--- title: SR 186. Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr186 cite_as: SR 186, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr186 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr186.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr186/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70309 date: 2025-02-13 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/sr185.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr187.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr186.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 186 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-13 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Max Burns - Harold Jones text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR186/2025 upstream_id: 1968158 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - community organizations - civic recognition - hurricane relief - voter engagement --- # SR 186. Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 186 By: Senators Burns of the 23rd and Jones II of the 22nd A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, founded in 1998, Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition (GAIC) is a non-partisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) community service organization that represents over 15 denominations and religious systems; and WHEREAS, GAIC provides essential community services such as feeding the poor, educating voters, encouraging civic participation, and organizing groups and committees to address community needs; and WHEREAS, in 2020, GAIC expanded its reach to more than 17 counties in Georgia as well as to South Carolina to further support and advocate for civic engagement, environmental justice, economic empowerment, healthcare, equal justice, youth development, senior and disabled assistance, and social activism; and WHEREAS, GAIC has recently focused its efforts on childhood literacy and voting rights, collaborating with organizations such as the Area Agency on Aging, Georgia Legal Counsel, National Get-Out-To-Vote, East Central Regional Hospital, and the Georgia Family Council to advance its mission; and WHEREAS, following Hurricane Helene in 2024, GAIC served as the Hurricane Helene Relief and Resource Center, providing food, supplies, housing, grief counseling, childcare, elder care, and assistance with debris clearing despite a two-week power outage; and WHEREAS, GAIC's robust voter engagement initiatives include a Voters' Protection Hotline, educational forums, programs targeting young and minority voters, senior voter education, and election protection efforts; and WHEREAS, GAIC actively promotes community engagement through innovative programs such as the County Community Development Services Initiative and the Clean Air and Environmentally Responsive Young Voters Initiative; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstanding contributions of this extraordinary organization be appropriately recognized. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition for its decades of service on behalf of the citizens of this state as well as extend best wishes for its continued growth and success. 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 Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition. ## 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 Senate resolution formally recognizes and commends Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition, a multi-denominational nonprofit, for its decades of community service across Georgia and South Carolina. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate honoring Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition (GAIC), a nonprofit founded in 1998 that represents more than 15 religious denominations. The resolution recounts the group's history and work, including feeding the poor, voter education, civic engagement programs, and disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Helene in 2024. The resolution does not change any Georgia law or create new programs or funding. It simply states the Senate's recognition of GAIC's contributions and directs the Secretary of the Senate to send a copy of the resolution to the organization as a keepsake. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition for its community service work. - States the Senate's best wishes for the organization's continued growth and success. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the organization. - Does not create any new law, funding, or regulatory requirement, since it is a commemorative resolution. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names Greater Augusta's Interfaith Coalition, a nonprofit serving communities in Georgia and South Carolina. It also references partner organizations like the Area Agency on Aging, Georgia Legal Counsel, and East Central Regional Hospital, though it imposes no obligations on them. ### Why it matters Because this is a ceremonial resolution rather than a law, it has no direct legal or financial effect on Georgians. Its main practical outcome is a formal, public statement from the Senate acknowledging the organization's community service, disaster relief, and voter engagement work. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe GAIC's founding in 1998, its interfaith makeup representing over 15 denominations, and its expansion to more than 17 Georgia counties and South Carolina by 2020. - The resolution highlights GAIC's role as a Hurricane Helene relief center in 2024, providing food, housing, counseling, and childcare. - The resolved clause formally commends GAIC for its service and wishes it continued success. - The final clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to send GAIC an official copy of the resolution. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-13) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-13) - Sponsors: Max Burns, Harold Jones - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70309 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr186.md?full=1