Georgia CommonsSenate · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SR 411: Johnson, Jr., Handy; recognize
Last action March 20, 2025 · Senate Read and Adopted
A Senate resolution formally recognizes and commends Handy Johnson, Jr. of Atlanta's West End neighborhood for his decades of community leadership, historic preservation work, and career with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
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 is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate, not a change to state law. It honors Handy Johnson, Jr., a longtime resident of Atlanta's West End neighborhood, for his community leadership and public service. The resolution recounts his history: restoring a historic West End house with his late wife Lois in 1971, becoming the first African American to earn a graduate degree from the University of Georgia's landscape architecture program, writing a thesis that helped shape the West End Neighborhood Development organization, serving in leadership roles with several preservation and civic groups, and working 34 years for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources on statewide park planning. The Senate resolves to commend him for his service and directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide him a copy of the resolution.
What the bill does
- Formally recognizes and commends Handy Johnson, Jr. for his public service and community leadership in Georgia.
- Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Handy Johnson, Jr.
- Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a ceremonial statement by the Senate.
Who it affects
The resolution directly names and honors Handy Johnson, Jr. It also references the West End Neighborhood Development organization and several civic and preservation groups he worked with, along with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, where he worked for 34 years.
Why it matters
The resolution carries no legal or financial effect on Georgians generally. Its significance is symbolic: it places an official Senate record honoring one individual's decades of neighborhood revitalization, historic preservation, and state park planning work.
Key provisions
- The resolving clause recognizes and commends Handy Johnson, Jr. for his public service to the State of Georgia.
- A further resolution directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to Handy Johnson, Jr.
- The preamble (whereas clauses) details his biography, including his master's degree, his thesis, and his 34 years at the Department of Natural Resources, but has no operative legal effect.
From the bill
“making history as the first African American to be awarded a graduate degree from that program”
“for 34 years, Handy worked with the State of Georgia Department of Natural Resources in the Division of Planning and Research undertaking statewide planning efforts and developing numerous parks around the state”
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Nan Orrock (D, SD-36)
- Harold Jones II (D, SD-22)
- Derek Mallow (D, SD-2)
- Kim Jackson (D, SD-41)
- Sonya Halpern (D, SD-39)
- Chuck Payne (R, SD-54)
- Emanuel Jones (D, SD-10)
- Ed Harbison (D, SD-15)
- Nikki Merritt (D, SD-9)
- David Lucas (D, SD-26)
- Nabilah Parkes (D, SD-7)
Topics
- ceremonial resolution
- community leadership
- Atlanta West End
- historic preservation