Georgia CommonsSR 74: Interfaith Organizations and Volunteers; recognize
Last action February 3, 2025 · Senate Read and Adopted
A Georgia Senate resolution formally recognizes interfaith organizations and volunteers who helped clean up disaster damage across the state, including after Hurricane Helene.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
This is a Georgia Senate resolution, a formal statement rather than a change to state law. It honors the work of interfaith and religious organizations and volunteers who helped Georgia communities recover from natural disasters, particularly the cleanup after Hurricane Helene. The resolution notes that tens of thousands of volunteers, some traveling from South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida, contributed more than one million volunteer hours clearing debris, repairing homes, removing fallen trees, and assisting affected residents. The Senate resolves to recognize and commend these groups and encourage continued collaboration among communities to respond to future disasters. The Secretary of the Senate is directed to distribute copies of the resolution to leaders of the interfaith organizations involved.
What the bill does
- Formally recognizes and commends interfaith organizations and volunteers for disaster cleanup work in Georgia.
- States that volunteers contributed more than one million hours of labor after Hurricane Helene, including debris removal and home repairs.
- Encourages continued support and collaboration among communities to improve future disaster response.
- Directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to leaders of the interfaith organizations involved.
Who it affects
The resolution names interfaith and religious organizations and their volunteers who took part in Georgia disaster relief, particularly after Hurricane Helene, as well as Georgia homeowners who received help. It does not create legal obligations for any government agency or business.
Why it matters
Because this is a commendation rather than a law, it does not change anyone's rights or duties. Its main effect is a public, official acknowledgment of volunteer disaster relief work, which may raise awareness of these groups' contributions to recovery efforts.
Key provisions
- Recites background on recent natural disasters in Georgia and the role of interfaith and faith-based volunteers in recovery.
- States that volunteers contributed more than one million hours of labor after Hurricane Helene, working in heavily impacted areas.
- Resolves that the Senate recognizes and commends these organizations and encourages continued cross-community collaboration on disaster response.
- Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to interfaith organization leaders.
From the bill
“tens of thousands of volunteers participated in disaster relief efforts in Georgia following Hurricane Helene, contributing more than one million total volunteer hours”
“the members of this body recognize and commend the invaluable contributions of the interfaith organizations and volunteers in disaster cleanup efforts”
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
- Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
- John Kennedy (R, SD-018)
- Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
- Sam Watson (R, SD-011)
Topics
- disaster relief
- Hurricane Helene
- volunteerism
- faith-based organizations
- Georgia Senate resolutions