication, and directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to Mrs. Stover and to the Department of Transportation. ### What it does - Dedicates the bridge on State Route 52 East over Owl Town in Gilmer County as the Emma Lou Stover Bridge. - Directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to erect and maintain signs marking the bridge's new name. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to Mrs. Stover and the Department of Transportation. - Recites Mrs. Stover's community service record as the basis for the honor, with no other legal or regulatory changes. ### Who it affects This mainly affects Mrs. Emma Lou Stover, who is honored by the naming, the Georgia Department of Transportation, which must install and maintain the new signage, and residents and travelers in Gilmer County who use the bridge on State Route 52 East. ### Why it matters The resolution has no regulatory or financial effect beyond signage costs; its significance is symbolic, formally recognizing a Gilmer County resident's decades of volunteer and charitable work by permanently attaching her name to a local bridge. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses describe Mrs. Stover's volunteer work with the Ellijay Lions Club, her founding of the Special Friends Program in 1989, and her support of veterans through the community Veterans Day parade. - The first resolving clause dedicates the bridge on State Route 52 East over Owl Town in Gilmer County as the Emma Lou Stover Bridge. - The second resolving clause authorizes and directs the Department of Transportation to erect and maintain appropriate dedication signs. - The final resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to Mrs. Stover and the Department of Transportation. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-20) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-25) - Sponsors: Johnny Chastain, Jon Burns, Rick Jasperse, Brent Cox, Will Wade, Spencer Frye - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71498 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr657.md?full=1