[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1507 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1507
Honoring the life and legacy of Dolly Parton, a daughter of Tennessee
whose extraordinary contributions to music, philanthropy, literacy,
education, health, conservation, and culture enriched the lives of
countless Americans.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 2, 2026
Mrs. Harshbarger (for herself, Mr. Rose, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Kustoff, Mr.
Burchett, Mr. Fleischmann, Mr. Van Epps, Mr. Ogles, and Mr. DesJarlais)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Education and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the life and legacy of Dolly Parton, a daughter of Tennessee
whose extraordinary contributions to music, philanthropy, literacy,
education, health, conservation, and culture enriched the lives of
countless Americans.
Whereas Dolly Rebecca Parton was born the fourth of twelve children on January
19, 1946, to Robert Lee Parton and Avie Lee Parton in Locust Ridge,
Sevier County, Tennessee, where faith, family, music, and the traditions
of Appalachia inspired her lifelong calling to serve others with
humility and grace;
Whereas, in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Dolly Parton developed
an enduring love of music and profound faith in her childhood, singing
in her grandfather's church, writing songs, and, at the age of ten,
became a regular performer on the Cas Walker Show in Knoxville,
Tennessee;
Whereas, in 1959, Dolly Parton made her first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry
in Nashville, Tennessee, where she was introduced by Johnny Cash and
received 3 encores;
Whereas, after graduating from Sevier County High School, Dolly Parton moved to
Nashville to pursue a career in music and became one of the most
celebrated singer-songwriters in American history;
Whereas Dolly Parton wrote and recorded songs that became timeless classics of
the American songbook, including ``Jolene'', ``Coat of Many Colors'',
``I Will Always Love You'', and ``9 to 5'', while consistently drawing
inspiration from her childhood, family, faith, and her East Tennessee
mountain heritage;
Whereas Dolly Parton earned her first number-one single on the Billboard Hot
Country Songs chart with ``Joshua'' in 1970 and went on to receive
numerous accolades throughout her career, including Country Music
Association Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of
the Year and a Grammy Award for ``Here You Come Again'';
Whereas Dolly Parton used the success she achieved throughout her career to give
back to the communities and people who shaped her life, establishing a
legacy of philanthropy rooted in her home State of Tennessee;
Whereas, in 1986, Dolly Parton opened Dollywood in the Great Smoky Mountains of
East Tennessee, establishing a world-class theme park that has become a
premier tourist destination, creating jobs and drawing millions of
visitors to the region each year;
Whereas Dolly Parton established the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 in Sevier
County, Tennessee, as a nonprofit organization initially dedicated to
improving educational achievement and reducing high school dropout rates
among children in her home community;
Whereas, through the Dollywood Foundation, Dolly Parton established the Buddy
Program in Sevier County to encourage students to remain in school,
promising financial awards to participating students who successfully
graduated and demonstrating her early commitment to creating educational
opportunities for young Tennesseans;
Whereas, in 1995, Dolly Parton established Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
through the Dollywood Foundation, inspired by her father, Robert Lee
Parton, who could not read or write;
Whereas the Imagination Library began by providing books to children in Dolly
Parton's home county and grew into an international book-gifting program
providing free, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age 5
regardless of family income;
Whereas the Imagination Library expanded from the mountains of East Tennessee to
communities throughout the United States and around the world,
demonstrating how an act of service beginning in a rural Tennessee
community can improve the lives of millions of children and families;
Whereas, in 2014, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library was recognized through the
Library of Congress Literacy Awards for its work promoting literacy, and
in 2018, Dolly Parton donated the 100,000,000th book distributed through
the program to the Library of Congress;
Whereas Dolly Parton extended her commitment to the people of East Tennessee to
health care, helping raise $1,000,000 in 2007 for the Sevier County
hospital birthing unit, an effort that contributed to the establishment
of the Dolly Parton Center for Women's Services and expanded health care
resources for women and families in the region;
Whereas Dolly Parton also supported the Pediatric Cancer Program at Monroe
Carell, Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, further demonstrating her
longstanding commitment to improving the health and well-being of
children;
Whereas Dolly Parton later continued her support for medical research in
