--- title: HR 132. Joint Georgia-North Carolina and Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission; create collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr132 cite_as: HR 132, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr132 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr132.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr132/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69784 date: 2025-04-04 status: introduced 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/hr131.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr133.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 235 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr132.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 132 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-03 last_action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted sponsors: - Martin Momtahan - Mitchell Horner - Jason Ridley - Mike Cameron - Johnny Chastain text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR132/2025 upstream_id: 1952924 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - state boundary dispute - Georgia-Tennessee border - Georgia-North Carolina border - legislative commissions --- # HR 132. Joint Georgia-North Carolina and Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission; create ## Text 25 LC 28 0659 House Resolution 132 By: Representatives Momtahan of the 17th, Horner of the 3rd, Ridley of the 6th, Cameron of the 1st, and Chastain of the 7th A RESOLUTION Creating the Joint Georgia-North Carolina and Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line1 Commission; and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, the northern border of the State of Georgia and the southern border of the States3 of North Carolina and Tennessee lie at the thirty-fifth paralle l, north of the southernmost4 bank of the Tennessee River; and5 WHEREAS, a flawed survey conducted in 1818 and never accepted by the State of Georgia6 erroneously marks the thirty-fifth parallel south of its actual location; and7 WHEREAS, over a long period of years, from time to time, the legislatures of these states8 have undertaken to authorize the appointment of committees to meet and to resolve the issues9 associated with the wrongly surveyed and erroneously marked border; and10 WHEREAS, by an Act of the General Assembly of North Carolina, approved in 1881 (N.C.11 Gen. Stat. 141-1 to 6 (1964)), the General Assembly of North Ca rolina authorized the12 Governor of North Carolina to appoint commissioners and a surveyor from North Carolina13 to act with the commissioners and surveyors appointed or to be appointed by any of the states14 H. R. 132 - 1 - 25 LC 28 0659 contiguous to North Carolina to resurvey and mark the boundary lines between these states;15 and16 WHEREAS, no official record of any such commissioners and surveyors as provided for in17 said Act exists; and18 WHEREAS, by an Act of the General Assembly of Georgia, approved October 15, 188719 (Ga. L. 1886-87, p. 105), the General Assembly of Georgia direc ted the Governor to20 communicate with the Governor of Tennessee for the purpose of having a joint survey and21 settlement of the disputed boundary question and authorized the appointment of a committee22 to meet with an assembly committee representing the State of Te nnessee, whose duty it23 would be to survey, establish, and proclaim the true boundary line; and24 WHEREAS, by an Act approved April 8, 1889, the General Assembly of the State of25 Tennessee enacted a similar authorization; and26 WHEREAS, by a resolution approved March 6, 1941 (Ga. L. 1941, p . 1850), the General27 Assembly directed the Governor of Georgia to communicate with the Governor of Tennessee28 for the purpose of having a joint survey and settlement of the disputed question and further29 resolved that a standing committee of the House of Representatives be created to meet with30 a similar committee of the State of Tennessee to establish, sur vey, and proclaim the true31 boundary line between Georgia and Tennessee; and32 WHEREAS, by a resolution approved March 27, 1947 (Ga. L. 1947, p. 1728), the General33 Assembly appointed a commission to negotiate with the proper au thorities of the State of34 Tennessee and to agree upon and to fix a definite boundary line , and, in the failure of the35 commission to reach a settlement, the General Assembly authoriz ed and directed the36 H. R. 132 - 2 - 25 LC 28 0659 Attorney General of the State of Georgia to institute suit in the federal courts for purposes37 of accurately determining the boundary line between Georgia and Tennessee; and38 WHEREAS, by a resolution approved April 10, 1971 (Ga. L. 1971, p. 791), the General39 Assembly directed the Governor of Georgia to communicate with t he Governors of North40 Carolina and Tennessee for the purpose of having joint surveys and settlements of the41 disputed boundary questions and further resolved that a Georgia -North Carolina and42 Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission be created to meet with similar commissions43 of the legislatures of the States of North Carolina and Tenness ee to establish, survey, and44 proclaim the true boundary lines between Georgia and North Carolina and between Georgia45 and Tennessee, and to take such further or other action or pursue such remedy or remedies46 as the joint Commission of the Georgia General Assembly, by a majority vote, deems proper47 to establish the definite and true boundary lines between Georg ia and North Carolina and48 Georgia and Tennessee; and49 WHEREAS, by suggestion of the United States Court of Appeals fo r the D.C. Circuit, the50 Chairman of the Tennessee Public Service Commission and the Cha irman of the Georgia51 Public Service Commission agreed in 1974 to reserve resolution of the general boundary52 issue until a later date (15 FERC, p. 61240), the resolution of which has never been reached;53 and54 WHEREAS, notwithstanding these authorizations and directions, t he boundary lines have55 never been accurately resurveyed and marked and remain in doubt; and56 WHEREAS, it is in the public interest and welfare that accurate and exact lines between the57 said states be established and proclaimed.58 H. R. 132 - 3 - 25 LC 28 0659 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF59 GEORGIA that the Governor of Georgia is hereby directed to comm unicate with the60 Governors of North Carolina and Tennessee for the purpose of ha ving joint surveys and61 settlements of the disputed boundary questions.62 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that:63 (1) Creation of joint commission. There is created the Georgia-North Carolina and64 Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission.65 (2) Members and officers.66 (A) The commission shall be composed of nine members.67 (B) The Governor shall appoint three citizens of Georgia as me mbers of the68 commission, one of whom the Governor shall