--- title: HB 532. Conservation and natural resources; grants and special revenue disbursements; revise provisions collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb532 cite_as: HB 532, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb532 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb532.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb532/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70515 date: 2025-05-14 status: vetoed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb531.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb533.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 1315 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb532.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 532 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-14 last_action: Veto V4 sponsors: - Buddy DeLoach - Mike Hodges text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB532/2025 upstream_id: 1976335 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - state land grants - county funding - natural resources - Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund - local government revenue --- # HB 532. Conservation and natural resources; grants and special revenue disbursements; revise provisions ## Text 25 LC 47 3467S/AP House Bill 532 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representative DeLoach of the 167th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Code Section 12-6A-12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to1 annual grant when state owns property and calculations, so as to revise provisions related to2 certain counties claiming such grant while also claiming simila r grants in Chapter 14 of3 Title 48, relating to grants and special revenue disbursements; to amend Code4 Section 48-14-4 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, rela ting to annual grant to5 counties with 20,000 or more acres of unimproved real estate ow ned by Department of6 Natural Resources, so as to revise provisions related to counties claiming such grant while7 also claiming similar grants; to provide for related matters; t o repeal conflicting laws; and8 for other purposes.9 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:10 SECTION 1.11 Code Section 12-6A-12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to annual grant12 when state owns property and calculations, is amended by revisi ng said Code section as13 follows:14 H. B. 532 - 1 - 25 LC 47 3467S/AP "12-6A-12.15 (a) Each county in which is located 20,000 acres or more of un improved real property16 belonging to the state and under the custody or control of the department, in which such17 state-owned property exceeds 10 percent of the taxable real property in the county, and in18 which such property represents 10 percent or more of the assessed tax digest of the county19 may receive from the department an annual grant as provided in this Code section.20 (b) For each county eligible to receive a grant pursuant to su bsection (a) of this Code21 section, the department shall calculate the approximate value of public services which the22 county provides the department each year; provided, however, th at such sum shall not23 exceed the amount the county would charge any other landowner for such services. The24 department shall request funds in its annual operating budget e ach year to reimburse all25 eligible counties for the provision of such services. In the event the amount appropriated26 in any year is less than the amount requested, each eligible county shall receive a pro rata27 share based on the estimated value of services provided.28 (c) The department is directed to make an annual calculation of the amount of unimproved29 state-owned real property under its custody or control and dete rmine which counties are30 eligible for a grant pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code se ction. The first such31 determination shall be completed not later than December 31, 2020, and each subsequent32 determination shall be made not later than December 31 of each year. The department is33 further directed to calculate the approximate value of public s ervices provided by each34 eligible county as provided in subsection (a) of this Code section.35 (d) Only land acquired with Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund moneys shall be used in the36 calculation of this grant.37 (e) No more than 10 percent of Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund moneys shall be allocated38 to grants to offset local taxes during any fiscal year.39 (f) No county shall be authorized to receive a grant of funds pursuant to both this Code40 section and Code Section 48-14-1."41 H. B. 532 - 2 - 25 LC 47 3467S/AP SECTION 2.42 Code Section 48-14-4 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to annual grant to43 counties with 20,000 or more acres of unimproved real estate ow ned by Department of44 Natural Resources, is amended by revising said Code section as follows:45 "48-14-4.46 (a) As used in this Code section, the term 'department' means the Department of Natural47 Resources.48 (b) Each county in which is located 20,000 acres or more of un improved real property49 belonging to the state and under the custody or control of the department, in which such50 state owned property exceeds 10 percent of the taxable real property in the county, and in51 which such property represents 10 percent or more of the assessed tax digest of the county52 may receive from the department an annual grant as provided in this Code section.53 (c) For each county eligible to receive a grant pursuant to su bsection (b) of this Code54 section, the department shall calculate the approximate value of public services which the55 county provides the department each year; provided, however, th at such sum shall not56 exceed the amount the county would charge any other landowner for such services. The57 department shall request funds in its annual operating budget e ach year to reimburse all58 eligible counties for the provision of such services. In the event the amount appropriated59 in any year is less than the amount requested, each eligible county shall receive a pro rata60 share based on the estimated value of services provided.61 (d) The department is directed to make an annual calculation of the amount of unimproved62 state owned real property under its custody or control and dete rmine which counties are63 eligible for a grant pursuant to subsection (b) of this Code se ction. The first such64 determination shall be completed not later than December 31, 1993, and each subsequent65 determination shall be made not later than December 31 of each year. The department is66 further directed to calculate the approximate value of public s ervices provided by each67 eligible county as provided in subsection (c) of this Code section.68 H. B. 532 - 3 - 25 LC 47 3467S/AP (e) No county shall be authorized to receive a grant of funds pursuant to both this Code69 section and Code Section 48-14-1."70 SECTION 3.71 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.72 H. B. 532 - 4 - ## 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 532 would bar a Georgia county from collecting two similar state grants at once for hosting large tracts of state-owned land, closing a gap between two overlapping payment programs. The bill was vetoed. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law allows counties with 20,000 or more acres of unimproved, state-owned land under the Department of Natural Resources to receive annual grants covering the public services they provide for that land, such as roads, water, or emergency response. Two separate Code sections, one tied to the Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund and one in the general grants chapter, set up similar reimbursement programs using nearly identical eligibility rules. HB 532 rewrites both Code Section 12-6A-12 and Code Section 48-14-4 to add a rule saying a county cannot receive a grant under both programs at the same time; it must pick one. The bill also keeps in place the existing calculation method, based on the value of public services the county provides, the requirement for annual eligibility determinations by the Department of Natural Resources, and the cap limiting Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund grant spending to 10 percent of that fund per year. The bill passed the House and Senate but was vetoed by the Governor on May 14, 2025. ### What it does - Adds a new rule to O.C.G.A. § 12-6A-12 stating no county may receive a grant under that section and under O.C.G.A. § 48-14-1 at the same time. - Adds the same restriction to O.C.G.A. § 48-14-4, blocking counties from collecting that grant while also claiming a grant under Code Section 48-14-1. - Keeps the existing requirement that the Department of Natural Resources calculate each eligible county's public service costs and request matching funds in its annual budget. - Preserves the cap limiting Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund grants for offsetting local taxes to no more than 10 percent of the fund in any fiscal year. - Retains the annual eligibility determination deadline of December 31 for both grant programs. ### Who it affects Georgia counties that host 20,000 or more acres of unimproved, state-owned land managed by the Department of Natural Resources, and the department itself, which administers both grant programs and calculates county eligibility and payment amounts each year. ### Why it matters Counties with large amounts of state-owned land currently could potentially draw grant money from two overlapping programs meant to offset the same lost tax base and service costs. This bill would force a choice between the two, changing how much reimbursement some counties receive. ### Key provisions - Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 12-6A-12(f) to state no county may receive a grant under that section and under Code Section 48-14-1 simultaneously. - Section 1 also keeps subsection (d), limiting the grant calculation to land acquired with Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund money, and subsection (e), capping such grants at 10 percent of the fund per year. - Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 48-14-4(e) to add the identical dual-grant restriction for the general grant program covering counties with 20,000+ acres of state land. - Section 2 retains the requirement that the Department of Natural Resources make annual eligibility determinations by December 31 each year. - Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Vetoed (2025-05-14) - Last action: Veto V4 (2025-05-14) - Sponsors: Buddy DeLoach, Mike Hodges - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70515 > The history, votes, and amendments (1,315 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb532.md?full=1