---
title: HB 980. Georgia-Ireland Trade Commission; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb980
cite_as: HB 980, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb980
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb980.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb980/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72240
date: 2026-02-09
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.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb979.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb981.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 464
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb980.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 980
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-06
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Josh Bonner
- Ron Stephens
- Jesse Petrea
- Shea Roberts
- Long Tran
- Trey Kelley
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB980/2025
upstream_id: 2083401
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- international trade
- economic development
- Georgia-Ireland relations
- state commissions
- business exchanges
---
# HB 980. Georgia-Ireland Trade Commission; create
## Text
House Bill 980
By: Representatives Bonner of the 73rd, Stephens of the 164th, Petrea of the 166th, Roberts of
the 52nd, Tran of the 80th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 12 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
commissions and other agencies, so as to create the Georgia-Ireland Trade Commission; to
provide for members and purpose of the commission; to provide for annual reporting; to
create a fund for commission expenses; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting
laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 12 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to commissions
and other agencies, is amended by adding a new article to read as follows:
"ARTICLE 9
50-12-140.
(a) There is established the Georgia-Ireland Trade Commission which is created to
advance bilateral trade and investment between Georgia and Ireland. The trade
commission shall consist of 15 members to be appointed as follows:
(1) Four members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
two of whom must be members of the House of Representatives;
(2) Four members shall be appointed by the President of the Senate, two of whom must
be members of the Senate; and
(3) Seven members shall be appointed by the Governor as follows:
(A) The commissioner of economic development or his or her designee;
(B) The Commissioner of Agriculture or his or her designee;
(C) Two representatives of state institutions of higher education;
(D) Two members representing Irish Americans or Irish American communities in
Georgia; and
(E) One representative of a Georgia business organization or a trade organization.
(b) The members of the commission shall be appointed for terms of four years each and
until their successors are appointed and qualified, except that the seven members appointed
by the Governor shall serve initial terms of two years each, the four members appointed by
the President of the Senate shall serve initial terms of three years each, and the four
members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall serve initial terms
of four years each. Members may be reappointed and shall include:
(1) The commissioner of economic development or his or her designee;
(2) The Commissioner of Agriculture or his or her designee;
(3) One representative of a state institution of higher education;
(4) At least two members representing Irish Americans or Irish American communities
in Georgia; and
(5) One representative of a Georgia business organization or a trade organization.
(c) All appointments shall be made no later than 90 days following the date of enactment
of this article. A vacancy in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same
manner as the original appointment was made.
(d) Members of the commission shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed
for expenses actually incurred in the performance of their duties, within the limit of funds
appropriated to the commission or otherwise made available to such commission for its
purposes.
(e) The commission shall meet and hold hearings at the places and times it designates
throughout the state.
(f) The Governor shall designate a chairperson or cochairpersons from among the
members of the commission, who shall serve in that capacity at the pleasure of the
Governor. The chairperson or cochairpersons, as appropriate, may appoint from among
the commission members subcommittees or subcommittee chairpersons at their discretion.
A majority of the members of the commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction
of the business of the commission.
(g)(1) The purpose of the Georgia-Ireland Trade Commission is to:
(A) Advance bilateral trade and investment between Georgia and Ireland;
(B) Initiate joint action on policy issues of mutual interest to Georgia and Ireland;
(C) Promote business and academic exchanges between Georgia and Ireland;
(D) Encourage mutual economic support between Georgia and Ireland;
(E) Encourage mutual investment in the infrastructure of Georgia and Ireland; and
(F) Address such other issues as determined by the commission.
(2) The commission shall report its findings, results, and recommendations to the
Governor and the General Assembly pursuant to this article within one year of its initial
organizational meeting and by February 1 of each succeeding year for the activities of the
preceding calendar year. The report shall be in writing and include recommendations as
are considered appropriate by the commission to effectuate its purpose, as provided by
this Code section.
