--- title: SR 651. 2025-2026 4-H Leadership Teams and Award Recipients; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr651 cite_as: SR 651, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr651 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr651.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr651/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72606 date: 2026-02-02 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/sr650.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr652.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr651.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 651 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-02 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Larry Walker - Sam Watson - Russ Goodman - Lee Anderson - Freddie Sims - Bo Hatchett - Billy Hickman - Drew Echols - Max Burns text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR651/2025 upstream_id: 2102368 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - 4-H program - youth leadership - Georgia Senate resolution - student awards --- # SR 651. 2025-2026 4-H Leadership Teams and Award Recipients; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 651 By: Senators Walker III of the 20th, Watson of the 11th, Goodman of the 8th, Anderson of the 24th, Sims of the 12th and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the 2025-2026 4-H leadership teams and award recipients; and for other purposes. WHEREAS,4-H members consistently demonstrate the ability and leadership necessary to be champions and serve as outstanding representatives and officers of the young people of Georgia; and WHEREAS, Robert Thomas of Putnam County serves with distinction and dedication as State 4-H President; and WHEREAS, Melanie Biersmith of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension has worked diligently as State 4-H Leader/ Director of 4-H; and WHEREAS, the leadership, dedication, and hard work of Michah Newton of Pickens County, Savannah Radloff of Heard County, Leo Barak of Glynn County, and Javis Bennett of Dooly County as District Presidents have been acknowledged by the 4-H membership in their election of each of these young people to serve as president for 2025-2026; and WHEREAS, the excellent record of accomplishments in citizenship and leadership of Esteban Contreras of Pulaski County, Kaleb Green of Dooly County, Gregory Huston of Toombs County, Naomi Jackson of Bibb County, Ash Sonnier of Columbia County, and Carolyn Thomas of Putnam County led to their selection as delegates for the 2025 National 4-H Conference; and WHEREAS, Leila Rimes of Tift County and Addy Winchester of Pulaski County were named 2025 Leadership in Action winners; and WHEREAS, Liam Maline of Glynn County, Micah Newton of Pickens County, Kaleb Green of Dooly County, Kingston Ryals of Toombs County, Presley Douglas of Candler County, and Ash Sonnier of Columbia County were named state winners in the 2025 Deans Awards competition; and WHEREAS, Thomas Holt, Nandini Patel, Landon Sinyard, and Ruby Witt of Ben Hill County were named the 2025 National Winners of the National Consumer Decision Making Contest; and WHEREAS, Catie Malcome, Haley Schaefer, Catherine Smith, and Evan Tennant of Morgan County were named the 2025 National Winners of the National Recurve Archery Competition; and WHEREAS, Bethany Shirley of Walton County was named the 2025 National High Individual of the National Air Rifle Competition; and WHEREAS, Sonya Jones of Pulaski County was named the 2025 William H. Booth Award Honoree; and WHEREAS, Lauren Clark of Screven County received the 2025 Ryles Rising Star Award; and WHEREAS, Clinton Folsom of Cook County was named the 2025 Volunteer of the Year; and WHEREAS, Mark Braddy of Jefferson County received the 2025 Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer Award. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend Robert Thomas, State 4-H President; Melanie Biersmith, State 4-H Leader and Director of 4-H; and the 2025-2026 4-H District Presidents, 2025 National 4-H Conference Delegates, 2025 Leadership in Action winners, 2025 Deans Award winners, 2025 William H. Booth Award honoree, 2025 Ryles Rising Star Award recipient, 2025 Volunteer of the Year, and 2025 Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer Award recipient for their numerous accomplishments. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the press. ## 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 2025-2026 4-H leadership teams and award recipients from across the state, recognizing named students, volunteers, and staff for their accomplishments. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a ceremonial statement from the Georgia Senate, not a change to state law. It recognizes the State 4-H President, the State 4-H Leader, the 2025-2026 District Presidents, delegates chosen for the 2025 National 4-H Conference, and winners of various 4-H awards including the Leadership in Action award, the Deans Awards, national competition wins in consumer decision making, archery, and air rifle, and volunteer recognitions like the William H. Booth Award and the Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer Award. The resolution directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available to the public and the press. It does not create any new program, funding, or legal requirement; its only effect is formal recognition of the named individuals. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends named 4-H members, leaders, and volunteers for their 2025-2026 accomplishments. - Names specific individuals as State 4-H President, State 4-H Leader, and District Presidents for 2025-2026. - Lists winners of several 4-H awards and competitions, including national conference delegates and volunteer award recipients. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare copies of the resolution for distribution to the public and press. ### Who it affects The named 4-H members, district presidents, award winners, and volunteers from various Georgia counties, along with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension staff involved in leading the 4-H program, receive formal recognition from the Senate. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal or financial effect on Georgians; it is a symbolic honor that gives named 4-H youth, volunteers, and staff formal recognition in the state's legislative record, which can be shared publicly as an achievement. ### Key provisions - The resolving clause recognizes and commends the State 4-H President, State 4-H Leader, District Presidents, and multiple 2025 award recipients by name. - The final clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available for distribution to the public and the press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-02) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-02-02) - Sponsors: Larry Walker, Sam Watson, Russ Goodman, Lee Anderson, Freddie Sims, Bo Hatchett, Billy Hickman, Drew Echols, Max Burns - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72606 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr651.md?full=1