--- title: SR 350. Bussey, Alice Mae White; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr350 cite_as: SR 350, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr350 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr350.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr350/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71164 date: 2025-03-06 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/sr349.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr351.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr350.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 350 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-06 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Emanuel Jones - Tonya Anderson - Kim Jackson - Gail Davenport - Harold Jones - Elena Parent text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR350/2025 upstream_id: 1991498 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Senate resolution - condolences - Georgia history - Atlanta business community --- # SR 350. Bussey, Alice Mae White; condolences ## Text Senate Resolution 350 By: Senators Jones of the 10th, Anderson of the 43rd, Jackson of the 41st, Davenport of the 17th, Jones II of the 22nd and others A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Alice Mae White Bussey; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens with the passing of Alice Mae White Bussey; and WHEREAS, Alice Mae White Bussey was born on July 31, 1947, in south DeKalb County, Georgia, the tenth of twelve children born to Oscar Curtis White Sr., a skilled carpenter, and Eula Belle Shepard White, a devoted homemaker; and WHEREAS, after completing her higher education in California, she returned to Georgia and served as the state's first Labor Department federal representative, during which time she managed millions of dollars, conducted investigations, and developed programs benefiting the elderly, welfare recipients, and high school dropouts; and WHEREAS, she further served as the Federal Women's Program manager for the eight-state Southeastern Region, advocating for policies and programs to support women in the workforce; and WHEREAS, in 1985, Alice Mae White Bussey made history as the first woman elected president of the Atlanta Business League, and after her marriage to florist James Bussey, she embarked on a distinguished career in the floral industry, becoming the first African American FTD florist in Atlanta; and WHEREAS, during her more than 30 years in the industry, she grew her own florist shop from a local retail establishment into an international enterprise, traveling extensively with her husband to develop business markets across the United States, Europe, and Africa; and WHEREAS, she and her husband participated in former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young's historic trade mission to Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados, promoting business opportunities and economic development; and WHEREAS, in addition to her many wonderful career achievements, she was a devoted mother to her three adult children as well as a doting grandmother to her grandchild; and WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous woman, Alice Mae White Bussey will long be remembered for her love of family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who had the great fortune of knowing her. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Alice Mae White Bussey and express their deepest and most sincere regret at her passing. 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 the family of Alice Mae White Bussey. ## 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 the life of Alice Mae White Bussey, a DeKalb County native and pioneering businesswoman, and offers condolences to her family after her death. ### Plain-language summary This is a memorial resolution passed by the Georgia Senate. It does not change any law. Instead, it formally recognizes the life of Alice Mae White Bussey, who was born in south DeKalb County in 1947 and went on to serve as Georgia's first Labor Department federal representative and as Federal Women's Program manager for the Southeastern Region. The resolution recounts her 1985 election as the first woman president of the Atlanta Business League and her career in the floral industry, where she became Atlanta's first African American FTD florist and built an international floral business. The Senate directs its Secretary to prepare an official copy of the resolution for delivery to her family as an expression of condolence. ### What it does - Formally states that the Senate honors the life and memory of Alice Mae White Bussey and expresses regret at her passing. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare an official copy of the resolution for distribution to her family. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory change; it is a ceremonial statement rather than legislation affecting Georgia code. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the family of Alice Mae White Bussey, who will receive the official copy, and reflects the Georgia Senate's own action as a body honoring a former state employee and businesswoman. ### Why it matters While it carries no legal or regulatory effect, the resolution serves as an official public record of the Georgia Senate's recognition of Bussey's career and community contributions, providing her family a formal acknowledgment from the state legislature. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses recount her birth in DeKalb County, her role as Georgia's first Labor Department federal representative, and her work as Federal Women's Program manager. - It notes her 1985 election as the first woman president of the Atlanta Business League and her career as Atlanta's first African American FTD florist. - The resolving clause formally honors her life and memory and expresses the Senate's condolences. - A further resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide a copy of the resolution to her family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-06) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-03-06) - Sponsors: Emanuel Jones, Tonya Anderson, Kim Jackson, Gail Davenport, Harold Jones, Elena Parent - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71164 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr350.md?full=1