--- title: HR 899. Stevens, Joyce Carter; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr899 cite_as: HR 899, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr899 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr899.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr899/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71958 date: 2025-03-31 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/hr898.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr900.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr899.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 899 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-31 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Houston Gaines - Bruce Williamson - Jon Burns - Sharon Cooper - Katie Dempsey text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR899/2025 upstream_id: 2017660 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - commendation resolution - Georgia Republican Party history - Public Service Commission --- # HR 899. Stevens, Joyce Carter; commend ## Text 25 LC 129 0427 House Resolution 899 By: Representatives Gaines of the 120th, Williamson of the 112th, Burns of the 159th, Cooper of the 45th, and Dempsey of the 13th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Joyce Carter Stevens; and for other purposes.1 WHEREAS, Joyce Carter Stevens has long been recognized by the citizens of this state for2 the vital role that she has played in leadership and her deep p ersonal commitment to the3 welfare of the citizens of Georgia; and4 WHEREAS, Joyce was raised in Adel, Georgia, and served as Vice-President of Sales and5 Marketing at Del-Cook Lumber Company from 1964 to 1981; and 6 WHEREAS, her first major involvement with the Republican Party was in fundraising for7 Mack Mattingly's 1980 United States Senate race, which led to h er organizing the Cook8 County Republican Party and becoming involved with the highest members of the party; and 9 WHEREAS, she was selected to serve as Executive Director of the Georgia Republican Party10 from 1981 to 1983, during which time her main focus was on growing the party's fundraising11 budget; and 12 WHEREAS, she made history as the first female candidate on the general election ballot in13 Georgia when she ran for a position on the Public Service Commission in 1984; and14 H. R. 899 - 1 - 25 LC 129 0427 WHEREAS, in 1995, she founded the Stevens Group along with her husband John Phinizy15 Stevens; and16 WHEREAS, Joyce's significant organizational and leadership talents, remarkable patience17 and diplomacy, keen sense of vision, and sensitivity to the needs of the citizens of this state18 have earned her the respect and admiration of her colleagues and associates; and19 WHEREAS, she is a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation for20 integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness; and21 WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstanding accomplishments of this22 remarkable and distinguished Georgian be appropriately recognized.23 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that24 the members of this body recognize and commend Joyce Carter Ste vens for her efficient,25 effective, unselfish, and dedicated public service to the State of Georgia and extend the most26 sincere best wishes for continued health and happiness.27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized28 and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Joyce29 Carter Stevens.30 H. R. 899 - 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 Joyce Carter Stevens, a longtime Republican Party leader and businesswoman, for her decades of public service and civic involvement in the state. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives, not a change to state law. It recognizes Joyce Carter Stevens, who grew up in Adel, Georgia, worked in sales and marketing at Del-Cook Lumber Company from 1964 to 1981, and later became involved in Republican Party politics, including serving as Executive Director of the Georgia Republican Party from 1981 to 1983. The resolution highlights that she was the first female candidate on a general election ballot in Georgia when she ran for the Public Service Commission in 1984, and that she co-founded the Stevens Group in 1995 with her husband. The House formally commends her for her service and directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for her. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Joyce Carter Stevens for her public service and civic contributions to Georgia. - States findings about her career, including her work at Del-Cook Lumber Company and as Executive Director of the Georgia Republican Party. - Notes she was the first female candidate on a Georgia general election ballot, running for the Public Service Commission in 1984. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to her. ### Who it affects This resolution directly names and honors Joyce Carter Stevens. It also involves the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who is directed to prepare a copy for distribution to her. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal or regulatory effect on Georgians generally. It serves as an official, symbolic honor from the state legislature recognizing one individual's career and civic contributions, primarily meaningful to Stevens, her family, and associates. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount Stevens's biography, including her time at Del-Cook Lumber Company and her role in Mack Mattingly's 1980 Senate campaign. - The resolution notes she served as Executive Director of the Georgia Republican Party from 1981 to 1983. - It states she was the first female candidate on a Georgia general election ballot, in the 1984 Public Service Commission race. - The resolving clause formally commends her for her public service to the State of Georgia. - A further resolution directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy for distribution to her. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-31) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-03-31) - Sponsors: Houston Gaines, Bruce Williamson, Jon Burns, Sharon Cooper, Katie Dempsey - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71958 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr899.md?full=1