Tennessee by donating an additional $1,000,000 to Vanderbilt University
Medical Center in 2022 to support pediatric infectious disease research;
Whereas Dolly Parton's philanthropy extended to the protection of wildlife and
the natural heritage of Tennessee, and beginning in 1991, Dollywood
partnered with the American Eagle Foundation to advance the
conservation, care, and public understanding of bald eagles and other
birds of prey;
Whereas Eagle Mountain Sanctuary at Dollywood became home to nonreleasable bald
eagles and provided millions of visitors with opportunities to learn
about the conservation of the national bird and other wildlife;
Whereas the partnership between Dollywood and the American Eagle Foundation
contributed to decades of conservation and education efforts, during
which the American Eagle Foundation successfully released more than 400
bald eagles into the wild;
Whereas, following the devastating wildfires that struck Sevier County and the
Great Smoky Mountains region in November 2016, destroying homes and
displacing families in the community where she was raised, Dolly Parton
directed the Dollywood Foundation to establish the My People Fund;
Whereas the Dollywood Foundation created the My People Fund within weeks of the
fires to provide direct financial assistance to families who had lost
their primary residences;
Whereas the My People Fund ultimately distributed more than $12,000,000 to
families affected by the Sevier County wildfires and provided additional
assistance, including scholarships for graduating seniors whose homes
had been destroyed;
Whereas Dolly Parton continued to respond to the needs of her fellow Tennesseans
and neighboring communities throughout her life, including following
Hurricane Helene in 2024, when Dolly Parton and her associated
businesses and organizations committed more than $2,000,000 to support
relief and recovery efforts in Tennessee and North Carolina;
Whereas Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80, leaving behind
an extraordinary legacy of music, philanthropy, service, generosity, and
love for her fellow Tennesseans and Americans;
Whereas, despite achieving international fame, Dolly Parton remained deeply
connected to Sevier County and the State of Tennessee and repeatedly
directed her resources, influence, and time toward improving the lives
of the people of her home State;
Whereas Dolly Parton's philanthropic service reflected a consistent commitment
to children, education, health, families facing hardship, disaster
recovery, wildlife conservation, and the communities of East Tennessee;
Whereas Dolly Parton's life demonstrated that success is measured not only by
personal achievement, but by the opportunities created for others and by
a willingness to serve neighbors in times of need;
Whereas Dolly Parton embodied the values of faith, hard work, perseverance,
generosity, kindness, creativity, and service to others that are deeply
rooted in the history and character of the Volunteer State; and
Whereas the life of Dolly Parton represents both an extraordinary American story
and a uniquely Tennessee story, demonstrating how faith, talent,
determination, generosity, and an enduring love of home can change lives
throughout the world: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) mourns the passing of Dolly Parton and extends its
deepest condolences to her family, friends, loved ones, and the
people of Tennessee;
(2) honors the extraordinary life and legacy of Dolly
Parton and her contributions to the State of Tennessee and the
United States;
(3) recognizes Dolly Parton's lasting contributions to
American music, songwriting, entertainment, education,
childhood literacy, health care, medical research, disaster
relief, conservation, and philanthropy;
(4) recognizes the Dollywood Foundation and Dolly Parton's
Imagination Library as enduring expressions of Dolly Parton's
commitment to providing children and families with
opportunities to learn, thrive, and build better lives;
(5) recognizes Dolly Parton's extraordinary devotion to the
Volunteer State and her decades of service to the communities
that shaped her life;
(6) recognizes Dolly Parton's extraordinary and enduring
contributions to American culture and philanthropy, including
her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999,
receipt of the Library of Congress Living Legend Medal in 2004,
and receipt of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2022,
honoring her remarkable legacy of artistic achievement,
generosity, and service to others;
(7) recognizes that Dolly Parton used her success and
national platform not merely for personal achievement, but to
serve others, including children learning to read, families
rebuilding after natural disasters, patients benefiting from
medical research, and communities preserving America's natural
heritage;
(8) encourages the people of the United States to honor
Dolly Parton's memory by carrying forward her example of
charity, kindness, service, perseverance, and love of
community; and
(9) honors Dolly Parton's lifelong commitment to her belief
that, in her words, ``My dream was to make as many people happy
as I could in this life'', and recognizes that her
extraordinary life and legacy fulfilled that dream for
generations of Americans.
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