--- title: SR 889. Civil Air Patrol; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr889 cite_as: SR 889, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr889 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr889.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr889/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73769 date: 2026-03-04 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/sr888.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr890.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr889.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 889 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-04 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Marty Harbin - Brian Strickland - Timothy Bearden - Steve Gooch - Ben Watson text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR889/2025 upstream_id: 2128661 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Civil Air Patrol - disaster relief - emergency services - volunteerism - state recognition --- # SR 889. Civil Air Patrol; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 889 By: Senators Harbin of the 16th, Strickland of the 42nd, Bearden of the 30th, Gooch of the 51st and Watson of the 1st A RESOLUTION Recognizing the Civil Air Patrol for their service to the citizens of Georgia; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Civil Air Patrol was founded on December 1, 1941, as an organization of volunteers meant to assist the United States military in national defense by performing aerial coastal patrols and emergency services within the continental United States; and WHEREAS, in 1943, the capabilities of the organization were recognized as vital to national defense, and by Presidential Executive Order, the Civil Air Patrol was assigned to the War Department and subsequently designated by Congress on May 26, 1948, as the official auxiliary to the United States Air Force to perform three distinct missions: emergency services, aerospace education, and cadet programs; and WHEREAS, Civil Air Patrol's association with the United States Air Force in performing these "Missions for America" as part of the United States Air Force's Total Force; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Wing of Civil Air Patrol consists of almost 2,000 volunteer members in 37 squadrons and seven groups located throughout this state; and WHEREAS, Georgia Wing members earned national recognition in 2021 by receiving the Crisis Service Award for their efforts to support Georgia's communities during the COVID-19 pandemic; and WHEREAS, Georgia Wing members, as an intricate component of our national defense, volunteer their services, time, and resources to actively support Civil Air Patrol by conducting missions in homeland security, disaster relief, and emergency services, search and rescue, counter drug, aerospace education, and cadet programs, heavily supporting hurricane relief efforts for Helene and Milton by providing FEMA and GEMA with thousands of aerial images as well as supporting distribution points around the state and conducting "Sundown Patrols" in South Georgia; and WHEREAS, the estimated value of the Georgia Wing members' volunteer hours in 2024 was in excess of $7.6 million; and WHEREAS, these "flying minutemen" of the Civil Air Patrol have, since its inception, consistently provided this state with invaluable emergency services, serving America's communities, saving lives, and shaping futures. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize the selfless contributions that the volunteers of the Civil Air Patrol have made to 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 Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. ## 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 formally recognizes the Civil Air Patrol's Georgia Wing for its volunteer service, including disaster relief work during hurricanes Helene and Milton. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia Senate honors the Civil Air Patrol, a volunteer organization that serves as the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force. It recounts the group's history since 1941, its role in national defense, and the work of its Georgia Wing, which has nearly 2,000 volunteer members across 37 squadrons and seven groups statewide. The resolution highlights the Georgia Wing's recent activities, including earning a national Crisis Service Award in 2021 for COVID-19 pandemic support and providing aerial imagery and distribution point support during hurricane relief efforts for Helene and Milton. It notes the estimated value of the Georgia Wing's 2024 volunteer hours exceeded $7.6 million. The Senate formally recognizes the group's contributions and directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute a copy of the resolution to the Georgia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. ### What it does - Formally recognizes the Civil Air Patrol's volunteers for their contributions to the State of Georgia. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the Georgia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a ceremonial statement of appreciation. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the Civil Air Patrol's Georgia Wing and its nearly 2,000 volunteer members. It also references the United States Air Force, FEMA, and GEMA (Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency) as organizations the Civil Air Patrol supports. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no legal or funding changes, it publicly acknowledges the volunteer work of the Civil Air Patrol's Georgia Wing, including disaster relief and search and rescue efforts, and provides the organization with an official record of state recognition. ### Key provisions - The resolution recounts the Civil Air Patrol's founding in 1941 and its 1948 designation by Congress as the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force. - It describes the Georgia Wing's size (nearly 2,000 volunteers, 37 squadrons, seven groups) and its 2021 Crisis Service Award. - It cites the Georgia Wing's hurricane relief support for Helene and Milton, including aerial imagery for FEMA and GEMA and 'Sundown Patrols' in South Georgia. - The resolving clause formally recognizes the volunteers' contributions to the State of Georgia. - A further resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide a copy of the resolution to the Georgia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-04) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-03-04) - Sponsors: Marty Harbin, Brian Strickland, Timothy Bearden, Steve Gooch, Ben Watson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73769 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr889.md?full=1