| 3 | 3 | | By: Representatives Jasperse of the 11 |
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| 4 | 4 | | th |
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| 5 | 5 | | , Chastain of the 7 |
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| 6 | 6 | | th |
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| 7 | 7 | | , Hatchett of the 155 |
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| 8 | 8 | | th |
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| 9 | 9 | | , Burns of |
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| 10 | 10 | | the 159 |
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| 11 | 11 | | th |
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| 12 | 12 | | , Powell of the 33 |
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| 13 | 13 | | rd |
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| 14 | 14 | | , and others |
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| 15 | 15 | | A RESOLUTION |
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| 16 | 16 | | Honoring the life of the Honorable David E. Ralston and dedicating an interstate connector, |
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| 17 | 17 | | 1 |
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| 18 | 18 | | bridge, and highway in his memory; and for other purposes.2 |
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| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, the Honorable David E. Ralston was born on March 14, 1954, in Ellijay,3 |
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| 20 | 20 | | Georgia, a distinguished native son of North Georgia; and4 |
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| 21 | 21 | | WHEREAS, he attended Young Harris College and later earned a bachelor's degree from5 |
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| 22 | 22 | | North Georgia College and State University and earned his law degree from the University6 |
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| 23 | 23 | | of Georgia School of Law; and7 |
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| 24 | 24 | | WHEREAS, Speaker Ralston dedicated his life to the service of the citizens of Gilmer and8 |
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| 25 | 25 | | Fannin counties, working to make their lives better in any way he could; and9 |
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| 26 | 26 | | WHEREAS, he ran a successful law practice providing sound legal advice and counsel in10 |
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| 27 | 27 | | Blue Ridge, Fannin County, Georgia, for more than four decades; and11 |
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| 28 | 28 | | WHEREAS, in 1992, he began a long and distinguished career in public service when he was12 |
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| 29 | 29 | | elected to the Georgia Senate, where he served three consecutive terms; and13 |
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| 32 | 32 | | WHEREAS, in 2002, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, where he was |
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| 33 | 33 | | 14 |
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| 34 | 34 | | elected Speaker in 2010, a position he held until his untimely death; and15 |
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| 35 | 35 | | WHEREAS, as Speaker, he shepherded many pieces of legislation beneficial to the citizens16 |
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| 36 | 36 | | of the great State of Georgia through the legislature, including tax relief, criminal justice17 |
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| 37 | 37 | | reform, transportation infrastructure funding modernization, and adoption reform; and18 |
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| 38 | 38 | | WHEREAS, he had a particular passion for improving the healthcare provided to Georgia's19 |
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| 39 | 39 | | citizens struggling with mental health issues; and20 |
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| 40 | 40 | | WHEREAS, on November 16, 2022, he died peacefully at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta21 |
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| 41 | 41 | | surrounded by his beloved wife Sheree; his children, Matt and Elizabeth; and other family22 |
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| 42 | 42 | | members; and23 |
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| 43 | 43 | | WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that this remarkable and distinguished24 |
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| 44 | 44 | | Georgian be recognized appropriately by dedicating an interstate connector, bridge, and25 |
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| 45 | 45 | | highway in his memory; and26 |
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| 46 | 46 | | WHEREAS, his legacy will live on as all who travel such interstate connector, bridge, and27 |
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| 47 | 47 | | highway will see his name forever being recognized.28 |
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| 48 | 48 | | NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AND ENACTED BY THE GENERAL29 |
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| 49 | 49 | | ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the portion of State Route 5/McCaysville Bypass in Fannin30 |
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| 50 | 50 | | County is dedicated as the Speaker David E. Ralston Interstate Connector.31 |
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| 51 | 51 | | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the new bridge over the Toccoa/Ocoee River in Fannin32 |
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| 52 | 52 | | County is dedicated as the Speaker David E. Ralston Memorial Bridge.33 |
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| 55 | 55 | | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the portion of State Route 52 in Gilmer County from |
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| 56 | 56 | | 34 |
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| 57 | 57 | | Aaron Road west to the Murray County line is dedicated as the Speaker David E. Ralston35 |
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| 58 | 58 | | Memorial Highway.36 |
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| 59 | 59 | | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is authorized and37 |
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| 60 | 60 | | directed to erect and maintain appropriate signs dedicating the Speaker David E. Ralston38 |
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| 61 | 61 | | Interstate Connector, the Speaker David E. Ralston Memorial Bridge, and the Speaker David39 |
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| 62 | 62 | | E. Ralston Memorial Highway.40 |
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| 63 | 63 | | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized41 |
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| 64 | 64 | | and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the42 |
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| 65 | 65 | | family of Speaker David E. Ralston and to the Department of Transportation.43 |
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