--- title: SR 812. GreyStone Power Corporation; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr812 cite_as: SR 812, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr812 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr812.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr812/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73383 date: 2026-02-19 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/sr811.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr813.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr812.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 812 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-19 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Jason Anavitarte - Timothy Bearden - Matt Brass - Donzella James text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR812/2025 upstream_id: 2119568 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - electric cooperatives - GreyStone Power - legislative recognition - west Georgia utilities --- # SR 812. GreyStone Power Corporation; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 812 By: Senators Anavitarte of the 31st, Bearden of the 30th, Brass of the 6th and James of the 28th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending GreyStone Power Corporation for 90 years of making life better in the communities it serves; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, GreyStone Power Corporation is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative that serves more than 135,000 members in Bartow, Carroll, Cobb, Coweta, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, and Paulding counties; and WHEREAS, GreyStone Power Corporation was founded as the Farmers Electrical Association on August 24, 1936, in Douglas County, Georgia; and WHEREAS, the communities the Farmers Electrical Association served did not have electrical service due to the estimated cost of $1,500 per mile for construction of power lines in rural areas; and WHEREAS, the Farmers Electrical Association secured an $83,000 loan from the federal Rural Electrification Administration in September 1936 to construct 83 miles of power lines, connecting 320 members in the original four-county service area; and WHEREAS, the board of directors officially changed the name of the cooperative to Douglas County Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) on June 30, 1937; and WHEREAS, cooperative employees became experts in the use of new electrical appliances in order to teach members how to use electrical appliances; and WHEREAS, the cooperative's infrastructure became another important facet in ensuring success does not depend on one's zip code, with the signing of a contract with Bell Telephone Company in 1952 to bring telephone service to rural areas; and WHEREAS, in continuing the mission to better serve its employees and members, Douglas County EMC worked with Georgia EMC, the statewide EMC association, to form a statewide federal credit union in the late 1960s; and WHEREAS, the EMC moved toward system automation in 1983 with the use of the new Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system in order to restore power more quickly after outages and increase safety protocols for employees; and WHEREAS, the membership voted to change the name of the cooperative to GreyStone Power Corporation on October 4, 1988; and WHEREAS, in conjunction with Jackson EMC and Walton EMC, GreyStone Power founded EMC Security to provide security and fire protection in 2006; and WHEREAS, the cooperative recognized that the digital divide in west Georgia needed to be addressed and founded GreyStone Connect, a broadband subsidiary, to bring high-speed internet access to its members in 2024; and WHEREAS, as of January 2026, GreyStone has energized more than 7,800 miles of line, serving more than 155,000 meters and 135,000 members; and WHEREAS, GreyStone Power's goal is to make life better in the communities it serves, which has been accomplished through millions in charitable giving, $205 million returned in capital credits to its membership, and volunteer efforts of its employees in the eight-county service area. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend GreyStone Power Corporation for 90 years of making life better in the communities it serves. 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 GreyStone Power Corporation. ## 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 recognizes GreyStone Power Corporation, an electric cooperative serving eight west Georgia counties, for 90 years of service to its members. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate, not a change to state law. It commends GreyStone Power Corporation, a member-owned electric cooperative founded in 1936 as the Farmers Electrical Association in Douglas County, for reaching its 90th anniversary of serving communities in Bartow, Carroll, Cobb, Coweta, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, and Paulding counties. The resolution recounts the cooperative's history, including its original loan from the federal Rural Electrification Administration, its renaming to Douglas County Electric Membership Corporation and later GreyStone Power Corporation, and its expansion into telephone service, security services, and broadband internet through its GreyStone Connect subsidiary. The Senate formally resolves to recognize and commend the company, and directs the Secretary of the Senate to send a copy of the resolution to GreyStone Power Corporation. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends GreyStone Power Corporation for 90 years of service in its eight-county Georgia service area. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to the company. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a ceremonial statement by the Senate. ### Who it affects GreyStone Power Corporation and its more than 135,000 members across Bartow, Carroll, Cobb, Coweta, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, and Paulding counties, as well as the Georgia Senate, which formally issues the recognition. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial effect; it does not change electricity rates, regulations, or funding. Its significance is symbolic, publicly honoring a west Georgia electric cooperative's history and service to its member communities. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount GreyStone Power's history, from its 1936 founding as the Farmers Electrical Association through its 1988 renaming and 2024 launch of GreyStone Connect broadband. - The resolved clause has the Senate recognize and commend GreyStone Power Corporation for 90 years of service. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute a copy of the resolution to the company. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-19) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-02-19) - Sponsors: Jason Anavitarte, Timothy Bearden, Matt Brass, Donzella James - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73383 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr812.md?full=1