--- title: SR 653. Keep Georgia Beautiful Day; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr653 cite_as: SR 653, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr653 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr653.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr653/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72603 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/sr652.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr654.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr653.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 653 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: - Lee Anderson - Russ Goodman - Sam Watson - Drew Echols - Freddie Sims - Ben Watson - Chuck Payne - Max Burns - Sonya Halpern - John Albers - Jason T. Dickerson - Kenya Wicks - Jason Anavitarte - Harold Jones - Bill Cowsert - Frank Ginn - Nan Orrock - Elena Parent - Gail Davenport - Kim Jackson - RaShaun Kemp - Jaha Howard - Timothy Bearden - David Lucas - Nikki Merritt - Nabilah Islam Parkes - Matt Brass - Chuck Hufstetler - Randal Mangham - Clint Dixon - Ricky Williams - Blake Tillery - Sally Harrell text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR653/2025 upstream_id: 2102343 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Keep Georgia Beautiful Day - litter and recycling - community beautification - Georgia Senate resolutions --- # SR 653. Keep Georgia Beautiful Day; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 653 By: Senators Anderson of the 24th, Goodman of the 8th, Watson of the 11th, Echols of the 49th, Sims of the 12th and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing Keep Georgia Beautiful Day at the state capitol; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation (KGBF) was created in 1978 by executive order of Governor George Busbee; and WHEREAS, there are now more than 70 local Keep America Beautiful Affiliates in Georgia, representing one of the largest networks of local affiliates in the nation; and WHEREAS, the affiliate network and statewide KGBF programs impact 80 percent of Georgia's population through litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling, and community beautification programs, including the Great American Cleanup, America Recycles Day, the Bring One for the Chipper Christmas tree recycling campaign, and BRACE (Blight Reduction and Code Enforcement) grants; and WHEREAS, these programs demonstrate measurable results such as reducing litter collected during the Great American Cleanup by 75 percent over the last 15 years, recycling more than 6 million Christmas trees since the start of the Chipper program, and providing 86 mini-grants to Georgia communities over the last two years for a total of $400,000, including $205,000 to communities with populations up to 10,000; and WHEREAS, an average of over 100,000 volunteers participate in Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation and affiliate programs each year, representing an annual value average of $87.31 million to Georgia taxpayers; and WHEREAS, within the last 10 years, the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation has returned an average of $119 in statewide annual benefits for every $1 invested by state government to help reduce crime, encourage economic development, .and provide clean,. Green, healthy, and thriving communities for all Georgians. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize Keep Georgia Beautiful Day at the state capitol. 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 Senate resolution formally recognizes Keep Georgia Beautiful Day at the state capitol, honoring the volunteer network that runs litter cleanup, recycling, and community beautification programs across Georgia. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any Georgia law. It is a ceremonial statement from the Senate honoring the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, which Governor George Busbee created by executive order in 1978, and the more than 70 local affiliates that run litter prevention, recycling, and beautification programs across the state. The resolution recites statistics about the foundation's impact, such as volunteer participation, funds distributed through community grants, and litter reduction over the past 15 years. It then formally declares Keep Georgia Beautiful Day at the state capitol and directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and the press. ### What it does - Formally recognizes Keep Georgia Beautiful Day at the state capitol through a Senate resolution. - Recites statistics about the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation's volunteer programs, litter reduction, and community grants. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. - Does not create any new law, funding, or ongoing state program; it is a one time honorary declaration. ### Who it affects The resolution primarily concerns the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation, its more than 70 local Keep America Beautiful affiliates, and the volunteers who participate in cleanup and recycling programs statewide. It does not impose obligations on any other group of Georgians. ### Why it matters Because this is a ceremonial resolution rather than a change to the law, it has no direct legal or financial effect on Georgians. Its practical significance is limited to publicly acknowledging a volunteer network's work on litter reduction and recycling across the state. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation's 1978 origin, its statewide affiliate network, and program outcomes like litter reduction and Christmas tree recycling. - The resolving clause states the Senate recognizes Keep Georgia Beautiful Day at the state capitol. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-02) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-02-02) - Sponsors: Lee Anderson, Russ Goodman, Sam Watson, Drew Echols, Freddie Sims, Ben Watson, Chuck Payne, Max Burns, Sonya Halpern, John Albers, Jason T. Dickerson, Kenya Wicks, Jason Anavitarte, Harold Jones, Bill Cowsert, Frank Ginn, Nan Orrock, Elena Parent, Gail Davenport, Kim Jackson, RaShaun Kemp, Jaha Howard, Timothy Bearden, David Lucas, Nikki Merritt, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Matt Brass, Chuck Hufstetler, Randal Mangham, Clint Dixon, Ricky Williams, Blake Tillery, Sally Harrell - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72603 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr653.md?full=1