--- title: SR 85. Americus-Sumter County Day; recognize February 19, 2025 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr85 cite_as: SR 85, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr85 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr85.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr85/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69758 date: 2025-02-04 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/sr84.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr86.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr85.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 85 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-04 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Freddie Sims - Carden Summers text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR85/2025 upstream_id: 1953007 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - commemorative resolution - Americus-Sumter County - Georgia Senate - local history --- # SR 85. Americus-Sumter County Day; recognize February 19, 2025 ## Text Senate Resolution 85 By: Senators Sims of the 12th and Summers of the 13th A RESOLUTION Commending Americus-Sumter County and recognizing February 19, 2025, as Americus-Sumter County Day at the state capitol; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Sumter County was established by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 26, 1831, becoming Georgia's 80th county; and WHEREAS, the City of Americus was established as the seat of Sumter County by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 22, 1832; and WHEREAS, the City of Americus is named for the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, just as the United States of America is; and WHEREAS, Americus-Sumter County was home to Souther Field, a United States Army aviation training base that served American aviators in World War I as well as American and British Aviators in World War II; and WHEREAS, the famed pilot Charles Linberg bought his first airplane and made his first solo flight in Americus-Sumter County; and WHEREAS, the internationally recognized housing program Habitat for Humanity International was founded and still maintains its headquarters in the City of Americus; and WHEREAS, Americus-Sumter County is home to South Georgia Technical College and Georgia Southwestern State University, both of which contribute to Georgia's workforce in significant ways; and WHEREAS, Americus-Sumter County is a leading producer of Georgia's cotton, peanuts, and vegetables as well as a significant producer of livestock; and WHEREAS, the Sumter County City of Plains is home to the 39th President of the United States, the late Jimmy Carter, and to the late First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who together brought international attention to Sumter County, Georgia. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body commend Americus-Sumter County for its many contributions to the State of Georgia and recognize February 19, 2025, as Americus-Sumter County 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 Georgia Senate resolution recognizes February 19, 2025, as Americus-Sumter County Day at the state capitol, honoring the county's history and contributions to Georgia. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a ceremonial statement from the Georgia Senate rather than a law that changes anyone's rights or responsibilities. It recounts the history of Sumter County and the City of Americus, including their founding in the early 1830s, their connections to aviation history, the founding of Habitat for Humanity International in Americus, the presence of South Georgia Technical College and Georgia Southwestern State University, the area's agricultural production, and its ties to former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter. The resolution formally commends Americus-Sumter County for its contributions to the state and designates February 19, 2025, as Americus-Sumter County Day at the state capitol. It also directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available to the public and press. ### What it does - Formally commends Americus-Sumter County for its contributions to the State of Georgia. - Designates February 19, 2025, as Americus-Sumter County Day at the state capitol. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### Who it affects This resolution mainly affects the residents and local government of Americus-Sumter County, who receive formal recognition from the state, and Senate staff, who are directed to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### Why it matters The resolution carries symbolic rather than legal weight. It does not create funding, rules, or penalties, but it gives Americus-Sumter County official recognition from the Georgia Senate and marks a specific day to highlight the county's history and achievements. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount the history of Sumter County's establishment in 1831 and the City of Americus in 1832. - The resolution notes historical and cultural landmarks including Souther Field, Habitat for Humanity International, and ties to Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. - The resolved clause commends the county and sets February 19, 2025, as Americus-Sumter County Day at the state capitol. - A final clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available for public and press distribution. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-04) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-04) - Sponsors: Freddie Sims, Carden Summers - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69758 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr85.md?full=1