--- title: SR 57. Cook, Mr. David A.; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr57 cite_as: SR 57, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr57 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr57.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr57/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69572 date: 2025-01-29 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 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/sr56.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr58.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr57.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 57 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-01-29 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - John Kennedy - Steve Gooch - Harold Jones - Jason Anavitarte - Randy Robertson - Larry Walker - Ben Watson - Michael Rhett - Billy Hickman - Kay Kirkpatrick - Frank Ginn - Kim Jackson - Bill Cowsert - Russ Goodman - Blake Tillery - Brandon Beach - Drew Echols - Sam Watson - Max Burns - Timothy Bearden - Brian Strickland - Lee Anderson - Clint Dixon - Shawn Still - Donzella James - John Albers - Elena Parent - Tonya Anderson - Josh McLaurin - Nan Orrock - David Lucas - Jason Esteves - Sonya Halpern - Ed Setzler - Sally Harrell - Gail Davenport - Nabilah Islam Parkes - Colton Moore - Kenya Wicks - Chuck Hufstetler - Greg Dolezal - Derek Mallow - Ed Harbison text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR57/2025 upstream_id: 1945144 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Georgia State Senate - retirement recognition - legislative staff - ceremonial resolution --- # SR 57. Cook, Mr. David A.; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 57 By: Senators Kennedy of the 18th, Gooch of the 51st, Jones II of the 22nd, Anavitarte of the 31st, Robertson of the 29th and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending Mr. David A. Cook for his service to the Georgia State Senate and the State of Georgia as well as congratulating him upon the grand occasion of his retirement; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Office of the Secretary of the Senate was created in 1789 and has proudly served the citizens of the State of Georgia, along with the Georgia State Senate, for over 235 years, with the position being most recently filled by the Honorable David A. Cook; and WHEREAS, Mr. Cook is united in love and marriage to Beth Cook and is blessed with two remarkable children and two extraordinary grandchildren; and WHEREAS, in 1976, Mr. Cook approached Secretary of the Senate Hamilton McWhorter Jr. regarding a job in the Senate and was hired as a session assistant, serving as a member of the "crew" and learning the workings of the Secretary's Office from the ground up; and WHEREAS, upon completion of his law degree in 1982, he served as an aide to the Judiciary Committee from 1984 to 1990 under Chairman Nathan Deal; and WHEREAS, upon then-Senator Deal's election as President Pro Tempore of this body, Mr. Cook was asked to join him as his Chief of Staff, serving from 1990 to 1992, during which time he helped draft the Georgia General Assembly's ethics rules; and WHEREAS, in 1993, he moved to Washington, D.C., reprising his role as Chief of Staff for United States Representative Nathan Deal, serving Georgia's northernmost counties until 1995; and WHEREAS, from 1995 to 2011, he served as an executive with the Medical Association of Georgia; and WHEREAS, from 2011 to 2013, he served as the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health; and WHEREAS, in 2013, he was selected to serve as the 43rd Secretary of the Georgia State Senate, and he has since upgraded the Senate's electronic voting system, procured the current Senate voting board, and helped launch the project to update the General Assembly's Legislative Management System, all while maintaining the operations and good order of the Office of the Secretary; and WHEREAS, he succeeded in accomplishing this for the past 11 years and has left in place a staff who will ensure that the work of the Office of the Secretary continues at the high standard the Senate has come to expect. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend Mr. David A. Cook for his efficient, effective, unselfish, and dedicated service to the Georgia State Senate and the State of Georgia; congratulate him upon the grand occasion of his retirement; and 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 Mr. David A. Cook. ## 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 Senate resolution honors David A. Cook, the retiring Secretary of the Georgia State Senate, recognizing decades of service to the Senate and the state. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia State Senate rather than a law that changes any statute. It recounts the career of David A. Cook, who began working in the Senate in 1976, later served as an aide and Chief of Staff to Nathan Deal, worked at the Medical Association of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Community Health, and became the 43rd Secretary of the Georgia State Senate in 2013. The resolution formally commends Cook for his service and congratulates him on his retirement. It directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to Cook. It does not create, amend, or repeal any Georgia law. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends David A. Cook for his service to the Georgia State Senate and the State of Georgia. - Congratulates Cook on his retirement and extends best wishes for his health and happiness. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Cook. - Does not alter any Georgia statute, create funding, or impose any new legal requirement. ### Who it affects This resolution directly names David A. Cook, the outgoing Secretary of the Georgia State Senate, and involves the Senate itself and its Secretary's office, which is directed to prepare a copy of the resolution for him. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal effect on Georgians generally; it is a formal, ceremonial statement by the Senate marking the retirement of a longtime legislative staff leader and documenting his decades of service to state government. ### Key provisions - The resolution recites Cook's career history, including his 1976 hiring as a session assistant and his 2013 appointment as the 43rd Secretary of the Senate. - The resolved clause commends Cook's service and congratulates him on retirement. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to Cook. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-01-29) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-01-29) - Sponsors: John Kennedy, Steve Gooch, Harold Jones, Jason Anavitarte, Randy Robertson, Larry Walker, Ben Watson, Michael Rhett, Billy Hickman, Kay Kirkpatrick, Frank Ginn, Kim Jackson, Bill Cowsert, Russ Goodman, Blake Tillery, Brandon Beach, Drew Echols, Sam Watson, Max Burns, Timothy Bearden, Brian Strickland, Lee Anderson, Clint Dixon, Shawn Still, Donzella James, John Albers, Elena Parent, Tonya Anderson, Josh McLaurin, Nan Orrock, David Lucas, Jason Esteves, Sonya Halpern, Ed Setzler, Sally Harrell, Gail Davenport, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Colton Moore, Kenya Wicks, Chuck Hufstetler, Greg Dolezal, Derek Mallow, Ed Harbison - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69572 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr57.md?full=1