On each of the 40 days of Georgia’s annual legislative session the House and Senate make time for honors and proclamations.
Of the first 1,600 pieces of legislation filed this year, about one in three were commendations and recognitions known as “privileged resolutions.” House Resolution 281 by state Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, is typical: a few paragraphs about why something ought to be recognized.
“Whereas, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, producers of The Greatest Show On Earth®, have been a cherished and iconic part of American entertainment for over 150 years, captivating children of all ages with awe-inspiring performances, world-class talent …” and so on.
Click through the pages above to see all the resolutions so far from your representatives in the legislature.
Privileged resolutions aren’t debated like normal bills, don’t get committee hearings and aren’t supposed to be controversial. The resolutions are “adopted” by the House and the Senate in groups each day without a recorded vote.
But House and Senate members can use their open mic time at the beginning of every session day to speak about their honorees. The moment may be somber.
On Monday morning, for example, several legislators who signed House Resolution 36 took a few minutes on the House floor to honor the memory of Ahmaud Arbery and the work of his mother Wanda Cooper-Jones and the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation. She was watching from the House’s public gallery.
But resolutions can be boisterous, too. If the honoree visits the building and is high-ranking enough — that person might get to make comments, too. UGA football coach Kirby Smart brought the giant college football National Championship trophy when he made remarks in 2022.
A few honorees aren’t in the club with Smart, Cooper-Jones and circus performers, though.
Georgia Senate Republicans have signed privileged resolutions honoring President Donald Trump and Georgia politicians-turned-presidental-appointees Kelly Loeffler and Doug Collins.
The president who’s crashing through the limits of executive power (and posting about being a king) isn’t quite going to get an undisputed endorsement in the Georgia General Assembly. The state Senate has assigned all three resolutions to committee hearings.