--- title: SR 691. Georgia School of Orthodontics; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr691 cite_as: SR 691, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr691 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr691.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr691/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72814 date: 2026-02-05 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/sr690.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr692.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr691.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 691 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-05 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Emanuel Jones - Gail Davenport - Harold Jones - RaShaun Kemp - Kenya Wicks - Sally Harrell - Michael Rhett - Donzella James - Nan Orrock - Nabilah Islam Parkes - Freddie Sims - Derek Mallow - Jaha Howard text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR691/2025 upstream_id: 2106743 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - dental education - orthodontics - scholarships - Georgia Senate resolution - John Lewis Legacy Scholarships --- # SR 691. Georgia School of Orthodontics; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 691 By: Senators Jones of the 10th, Davenport of the 17th, Jones II of the 22nd, Kemp of the 38th, Wicks of the 34th and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the Georgia School of Orthodontics; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Georgia School of Orthodontics (GSO), founded in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2016, is an accredited, 36-month residency program focusing on specialized orthodontic education and patient-centered care; and WHEREAS, the mission of GSO is to educate qualified dentists to become specialists in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics with a commitment to excellence in patient-centered care, effective teaching, meaningful research and service to the community; and WHEREAS, recently, GSO announced the creation of the John Lewis Legacy Scholarships, an $8.5 million initiative honoring the late Congressman John Lewis; and WHEREAS, the historic program, developed in partnership with the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, will provide 47 three-year scholarships over 12 years, beginning August 2025 with the first cohort of three recipients; and WHEREAS, GSO further serves the community through programs like “Gift of a Smile,” which provides free care to children, adults, and veterans; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper to honor the outstanding contributions of this extraordinary school. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend the Georgia School of Orthodontics for training expert orthodontists while providing affordable, high-quality care to the citizens of the state of Georgia. 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 Georgia School of Orthodontics. ## 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 formally recognizes and commends the Georgia School of Orthodontics in Atlanta for its training programs and community service work. ### Plain-language summary This is a commendation resolution, a formal statement of praise passed by the Georgia Senate rather than a law that changes anyone's rights or duties. It recognizes the Georgia School of Orthodontics (GSO), a 36-month residency program founded in Atlanta in 2016 that trains dentists to become orthodontic specialists. The resolution highlights GSO's John Lewis Legacy Scholarships, an $8.5 million scholarship initiative created with the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation that will fund 47 three-year scholarships over 12 years starting in August 2025. It also notes GSO's 'Gift of a Smile' program, which provides free orthodontic care to children, adults, and veterans. The Senate directs its Secretary to send a copy of the resolution to the school as a token of recognition. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends the Georgia School of Orthodontics for training orthodontic specialists and providing patient care. - States the Senate's praise for GSO's John Lewis Legacy Scholarships, an $8.5 million initiative offering 47 three-year scholarships over 12 years. - Notes GSO's 'Gift of a Smile' program, which gives free dental and orthodontic care to children, adults, and veterans. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the school. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the Georgia School of Orthodontics, its faculty, and students. It also references scholarship recipients under the John Lewis Legacy Scholarships and the patients, including children, adults, and veterans, served by the school's free care programs. ### Why it matters Because this is a commendation resolution rather than a law, it does not create funding, requirements, or penalties. Its practical effect is symbolic: it puts the Senate's formal recognition on record and provides the school with an official copy honoring its scholarship and community care programs. ### Key provisions - The preamble ('WHEREAS' clauses) describes GSO's founding in 2016, its 36-month residency program, and its mission to train orthodontic specialists. - The preamble describes the $8.5 million John Lewis Legacy Scholarships initiative, created with the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, funding 47 three-year scholarships over 12 years starting August 2025. - The resolving clause formally states that the Senate recognizes and commends the Georgia School of Orthodontics. - The final clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute a copy of the resolution to the school. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-05) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-02-05) - Sponsors: Emanuel Jones, Gail Davenport, Harold Jones, RaShaun Kemp, Kenya Wicks, Sally Harrell, Michael Rhett, Donzella James, Nan Orrock, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Freddie Sims, Derek Mallow, Jaha Howard - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72814 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr691.md?full=1