Georgia CommonsHB 1599: Sandersville School Building Authority; members; revise qualification
Last action May 12, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-05-12
House Bill 1599 would broaden who can serve on the Sandersville School Building Authority, letting residents of counties bordering Washington County qualify for seats, not just Washington County residents.
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 Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
The Sandersville School Building Authority was created by a 2015 state law to oversee a school building project in Washington County. That law set specific membership categories, such as a representative of the Washington County Historical Society, arts community members, and representatives of the kaolin industry and agricultural community, and required members to live in Washington County. This bill amends the 2015 Act to expand the residency rule so that members can live in Washington County or in any county that touches its borders. The specific membership categories and seat counts, such as two arts representatives and three at-large members, stay the same. The bill repeals any conflicting laws and does not state a delayed effective date.
What the bill does
- Expands eligibility for the Sandersville School Building Authority so members can reside in Washington County or any county contiguous to it, rather than only Washington County.
- Keeps the existing membership categories unchanged, including seats for the historical society, arts community, kaolin industry, agriculture, chamber of commerce, and at-large members.
- Repeals any state or local laws that conflict with this residency change.
Who it affects
This affects residents of Washington County and neighboring counties who might serve on the Sandersville School Building Authority, as well as the authority itself, which oversees school building matters in the Sandersville area.
Why it matters
By allowing residents of nearby counties to fill authority seats, the bill widens the pool of eligible candidates, which could make it easier to fill required positions like the kaolin industry or arts representatives if qualified Washington County residents are unavailable.
Key provisions
- Section 1 revises paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Section 4 of the 2015 Act to allow members to reside in Washington County or any contiguous county.
- Section 1 restates the full list of required membership categories, including one Historical Society representative, two arts representatives, one kaolin industry representative, one agricultural representative, one Chamber of Commerce representative, and three at-large members.
- Section 2 repeals any laws that conflict with this amendment.
From the bill
“Membership of the authority shall be residents of Washington County or any county that is contiguous to Washington County”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-05-12
- Act 693
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
Show full history (13 actions)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Mack Jackson (D, HD-128)
Votes
- House voteMarch 27, 2026
153 yea, 0 nay (20 not voting, 3 absent)
- Senate voteApril 2, 2026
49 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 2 absent)
Topics
- local government
- school building authority
- Washington County
- Sandersville