--- title: HR 966. Stokes, Carl; retirement as Chairman of the Rabun County Republican Party; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr966 cite_as: HR 966, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr966 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr966.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr966/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72095 date: 2025-04-04 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/hr965.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr967.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr966.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 966 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-04-04 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Victor Anderson text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR966/2025 upstream_id: 2021313 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - ceremonial resolution - Rabun County - Georgia Republican Party - House commendation --- # HR 966. Stokes, Carl; retirement as Chairman of the Rabun County Republican Party; commend ## Text 25 LC 112 3668 House Resolution 966 By: Representative Anderson of the 10th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Carl Stokes upon his retirement as C hairman of the Rabun1 County Republican Party; and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, Carl Stokes is retiring after two years of dedicated service as Chairman of the3 Rabun County Republican Party, having brought unmatched enthusiasm, commitment, and4 visibility to the position; and5 WHEREAS, after attending the 2023 county convention in his icon ic 1937 "Mr. Green6 Jeans" pickup truck adorned with Trump flags, Carl was encouraged to take on the role of7 chairman, a position he embraced with full energy and unwavering dedication; and8 WHEREAS, under his leadership, the Rabun GOP ranked among the t op five counties in9 Georgia for early voting turnout in the 2024 presidential elect ion and operated a10 six-day-a-week campaign headquarters in Mountain City for four months; and11 WHEREAS, he organized several high-impact events that drew local and statewide attention,12 including a three-night Reagan film-fest at the Tiger Drive-In Theater and the Trump13 Armada at LaPrade's Marina on Lake Burton; and14 H. R. 966 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3668 WHEREAS, Carl played a leading role in hosting the 2024 9th Dis trict Republican15 Convention in Dillard, Georgia, and fostered bipartisan civic e ngagement by co-hosting a16 municipal debate with the Rabun County Democrats at the Civic Center; and17 WHEREAS, the Rabun GOP received an award for outstanding fund-r aising under his18 leadership, while Treasurer Linda Burns was honored with the Horatio Alger Award by the19 9th District; and20 WHEREAS, he further demonstrated tireless personal involvement by designing and21 building Christmas parade floats, helping install campaign signs across Rabun County, and22 leading efforts that made the county the top seller of gun raffle tickets in the district; and23 WHEREAS, his final major event as chairman—the Low Country Boil—was a resounding24 success, bringing together Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon, 95.5 WSB talk show host25 Shelley Wynter, and Congressman Andrew Clyde; and26 WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that this remarkab le individual be27 appropriately honored during this special time.28 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that29 the members of this body recognize and commend Carl Stokes upon the grand occasion of30 his retirement as Chairman of the Rabun County Republican Party and extend best wishes31 for continued success in all future endeavors.32 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized33 and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Carl34 Stokes.35 H. R. 966 - 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 Carl Stokes for his two years of service as Chairman of the Rabun County Republican Party as he retires from the post. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a ceremonial honor from the Georgia House of Representatives. It recognizes Carl Stokes for his two years as Chairman of the Rabun County Republican Party, citing his work organizing campaign events, boosting early voting turnout, hosting a district Republican convention, and co-hosting a bipartisan debate with local Democrats. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It simply states the House's recognition of Stokes's service and directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for him. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Carl Stokes for his two years as Chairman of the Rabun County Republican Party. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Carl Stokes. - Extends the House's best wishes to Stokes for his future endeavors after retiring from the chairmanship. ### Who it affects This resolution directly names Carl Stokes, the retiring Chairman of the Rabun County Republican Party, and involves the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who must prepare a copy for him. It has no broader legal effect on other Georgians. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial consequences; it is a symbolic gesture of recognition from the Georgia House of Representatives. Its practical effect is limited to an official record and a printed copy given to Carl Stokes honoring his volunteer service to a county political party. ### Key provisions - The resolution's preamble recounts Stokes's activities as chairman, including boosting early voting turnout and hosting the 2024 9th District Republican Convention in Dillard, Georgia. - The resolved clause formally commends Stokes on his retirement and wishes him success in future endeavors. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy available for distribution to Carl Stokes. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-04) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Victor Anderson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72095 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr966.md?full=1