--- title: SR 1045. Young, Andrea; recognize and commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr1045 cite_as: SR 1045, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1045 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1045.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1045/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74440 date: 2026-03-27 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 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/sr1044.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1046.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1045.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 1045 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-27 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Sonya Halpern - Nan Orrock - Harold Jones - Tonya Anderson - Elena Parent - RaShaun Kemp - Kim Jackson - Gail Davenport - Sally Harrell - Kenya Wicks - Michael Rhett - Nikki Merritt - Randal Mangham - Emanuel Jones - Donzella James - Josh McLaurin - Sheikh Rahman - Jaha Howard text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR1045/2025 upstream_id: 2138394 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - civil rights - ACLU of Georgia - Georgia Senate resolution - voting rights --- # SR 1045. Young, Andrea; recognize and commend ## Text Senate Resolution 1045 By: Senators Halpern of the 39th, Orrock of the 36th, Jones II of the 22nd, Anderson of the 43rd, Parent of the 44th and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Andrea Young upon her retirement as Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Andrea Young has devoted her life and career to the advancement of civil and human rights, demonstrating distinguished leadership, public service, and an unwavering commitment to justice for the people of Georgia and the nation; and WHEREAS, since assuming leadership of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia in January 2017, she has guided the organization in expanding its impact across legal advocacy, public policy, civic engagement, and community education, strengthening its role as a leading defender of constitutional rights and civil liberties; and WHEREAS, under her leadership, the ACLU of Georgia worked to protect voting rights, including efforts to prevent the improper removal of registered voters from the rolls, expand early voting access, and deploy legal and volunteer resources to safeguard participation in the democratic process; and WHEREAS, her tenure also included advocacy to promote criminal justice reform, defend freedom of speech, protect immigrant and reproductive rights, and train and empower advocates across the State of Georgia to engage in public policy and civic leadership; and WHEREAS, Andrea Young has also contributed significantly to the fields of public policy, education, and leadership development through her service as an adjunct professor at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University and through her work as founding executive director of the Andrew J. Young Foundation, where she advanced initiatives promoting global health, community leadership, sustainability, and civil rights education; and WHEREAS, her distinguished career has included service as a legislative assistant to United States Senator Edward Kennedy, contributing to landmark policy efforts including the establishment of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday and legislation addressing apartheid in South Africa, as well as service as Chief of Staff to former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, Vice President for External Affairs at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, and Vice President of the National Black Child Development Institute; and WHEREAS, she is an accomplished author and scholar whose work has contributed to documenting and preserving the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement and the development of modern Atlanta, including her collaboration on the memoir An Easy Burden: Civil Rights and the Transformation of America; and WHEREAS, her leadership has strengthened civic institutions, expanded opportunities for community engagement, and inspired the next generation of advocates and public servants; and WHEREAS, Andrea Young's retirement in Spring 2026 marks the culmination of decades of dedicated service and a lasting legacy of impact on civil liberties, public leadership, and democratic participation. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend Andrea Young for her extraordinary contributions to civil rights advocacy, public policy leadership, and community empowerment and extend their sincere appreciation and best wishes for continued success and fulfillment in her future endeavors. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Andrea Young. ## 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 Senate resolution recognizes and commends Andrea Young for her career as Executive Director of the ACLU of Georgia upon her retirement in spring 2026. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate, not a change to state law. It honors Andrea Young, who has led the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia since January 2017, as she retires in spring 2026. The resolution recounts her work on voting rights, criminal justice reform, free speech, immigrant and reproductive rights, and civic education, as well as her earlier career including service as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy and chief of staff to former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. It directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide her a copy of the resolution as a keepsake. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Andrea Young for her career leading the ACLU of Georgia and her broader civil rights work. - States the Senate's appreciation and best wishes for her future after retirement. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Andrea Young. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a symbolic statement of the Senate's position. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names Andrea Young, honoring her retirement. It has no regulatory effect on other Georgians, agencies, or organizations, though it references her work with the ACLU of Georgia, Georgia State University, and the Andrew J. Young Foundation. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial effect; it does not change any Georgia law, program, or funding. Its significance is symbolic, formally placing the Senate's recognition of Young's decades of civil rights and public policy work into the official record. ### Key provisions - Recites Andrea Young's tenure since January 2017 leading the ACLU of Georgia and her work on voting rights, criminal justice reform, and civil liberties. - Notes her academic and nonprofit roles, including as adjunct professor at Georgia State University's Andrew Young School of Policy Studies and founding executive director of the Andrew J. Young Foundation. - Resolves that the Senate recognizes and commends her contributions and wishes her success in future endeavors. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy of the resolution available for distribution to her. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-27) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-03-27) - Sponsors: Sonya Halpern, Nan Orrock, Harold Jones, Tonya Anderson, Elena Parent, RaShaun Kemp, Kim Jackson, Gail Davenport, Sally Harrell, Kenya Wicks, Michael Rhett, Nikki Merritt, Randal Mangham, Emanuel Jones, Donzella James, Josh McLaurin, Sheikh Rahman, Jaha Howard - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74440 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1045.md?full=1