--- title: HR 722. Ray, Laura; Berrien County Teacher of the Year and 2026 Georgia Teacher of the Year top ten finalist; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr722 cite_as: HR 722, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr722 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr722.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr722/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71680 date: 2025-03-25 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/hr721.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr723.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr722.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 722 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-25 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Jaclyn Ford - Chris Erwin text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR722/2025 upstream_id: 2014692 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - teacher recognition - education - Berrien County - Georgia Teacher of the Year --- # HR 722. Ray, Laura; Berrien County Teacher of the Year and 2026 Georgia Teacher of the Year top ten finalist; commend ## Text 25 LC 129 0383 House Resolution 722 By: Representatives Ford of the 170th and Erwin of the 32nd A RESOLUTION Commending Laura Ray, Berrien County Teacher of the Year and 2026 Georgia Teacher of1 the Year top ten finalist; and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, a proper quality education for the young people of this state is the single most3 important objective of the General Assembly; and4 WHEREAS, nothing is more vital to the future of our state than the education of our young5 people, and Laura Ray exemplifies the selfless dedication that is characteristic of our finest6 teachers; and7 WHEREAS, Laura Ray is a highly praised fifth grade math, scienc e, and social studies8 teacher, tirelessly directing an extraordinary amount of time a nd talent toward guiding9 students to a brighter future; and10 WHEREAS, Laura Ray has earned distinction and numerous awards for teaching excellence11 as a result of her dedication to her students and her professio n and has been honored as12 Berrien County Teacher of the Year and as a 2026 Georgia Teache r of the Year top ten13 finalist; and14 H. R. 722 - 1 - 25 LC 129 0383 WHEREAS, in recognition of such remarkable contributions to the education and welfare15 of Georgia's students, it is abundantly fitting and proper for this body to honor the16 extraordinary accomplishments and academic achievements of this outstanding educator.17 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that18 the members of this body commend Laura Ray, Berrien County Teac her of the Year and19 2026 Georgia Teacher of the Year top ten finalist, and express their most sincere best wishes20 for continued success.21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized22 and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Laura23 Ray.24 H. R. 722 - 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 Georgia House resolution formally commends Laura Ray, Berrien County's Teacher of the Year and a top ten finalist for 2026 Georgia Teacher of the Year, for her work as an educator. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives honors Laura Ray, a fifth grade math, science, and social studies teacher in Berrien County. It recognizes her selection as Berrien County Teacher of the Year and as one of the top ten finalists for the 2026 Georgia Teacher of the Year award. The resolution states that education is a top priority for the General Assembly and praises Ray's dedication to her students. It does not change any Georgia law, create any program, or spend any state money. Its only operative action is to direct the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to Laura Ray as a keepsake of the honor. ### What it does - Formally commends Laura Ray for being named Berrien County Teacher of the Year and a top ten finalist for 2026 Georgia Teacher of the Year. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Laura Ray. - Expresses the House's best wishes for Ray's continued success as an educator. ### Who it affects This resolution directly names and honors Laura Ray, a Berrien County teacher. It also involves the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who is directed to prepare a copy for her. It has no broader legal effect on other Georgians. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial consequences and does not change any Georgia law or policy. Its significance is symbolic: it publicly recognizes one teacher's achievement and provides her a formal record of that recognition from the state legislature. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe Laura Ray's role as a fifth grade math, science, and social studies teacher and her recognition as Berrien County Teacher of the Year and a 2026 Georgia Teacher of the Year top ten finalist. - The resolving clause has the House of Representatives commend Ray and express best wishes for her continued success. - A further resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy of the resolution available for distribution to Ray. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-25) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-03-25) - Sponsors: Jaclyn Ford, Chris Erwin - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71680 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr722.md?full=1