(h)(1) The state treasurer shall establish a separate trust fund in the state treasury that
shall be known as the Georgia-Ireland Trade Commission Fund, consisting of annual
appropriations by the General Assembly; public or private grants, gifts, donations, or
contributions; and moneys from any other source, including local, state, or federal
program funds dedicated to the fund.
(2) The state treasurer shall invest the moneys held in the fund in the same manner in
which state funds are invested as authorized by the State Depository Board pursuant to
Article 3 of Chapter 17 of this title. Interest earned by the moneys held in the fund shall
be accounted for separately and shall be credited to the fund to be disbursed as other
moneys in the fund.
(3) Moneys held in the fund shall be expended solely as provided in this article."
SECTION 2.
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.
House Bill 980 would create a new 15-member Georgia-Ireland Trade Commission to promote trade, investment, and cultural ties between Georgia and Ireland, funded through a dedicated state trust fund.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia law does not currently have a body focused specifically on trade relations with Ireland. This bill would add a new article to Georgia's commissions law (O.C.G.A. Title 50, Chapter 12) creating the Georgia-Ireland Trade Commission. The commission would have 15 members appointed by the Speaker of the House, the President of the Senate, and the Governor, including state officials, university representatives, business or trade representatives, and members of Georgia's Irish American community.
The commission's job would be to encourage trade, investment, business and academic exchanges, and infrastructure cooperation between Georgia and Ireland. Members would serve staggered terms without pay, though they could be reimbursed for expenses. The bill also creates a Georgia-Ireland Trade Commission Fund in the state treasury to hold appropriations, grants, and donations for the commission's work, and requires an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly starting within one year of the commission's first meeting.
### What it does
- Creates the 15-member Georgia-Ireland Trade Commission within Georgia law, with members appointed by the Speaker, the Senate President, and the Governor.
- Assigns the commission the purpose of advancing trade, investment, policy cooperation, and academic and business exchanges between Georgia and Ireland.
- Sets staggered four-year terms for members, with different initial term lengths depending on who appointed them, and requires appointments within 90 days of enactment.
- Requires the commission to meet, designate a chairperson, and submit a written annual report to the Governor and General Assembly by February 1 each year.
- Establishes the Georgia-Ireland Trade Commission Fund in the state treasury to hold appropriations, grants, gifts, and other funds for the commission's expenses.
- Provides that commission members serve without pay but may be reimbursed for actual expenses within available funding.
### Who it affects
The bill affects state officials who make appointments, including the Governor, the Speaker of the House, and the Senate President, as well as the commissioners of economic development and agriculture. It also affects Georgia university representatives, business and trade organizations, and members of Georgia's Irish American community who may serve on the commission.
### Why it matters
If enacted, Georgia would gain a formal, state-sanctioned body dedicated to building trade and investment ties with Ireland, giving businesses, universities, and Irish American communities a structured channel to pursue joint economic and academic projects, backed by a dedicated state fund rather than general agency budgets.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code Section 50-12-140 creating the Georgia-Ireland Trade Commission with 15 members: four appointed by the Speaker, four by the Senate President, and seven by the Governor.
- Subsection (a) specifies the Governor's seven appointees include the commissioner of economic development, the Commissioner of Agriculture, two higher education representatives, two Irish American community representatives, and one business or trade representative.
- Subsection (b) sets four-year terms with staggered initial terms: two years for gubernatorial appointees, three years for Senate appointees, and four years for House appointees.
- Subsection (c) requires all initial appointments within 90 days of enactment and fills vacancies the same way as original appointments.
- Subsection (g) lists the commission's purposes, including advancing trade, joint policy action, business and academic exchanges, and infrastructure investment, and requires an annual written report to the Governor and General Assembly by February 1.
- Subsection (h) creates the Georgia-Ireland Trade Commission Fund in the state treasury, funded by appropriations, grants, gifts, and other sources, with interest credited back to the fund.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Engrossed (2026-02-06)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-02-09)
- Sponsors: Josh Bonner, Ron Stephens, Jesse Petrea, Shea Roberts, Long Tran, Trey Kelley
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72240
> The history, votes, and amendments (464 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb980.md?full=1