Honoring the life, achievements, legacy, and public service of former President James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr.

Bill: 118-hres-1627
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5]
Introduced: 2024-12-31
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Latest action: action_date: 2024-12-31
text: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

Summaries:

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1627 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 31, 2024 Ms. Williams of Georgia (for herself, Mr. Bishop of Georgia , Mrs. Watson Coleman , Mr. Kennedy , Mr. Doggett , Mr. McGovern , Mr. Costa , Ms. Norton , Ms. Kaptur , Mr. Tonko , Mr. Thanedar , Ms. Meng , Ms. Wilson of Florida , Mr. Espaillat , Ms. Tlaib , Ms. Porter , Ms. Moore of Wisconsin , and Ms. Kamlager-Dove ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability RESOLUTION Honoring the life, achievements, legacy, and public service of former President James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr.

Whereas, on October 1, 1924, James Earl Carter, Jr., was born in Plains, Georgia; Whereas Jimmy Carter was born to James Earl Carter, Sr., a peanut farmer and business owner, and Bessie Lillian Gordy Carter, a registered nurse who also counseled Black women on health care issues; Whereas when he was 4 years old, Jimmy Carter and his family moved to Archery, Georgia, where his father farmed and cultivated a variety of crops including corn, peanuts, cotton, and sugarcane; Whereas Jimmy Carter lived on his family’s farm until he became the first person from his father’s side of the family to graduate from high school and departed for college; Whereas Jimmy Carter studied engineering at Georgia Southwestern Junior College before joining the Naval ROTC program at the Georgia Institute of Technology to continue his engineering studies; Whereas in 1943, Jimmy Carter was accepted into the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland; Whereas Jimmy Carter received a bachelor of science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1946; Whereas Jimmy Carter served as a submariner, serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, rising to the rank of lieutenant; Whereas Jimmy Carter was chosen by Admiral Hyman Rickover for the nuclear submarine program and became one of the iconic “Rickover’s Boys,” and was assigned to Schenectady, New York, where he pursued graduate studies at Union College in reactor technology and nuclear physics; Whereas Jimmy Carter served as senior officer of the precommissioning crew of the Seawolf, the second nuclear submarine; Whereas Jimmy Carter married Rosalynn Smith on July 7, 1946; Whereas Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter had 4 children, Jack, James III, Donnel, and Amy Carter; Whereas in 1953, after the passing of his father, Jimmy Carter resigned from his naval commission and returned with his family to Plains, Georgia, to take over the Carter farms; Whereas Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter worked tirelessly to successfully resuscitate the family’s farming business while becoming active in community politics in Sumter County, Georgia; Whereas in 1955, Jimmy Carter won a seat on the Sumter County Board of Education and eventually became the Board’s chairman; Whereas Jimmy Carter won election to the Georgia Senate in 1962; Whereas, during his tenure as a State senator, Jimmy Carter was recognized as a pragmatic politician, curbing wasteful spending while supporting civil rights; Whereas Jimmy Carter was sworn in as Georgia’s 76th Governor on January 12, 1971; Whereas, during his tenure as Georgia’s Governor, he publicly called for the end of segregation, and promoted education and prison policy reform, while increasing the number of Black officials in State government; Whereas his signature accomplishment as Governor was modernizing Georgia’s bureaucracy, making the state government lean and efficient through thoughtful spending; Whereas Jimmy Carter served as the Democratic National Committee campaign chairman for the 1974 congressional and gubernational elections; Whereas in 1976, Jimmy Carter became the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, with running mate Walter Mondale, Senator from Minnesota; Whereas Jimmy Carter was elected President on November 2, 1976; Whereas Jimmy Carter was known for his genuine connection to the people he served, famously walking down Pennsylvania Avenue on his inauguration day with his wife Rosalynn and daughter Amy; Whereas his foreign policy accomplishments included the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel, the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment of United States diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China; Whereas, on October 17, 1979, President Carter signed the Department of Education Organization Act into law, forming the Department of Education; Whereas President Carter encouraged energy conservation efforts and called on every American to reduce their waste and use energy resources more efficiently; Whereas, on August 4, 1977, President Carter signed the Department of Energy Organization Act into law, forming the Department of Energy; Whereas in 1978, President Carter championed and signed the National Energy Act which established energy goals, such as reducing the Nation’s dependence on oil; increasing the use of renewable energy sources, such as solar energy; and mandating improved automotive fuel efficiency standards; Whereas in 1980, President Carter signed the Energy Security Act, which offered incentives for private industries to invest in innovative approaches to renewable energy and included tax credits to businesses and homeowners; Whereas President Carter also demonstrated his commitment to conservation and the protection of wildlife by signing the Alaska National Interest Conservation Act of 1980 into law, to protect access to public lands and preserve Alaska Native culture and Alaska’s wilderness; Whereas after leaving the White House, President Carter became a University Distinguished Professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and later with his wife, Rosalynn, founded the Carter Center; Whereas under President Carter’s leadership, the Carter Center and its staff worked tirelessly in efforts to resolve conflict, promote democracy, protect human rights, and prevent disease, most notably contributing to the eradication of Guinea worm disease; Whereas President Carter and the Carter Center have engaged in conflict mediation in Ethiopia, Eritrea, North Korea, Liberia, Haiti, Bosnia, Sudan, the Great Lakes region of Africa, Sudan and Uganda, Venezuela, Nepal, Ecuador, Colombia, the Middle East, and Mali; Whereas under his leadership, the Carter Center has sent 125 election observation missions to the Americas, Africa, and Asia; Whereas in 1986, the permanent facilities of the Carter Presidential Center and the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum were dedicated in his honor; Whereas in 1987, the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site was dedicated in his honor, and would be designated as a national historic park in 2021; Whereas, on December 10, 2002, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to President Carter “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development”; Whereas Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter continued to be heavily involved in their community, volunteering 1 week a year until 2020 for Habitat for Humanity to help people in the United States and in other countries renovate and build homes for themselves; Whereas at the time of her passing, Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter had been married for 77 years and had been blessed with 4 children, 12 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren; Whereas, on February 18, 2023, President Carter decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care; Whereas, on December 29, 2024, President Carter passed away at home in Plains, Georgia; and Whereas Jimmy Carter led his life and his country with integrity, humility, and an unwavering commitment to justice, championing human rights, prioritizing diplomacy, and fighting tirelessly for marginalized communities, leaving a legacy of moral leadership: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) expresses its appreciation for the profound public service of President Jimmy Carter; (2) expresses its deep sympathy to the children of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter and to the entire family and loved ones of the former President; and (3) directs the Clerk of the House to transmit a copy of this resolution to the family of President Jimmy Carter.