HR 132: Joint Georgia-North Carolina and Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission; create

Georgia's northern boundary with North Carolina and Tennessee has been in dispute since an 1818 survey allegedly misplaced the true 35th parallel line, putting Georgia's border south of where it should be. Past Georgia legislatures tried repeatedly since the 1880s to fix this through joint surveys, commissions, and even a threatened lawsuit, but the lines have never been officially resurveyed or resolved. This resolution directs the Governor of Georgia to contact the Governors of North Carolina and Tennessee about a joint survey and settlement. It creates the Georgia-North Carolina and Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission, made up of three gubernatorial appointees, three senators, and three House members. The commission would meet with Congress and other interested parties to try to establish the true boundary lines and pursue any remedy a majority of the commission thinks is proper. It must file a report of its findings before it is automatically abolished on December 1, 2026.

• Directs the Governor of Georgia to communicate with the Governors of North Carolina and Tennessee about jointly surveying and settling the disputed boundary lines.
• Creates a nine-member Georgia-North Carolina and Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission with three gubernatorial appointees and three members each from the House and Senate.
• Authorizes the commission to meet with Congress and other parties to establish, survey, and proclaim the true boundary lines and to pursue any remedy a majority deems proper.
• Allows legislative members to receive standard travel and expense allowances under Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) for up to 15 days unless more are approved.
• Permits the commission to hire consultants and contractors for research, subject to written approval from the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate.
• Requires the commission to file a report of its findings before it is automatically abolished on December 1, 2026.

The Governor of Georgia, who must reach out to neighboring states; state lawmakers and gubernatorial appointees who would serve on the commission; and residents and local governments near the Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee borders whose exact state lines and jurisdiction could eventually be affected.

If the boundary were ever officially resurveyed and moved to its historically claimed location, it could shift which state governs certain land, affecting property records, taxation, and services for people living near the border, though this resolution only creates a commission to study and pursue the issue, not to move the line itself.

• Recites a lengthy history of failed 19th and 20th century attempts by Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee to resurvey the disputed border, including an 1818 survey Georgia never accepted.
• Paragraph (1) creates the Georgia-North Carolina and Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission.
• Paragraph (2) sets the commission's composition: three Governor-appointed citizens, three senators, and three House members, with the Governor naming the chairperson.
• Paragraph (3) gives the commission power to meet with Congress and other parties to establish and proclaim the true boundary lines and pursue remedies by majority vote.
• Paragraph (5) sets legislative member pay under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at 15 allowance days unless extended, funded from existing House and Senate appropriations.
• Paragraph (6) requires a report on findings and any proposed legislation before the commission's abolishment, or meeting minutes if no report is approved.
• Paragraph (7) abolishes the commission on December 1, 2026.

1. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
2. 2025-02-13House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
3. 2025-02-05House Second Readers (House)
4. 2025-02-04House First Readers (House)
5. 2025-02-03House Hopper (House)

• Martin Momtahan (R, HD-17)Primary sponsor
• Mitchell Horner (R, HD-3)
• Jason Ridley (R, HD-6)
• Mike Cameron (R, HD-1)
• Johnny Chastain (R, HD-7)

• state boundary dispute
• Georgia-Tennessee border
• Georgia-North Carolina border
• legislative commissions