---
title: HB 1490. Education; transfer responsibility for operation of Georgia Capitol Museum from Board of Regents to Georgia Building Authority
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1490
cite_as: HB 1490, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1490
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1490.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1490/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73779
date: 2026-03-06
status: introduced
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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previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1489.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1491.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1490.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1490
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-03-03
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Matthew Gambill
  - Will Wade
  - Gerald Greene
  - Lauren McDonald
  - Devan Seabaugh
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1490/2025
upstream_id: 2128640
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Georgia Capitol Museum
  - state government reorganization
  - Board of Regents
  - Georgia Building Authority
  - museum operations
---

# HB 1490. Education; transfer responsibility for operation of Georgia Capitol Museum from Board of Regents to Georgia Building Authority

## Text

House Bill 1490
By: Representatives Gambill of the 15th, Wade of the 9th, Greene of the 154th, McDonald III
of the 26th, and Seabaugh of the 34th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Titles 20, 45, and 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
education, public officers and employees, and state government, respectively, so as to
transfer responsibility for the operation of the Georgia Capitol Museum from the Board of
Regents of the University System of Georgia to the Georgia Building Authority; to provide
for the transfer of agreements, property, employees, and appropriated funds to the Georgia
Building Authority; to authorize the Georgia Building Authority to take certain actions
pursuant to such transfer; to provide for conforming changes; to provide for related matters;
to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to education, is amended in
Part 1 of Article 2 of Chapter 3, relating to board of regents, by repealing Code Section
20-3-40, relating to Georgia Capitol Museum.
SECTION 2.
Title 45 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to public officers and employees,
is amended in Code Section 45-13-72, relating to submission of recommendations to achieve
highest museum standards and designation of area as Georgia Capitol Agricultural History
Museum, by revising subsection (b) as follows:
"(b) The Capitol Art Standards Commission, in cooperation with the <del>Board of Regents of
the University System of Georgia</del> <ins>Georgia Building Authority,</ins> shall designate areas within
the capitol museum as the Georgia Capitol Agricultural History Museum areas. Such areas
shall include information, artifacts, photographs, monuments, or other related items which
tell the history and importance of agriculture to this state's economic growth. Except as
provided for in this part, the Georgia Capitol Agricultural History Museum areas of the
capitol museum shall be maintained, operated, and managed in the same manner as the
other areas of the capitol museum."
SECTION 3.
Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to state government, is amended
in Article 1 of Chapter 9, relating to general provisions regarding Georgia Building
Authority, by adding new Code sections to read as follows:
<ins>"50-9-18.
(a) All powers, functions, duties, and obligations of the Board of Regents of the University
System of Georgia under Code Section 20-3-40, as they exist on June 30, 2026, relating to
the operation of the Georgia Capitol Museum, are transferred to the Georgia Building
Authority, effective July 1, 2026.
(b) The Georgia Building Authority shall succeed to all policies, standards, programs, and
procedures of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia in effect on
June 30, 2026, or scheduled to go into effect on or after July 1, 2026, and which relate to
the functions, duties, and obligations transferred to the Georgia Building Authority
</ins>
<ins>pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section and shall further succeed to any rights,
privileges, entitlements, obligations, and duties of the Board of Regents of the University
System of Georgia that are in effect on June 30, 2026, which relate to the functions, duties,
and obligations transferred to the Georgia Building Authority pursuant to subsection (a) of
this Code section. Such policies, standards, programs, and procedures shall remain in
effect until amended, superseded, or nullified by the Georgia Building Authority.
(c) Except as otherwise expressly provided, the rights, privileges, entitlements, obligations,
and duties of parties to contracts, leases, agreements, and other transactions entered into
prior to July 1, 2026, by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia which
relate to the functions, duties, and obligations transferred to the Georgia Building Authority
pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section shall continue to exist; and none of such
rights, privileges, entitlements, obligations, and duties are impaired or diminished by
reason of the transfer of the functions to the Georgia Building Authority. In all such
instances, the Georgia Building Authority shall be substituted for the Board of Regents of
the University System of Georgia, and the Georgia Building Authority shall succeed to the
rights, privileges, entitlements, obligations, and duties under such contracts, leases,
agreements, and other transactions.
(d) All individuals employed by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
in capacities which relate to the functions transferred to the Georgia Building Authority
pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section on June 30, 2026, shall, on July 1, 2026,
become employees of the Georgia Building Authority in similar capacities.
(e) The Georgia Building Authority shall receive custody of any state owned real property
in the custody of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia on
June 30, 2026, and which pertains to the functions, duties, and obligations transferred to
the Georgia Building Authority pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section.
</ins>
<ins>50-9-19.
(a) The Georgia Building Authority shall maintain the exhibits for the Georgia Capitol
Museum and may prepare and distribute publications concerning the museum's features,
prepare semitechnical materials for distribution to the schools of this state, conduct tours
of such museum and state capitol, and perform such other duties and functions as are
ordinarily exercised in the operation of a museum.
(b) The Georgia Building Authority is authorized to receive, on behalf of the state, any
grants, donations, or gifts of money or property for use in the museum.
(c) Any funds appropriated for the operation of the Georgia Capitol Museum may be
transferred as provided in Code Section 45-12-90."
</ins> SECTION 4.
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.

