HB 532: Conservation and natural resources; grants and special revenue disbursements; revise provisions

Under current Georgia law, counties with 20,000 or more acres of unimproved, state-owned land under the Department of Natural Resources can receive annual grants meant to offset the public services (like roads or fire protection) they provide on that land. Two nearly identical grant programs exist, one tied to the Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund (O.C.G.A. § 12-6A-12) and one tied to a broader special revenue disbursement law (O.C.G.A. § 48-14-4). Both currently include a rule barring a county from collecting a grant under one section while also collecting a grant under Code Section 48-14-1. House Bill 532 strikes that anti-double-dipping rule from both code sections, meaning an eligible county could potentially claim grants under more than one of these programs at the same time. The bill also removes a stray cross-reference in the Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund section. It repeals conflicting laws but does not change the underlying eligibility thresholds, calculation methods, or funding sources. The bill passed the House and Senate but was vetoed by the Governor on May 14, 2025.

• Removes the existing prohibition in O.C.G.A. § 12-6A-12 on a county receiving a grant under that section while also receiving a grant under Code Section 48-14-1.
• Removes the same prohibition in O.C.G.A. § 48-14-4, which currently bars counties from collecting grants under both that section and Code Section 48-14-1.
• Deletes a cross-reference to 'subsection (a) of' within the calculation directive in Code Section 12-6A-12, leaving the calculation tied to the whole Code section instead of just that subsection.
• Leaves unchanged the underlying eligibility rule that a county must have 20,000+ acres of unimproved state-owned land exceeding 10 percent of its taxable real property and tax digest.
• Repeals any other state laws that conflict with these changes.

Georgia counties that host large tracts of unimproved, state-owned land managed by the Department of Natural Resources, particularly rural counties with significant conservation acreage. The Department of Natural Resources, which administers and funds these grants, is also directly affected.

By removing the ban on collecting more than one of these grants at once, counties with large amounts of state-owned conservation land could receive more total grant funding to offset lost property tax revenue and the cost of services like roads and emergency response on that land, though the Governor's veto means these changes have not taken effect.

• Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 12-6A-12 and deletes subsection (f), which had barred counties from claiming this grant alongside a grant under Code Section 48-14-1.
• Section 1 also strikes the phrase 'subsection (a) of' from subsection (c), changing which part of the Code section the department's calculation directive references.
• Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 48-14-4 and deletes subsection (e), which had imposed the same restriction against claiming both this grant and a grant under Code Section 48-14-1.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting state laws.
• The bill does not alter the 20,000 acre threshold, the 10 percent tax digest test, or the annual December 31 deadline for the Department of Natural Resources' eligibility determinations.

1. 2025-05-14Veto V4
2. 2025-05-14House Date Vetoed by Governor (House)
3. 2025-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-02Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
5. 2025-04-02Senate Third Read (Senate)
6. 2025-04-02Senate Engrossed (Senate)
7. 2025-03-27Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2025-03-27Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)

• Buddy DeLoach (R, HD-167)Primary sponsor
• Mike Hodges (R, SD-3)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   168 yea, 0 nay (9 not voting, 3 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #193

2. PassedSenate voteApril 2, 2025

   31 yea, 24 nay (0 not voting, 1 excused)

   MOTION TO ENGROSS: SB 214, HB 66, HB 79, HB 129, HB 134, HB 141, HB 370, HB 397, HB 445, HB 463, HB 532, HB 586, HB 652: Senate Vote #383

3. PassedSenate voteApril 2, 2025

   44 yea, 5 nay (2 not voting, 5 excused)

   PASSAGE: Senate Vote #392

• conservation land grants
• county funding
• Department of Natural Resources
• property taxes
• Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund