---
title: HB 1357. Bulloch County Public Facilities Authority; revenue bonding authority; revise provisions
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1357
cite_as: HB 1357, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1357
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1357.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1357/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73334
date: 2026-05-11
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 887
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1357.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1357
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-11
sponsors:
  - Lehman Franklin
  - Jon Burns
  - Butch Parrish
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1357/2025
upstream_id: 2119507
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Bulloch County
  - local government finance
  - revenue bonds
  - public facilities authority
---

# HB 1357. Bulloch County Public Facilities Authority; revenue bonding authority; revise provisions

## Text

House Bill 1357 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Franklin of the 160th, Burns of the 159th, and Parrish of the 158th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend an Act creating the Bulloch County Public Facilities Authority and to provide for
the appointment of members of the authority, approved June 30, 2020 (Ga. L. 2020, p. 3929),
so as to revise provisions related to revenue bonding authority; to revise definitions; to
provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
An Act creating the Bulloch County Public Facilities Authority and to provide for the
appointment of members of the authority, approved June 30, 2020 (Ga. L. 2020, p. 3929),
is amended in Section 3 by revising paragraphs (3) and (5) as follows:
"(3) 'Project' means any of the following self-liquidating projects:
(A) All buildings, facilities, and equipment necessary or beneficial for the efficient
operation of the county or any department, agency, division, commission, or utility
system thereof; and
(B) Any 'undertaking' permitted by the Revenue Bond Law."
"(5) 'Revenue bonds' means revenue bonds authorized to be issued pursuant to this Act."
SECTION 2.
Said Act is further amended by revising Section 5 as follows:
"SECTION 5.
Revenue bonds.
The authority shall have power and is hereby authorized to provide by resolution for the
issuance of revenue bonds for the purpose of paying all or any part of the costs of a project
and for the purpose of refunding revenue bonds or other obligations previously issued;
provided, however, that no such revenue bonds shall be issued to finance a project for the
Bulloch County School District or any other political subdivision or municipal corporation
of the state located within Bulloch County other than Bulloch County. The principal of and
interest on such revenue bonds shall be payable solely from the revenues and properties
pledged to the payment of such revenue bonds. The revenue bonds issued by the authority
shall contain such terms as the authority shall determine are in the best interest of the
authority; provided, however, that no revenue bonds shall have a maturity exceeding 40
years."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

A House bill would revise the Bulloch County Public Facilities Authority's power to issue revenue bonds, narrowing what projects can be financed and setting a 40-year cap on bond terms.

### Plain-language summary

The Bulloch County Public Facilities Authority was created by a 2020 state law to build and finance public facilities for the county using revenue bonds, which are repaid from the revenue the projects generate rather than general tax dollars. This bill amends that 2020 law to change the definition of a qualifying 'project' and to update the definition of 'revenue bonds.'
It also rewrites the section governing the authority's bonding power. The authority can still issue revenue bonds to pay project costs or refund earlier bonds, but the bill adds a new restriction: bonds cannot be issued to finance a project for the Bulloch County School District or any other city or political subdivision within Bulloch County, only for Bulloch County itself. The bill also caps bond maturities at 40 years. The repayment of bonds still comes solely from pledged project revenues and properties.

### What it does

- Redefines 'project' under the authority's governing law to cover county buildings, facilities, and equipment, and any undertaking permitted by the Revenue Bond Law.
- Updates the definition of 'revenue bonds' to mean bonds issued under this Act.
- Blocks the authority from issuing revenue bonds to finance projects for the Bulloch County School District or any other municipal corporation or political subdivision within Bulloch County besides the county itself.
- Sets a maximum bond maturity of 40 years for any revenue bonds the authority issues.
- Keeps in place the rule that bond repayment comes only from the revenues and properties pledged to those bonds.

### Who it affects

The Bulloch County Public Facilities Authority, Bulloch County government, the Bulloch County School District, and any cities or other political subdivisions within Bulloch County that might otherwise have sought financing through the authority's revenue bonds.

### Why it matters

By barring the authority from financing projects for the school district or other local governments within the county, the bill limits who can use this bonding tool to Bulloch County government itself. The 40-year cap also sets a firm limit on how long any future bond repayment could stretch.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 revises paragraph (3) of the definitions section to define 'project' as county buildings, facilities, and equipment, or any undertaking permitted under the Revenue Bond Law.
- Section 1 also revises paragraph (5) to define 'revenue bonds' as bonds authorized under this Act.
- Section 2 rewrites Section 5 of the 2020 Act to restrict revenue bond financing to Bulloch County, excluding the school district and other local political subdivisions or municipalities in the county.
- Section 2 caps the maturity of any revenue bonds issued by the authority at 40 years.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Lehman Franklin, Jon Burns, Butch Parrish
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73334

> The history, votes, and amendments (887 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1357.md?full=1