HR1649: HR1649 Sheriff Russell Tanner Memorial Highway; Johnson County; dedicate

This resolution recognizes the late Sheriff Russell Tanner of Johnson County, who served in law enforcement for 30 years, including as a deputy sheriff and then as sheriff after being appointed by Governor Joe Frank Harris. The resolution states he was the longest serving law enforcement officer in Johnson County history before retiring in 1992. The operative action of the resolution designates the portion of State Route 78 between Gumlog Road and Union Hill Church Road in Johnson County as the Sheriff Russell Tanner Memorial Highway. It directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to erect and maintain signs marking the dedication, and directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to Sheriff Tanner's family and to the Department of Transportation.

• Dedicates the stretch of State Route 78 between Gumlog Road and Union Hill Church Road in Johnson County as the Sheriff Russell Tanner Memorial Highway.
• Directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to erect and maintain signs marking the highway dedication.
• Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to Sheriff Tanner's family and the Department of Transportation.

The resolution primarily affects the Georgia Department of Transportation, which must install and maintain signage, and residents and travelers on State Route 78 in Johnson County. It also formally honors the family of the late Sheriff Russell Tanner.

While largely ceremonial, the resolution results in a real change along a public roadway in Johnson County: new signage naming the route after a local sheriff, giving lasting public recognition to his decades of law enforcement service in the community.

• The resolved clause designates the named portion of State Route 78 in Johnson County as the Sheriff Russell Tanner Memorial Highway.
• A further resolved clause authorizes and directs the Department of Transportation to erect and maintain appropriate dedication signs.
• A final resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to Tanner's family and the Department of Transportation.

1. 2026-03-12House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-03-10House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-09House Hopper (House)

• James Hatchett (R, HD-155)Primary sponsor

• highway dedication
• Johnson County
• law enforcement recognition
• memorial resolution