MEMORIAL-BETTY A. PAYNE

103rd Regular Session Introduced by Joyce Mason

Honors Wanda Whitten as the 2025 Board of Governors Award recipient for 50+ years of volunteer service in Rome, GA; a ceremonial, non-binding resolution directing a copy to her.

Resolution Adopted

Summary — H.R. 967 (House Resolution): Recognition of Wanda Whitten

Bill type: House Resolution (honorary)
Bill number: H.R. 967
Title (meta): MEMORIAL‑BETTY A. PAYNE (note: resolution text recognizes Wanda Whitten — see "Notes" below)
Introduced: February 4, 2025
Status: Adopted by the House (Laid before the House and Adopted May 23, 2025; Reported Enrolled May 24, 2025)
Primary sponsors/authors (as listed): W. Gregory Steube; Matt Barton; Katie Dempsey; Eddie Lumsden
House authors per text header: Representatives Katie Dempsey (13th), Eddie Lumsden (12th), Matt Barton (5th)

Purpose and intent

The resolution recognizes and commends Wanda Whitten as the recipient of the 2025 Board of Governors Award and formally acknowledges her decades of volunteerism and service to the Rome, Georgia, community. It is an honorary commendation designed to record the House’s appreciation and extend best wishes for her continued success.

Key provisions / substantive content

Official recognition of Wanda Whitten’s service and achievements, including:

Over 50 years of involvement in the Rome community.
Roles at AdventHealth Redmond (first Director of Nutritional Services; later Marketing & Community Relations Director and Director of the H2U Senior Adult Program).
Leadership positions: former President of the Georgia Dietetic Association and Southeastern Conference for Dieticians.
Longstanding volunteer service: 22‑year member of the Exchange Club of Rome (including committee/leadership roles), organizer and volunteer with the Coosa Valley Fair Association (created the Senior Ms. CVF pageant), Senior Promotions Council chair and Senior Inforum chair (13+ years), Pilot Club of Rome leadership, and involvement with local pageants (Miss Georgia roles).
Awards and honors: local and state Volunteer of the Year recognitions, Dr. Thomas F. Frist Humanitarian Award, and an Exchange Club Georgia District annual Volunteer Award named in her honor.

Directs the Clerk of the House to make an appropriate copy of the resolution available for distribution to Wanda Whitten.

Who is affected

Directly honored: Wanda Whitten.

Indirectly recognized: organizations and communities she has served (AdventHealth Redmond programs, Exchange Club of Rome and Georgia District, Coosa Valley Fair, Senior Promotions Council, Miss Georgia/related scholarship efforts, and other civic groups).

Governmental impact: none substantive — the resolution is ceremonial and creates no legal, regulatory, or fiscal obligations.

Procedural / timeline highlights

Feb 4, 2025: Introduced and referred to House Committee on Veterans' Affairs (and later to a Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity per the action list).

Apr–May 2025: Read and adopted by the House (placed on various calendars, considered on Local & Consent Calendars).

May 23, 2025: Laid before the House and adopted.

May 24, 2025: Reported enrolled.

Additional notes / discrepancies

The header metadata lists the title as "MEMORIAL‑BETTY A. PAYNE" while the resolution text itself recognizes Wanda Whitten and commends her as a 2025 Board of Governors Award recipient. This appears to be a clerical or filing inconsistency between the title metadata and the resolution body.

As an honorary resolution, H.R. 967 is non‑binding and intended solely to record commendation and direct distribution of a copy to the honoree.