--- title: SR 63. Gavalis, Joseph; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr63 cite_as: SR 63, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr63 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr63.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr63/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69663 date: 2025-01-30 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/sr62.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr64.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr63.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 63 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-01-30 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Kay Kirkpatrick - John Albers - Ricky Williams - Max Burns - Colton Moore - Ed Setzler - Michael Rhett text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR63/2025 upstream_id: 1947555 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Senate resolution - memorial tribute - Cobb County - elder abuse prevention --- # SR 63. Gavalis, Joseph; condolences ## Text Senate Resolution 63 By: Senators Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Albers of the 56th, Williams of the 25th, Burns of the 23rd, Moore of the 53rd and others A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Joseph Gavalis; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens with the passing of Joseph Gavalis; and WHEREAS, during his distinguished career as a federal agent, Joseph Gavalis fought against organized crime and labor racketeering, taking on dangerous mobsters and corrupt labor bosses to protect workers striving to make a living; and WHEREAS, after retiring from federal law enforcement, he and his wife, Susan, settled in Cobb County, Georgia, where he served as a leader and president of his homeowner's association, resolving neighbors' concerns, navigating local government, and acting as a liaison with local police; and WHEREAS, Joseph Gavalis volunteered extensively with the Cobb County government, serving on the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission and as a founding member of the Cobb County Elder Abuse Task Force, where he collaborated with officials and legislators to combat elder abuse; and WHEREAS, as founder of the North Georgia Elder Abuse Task Force, he worked with local and federal law enforcement across the region, educated groups about scams targeting the elderly, and helped resolve local issues related to elder abuse; and WHEREAS, over 10 years, he conducted workshops for approximately 10,000 seniors, teaching them about elder abuse prevention and distributing scent kits to help locate dementia sufferers before harm could occur; and WHEREAS, he gave inspiration to many through his high ideals, morals, and deep concern for his fellow citizens, and the devotion, patience, and understanding he demonstrated to his family and friends were admired by others; and WHEREAS, he was a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation for integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness, and by the example he made of his life, he made this world a better place in which to live; and WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous man, Joseph Gavalis will long be remembered for his love of family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who had the great fortune of knowing him. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Joseph Gavalis and express their deepest and most sincere regret at his 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 Joseph Gavalis. ## 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 late Joseph Gavalis, a former federal agent and Cobb County volunteer known for his work fighting elder abuse, and directs a copy be sent to his family. ### Plain-language summary This is a memorial resolution passed by the Georgia Senate honoring Joseph Gavalis, who died after a career as a federal agent fighting organized crime and labor racketeering. The resolution recounts his later volunteer work in Cobb County, including serving as his homeowner's association president, sitting on the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission, and founding the Cobb County Elder Abuse Task Force and the North Georgia Elder Abuse Task Force. The resolution states he ran workshops for about 10,000 seniors over 10 years on elder abuse prevention and distributed scent kits to help find dementia patients who wander off. It does not change any Georgia law. It simply expresses the Senate's regret at his passing and directs the Secretary of the Senate to send a copy of the resolution to his family. ### What it does - Formally expresses the Georgia Senate's regret over the death of Joseph Gavalis and honors his life and memory. - Recounts his career as a federal agent combating organized crime and labor racketeering. - Documents his volunteer work in Cobb County, including founding elder abuse task forces and running senior safety workshops. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to his family. ### Who it affects This resolution directly affects the family of Joseph Gavalis, who will receive an official copy, and reflects on his work with Cobb County government bodies, law enforcement, and senior citizens in the North Georgia region. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or regulatory effect and does not change Georgia law. Its significance is symbolic and personal, giving formal, public recognition from the state Senate to a private citizen's public service and providing his family an official memorial document. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses lay out his biography, from federal law enforcement career to volunteer leadership in Cobb County. - The resolved clause has the Senate formally honor his life and memory and express regret at his passing. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to his family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-01-30) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-01-30) - Sponsors: Kay Kirkpatrick, John Albers, Ricky Williams, Max Burns, Colton Moore, Ed Setzler, Michael Rhett - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69663 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr63.md?full=1