--- title: SR 297. Sergeant (Ret.) Mary L. Clements; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr297 cite_as: SR 297, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr297 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr297.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr297/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70958 date: 2025-02-28 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-12 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/sr296.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr298.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr297.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 297 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-28 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Tonya Anderson - Gail Davenport - Kenya Wicks - Michael Rhett - Ed Harbison - Freddie Sims - Derek Mallow - Harold Jones - Elena Parent - Randal Mangham - Chuck Payne - Nikki Merritt - Jason Esteves - Sally Harrell text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR297/2025 upstream_id: 1987921 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - veterans recognition - military service - Georgia Senate resolution - youth mentorship --- # SR 297. Sergeant (Ret.) Mary L. Clements; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 297 By: Senators Anderson of the 43rd, Davenport of the 17th, Wicks of the 34th, Rhett of the 33rd, Harbison of the 15th and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Sergeant (Ret.) Mary L. Clements; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Sergeant (Ret.) Mary L. Clements served as a guardian of this nation's freedom and liberty with the United States Army, valiantly protecting and supporting her fellow Americans throughout her distinguished military career; and WHEREAS, a native of Eatonton, Georgia, she became the first in her family to earn a high school diploma, attend and graduate from college, and enlist in the military, excelling both academically and athletically by earning three full academic and athletic scholarships before choosing to enlist in December 1981; and WHEREAS, she was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for creating a mailroom and constructing a secure storage area for body bags during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield, both of which greatly increased morale within the command; and WHEREAS, after her military service, she earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology and an Associate of Science in physical education, receiving recognition from Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges while also accumulating over 1,000 hours of volunteer service; and WHEREAS, she has dedicated over 30 years to mentoring and youth programs as a Girl Scout leader, coach, referee, Junior Achievement leader, and developer of mentorship and physical fitness programs for at-risk youth; and WHEREAS, she remains an active and committed advocate for veterans as Vice President and Historian of the Atlanta Metro Chapter of the National Association of Black Military Women, a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a chartered member of the Women's Memorial; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that the outstanding accomplishments of this remarkable and distinguished Georgian be appropriately recognized. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend Sergeant (Ret.) Mary L. Clements for her exceptional military service, community leadership, and lifelong dedication to uplifting others as well as extend the most sincere best wishes for continued health and happiness. 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 Sergeant (Ret.) Mary L. Clements. ## 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 honors Sergeant (Ret.) Mary L. Clements of Eatonton for her military service, community mentorship work, and advocacy for veterans. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate, not a change to state law. It recognizes Sergeant (Ret.) Mary L. Clements, an Eatonton, Georgia native who served in the United States Army, including during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield, where she earned the Army Commendation Medal. The resolution details her personal and civic achievements: being the first in her family to earn a high school diploma and college degree, earning a psychology degree after her service, and spending more than 30 years mentoring youth through Girl Scouts, coaching, and Junior Achievement. It also notes her continued advocacy for veterans through several organizations. The Senate directs that a copy of the resolution be given to her. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Sergeant (Ret.) Mary L. Clements for her military service and community work. - States the Senate's official praise for her achievements but creates no new law, funding, or program. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Clements. ### Who it affects This resolution directly names and honors Sergeant (Ret.) Mary L. Clements. It has no regulatory or financial effect on other Georgians, agencies, or businesses. ### Why it matters The resolution carries symbolic and ceremonial weight rather than legal force. It provides public, official recognition of an individual Georgian's military service and community contributions, but it does not change any law, spend state money, or affect anyone else's rights or obligations. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount Clements' Army service, including her Army Commendation Medal from Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield. - The whereas clauses also describe her post-service education and over 30 years of youth mentorship work. - The resolved clause formally commends her for her military service, community leadership, and dedication to uplifting others. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide her with a copy of the resolution. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-28) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-28) - Sponsors: Tonya Anderson, Gail Davenport, Kenya Wicks, Michael Rhett, Ed Harbison, Freddie Sims, Derek Mallow, Harold Jones, Elena Parent, Randal Mangham, Chuck Payne, Nikki Merritt, Jason Esteves, Sally Harrell - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70958 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr297.md?full=1