--- title: SR 994. Newman, Donald; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr994 cite_as: SR 994, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr994 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr994.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr994/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74255 date: 2026-03-20 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/sr993.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr995.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr994.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 994 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-20 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Timothy Bearden text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR994/2025 upstream_id: 2136356 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - condolence resolution - Carroll County - local government service - Georgia Senate --- # SR 994. Newman, Donald; condolences ## Text Senate Resolution 994 By: Senator Bearden of the 30th A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Donald Newman; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens with the passing of Donald Newman of Mount Zion, Carroll County, Georgia; and WHEREAS, Donald Newman dedicated his life to public service, serving over 44 consecutive years on the Mount Zion City Council; and WHEREAS, he was believed to be the longest-serving city council member in the State of Georgia and was recognized at the age of 85 as one of the oldest currently serving council members; and WHEREAS, a man of deep and abiding faith, Donald Newman was an active member of Five Points Baptist Church in Waco, Georgia, where he served as Choir Director, Sunday School Teacher, Chairman of the Deacons, Chairman of the Cemetery Committee, as well as Secretary and Treasurer; and WHEREAS, his commitment to Mount Zion and Carroll County extended far beyond city council service, as he also served 44 consecutive years on the Board of Directors of the Carroll County Water Authority where he played a key role in restoring the Mount Zion municipal water system; and WHEREAS, furthermore, Donald Newman was one of the original founders and served as Chairman of the Board of the Mt. Zion/Carroll County Primary Health Care Clinic; and WHEREAS, he gave inspiration to many through his high ideals, morals, and deep concern for his fellow citizens, and the devotion, patience, and understanding he demonstrated to his family and friends were admired by others; and WHEREAS, he was a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation for integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness, and by the example he made of his life, he made this world a better place in which to live; and WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous man, Donald Newman will long be remembered for his love of family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who had the great fortune of knowing him. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Donald Newman and express their deepest and most sincere regret at his passing. 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 family of Donald Newman. ## 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 honors the life of Donald Newman of Mount Zion, who served over 44 years on the Mount Zion City Council and the Carroll County Water Authority board. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a formal statement from the Georgia Senate honoring Donald Newman of Mount Zion in Carroll County after his death. It recounts his long record of public service, including more than 44 consecutive years on the Mount Zion City Council, which he was believed to hold as the longest tenure of any city council member in Georgia, and 44 years on the Board of Directors of the Carroll County Water Authority. The resolution also describes his role as a founder and board chairman of the Mt. Zion/Carroll County Primary Health Care Clinic and his decades of service at Five Points Baptist Church in Waco, Georgia. It closes by directing the Secretary of the Senate to send a copy of the resolution to his family. The resolution does not change any Georgia law; it is a ceremonial expression of condolence. ### What it does - Formally expresses the Georgia Senate's regret at the death of Donald Newman and honors his memory. - Recounts his 44 years of service on the Mount Zion City Council and the Carroll County Water Authority board. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to Newman's family. - Creates no new law, funding, or penalty; it is a ceremonial resolution rather than a change to Georgia statute. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the family of Donald Newman, who will receive a copy, and reflects on his service to the Mount Zion City Council, the Carroll County Water Authority, the Mt. Zion/Carroll County Primary Health Care Clinic, and Five Points Baptist Church. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal or regulatory effect on Georgians generally. Its practical significance is limited to formally recognizing Newman's decades of local public service in Carroll County and providing his family an official record of that recognition from the state Senate. ### Key provisions - The resolved clause states the Senate joins in honoring Newman's life and memory and expresses its regret at his passing. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to Newman's family. - The whereas clauses detail his 44 years on the Mount Zion City Council and the Carroll County Water Authority board, and his founding role at the Mt. Zion/Carroll County Primary Health Care Clinic. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-20) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-03-20) - Sponsors: Timothy Bearden - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74255 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr994.md?full=1