HR132: HR132 Joint Georgia-North Carolina and Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission; create

Georgia's northern border with North Carolina and Tennessee has been in dispute for nearly two centuries because an 1818 survey of the 35th parallel, never accepted by Georgia, marked the line too far south. Past Georgia legislatures have repeatedly tried to fix this through commissions and communication with neighboring states, but the lines have never been officially resurveyed and settled. This resolution directs the Governor to contact the Governors of North Carolina and Tennessee about jointly resurveying the disputed boundaries. It also creates a new nine member commission made up of three gubernatorial appointees, three senators, and three House members, chaired by one of the Governor's picks. The commission would meet with Congress and other parties to try to establish the true boundary lines, issue a report of its findings, and would be automatically abolished on December 1, 2026.

• Creates the Georgia-North Carolina and Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission made up of nine members.
• Directs the Governor to communicate with the Governors of North Carolina and Tennessee about jointly resurveying the disputed border lines.
• Authorizes the commission to meet with Congress and other interested parties to establish and proclaim the true boundary lines.
• Allows the commission to hire consultants and contractors for research, subject to written approval from the House Speaker and Senate President.
• Requires the commission to file a report of its findings before it is abolished on December 1, 2026.
• Sets the commission's automatic end date as December 1, 2026, unless a report or meeting minutes are filed by then.

This mainly affects state government: the Governor of Georgia, the Georgia General Assembly (specifically three senators and three House members appointed to the commission), and by extension the governments of North Carolina and Tennessee, since the resolution addresses a shared state border dispute.

If the boundary is found to be misplaced, it could affect which state has jurisdiction over certain land, residents, and resources along the Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee border. The resolution restarts a resolution process that past Georgia legislatures attempted for over a century without success.

• Paragraph (1) formally creates the Georgia-North Carolina and Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission.
• Paragraph (2) sets commission membership at nine: three named by the Governor (one as chairperson), three senators named by the Senate President, and three House members named by the Speaker.
• Paragraph (3) empowers the commission to work with Congress and other parties to survey and establish the true boundary lines.
• Paragraph (5) sets legislative members' pay under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, caps paid allowances at 15 days unless extended, and funds the commission from existing Senate and House appropriations.
• Paragraph (6) requires the commission to file a findings report, or meeting minutes if no report is approved, with the Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House.
• Paragraph (7) abolishes the commission on December 1, 2026.

1. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
2. 2025-02-13House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
3. 2025-02-05House Second Readers (House)
4. 2025-02-04House First Readers (House)
5. 2025-02-03House Hopper (House)

• Martin Momtahan (R, HD-017)Primary sponsor
• Mitchell Horner (R, HD-003)
• Jason Ridley (R, HD-006)
• Mike Cameron (R, HD-001)
• Johnny Chastain (R, HD-007)

• state boundary dispute
• Georgia-Tennessee border
• Georgia-North Carolina border
• legislative commissions