---
title: HB 466. State symbols; marsh tacky horse as official Georgia heritage horse breed; designate
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb466
cite_as: HB 466, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb466
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb466.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb466/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70354
date: 2026-05-05
status: passed
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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index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 1299
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb466.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 466
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-05
last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01
sponsors:
- Mike Cameron
- Al Williams
- Ron Stephens
- Jesse Petrea
- Matt Reeves
- Timothy Bearden
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB466/2025
upstream_id: 1970321
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- state symbols
- marsh tacky horse
- pineywoods cattle
- Georgia heritage
- livestock conservation
---
# HB 466. State symbols; marsh tacky horse as official Georgia heritage horse breed; designate
## Text
House Bill 466 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Cameron of the 1st, Williams of the 168th, Stephens of the 164th, Petrea
of the 166th, and Reeves of the 99th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 3 of Chapter 3 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to other state symbols, so as to designate the marsh tacky horse as the official
Georgia heritage horse breed; to designate the pineywoods cattle as the official Georgia
heritage cattle breed; to provide legislative findings and declarations; to provide for related
matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) The presence of the marsh tacky horse in Georgia can be traced back to the 1500s;
(2) The marsh tacky horse has been used by every culture and class of people that
encountered it, including Indigenous nations, like the Seminoles, the Creek, the Chickasaw,
the Choctaw, and the Cherokee; European settlers; and the Maroon and Gullah
communities;
(3) General Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion utilized marsh tacky horses to navigate through
rough, swampy terrain during guerilla campaigns against the British;
(4) The marsh tacky horse was the predominant stock horse in the southeastern United
States up to the 1930s;
(5) During the Great Depression and Dust Bowl eras, larger cattle were brought in from
the West requiring larger horses causing the marsh tacky horse to fall out of use;
(6) The marsh tacky horse is listed as "critical" under the endangered categories by the
Livestock Conservancy;
(7) There are less than 2,000 marsh tacky horses in existence;
(8) Despite the number of marsh tacky horses remaining, they are still used in hunting wild
game and herding cattle; and
(9) Establishing the marsh tacky horse as the official Georgia heritage horse breed is
necessary to fully recognize the importance of the breed and its contributions to Georgia
history.
SECTION 2.
Article 3 of Chapter 3 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to other
state symbols, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"50-3-96.
The marsh tacky horse is designated as the official Georgia heritage horse breed."
SECTION 3.
Said article is further amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"50-3-97.
The pineywoods cattle is designated as the official Georgia heritage cattle breed."
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 466 would name the marsh tacky horse Georgia's official heritage horse breed and the pineywoods cattle its official heritage cattle breed, recognizing their historical role in the state.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia law lists a number of official state symbols, from the state bird to the state fruit, but currently has no designated heritage horse or cattle breed. This bill adds two new sections to that part of Georgia law (O.C.G.A. Title 50, Chapter 3, Article 3).
The bill first lays out legislative findings describing the marsh tacky horse's long history in Georgia, tracing its presence back to the 1500s and noting its use by Indigenous nations, European settlers, and Gullah and Maroon communities, as well as its role in Revolutionary War era guerrilla campaigns. It also notes the breed is now listed as critically endangered by the Livestock Conservancy, with fewer than 2,000 remaining. The bill then creates a new Code section naming the marsh tacky horse the official Georgia heritage horse breed, and a second new Code section naming the pineywoods cattle the official Georgia heritage cattle breed. It repeals any conflicting laws.
### What it does
- Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 50-3-96) designating the marsh tacky horse as the official Georgia heritage horse breed.
- Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 50-3-97) designating the pineywoods cattle as the official Georgia heritage cattle breed.
- Includes legislative findings describing the marsh tacky horse's history in Georgia and its critically endangered status.
- Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with these new designations.
### Who it affects
This mainly affects the symbolic list of official Georgia state emblems. It has practical relevance to breeders, conservation groups, and historians focused on the marsh tacky horse and pineywoods cattle, and to Georgians interested in state history and heritage livestock breeds.
### Why it matters
The designation carries no funding, regulation, or enforcement, but it gives official state recognition to two historically significant but now rare livestock breeds, which can raise public awareness and support conservation and educational efforts around them.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 sets out findings on the marsh tacky horse's presence in Georgia since the 1500s, its use by Indigenous, European, and Gullah/Maroon communities, and its critically endangered status with under 2,000 horses remaining.
- Section 2 creates new Code section 50-3-96 designating the marsh tacky horse as the official Georgia heritage horse breed.
- Section 3 creates new Code section 50-3-97 designating the pineywoods cattle as the official Georgia heritage cattle breed.
- Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause with no specific effect described in the bill.
## Status
- Status: Passed (2026-05-05)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-05)
- Sponsors: Mike Cameron, Al Williams, Ron Stephens, Jesse Petrea, Matt Reeves, Timothy Bearden
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70354
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,299 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb466.md?full=1