Georgia CommonsSenate · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SR 302: Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman; condolences
Last action February 28, 2025 · Senate Read and Adopted
A Georgia Senate resolution honors the life and memory of Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman of Atlanta, recognizing his decades of religious leadership and civic work, and offers condolences to his family.
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 formal statement from the Georgia Senate marking the death of Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman, a longtime religious leader at The Temple in Atlanta. It recounts his life story, including his ordination, his decades of service as assistant rabbi, senior rabbi, and rabbi emeritus, and his work on interfaith relations, civil rights, homelessness, and LGBTQ+ rights. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It simply states that the Senate joins in honoring his memory and expresses regret at his passing. It also directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to Rabbi Sugarman's family.
What the bill does
- Formally expresses the Georgia Senate's condolences on the death of Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman.
- Recounts his career at The Temple in Atlanta and his community and civil rights work as an official statement of the chamber.
- Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to his family.
- Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement, as is typical for a memorial resolution.
Who it affects
The resolution directly names the family of Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman, who will receive the copy, and the Georgia Senate, which adopts it as an official statement. It does not impose obligations on the public or any government agency beyond the Secretary of the Senate.
Why it matters
While the resolution carries no legal effect, it serves as an official public record of the Georgia Senate recognizing a prominent Atlanta religious and civic leader, and it provides his family with a formal expression of the state's condolences.
Key provisions
- The resolution's whereas clauses describe Rabbi Sugarman's biography, ordination, and tenure at The Temple from 1971 to 2004.
- The first resolving clause states the Senate joins in honoring his life and expresses regret at his passing.
- The second resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available to his family.
From the bill
“NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman and express their deepest and most sincere regret at his passing.”
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Nan Orrock (D, SD-36)
- Elena Parent (D, SD-44)
- Harold Jones II (D, SD-22)
- Kim Jackson (D, SD-41)
- Sonya Halpern (D, SD-39)
- Jason Esteves (D, SD-35)
- Emanuel Jones (D, SD-10)
- Josh McLaurin (D, SD-14)
- Kenya Wicks (D, SD-34)
- Gail Davenport (D, SD-17)
- Tonya Anderson (D, SD-43)
- Sally Harrell (D, SD-40)
- Brian Strickland (R, SD-42)
- Bo Hatchett (R, SD-50)
- Blake Tillery (R, SD-19)
- RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-38)
- Ed Setzler (R, SD-37)
- Max Burns (R, SD-23)
- David Lucas (D, SD-26)
- Sheikh Rahman (D, SD-5)
- Donzella James (D, SD-28)
- Randal Mangham (D, SD-55)
- Michael 'Doc' Rhett (D, SD-33)
Topics
- memorial resolution
- Georgia Senate
- Atlanta religious leaders
- interfaith relations