Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1394: Community Affairs, Department of; ensure that Rosenwald Schools are treated as historic properties
Last action March 3, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported
A Georgia House bill would add Rosenwald Schools to the legal definition of 'historic property,' making them eligible for the state's historic preservation grant program.
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 Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia's historic preservation grant program, run by the Department of Community Affairs, gives money to preserve certain historic properties. State law (O.C.G.A. § 12-3-58) defines what counts as a 'historic property' eligible for these grants, and currently that definition specifically calls out combat veterans' gravesites as included sites of historical significance. This bill would add Rosenwald Schools to that same list. Rosenwald Schools were schools built in the early 1900s to educate Black children in the rural South. By naming them in the statute, the bill would make clear that these schools qualify as historic properties under Georgia law, allowing them to be considered for historic preservation grant funding alongside other recognized historic sites.
What the bill does
- Amends the definition of 'historic property' in Georgia's historic preservation law (O.C.G.A. § 12-3-58) to explicitly include Rosenwald Schools.
- Places Rosenwald Schools in the same statutory category as combat veterans' gravesites, both named as historically significant sites under the law.
- Makes Rosenwald Schools eligible for consideration under the Department of Community Affairs' historic preservation grant program and grant fund.
Who it affects
This bill affects the Department of Community Affairs, which administers the historic preservation grant program, along with owners, communities, and preservation groups caring for Rosenwald Schools in Georgia who may now seek state grant funding to maintain or restore these buildings.
Why it matters
By formally classifying Rosenwald Schools as historic properties, the bill would open the door for these buildings, many tied to the history of Black education in the segregation-era South, to receive state preservation grant money they might not have clearly qualified for before.
Key provisions
- Section 1 revises paragraph (5) of subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 12-3-58, the section defining 'historic property' for the grant program.
- The revised definition adds 'Rosenwald Schools in this state' to the existing list that already includes combat veterans' gravesites as deemed historically significant sites.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause with no substantive effect beyond this bill's change.
From the bill
“sites significant in the history of this state shall be deemed to include without limitation combat veterans' gravesites and Rosenwald Schools in this state”
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 20, 2026 (legislative day 22)
From 0:44:01 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Second Readers)
Summary by Georgia Commons: After the second reading of HB 1394, the sponsor discussed the proposal during an afternoon order. The sponsor said it would include Rosenwald schools in the Department of Community Affairs’ historic preservation grants. The sponsor said approximately 242 to 243 such schools had been built for Black children in Georgia, with estimates of 38 to 46 structures remaining as of the early 2000s. The sponsor showed a Sandersville school, said it had stood since 1937 and announced a Wednesday hearing. No vote on the bill occurred.
House Rural Development Committee, March 2, 2026
From 0:41:31 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the proposal would make Rosenwald Schools eligible for the Department of Community Affairs' historic preservation grant program without appropriating new money. The sponsor described the schools as places built to educate African American children during segregation and estimated that 36 to 50 remained standing. Asked about their physical condition, the sponsor said some were in good shape while others were overgrown and at risk of being lost. Members described schools in their districts and supported preservation. One member said a former museum and tourist attraction in Alapaha needed expensive foundation repairs. Another described a school in Warm Springs being developed into a community center, while another said a Coffee County school was in good condition. The committee approved a do-pass motion by voice vote; no count was stated.
House Rules Committee, March 4, 2026
From 1:40:04 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1394 would place Rosenwald schools under the Department of Community Affairs' historic preservation grant program. No questions or decision followed.
House Rules Committee, March 6, 2026
From 1:25:14 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2178
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 1394 on the supplemental floor calendar under modified structured rules. No substantive discussion occurred.
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Mack Jackson (D, HD-128)
- Floyd Griffin (D, HD-149)
- David Sampson (D, HD-153)
- Regina Lewis-Ward (D, HD-115)
- Al Williams (D, HD-168)
- Patty Marie Stinson (D, HD-150)
Topics
- historic preservation
- Rosenwald Schools
- Black history
- state grants
- Department of Community Affairs