HB 1415: Stone Mountain Memorial Association; hold all real property obtained before January 1, 1971, in trust; require

Georgia law already limited state authorities from selling real property, but this bill narrows and strengthens that rule specifically for the Stone Mountain Memorial Association. It separates the association's rules from those covering the Jekyll Island-State Park Authority, which had shared the same code section. Under the bill, any real property the association acquired before January 1, 1971 must be held in trust for the benefit of Georgia's citizens and cannot be sold, with the only exception being land needed for a public road right of way. The bill also requires the association to keep an inventory of its real property, follow existing state rules on acquiring and selling property, and send any proceeds from an allowed sale back to the association for uses consistent with its purpose. These changes take effect once the law is enacted.

• Requires the Stone Mountain Memorial Association to hold all real property it obtained before January 1, 1971 in trust for the benefit of Georgia citizens.
• Prohibits the association from selling any of that pre-1971 real property except when the sale is necessary for a public road right of way.
• Separates the Stone Mountain Memorial Association's property rules from the Jekyll Island-State Park Authority's, which previously shared the same code section.
• Requires the association to maintain a real property inventory under Georgia's public property law (O.C.G.A. § 50-16-121).
• Requires that any real property the association acquires or sells follow the requirements of O.C.G.A. § 50-16-122.
• Directs that proceeds from any permitted sale of real property be returned to the association for purposes tied to its official mission.

The Stone Mountain Memorial Association, which manages Stone Mountain Park, and Georgia citizens who benefit from the land being held in trust. The Jekyll Island-State Park Authority is also affected since its rules are now written separately from the association's.

The bill would make it harder for the association to sell historic Stone Mountain land acquired before 1971, locking most of that property into public trust status except for road projects. This limits future changes in how that land could be used or transferred, regardless of future association decisions.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 12-3-194 so the association's power to sell real property is now explicitly limited by the new trust and sale prohibition in O.C.G.A. § 50-16-3.1.
• Section 1 adds a requirement that the association maintain a real property inventory under O.C.G.A. § 50-16-121 and follow acquisition and sale rules under O.C.G.A. § 50-16-122.
• Section 1 requires that proceeds from any permitted sale be remitted back to the association for purposes consistent with its statutory mission.
• Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 50-16-3.1 to separate the Jekyll Island-State Park Authority (subsection (a)) from the Stone Mountain Memorial Association (subsection (b)).
• Section 2 creates a specific rule for the Stone Mountain Memorial Association: real property acquired before January 1, 1971 cannot be sold and must be held in trust for the benefit of Georgia's citizens, except for public road right of way sales.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-11Act 456
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-31Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2026-03-19Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2026-03-18Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)

• Devan Seabaugh (R, HD-034)Primary sponsor
• Steven Sainz (R, HD-180)
• Reynaldo Martinez (R, HD-111)
• Mary Oliver (D, HD-084)
• Billy Mitchell (D, HD-088)
• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2026

   138 yea, 24 nay (4 not voting, 11 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #680

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   47 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 6 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #890

• Stone Mountain Park
• state land management
• public trust land
• Georgia parks and recreation