Georgia CommonsHouse · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1186: Garden City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Authority; repeal Act
Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date
House Bill 1186 abolishes the Garden City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Authority and transfers all of its assets and debts to the city government of Garden City, Georgia.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
In 2004 the Georgia General Assembly created a special local authority, the Garden City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Authority, to handle tourism and visitor promotion for Garden City. This bill repeals that 2004 law entirely, eliminating the authority as a separate legal entity. Instead of leaving the authority's property and debts in limbo, the bill automatically moves all of its assets and obligations to Garden City, Georgia itself. The Garden City Council is given authority to sign deeds and other documents needed to formally move titles and debts into the city's name, and it may do so either as the city or in the authority's former name if needed to complete the transfer. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws.
What the bill does
- Repeals in full the 2004 state law that created the Garden City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Authority, ending its existence as a separate legal body.
- Automatically transfers all assets owned by the authority to Garden City, Georgia, without requiring further legal action, subject to any existing legal restrictions.
- Transfers all debts and obligations of the authority to Garden City, Georgia, requiring the city to assume responsibility for them.
- Authorizes the Garden City Council to sign deeds and other transfer documents, either in the city's name or the former authority's name, to complete the handover.
- Repeals any other state laws that conflict with this Act.
Who it affects
Garden City, Georgia and its city council, which will take over the former authority's property and debts; the Garden City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Authority itself, which ceases to exist; and any parties holding contracts, deeds, or obligations tied to the authority.
Why it matters
Local tourism promotion in Garden City will no longer be run by a separate state-chartered authority; instead the city government directly owns the related property and owes any related debts. This changes who is legally responsible for managing and financing those assets going forward.
Key provisions
- Section 1 repeals in its entirety the 2004 Act (Ga. L. 2004, p. 3983) that created the Garden City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Authority.
- Section 2 transfers the authority's assets to Garden City automatically and authorizes the city council to execute deeds or conveyance documents to finalize title transfer.
- Section 2 also transfers the authority's obligations (debts) to Garden City and lets the city council sign instruments needed to assume them, including in the authority's former name.
- Section 3 repeals any other laws that conflict with this Act.
From the bill
“Any and all assets of the Garden City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Authority shall devolve automatically and without further action to Garden City, Georgia, subject to any restrictions provided by law.”
Discussed in meetings (5)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House floor session, February 17, 2026 (legislative day 19)
From 1:01:30 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 612
Summary by Georgia Commons: The clerk read a committee recommendation to pass HB 1186. The House then included it in the uncontested local calendar and passed the calendar as a group, 165 to 1. No individual presentation or debate was recorded.
- Read aloud: House floor session, February 5, 2026 (legislative day 13), 0:39:24
- Read aloud: House floor session, February 6, 2026 (legislative day 14), 0:50:45
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 18, 2026 (legislative day 20), 0:29:21
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 24, 2026 (legislative day 23), 0:21:05
Status timeline
- Effective Date
- Act 547
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
Show full history (13 actions)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)
- Carl Gilliard (D, HD-162)
- Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)
- Anne Allen Westbrook (D, HD-163)
- Edna Jackson (D, HD-165)
Votes
- House voteFebruary 17, 2026
165 yea, 1 nay (7 not voting, 4 excused)
- Senate voteFebruary 24, 2026
53 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 1 excused)
Topics
- local government
- tourism authority
- Garden City Georgia
- government reorganization