--- title: HB 849. Randolph County Airport Authority Act; enact collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb849 cite_as: HB 849, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb849 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb849.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb849/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71651 date: 2025-05-13 status: passed 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/hb848.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb850.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 906 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb849.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 849 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-13 last_action: Effective Date 2025-05-13 sponsors: - Gerald Greene - Mike Cheokas text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB849/2025 upstream_id: 2014750 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - airport authority - Randolph County - local government - public corporations --- # HB 849. Randolph County Airport Authority Act; enact ## Text 25 LC 62 0047/AP House Bill 849 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Greene of the 154th and Cheokas of the 151st A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend an Act creating the Lower Chattahoochee Regional Airport Authority, approved1 May 5, 2006 (Ga. L. 2006, p. 4422), as amended, particularly by an Act approved2 May 28, 2010 (Ga. L. 2010 p. 3570) and an Act approved April 11 , 20123 (Ga. L. 2012, p. 5050), so as to rename the authority; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other4 purposes.5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:6 SECTION 1.7 An Act creating the Lower Chattahoochee Regional Airport Author ity, approved8 May 5, 2006 (Ga. L. 2006, p. 4422), as amended, particularly by an Act approved9 May 28, 2010 (Ga. L. 2010 p. 3570) and an Act approved April 11 , 201210 (Ga. L. 2012, p. 5050), is amended by revising Section 1 as follows:11 "SECTION 1.12 Short title.13 This Act shall be known and may be cited as the 'Randolph County Airport Authority Act.'"14 H. B. 849 - 1 - 25 LC 62 0047/AP SECTION 2.15 Said Act is further amended by revising subsection (a) of Section 3 as follows:16 "SECTION 317 Randolph County Airport Authority.18 (a) There is created a body corporate and politic, to be known as the 'Randolph County19 Airport Authority,' which shall be deemed to be a political sub division of the State of20 Georgia and a public corporation and by that name, style, and title said body may contract21 and be contracted with, sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded, and bring and defend22 actions in all courts. The authority shall have perpetual existence."23 SECTION 3.24 Said Act is further amended by revising paragraph (2) of subsec tion (a) of Section 4 as25 follows:26 "(2) 'Authority' means the Randolph County Airport Authority created by this Act."27 SECTION 4.28 Said Act is further amended by revising Section 6 as follows:29 "SECTION 6.30 Successor to former airport authority.31 The Randolph County Airport Authority shall be the successor in interest to the Lower32 Chattahoochee Regional Airport Authority created by an Act appr oved May 5, 200633 (Ga. L. 2006, p. 4422), as amended, and shall by operation of law acquire and assume all34 H. B. 849 - 2 - 25 LC 62 0047/AP assets, interest, obligations, debts, and liabilities of the Lo wer Chattahoochee Regional35 Airport Authority."36 SECTION 5.37 Said Act is further amended by revising Section 21 as follows:38 "SECTION 21.39 Validation.40 Bonds of the authority shall be confirmed and validated in accordance with the procedure41 of Article 3 of Chapter 82 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, known42 as the 'Revenue Bond Law.' The petition for validation shall also make party defendant to43 such action the State of Georgia or any municipality, county, a uthority, political44 subdivision, or instrumentality of the State of Georgia which h as contracted with the45 authority for the services and facilities of the project for which bonds are to be issued and46 sought to be validated, and the state or such municipality, cou nty, authority, political47 subdivision, or instrumentality shall be required to show cause , if any exists, why such48 contract or contracts and the terms and conditions thereof should not be inquired into by49 the court and the contract or contracts and the terms and conditions thereof should not be50 inquired into by the court and the contract or contracts adjudicated as part of the basis for51 the security for the payment of any such bonds of the authority . The bonds, when52 validated, and the judgment of validation shall be final and conclusive with respect to such53 bonds, and the security for the payment thereof and interest th ereon and against the54 authority issuing the same and the state and any municipality, county, authority, political55 subdivision, or instrumentality, if a party to the validation proceedings, contracting with56 the Randolph County Airport Authority."57 H. B. 849 - 3 - 25 LC 62 0047/AP SECTION 6.58 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.59 H. B. 849 - 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 849 renames the Lower Chattahoochee Regional Airport Authority as the Randolph County Airport Authority and confirms it inherits all of the old authority's assets, debts, and obligations. ### Plain-language summary In 2006 the Georgia General Assembly created the Lower Chattahoochee Regional Airport Authority to operate as a public corporation, and that law was amended in 2010 and 2012. HB849 amends that Act again, this time simply to change the authority's name to the Randolph County Airport Authority. The bill rewrites several sections of the original Act to swap in the new name, including the short title, the section creating the body as a political subdivision of the state, and the definition of 'Authority.' It also spells out that the newly named authority is the legal successor to the old one, automatically taking on all its assets, interests, obligations, debts, and liabilities. A section on bond validation procedures is updated to reference the new name as well. The bill repeals any conflicting laws and does not state a delayed effective date. ### What it does - Renames the Lower Chattahoochee Regional Airport Authority as the Randolph County Airport Authority throughout the governing Act. - Confirms the renamed authority remains a political subdivision and public corporation of the State of Georgia with the power to sue, be sued, and contract. - Declares the Randolph County Airport Authority the legal successor to the old authority, automatically transferring all its assets, debts, and obligations. - Updates the Act's bond validation section (referencing O.C.G.A. Title 36, Chapter 82) to use the new authority name in any future bond validation proceedings. - Repeals any prior laws that conflict with these changes. ### Who it affects The Randolph County Airport Authority itself, local governments and other entities that have contracted with the authority, and anyone involved in future bond financing or legal proceedings involving the authority's airport operations in the region. ### Why it matters Renaming the authority clarifies that it now operates under and for Randolph County rather than a broader regional identity, while ensuring existing contracts, debts, and legal obligations carry over without interruption under the new name. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises the Act's short title to the 'Randolph County Airport Authority Act.' - Section 2 revises Section 3(a) to create the body as the 'Randolph County Airport Authority,' a political subdivision and public corporation with perpetual existence. - Section 3 updates the definition of 'Authority' in Section 4(a)(2) to mean the Randolph County Airport Authority. - Section 4 revises Section 6 to make the Randolph County Airport Authority the legal successor to the Lower Chattahoochee Regional Airport Authority, assuming all its assets and liabilities. - Section 5 revises Section 21's bond validation language to reference the Randolph County Airport Authority in future bond validation lawsuits. - Section 6 repeals any laws in conflict with the Act. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-13) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-05-13 (2025-05-13) - Sponsors: Gerald Greene, Mike Cheokas - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71651 > The history, votes, and amendments (906 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb849.md?full=1