---
title: HB 979. State government; procedures for retrocession of jurisdiction in certain circumstances; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb979
cite_as: HB 979, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb979
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb979.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb979/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72239
date: 2026-03-27
status: engrossed
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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next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb980.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 1428
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb979.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 979
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-03-04
last_action: House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended
sponsors:
  - Josh Bonner
  - Tyler Smith
  - Bethany Ballard
  - Soo Hong
  - Scott Holcomb
  - Chuck Payne
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB979/2025
upstream_id: 2083408
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - military installations
  - state government transparency
  - open records law
  - legislative accountability
  - jurisdiction over federal land
---

# HB 979. State government; procedures for retrocession of jurisdiction in certain circumstances; provide

## Text

SENATE SUBSTITUTE TO HB 979
ADOPTED SENATE
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Code Section 50-2-27 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
retrocession of jurisdiction over lands owned by the United States, so as to provide for
procedures for the retrocession of jurisdiction in certain circumstances; to provide for
applicability; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Code Section 50-2-27 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the retrocession
of jurisdiction over lands owned by the United States, is amended as follows:
"50-2-27.
(a) The consent of this state is given to the retrocession of jurisdiction, either partially or
wholly, by the United States over land owned by the United States within the boundaries
of this state; and the Governor is authorized to accept for the state such retrocession of
jurisdiction.
(b) <del>Retrocession of jurisdiction shall be effected upon written notice by the principal
officer of the agency of the United States having supervision and control over the land to
</del>
<del>the Governor, such notice describing the land by metes and bounds and specifying the
nature of the jurisdiction therein to be retroceded to the state and the entry of acceptance
upon the written notice by the Governor.</del> <ins>The Governor shall not accept a request of
retrocession of jurisdiction unless the written request:
(1) States the name, position, and legal authority of the individual requesting the
retrocession;
(2) Unambiguously states the subject matter for the concurrent jurisdiction request;
(3) Describes by metes and bounds the United States military installation subject to the
concurrent legislative jurisdiction request; and
(4) Indicates whether the request includes future contiguous expansions of land acquired
for military purposes.
(c) If the Governor accepts a request filed under subsection (b) of this Code section:
(1) The Governor's acceptance shall state each element of the request which is accepted;
and
(2) The Governor shall submit the following documents to the appropriate recording
office for indexing and submit copies of the following documents to the person who filed
the request for concurrent legislative jurisdiction:
(A) The request for concurrent legislative jurisdiction;
(B) The Governor's written acceptance of concurrent legislative jurisdiction; and
(C) A description by metes and bounds of the United States military installation subject
to the concurrent legislative jurisdiction.
(d) Upon request by the principal officer of the agency of the United States having
supervision and control over the land, the Governor is authorized to execute appropriate
documents to accomplish the retrocession granted by this Code section.
(e) Upon establishment of concurrent legislative jurisdiction under this Code section, a
state agency, local government, or district may enter a reciprocal agreement with a United
States agency to designate duties related to the concurrent legislative jurisdiction between
</ins>
<ins>the parties. The duties authorized in such reciprocal agreement shall be limited to when
alleged acts have been committed by persons under 17 years of age upon a United States
military installation subject to concurrent jurisdiction."
</ins> SECTION 2.
Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to state government, is amended
by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
<ins>“50-18-79.
(a) If any claim of an unlawful employment practice made against the General Assembly,
the House of Representatives, the Senate, or any member, office, or employee thereof,
including, but not limited to, a claim of sexual harassment, discriminatory harassment,
discrimination, or retaliation, is resolved in whole or in part by a settlement agreement, a
memorandum of agreement or understanding, or other similar document, however
denominated, such agreement shall be subject to public disclosure with the claimant’s
identity redacted. For purposes of this subsection exclusively, the General Assembly shall
be an agency. This subsection shall be applied retroactively.
(b) Except as provided for in subsection (a) of this Code section, nothing in this Code
section shall be construed or applied so as to subject the General Assembly to the
provisions of Code Sections 50-18-70 through 50-18-78 or Chapter 14 of this title.”
</ins> SECTION 3.
This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law
without such approval.
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.