House Bill 1490 would move day-to-day operation of the Georgia Capitol Museum from the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia to the Georgia Building Authority, effective July 1, 2026.

### Plain-language summary

Under current Georgia law, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia runs the Georgia Capitol Museum inside the state capitol building. This bill would shift that job to the Georgia Building Authority, the state agency that manages capitol grounds and buildings.

The bill repeals the old law giving the Board of Regents this duty (O.C.G.A. § 20-3-40) and adds new sections to the law governing the Georgia Building Authority (O.C.G.A. §§ 50-9-18, 50-9-19). Those new sections transfer the Board of Regents' contracts, property, policies, and museum employees to the Georgia Building Authority as of July 1, 2026, and let the Authority keep operating the museum, run tours, publish materials, and accept donations or grants for the museum. It also updates a related law on the Georgia Capitol Agricultural History Museum areas to reflect the new agency in charge.

### What it does

- Repeals O.C.G.A. § 20-3-40, ending the Board of Regents' legal responsibility for operating the Georgia Capitol Museum.
- Adds O.C.G.A. § 50-9-18, transferring all Board of Regents powers, contracts, property, and employees tied to the museum to the Georgia Building Authority effective July 1, 2026.
- Adds O.C.G.A. § 50-9-19, authorizing the Georgia Building Authority to maintain exhibits, run tours, publish materials, and accept donations or grants for the museum.
- Revises O.C.G.A. § 45-13-72(b) so the Capitol Art Standards Commission now works with the Georgia Building Authority, instead of the Board of Regents, to designate the Georgia Capitol Agricultural History Museum areas.
- States that existing museum-related contracts, leases, and agreements continue unchanged, with the Georgia Building Authority simply substituted for the Board of Regents as the other party.

### Who it affects

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and the Georgia Building Authority, the two state agencies swapping responsibility; museum employees who would become Georgia Building Authority staff; the Capitol Art Standards Commission, which coordinates on museum exhibits; and visitors and school groups who tour the Georgia Capitol Museum.

### Why it matters

Visitors likely would not notice a change in the museum itself, but the agency legally responsible for its exhibits, staff, contracts, and property would change. Museum employees would become Georgia Building Authority employees, and existing agreements and donated funds would carry over to the new agency without interruption.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 repeals O.C.G.A. § 20-3-40, removing the Board of Regents' statutory authority over the Georgia Capitol Museum.
- Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 45-13-72(b) to name the Georgia Building Authority, rather than the Board of Regents, as the Capitol Art Standards Commission's partner in designating agricultural history museum areas.
- Section 3 adds O.C.G.A. § 50-9-18, transferring powers, policies, contracts, property, and employees from the Board of Regents to the Georgia Building Authority effective July 1, 2026.
- Section 3 also adds O.C.G.A. § 50-9-19, letting the Georgia Building Authority maintain exhibits, conduct tours, publish materials, and accept grants, donations, or gifts for the museum.
- Section 3 specifies that appropriated funds for the museum may be transferred under the state's existing fund-transfer law (O.C.G.A. § 45-12-90).
- Section 4 repeals any other laws that conflict with the bill.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-03-03)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-06)
- Sponsors: Matthew Gambill, Will Wade, Gerald Greene, Lauren McDonald, Devan Seabaugh
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73779

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1490.md?full=1