Georgia CommonsHB 145: State symbols; change state floral emblem to sweetbay magnolia
Last action January 30, 2025 · House Second Readers
A Georgia House bill would replace the Cherokee rose with the sweetbay magnolia as the state's official floral emblem, updating a section of state law that has designated the flower symbol.
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 LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Georgia law currently names the Cherokee rose as the state's official flower under a section of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A. § 50-3-53). This bill would rewrite that section to instead designate the sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) as the state floral emblem. The bill makes no other changes to Georgia law beyond this single substitution. It also includes a standard clause repealing any other state laws that conflict with this change. The bill does not include an explicit effective date section beyond the standard process of becoming law once passed and signed.
What the bill does
- Removes the Cherokee rose as Georgia's official state flower by striking it from O.C.G.A. § 50-3-53.
- Designates the sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) as the new official state floral emblem in its place.
- Repeals any other existing state laws that conflict with this change.
Who it affects
This bill mainly affects the symbolic designation of Georgia's state flower, so it touches state government recordkeeping, educational materials about Georgia symbols, and anyone who references the state's official flower, such as textbook publishers or tourism materials.
Why it matters
If enacted, official references to Georgia's state flower in government publications, school materials, and public displays would need to change from the Cherokee rose to the sweetbay magnolia, affecting how the state is represented in educational and ceremonial contexts.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 50-3-53 to strike the Cherokee rose and insert the sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) as the state's floral emblem.
- Section 2 repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with this change.
Status timeline
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Deborah Silcox (R, HD-053)
- Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)
- Jan Jones (R, HD-047)
- Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)
- Matt Reeves (R, HD-099)
Topics
- state symbols
- Georgia state flower
- sweetbay magnolia
- Cherokee rose