Title: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of late Senator John "Johnny" Hardy Isakson.
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
This resolution honors the life of Senator John Isakson and offers the condolences of the Senate regarding his death.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 484 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 484

  Honoring the life and legacy of late Senator John ``Johnny'' Hardy 
                                Isakson.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 5, 2022

 Mr. Warnock (for himself, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Schumer, Mr. McConnell, Ms. 
Baldwin, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. 
  Blunt, Mr. Booker, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Braun, Mr. Brown, Mr. Burr, Ms. 
Cantwell, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. Cassidy, 
 Ms. Collins, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Cotton, Mr. 
Cramer, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Daines, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Ms. 
 Ernst, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Fischer, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. 
   Grassley, Mr. Hagerty, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Hawley, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. 
Hickenlooper, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. 
 Johnson, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, 
 Mr. Lankford, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Lee, Mr. Lujan, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Manchin, 
  Mr. Markey, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Moran, Ms. 
Murkowski, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Paul, Mr. Peters, 
 Mr. Portman, Mr. Reed, Mr. Risch, Mr. Romney, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Rounds, 
 Mr. Rubio, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Sasse, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Scott of Florida, 
Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Shelby, Ms. Sinema, Ms. 
 Smith, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Tester, Mr. Thune, Mr. Tillis, 
Mr. Toomey, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warner, Ms. Warren, Mr. 
    Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Young) submitted the 
        following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Honoring the life and legacy of late Senator John ``Johnny'' Hardy 
                                Isakson.

Whereas John ``Johnny'' Hardy Isakson (referred to in this preamble as ``Johnny 
        Isakson'') was born on December 28, 1944, to Edwin Andrew Isakson and 
        Julia (Baker) Isakson in Atlanta, Georgia;
Whereas Johnny Isakson served in the Georgia Air National Guard between 1966 and 
        1972, leaving service as a staff sergeant;
Whereas, in 1966, Johnny Isakson earned a bachelor's degree in business 
        administration from the University of Georgia before starting a 
        successful career in real estate;
Whereas, in 1979, Johnny Isakson became president of Northside Realty, a post he 
        held for 22 years, during which Northside Realty became the biggest 
        independent real estate company in the Southeast and one of the largest 
        real estate companies in the United States;
Whereas, in 1976, Johnny Isakson was elected to the Georgia House of 
        Representatives, where he served until 1990 and served as Republican 
        Minority Leader between 1983 and 1990;
Whereas, in 1993, Johnny Isakson was elected to the Georgia Senate, where he 
        served until 1996;
Whereas, in 1997, Johnny Isakson was appointed chairman of the Georgia Board of 
        Education;
Whereas, in 1999, Johnny Isakson was elected to the House of Representatives, 
        where he served on the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
        Representatives and worked on legislation, including the No Child Left 
        Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110; 115 Stat. 1425);
Whereas, in 2004, Johnny Isakson was elected to the Senate for the first time, 
        becoming the only Georgian to have ever been elected to the Georgia 
        House of Representatives, the Georgia Senate, and both Houses of 
        Congress;
Whereas Johnny Isakson served the people of Georgia honorably in the Senate for 
        15 years, including service on the Committee on Finance of the Senate, 
        the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, 
        and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and service as the 
        Chair of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Select 
        Committee on Ethics of the Senate;
Whereas, during his tenure as a Senator, Johnny Isakson developed a reputation 
        as a bipartisan leader who sought common ground and successfully 
        advanced pension legislation to save jobs in Georgia, legislation to 
        invest in the Port of Savannah, legislation to allocate disaster relief 
        funding in Georgia, and bipartisan legislation to overhaul the health 
        care system for veterans of the United States;
Whereas, prior to his resignation from the Senate in 2019 due to health reasons, 
        Johnny Isakson strongly advocated for bipartisan compromise and 
        cooperation in the Senate, hosting the annual bipartisan barbecue lunch 
        for colleagues on both sides of the aisle and once stating, ``I'm big on 
        bipartisanship. Whether you're Black or white, Republican or Democrat, 
        whatever it might be, find a way to find common ground. Give it a chance 
        to work. . .Bipartisanship is a state of being.'';
Whereas after stepping down from the Senate, Johnny Isakson launched the Isakson 
        Initiative to raise money for research into Parkinson's disease and 
        other neurocognitive diseases;
Whereas Johnny Isakson was beloved and respected by his colleagues and once 
        described the only division he saw as between ``friends and future 
        friends'';
Whereas, on December 19, 2021, at the age of 76, Johnny Isakson died, leaving 
        behind his wife Dianne Davison, his 3 loving children (John, Julie, and 
        Kevin), 9 grandchildren, and a legacy of steadfast love for and service 
        to the people of Georgia: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) honors the life and legacy of the late Senator John 
        ``Johnny'' Hardy Isakson (referred to in this resolution as 
        ``Johnny Isakson'') for his--
                    (A) accomplishments as a patriot and an example for 
                future generations of leaders;
                    (B) unwavering dedication to Georgia as a Senator, 
                a member of the House of Representatives, and a public 
                servant; and
                    (C) steadfast commitment to legislating with 
                principle, compassion, and a heart for compromise and 
                cooperation;
            (2) proclaims that Johnny Isakson represented the best of 
        Georgia and honorably embodied friendship and decency during 
        his more than 40 years of public service to Georgia and to the 
        United States;
            (3) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the 
        Senate--
                    (A) communicate this resolution to the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (B) transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to 
                the family of Johnny Isakson; and
            (4) when the Senate adjourns today, it stand adjourned as a 
        further mark of respect to the memory of Johnny Isakson.
                                 <all>