Georgia CommonsHouse · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 454: Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund Act; enact
Last action July 1, 2025 · Effective Date
House Bill 454 creates the Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund, a new state fund and grant program to help nonprofits and state agencies buy or protect historically significant Georgia battlefields.
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 the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia currently has no dedicated state fund for preserving Civil War, Revolutionary War, or War of 1812 battlefield sites. This bill adds a new article to Georgia's parks and historic areas law (O.C.G.A. Title 12, Chapter 3) creating the Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund and a matching grant program run by the Department of Natural Resources. The fund would hold state appropriations, grants, gifts, and other contributions dedicated to battlefield preservation. Nonprofit organizations or state agencies could apply for matching grants to buy land or permanent protective interests, such as conservation easements, in battlefields listed on specific federal historic battlefield reports. Grants require at least a one to one match in outside contributions and cannot exceed half the appraised value of the property. Any property acquired must be protected by a perpetual conservation easement. The department can use up to 5 percent of the fund for administrative costs and must report annual spending to state budget offices by January 1 each year.
What the bill does
- Establishes the Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund in the state treasury to hold state, federal, and private money for battlefield preservation.
- Creates a matching grant program administered by the Department of Natural Resources for nonprofits and state agencies to buy interests in Georgia battlefields.
- Requires grant applicants to provide at least a dollar-for-dollar match in outside funding, with state funds excluded from that match unless the applicant is a state agency.
- Caps grants at 50 percent of the appraised value of the land or protective interest being acquired.
- Requires any organization that acquires property under the program to place a perpetual conservation easement (a permanent legal restriction on land use) on it.
- Allows the department to use up to 5 percent of the fund each year for its own administrative costs running the program.
Who it affects
Nonprofit historic preservation organizations, state agencies involved in preserving natural or cultural resources, the Department of Natural Resources, landowners near or holding historic battlefield sites, and the state treasury and budget offices that track the fund's spending.
Why it matters
The bill gives Georgia a dedicated funding mechanism, backed by matching private and federal dollars, to permanently protect historic battlefields from development. Landowners near these sites could see new buyers or easement holders, and preservation groups gain a state grant source they did not previously have.
Key provisions
- Section 12-3-711 defines key terms, including 'organization' (a tax-exempt nonprofit involved in land preservation) and 'matching contributions.'
- Section 12-3-712 creates the trust fund in the state treasury, funded by state appropriations, grants, gifts, and other contributions, with annual accounting due to state budget offices by January 1.
- Section 12-3-713 sets grant eligibility rules: battlefields must appear on specific national Civil War or Revolutionary War/War of 1812 preservation reports, a 1:1 match is required, and grants cannot exceed 50 percent of appraised value.
- Section 12-3-713 also allows grants for past purchases closed within 12 months if a preservation threat existed at the time.
- Section 12-3-713(g) caps administrative spending from the fund at 5 percent of total fund money per year.
- Section 12-3-714 directs the department to prioritize factors like battlefield significance, threats to the site, and the applicant's financial and management capacity when awarding grants.
- Section 12-3-715 requires a perpetual conservation easement on any acquired property and allows later transfer of protected land to state or federal conservation systems.
From the bill
“Organizations seeking grant funding shall be required to provide at least $1.00 in matching contributions for each $1.00 received from the fund for the project proposal.”
“Grants from the fund shall not exceed 50 percent of the appraised value of the land or permanent protective interest therein.”
“Any organization making an acquisition of property or interest therein pursuant to this article shall grant to the department or other holder a perpetual conservation easement placing restrictions on the use or development of the property.”
Status timeline
- Effective Date
- Act 116
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Recommitted (Senate)
Show full history (17 actions)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Houston Gaines (R, HD-120)
- Marcus Wiedower (R, HD-121)
- Trey Rhodes (R, HD-124)
- Jason Ridley (R, HD-6)
- Gary Richardson (R, HD-125)
- Clint Crowe (R, HD-118)
- Bill Cowsert (R, SD-46)
Votes
- House voteMarch 3, 2025
157 yea, 14 nay (4 not voting, 5 excused)
- Senate voteApril 2, 2025
47 yea, 0 nay (9 not voting, 0 excused)
Topics
- battlefield preservation
- historic preservation funding
- conservation easements
- state grant programs
- Department of Natural Resources