--- title: HB 65. State symbols; designate collard greens as official state greens; potlikka as official state dipping sauce of the official state bread collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb65 cite_as: HB 65, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb65 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb65.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb65/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69377 date: 2026-02-25 status: introduced 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb64.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb66.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 185 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb65.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 65 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-01-15 last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported sponsors: - Angela Moore - Kasey Carpenter - Emory Dunahoo - Karla Drenner - Clint Crowe - Patty Stinson text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB65/2025 upstream_id: 1922270 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - state symbols - collard greens - Georgia agriculture - cornbread - state bread --- # HB 65. State symbols; designate collard greens as official state greens; potlikka as official state dipping sauce of the official state bread ## Text House Bill 65 By: Representatives Moore of the 91st, Carpenter of the 4th, Dunahoo of the 31st, Drenner of the 85th, Crowe of the 118th, and others 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 collard greens as the official state greens, with "potlikka" as the official state dipping sauce of the official state bread; to provide legislative findings and declarations; to provide for related matters; to provide for a contingent effective date and automatic repeal; 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 colorful history and traditions of the State of Georgia are inextricably associated with the food traditions of root vegetables and greens, which are chock-full of vitamins and minerals that are healthy for us, and among the many legacies of this proud heritage is the delicious dish and its liquid, a dipping sauce known as collard greens with "potlikka"; (2) Collard greens' "potlikka" serves as an especially excellent dipping sauce for all manner of breads; (3) During the holidays, tens of thousands of Georgians especially enjoy dipping cornbread, the official Georgia state bread, in their collard greens with "potlikka"; (4) Collard greens with "potlikka" enjoy a singular stature in Georgia history and culture that is rivaled only by its undeniable appeal as a unique and satisfying food. Establishing collard greens as the official Georgia state greens and "potlikka" as the official Georgia state dipping sauce of the official Georgia state bread is necessary to fully recognize the importance of this product to this state; and (5) The State of Georgia is the second highest producer in the country of collards, with almost 20 percent of the state's farmed acreage and almost 30,000 acres devoted to the crop. 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: "50-3-94. Collard greens are designated as the official Georgia state greens, and 'potlikka' is designated as the official Georgia state dipping sauce of the official Georgia state bread." SECTION 3. This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2025, only if an Act to provide for the designation of cornbread as the official Georgia state bread becomes effective on or before July 1, 2025. If such an Act does not become law, then this Act shall not become effective and shall stand repealed on July 1, 2025. 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. A Georgia House bill would name collard greens the official state greens and 'potlikka,' the liquid from cooking them, the official state dipping sauce for cornbread, Georgia's official state bread. ### Plain-language summary This bill adds a new section to Georgia's list of official state symbols (O.C.G.A. § 50-3-94), designating collard greens as the official state greens and 'potlikka,' the seasoned liquid left over from cooking collard greens, as the official state dipping sauce for cornbread. The legislature's findings note that Georgia is the country's second-largest producer of collards, growing almost 30,000 acres, nearly 20 percent of the state's farmed acreage. The designation would only take effect on July 1, 2025, and only if a separate bill making cornbread the official state bread also becomes law by that date. If that companion bread bill does not pass, this bill would not take effect and would automatically be repealed on July 1, 2025. ### What it does - Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 50-3-94) naming collard greens as Georgia's official state greens. - Designates 'potlikka,' the liquid produced from cooking collard greens, as the official state dipping sauce for the official state bread. - Includes legislative findings citing Georgia's status as the second-highest collard-producing state, with almost 30,000 farmed acres. - Ties the bill's effective date to a separate bill designating cornbread as the official state bread, taking effect July 1, 2025 only if that bread bill also becomes law. - Automatically repeals itself on July 1, 2025 if the companion cornbread bill does not become law by then. ### Who it affects The designation mainly affects Georgia's official symbolic identity rather than regulating any group directly, though it touches Georgia's collard farmers and agricultural sector, whose crop would gain formal state recognition, and depends on passage of a related cornbread bill. ### Why it matters The bill does not change any regulations, funding, or daily obligations for Georgians; it adds a ceremonial state symbol. Its practical effect is contingent on another bill about cornbread also becoming law, meaning this designation could fail to take effect depending on that bill's fate. ### Key provisions - Section 1 lays out legislative findings about collard greens' cultural history in Georgia and the state's standing as a major collard producer. - Section 2 creates new Code section 50-3-94, formally naming collard greens the state greens and 'potlikka' the state dipping sauce for the state bread. - Section 3 makes the Act's effectiveness contingent on a separate cornbread designation bill becoming law by July 1, 2025, and provides for automatic repeal if that does not happen. - Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-01-15) - Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-02-25) - Sponsors: Angela Moore, Kasey Carpenter, Emory Dunahoo, Karla Drenner, Clint Crowe, Patty Stinson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69377 > The history, votes, and amendments (185 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb65.md?full=1