--- title: SR 74. Interfaith Organizations and Volunteers; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr74 cite_as: SR 74, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr74 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr74.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr74/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69711 date: 2025-02-03 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/sr73.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr75.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr74.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 74 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-03 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Billy Hickman - Steve Gooch - John Kennedy - Russ Goodman - Sam Watson text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR74/2025 upstream_id: 1949652 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - disaster relief - Hurricane Helene - volunteerism - faith-based organizations - Georgia Senate resolutions --- # SR 74. Interfaith Organizations and Volunteers; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 74 By: Senators Hickman of the 4th, Gooch of the 51st, Kennedy of the 18th, Goodman of the 8th and Watson of the 11th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the interfaith organizations and volunteers involved in disaster cleanup efforts; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the State of Georgia has faced numerous natural disasters that have caused significant damage and hardship to its residents; and WHEREAS, in times of crisis, communities come together to support one another, demonstrating the strength and resilience of the human spirit; and WHEREAS, interfaith and religious organizations and volunteers have played a crucial role in disaster cleanup efforts, providing essential services, resources, and support to those affected; and WHEREAS, these interfaith efforts have fostered unity, understanding, and cooperation among diverse religious communities, showcasing the power of collaboration and compassion; and WHEREAS, the dedication and hard work of these volunteers has significantly contributed to the recovery and rebuilding of affected areas, helping to restore hope and normalcy to the lives of many Georgians; and WHEREAS, according to reports from local faith-based organizations, tens of thousands of volunteers participated in disaster relief efforts in Georgia following Hurricane Helene, contributing more than one million total volunteer hours, with teams working in some of the most impacted areas to clear debris, repair homes, and provide direct assistance to many thousands of affected residents; and WHEREAS, many churches and faith organizations came to their fellow citizens' needs for disaster relief; and WHEREAS, volunteer labor from church members and faith-based organizations, who traveled from as far away as South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida to help Georgia homeowners in need, included efforts such as tending to damaged homes, removing fallen trees, and cleaning up storm debris. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend the invaluable contributions of the interfaith organizations and volunteers in disaster cleanup efforts as well as encourage continued support and collaboration among all communities to strengthen our collective ability to respond to and recover from future disasters. 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 leaders of the interfaith organizations involved in disaster cleanup efforts. ## 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 interfaith organizations and volunteers who helped clean up disaster damage across the state, including after Hurricane Helene. ### Plain-language summary 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 it 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. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-03) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-03) - Sponsors: Billy Hickman, Steve Gooch, John Kennedy, Russ Goodman, Sam Watson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69711 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr74.md?full=1