--- title: SR 487. Ray City Community Library; membership in state-supported public library services; support collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr487 cite_as: SR 487, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr487 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr487.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr487/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71788 date: 2025-04-02 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/sr486.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr488.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 148 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr487.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 487 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-27 last_action: Senate Withdrawn & Recommitted sponsors: - Carden Summers - Russ Goodman - Sam Watson - Ricky Williams - Lee Anderson - Freddie Sims - Ed Harbison - Josh McLaurin - Marty Harbin - Bo Hatchett - Brandon Beach - Ben Watson - Drew Echols - Colton Moore - Chuck Payne text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR487/2025 upstream_id: 2016078 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - public libraries - Ray City - library funding - Berrien County - Georgia Public Library Service --- # SR 487. Ray City Community Library; membership in state-supported public library services; support ## Text 25 LC 112 3520 Senate Resolution 487 By: Senators Summers of the 13th, Goodman of the 8th, Watson of the 11th, Williams of the 25th, Anderson of the 24th and others A RESOLUTION Supporting the Ray City Community Library's membership in state-supported public library1 services; and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, the City of Ray City anticipates that funding opportun ities for local facilities3 will be available under President Donald Trump to Expand Educat ional Freedom and4 Opportunities for Families; and5 WHEREAS, the Ray City Community Library has long been a vital c ommunity resource,6 operated by the municipality for over 20 years as a municipal library without support from7 the State of Georgia via the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of Regents8 of the University System of Georgia; and9 WHEREAS, citizens have benefited from the library's dedicated s upport of numerous10 community volunteers who have contributed their time and talents to its operation; and11 WHEREAS, state support as provided by the Georgia Public Library Service is a necessary12 prerequisite for the Ray City Community Library to access valua ble library services,13 including interlibrary loan programs, the PINES catalog, facilities planning, and professional14 development opportunities; and15 S. R. 487 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3520 WHEREAS, state support as provided by the Georgia Public Library Service is also essential16 for the Ray City Community Library to be eligible for state and federal funding17 opportunities, which will enable the library to update its facilities, services, collections, and18 programs for the benefit of the community; and19 WHEREAS, under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-305, the Board of Regents of the University System of20 Georgia is authorized to distribute state and federal funds "to county and regional public21 libraries in proportion to the area and population to be served by such libraries…all such22 funds shall be distributed directly to the regional or county library boards"; and23 WHEREAS, Ray City is located within Berrien County, which is a member of the Coastal24 Plain Regional Library System.25 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body26 express their strong support for the Ray City Community Library 's membership in the27 Coastal Plain Regional Library System in order to be eligible for support from the Georgia28 Public Library Service.29 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body recognize the significant30 contributions of the Ray City Community Library to preserving t he local heritage and31 emphasize the importance of its continued growth and development.32 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body urge the B oard of Regents,33 the Regents Public Library Advisory Committee, the Georgia Stat e Library System, the34 Regional Library Board, and the Berrien County Library Board to favorably consider the Ray35 City Community Library's facility and grant it full membership in the Coastal Plain Regional36 S. R. 487 - 2 - 25 LC 112 3520 Library System, thereby enabling the library to better serve the informational and educational37 needs of citizens.38 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed39 to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the Regents Public40 Library Advisory Committee, the Georgia State Librarian, the Coastal Plain Regional Library41 System, the Regional and Berrien County Library Boards, elected officials, and other42 relevant parties.43 S. R. 487 - 3 - ## 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 expresses support for the Ray City Community Library joining the Coastal Plain Regional Library System so it can qualify for state library funding and services. ### Plain-language summary The Ray City Community Library has operated as a municipal library for more than 20 years without support from the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. This resolution states the Senate's support for the library becoming a full member of the Coastal Plain Regional Library System, which covers Berrien County where Ray City is located. Membership in the regional system is described as necessary for the library to access services like interlibrary loans, the PINES shared catalog, facilities planning help, and professional development, as well as to become eligible for state and federal funding. The resolution urges the Board of Regents, the Regents Public Library Advisory Committee, the Georgia State Library System, and the relevant library boards to approve full membership for the library, and directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to those parties. ### What it does - Formally states the Senate's support for the Ray City Community Library joining the Coastal Plain Regional Library System. - Urges the Board of Regents, the Regents Public Library Advisory Committee, the Georgia State Library System, and local library boards to approve full membership for the library. - Recognizes the library's contributions to preserving local heritage and its role in the community. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the Board of Regents' advisory committee, the state librarian, the regional library system, local library boards, and elected officials. - Does not itself grant membership or funding; it is a statement of support urging other bodies to act. ### Who it affects The Ray City Community Library and its patrons in Berrien County, the Coastal Plain Regional Library System and its member boards, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia through the Georgia Public Library Service, and local officials involved in library governance. ### Why it matters If the bodies addressed act on this resolution, the Ray City Community Library could gain access to interlibrary loans, the statewide PINES catalog, facilities planning help, and state or federal funding, potentially improving its collections, services, and building. ### Key provisions - The resolving clauses express the Senate's support for the library's membership in the Coastal Plain Regional Library System to qualify for Georgia Public Library Service support. - A further resolution recognizes the library's contributions to local heritage and emphasizes its continued growth. - A further resolution urges the Board of Regents, the Regents Public Library Advisory Committee, the Georgia State Library System, the Regional Library Board, and the Berrien County Library Board to grant the library full membership. - The final section directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the relevant boards, officials, and library system. - Background clauses cite O.C.G.A. § 20-2-305 as the law governing how state and federal library funds are distributed to county and regional library boards. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-27) - Last action: Senate Withdrawn & Recommitted (2025-04-02) - Sponsors: Carden Summers, Russ Goodman, Sam Watson, Ricky Williams, Lee Anderson, Freddie Sims, Ed Harbison, Josh McLaurin, Marty Harbin, Bo Hatchett, Brandon Beach, Ben Watson, Drew Echols, Colton Moore, Chuck Payne - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71788 > The history, votes, and amendments (148 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr487.md?full=1