Georgia CommonsSenate · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SR 1103: Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World; commend
Last action April 2, 2026 · Senate Read and Adopted
A Georgia Senate resolution commends the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World for its history of community service, education, and youth programs.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
This resolution is a ceremonial statement from the Georgia Senate honoring the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World, a Black fraternal organization founded in 1898 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The resolution recounts the organization's history, including the founding of its women's auxiliary, the Daughters of Elks, in 1902, and its growth into an organization with more than 500,000 members and over 1,500 lodges. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally commends the organization for its work in education, youth development, and community service, and directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide a copy of the resolution to the organization as a keepsake.
What the bill does
- Formally commends the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World on behalf of the Georgia Senate.
- Recites the organization's founding history and its work in education, veterans affairs, youth programs, and community service.
- Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the organization.
Who it affects
The resolution directly names the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World and its members, as well as the Secretary of the Senate, who is tasked with distributing a copy of the resolution to the organization.
Why it matters
The resolution carries no legal or financial effect and changes no Georgia statute. Its practical impact is symbolic: it gives the organization formal recognition from the Georgia Senate and a keepsake copy of the resolution honoring its history and community work.
Key provisions
- The resolution recites the organization's founding on September 28, 1898, in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Arthur James Riggs and Benjamin Franklin Howard.
- It notes the 1902 founding of the Daughters of Elks auxiliary by Emma Virginia Kelly in Norfolk, Virginia.
- The resolving clause commends the organization for its work in service, education, and community advancement.
- A further resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to the organization.
From the bill
“the Senate that the members of this body commend the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World for its enduring commitment to service, education, and community advancement”
Discussed in meetings (1)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
Senate floor session, April 2, 2026 (legislative day 40, part 1)
From 2:10:24 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Read and Adopted)
Summary by Georgia Commons: The clerk described SR 1103 as recognizing and commending the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World. The Senate adopted it without objection.
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Harold Jones II (D, SD-22)
Topics
- fraternal organizations
- community service
- Georgia Senate resolutions
- civic recognition