--- title: HR 980. Harman, Virginia Barrow; 2025 Awards of Honor recipient; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr980 cite_as: HR 980, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr980 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr980.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr980/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72109 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/hr979.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr981.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr980.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 980 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: - Eddie Lumsden - Katie Dempsey - Matt Barton text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR980/2025 upstream_id: 2021328 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - community recognition - Rome Georgia - legal profession - volunteerism --- # HR 980. Harman, Virginia Barrow; 2025 Awards of Honor recipient; commend ## Text 25 LC 129 0491 House Resolution 980 By: Representatives Lumsden of the 12th, Dempsey of the 13th, and Barton of the 5th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the 2025 Awards of Honor recipient, Virginia Barrow1 Harman; and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, Virginia Barrow Harman is a Senior Partner at McRae, Smith, Peek, Harman3 & Monroe LLP; and4 WHEREAS, Virginia cares deeply about access to justice for all of the communities of Rome5 and Floyd County and the environment in which they live; and6 WHEREAS, she has handled countless pro bono matters, particular ly as they relate to the7 cleanliness of rivers; and8 WHEREAS, Virginia has served the community through her voluntee rism with multiple9 organizations, serving as Chair of the Board of the local chapter of the American Red Cross,10 the Capital Fund Raising Committee for the Salvation Army local facility expansion, Planned11 Giving Committee for the Floyd Healthcare Foundation, Board of Harbor House, Co-host12 for the annual Pig and Paddle event, the Georgia and Rome Bar Association, the State Bar13 of Georgia's Disciplinary Board's Review and Investigatory Pane ls, the Committee on14 Lawyer Assistance Program for attorneys facing mental health crises and/or substance abuse15 H. R. 980 - 1 - 25 LC 129 0491 issues, as well as Cancer Navigators, Inc., Board Member, general counsel, and two terms16 as Chair of the Board; and17 WHEREAS, Virginia assisted Dr. Matt Mumber in creating the lega l framework for the18 organization which has grown over the decades into what is now known as Cancer19 Navigators, Inc.; and20 21 WHEREAS, Virginia is dedicated to the effort of assisting cats and dogs in animal shelters,22 particularly in rural shelters with few resources, and since 20 17 has transported over 30023 dogs and cats to rescues all over the southeast and has been a part of relay transports to24 relocate dogs and cats all over the country to adopters and licensed rescue; and25 WHEREAS, Virginia is a member of the Board of Trustees of the G eorgia Conservancy26 since 2018, serving as Chair of the Board for two years and as a member of the Executive27 Committee. 28 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that29 the members of this body recognize Virginia Barrow Harman for her outstanding dedication30 to the community, commend her as a recipient of the 2025 Heart of the Community Awards31 Honor Recipient, and extend the most sincere best wishes for continued success.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 ava ilable for distribution to34 Virginia Barrow Harman.35 H. R. 980 - 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 honors Virginia Barrow Harman, a Rome, Georgia attorney and community volunteer, as a 2025 Heart of the Community Awards of Honor recipient. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a ceremonial measure from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizing Virginia Barrow Harman, a Senior Partner at a Rome law firm, for her volunteer work and community service in Rome and Floyd County. It lists her involvement with organizations including the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Floyd Healthcare Foundation, Harbor House, Cancer Navigators Inc., the State Bar of Georgia's Disciplinary Board, and the Georgia Conservancy, as well as her pro bono legal work and animal rescue efforts. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It simply states that the House recognizes and commends her as the 2025 Heart of the Community Awards of Honor recipient and directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for her. ### What it does - Formally recognizes Virginia Barrow Harman as the 2025 Heart of the Community Awards of Honor recipient. - Commends her for community service, pro bono legal work, and volunteer leadership roles in Rome and Floyd County. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to her. - Creates no new legal requirements, funding, or penalties, since it is a ceremonial resolution rather than a law. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors Virginia Barrow Harman. It also references the organizations she has served, including the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Floyd Healthcare Foundation, Harbor House, Cancer Navigators Inc., the State Bar of Georgia, and the Georgia Conservancy. ### Why it matters This is a symbolic honor with no legal effect on Georgians generally. Its practical result is limited to an official House record of commendation and a printed copy given to Harman, rather than any change to rights, funding, or obligations. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe Harman's role as a Senior Partner at her law firm and her pro bono work related to river cleanliness. - The whereas clauses detail her volunteer leadership, including chairing the Red Cross local chapter board and serving on the Georgia Conservancy Board of Trustees since 2018. - The resolved clause formally commends her as the 2025 Heart of the Community Awards of Honor recipient and wishes her continued success. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy of the resolution available for distribution to Harman. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-04) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Eddie Lumsden, Katie Dempsey, Matt Barton - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72109 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr980.md?full=1