This bill rewrites how Georgia's Governor may accept the federal government's transfer (retrocession) of legal jurisdiction over land on military installations, and separately requires public disclosure of settlement agreements resolving harassment or discrimination claims against the General Assembly.

### Plain-language summary

Current Georgia law lets the Governor accept 'retrocession,' meaning the federal government handing back some or all of its legal jurisdiction over land it owns in Georgia, based on a simple written notice describing the land. This bill replaces that loose process with detailed requirements: the request must name the requesting official and their authority, clearly state what jurisdiction is being requested, describe the military installation by exact boundaries, and say whether future land added to the base is included. If the Governor accepts, the acceptance and related documents must be filed with the local recording office and copies sent back to the requester. The bill also lets a state agency, local government, or district make a reciprocal agreement with a federal agency to divide duties on jointly governed military land, but only for cases involving people under 17.
Separately, the bill adds a new Code section requiring that settlement agreements resolving harassment, discrimination, or retaliation claims against the General Assembly, its chambers, or its members and staff be publicly disclosed with the claimant's name redacted, applied retroactively, while otherwise keeping the General Assembly outside Georgia's open records law (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 through 50-18-78). The law would take effect once the Governor signs it.

### What it does

- Replaces the current simple written-notice process for retroceding federal jurisdiction over land with a detailed request requirement naming the official, describing the land by exact boundaries, and stating the scope of jurisdiction sought.
- Requires the Governor's acceptance of a retrocession request to specify exactly which parts of the request are accepted and to be filed with the local recording office.
- Allows state agencies, local governments, or districts to enter reciprocal agreements with federal agencies over military installations with concurrent jurisdiction, but only for handling cases involving people under 17.
- Creates a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-79) requiring settlement agreements resolving harassment, discrimination, or retaliation claims against the General Assembly to be made public with the claimant's identity redacted, applied retroactively.
- Keeps the General Assembly generally exempt from Georgia's open records law except for this new settlement-disclosure requirement.
- Sets the effective date as the day the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law.

### Who it affects

The Governor's office, federal agencies that control military installations in Georgia, state agencies and local governments near those installations, and people (especially minors) who might be involved in incidents on jointly governed military land. The General Assembly, its members and staff, and people who have filed harassment or discrimination claims against them are also affected by the new disclosure rule.

### Why it matters

Georgians living near military bases could see clearer rules for how state and federal authority over those lands is divided, particularly for incidents involving minors. Separately, settlements resolving harassment or discrimination complaints against state lawmakers or legislative staff would become publicly disclosable, with the claimant's name kept private, changing what has been confidential information.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 50-2-27(b) to require the Governor to reject retrocession requests unless they state the requester's name, position, and authority, describe the land by metes and bounds, and clarify jurisdiction scope.
- Section 1 adds subsection (c) requiring the Governor's acceptance to specify accepted elements and be filed with the recording office and sent to the requester.
- Section 1 adds subsection (e) allowing reciprocal duty-sharing agreements between state and federal agencies over concurrent jurisdiction land, limited to alleged acts by people under 17.
- Section 2 creates O.C.G.A. § 50-18-79, requiring public disclosure (with claimant identity redacted) of settlement agreements resolving harassment, discrimination, or retaliation claims against the General Assembly, applied retroactively.
- Section 2 also states this disclosure duty is the only way the General Assembly is subject to the open records law, otherwise exempting it from O.C.G.A. §§ 50-18-70 through 50-18-78.
- Section 3 sets the effective date as the date of the Governor's approval or the date the bill becomes law without signature.

## Status

- Status: Engrossed (2026-03-04)
- Last action: House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended (2026-03-27)
- Sponsors: Josh Bonner, Tyler Smith, Bethany Ballard, Soo Hong, Scott Holcomb, Chuck Payne
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72239

> The history, votes, and amendments (1,428 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb979.md?full=1