--- title: HR 850. Riley, Lynne; occasion of her retirement; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr850 cite_as: HR 850, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr850 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr850.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr850/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71859 date: 2025-03-28 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/hr849.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr851.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr850.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 850 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-28 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Charles Martin - Jon Burns - Jan Jones - Katie Dempsey - Lynn Smith - Stacey Evans text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR850/2025 upstream_id: 2016631 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - legislative commendation - HOPE Scholarship - Georgia Student Finance Commission - retirement honors --- # HR 850. Riley, Lynne; occasion of her retirement; commend ## Text 25 LC 112 3387 House Resolution 850 By: Representatives Martin of the 49th, Burns of the 159th, Jones of the 47th, Dempsey of the 13th, Smith of the 70th, and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Lynne Riley on the occasion of her retirement; and for other1 purposes.2 WHEREAS, Lynne Riley has long been recognized by the citizens o f this state for her3 character, leadership, and commitment to the betterment and welfare of Georgia families; and 4 WHEREAS, Lynne Riley has dutifully served the people of Georgia for 21 years as a Fulton5 County Commissioner, State Representative, Revenue Commissioner, State Treasurer, and6 President of the Georgia Student Finance Commission; and7 WHEREAS, over $4.3 billion has been awarded to 459,408 students through the HOPE8 Scholarship Program since Lynne Riley was appointed by Governor Brian P. Kemp to serve9 as President of the Georgia Student Finance Commission in July 2020; and10 WHEREAS, her creativity and vision played a vital role in imple menting the GEORGIA11 MATCH program, one of the largest state-run direct admissions programs in the nation; and12 WHEREAS, Lynne Riley was the first woman to be appointed Georgia State Treasurer and13 Georgia State Revenue Commissioner; and14 H. R. 850 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3387 WHEREAS, Lynne Riley represented the citizens of House District 50 in the Georgia House15 of Representatives from 2011 to 2014 and dutifully served as a Governor's Floor Leader and16 member of the committees on Ways & Means, MARTOC, Natural Resou rces &17 Environment, and Retirement; and18 WHEREAS, her colleagues in this body elected her chairwoman of the Fulton County19 Delegation; and 20 WHEREAS, her significant organizational and leadership talents, remarkable patience and21 diplomacy, keen sense of vision, and sensitivity to the needs of the citizens of this state have22 earned her the respect and admiration of her colleagues; and23 WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstanding accomplishments of this24 remarkable and distinguished Georgian be appropriately honored. 25 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that26 the members of this body recognize and commend Lynne Riley for her efficient, effective,27 and dedicated public service to the State of Georgia as well as extend best wishes for28 continued success and happiness in her retirement. 29 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized30 and directed to make an appr opriate copy of t his resolution ava ilable for distribution to31 Lynne Riley.32 H. R. 850 - 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 honors Lynne Riley on her retirement, recognizing 21 years of public service including roles as Fulton County Commissioner, State Representative, Revenue Commissioner, State Treasurer, and Georgia Student Finance Commission President. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a ceremonial honor from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizing Lynne Riley as she retires from public service. It does not change any Georgia law; instead it formally commends her career, which spanned 21 years in various roles including Fulton County Commissioner, State Representative for House District 50, State Revenue Commissioner, State Treasurer, and President of the Georgia Student Finance Commission. The resolution highlights specific accomplishments, including her leadership of the HOPE Scholarship Program, which awarded over $4.3 billion to hundreds of thousands of students during her tenure, and her role in creating the GEORGIA MATCH direct admissions program. It also notes she was the first woman to hold the Georgia State Treasurer and Revenue Commissioner positions. The resolution directs the Clerk of the House to provide a copy to Riley. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Lynne Riley for her 21 years of public service to the State of Georgia. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Lynne Riley. - Documents specific career accomplishments, including her leadership over the HOPE Scholarship Program and the GEORGIA MATCH admissions program, without creating any new legal requirement. - Extends the House's best wishes to Riley for her retirement, an honorary and ceremonial act with no regulatory effect. ### Who it affects This resolution directly affects Lynne Riley, the retiring public official it honors. It has no legal effect on other Georgians, though it references programs like the HOPE Scholarship and GEORGIA MATCH that touch Georgia students and families. ### Why it matters This is a ceremonial resolution rather than a change to law, so it carries no practical effect on daily life for Georgians. Its significance is symbolic, marking the House's formal recognition of a long-serving public official's career at her retirement. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount Riley's 21 years of service in roles including Fulton County Commissioner, State Representative, Revenue Commissioner, State Treasurer, and Student Finance Commission President. - The resolution notes that more than $4.3 billion in HOPE Scholarship funds went to 459,408 students during her leadership of the Georgia Student Finance Commission starting in July 2020. - The resolved clause formally commends Riley for her service and wishes her success in retirement. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make a copy of the resolution available to Riley. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-28) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-03-28) - Sponsors: Charles Martin, Jon Burns, Jan Jones, Katie Dempsey, Lynn Smith, Stacey Evans - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71859 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr850.md?full=1