designate as chairpe rson of the69 commission;70 (C) The President of the Senate shall appoint three members of the Senate as members71 of the commission.72 (D) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint three members of the73 House of Representatives as members of the commission.74 (3) Powers and duties. The commission shall meet and work with Congress and any75 other interested party to establish, survey, and proclaim the true boundary lines between76 Georgia and North Carolina and between Georgia and Tennessee and to take such further77 or other action or pursue such remedy or remedies as the joint commission of the Georgia78 General Assembly, by a majority vote, deems proper to establish the definite and true79 boundary lines between Georgia and North Carolina and Georgia and Tennessee.80 (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the commission. T he81 commission may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem82 necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform83 its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.84 H. R. 132 - 4 - 25 LC 28 0659 (5) Allowances and funding.85 (A) The legislative members of the commission shall receive the allowances provided86 for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The allowances87 authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the commission88 for more than 15 days unless additional days are authorized. Funds necessary to carry89 out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the Senate90 and the House of Representatives.91 (B) In order to effectively carry out its duties and responsib ilities, such commission92 may employ consultants and contract with persons, firms, or cor porations to provide93 research and other assistance as the commission deems proper and necessary; provided,94 however, that the amount of any funds proposed to be spent for such services shall first95 be approved, in writing, by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President96 of the Senate.97 (6) Report.98 (A) The commission shall issue a report of its findings and work and shall report the99 resolution of any boundary line questions or recommendations. The chairpersons shall100 file a report of the same prior to the date of abolishment spec ified in this resolution,101 subject to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.102 (B) In the event the commission adopts a report that does not include suggestions for103 proposed legislation, the cochairpersons shall file the report, s u b j e c t t o104 subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.105 (C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of106 abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the107 commission. A report so approved shall be signed by the cochai rperson of the108 commission and filed with the Secretary of the Senate and the C lerk of the House of109 Representatives.110 H. R. 132 - 5 - 25 LC 28 0659 (D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Secretary111 of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives copies of the minutes of the112 meetings of the commission in lieu thereof.113 (7) Abolishment. The commission shall stand abolished on December 1, 2026.114 H. R. 132 - 6 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution would create a nine-member Georgia-North Carolina and Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission to resolve a long-disputed border stemming from a flawed 1818 survey. ### Plain-language summary Georgia's northern border with North Carolina and Tennessee has been in dispute for nearly two centuries because an 1818 survey of the 35th parallel, never accepted by Georgia, marked the line too far south. Past Georgia legislatures have repeatedly tried to fix this through commissions and communication with neighboring states, but the lines have never been officially resurveyed and settled. This resolution directs the Governor to contact the Governors of North Carolina and Tennessee about jointly resurveying the disputed boundaries. It also creates a new nine member commission made up of three gubernatorial appointees, three senators, and three House members, chaired by one of the Governor's picks. The commission would meet with Congress and other parties to try to establish the true boundary lines, issue a report of its findings, and would be automatically abolished on December 1, 2026. ### What it does - Creates the Georgia-North Carolina and Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission made up of nine members. - Directs the Governor to communicate with the Governors of North Carolina and Tennessee about jointly resurveying the disputed border lines. - Authorizes the commission to meet with Congress and other interested parties to establish and proclaim the true boundary lines. - Allows the commission to hire consultants and contractors for research, subject to written approval from the House Speaker and Senate President. - Requires the commission to file a report of its findings before it is abolished on December 1, 2026. - Sets the commission's automatic end date as December 1, 2026, unless a report or meeting minutes are filed by then. ### Who it affects This mainly affects state government: the Governor of Georgia, the Georgia General Assembly (specifically three senators and three House members appointed to the commission), and by extension the governments of North Carolina and Tennessee, since the resolution addresses a shared state border dispute. ### Why it matters If the boundary is found to be misplaced, it could affect which state has jurisdiction over certain land, residents, and resources along the Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee border. The resolution restarts a resolution process that past Georgia legislatures attempted for over a century without success. ### Key provisions - Paragraph (1) formally creates the Georgia-North Carolina and Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission. - Paragraph (2) sets commission membership at nine: three named by the Governor (one as chairperson), three senators named by the Senate President, and three House members named by the Speaker. - Paragraph (3) empowers the commission to work with Congress and other parties to survey and establish the true boundary lines. - Paragraph (5) sets legislative members' pay under O.C.G.A. ยง 28-1-8, caps paid allowances at 15 days unless extended, and funds the commission from existing Senate and House appropriations. - Paragraph (6) requires the commission to file a findings report, or meeting minutes if no report is approved, with the Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House. - Paragraph (7) abolishes the commission on December 1, 2026. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-03) - Last action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Martin Momtahan, Mitchell Horner, Jason Ridley, Mike Cameron, Johnny Chastain - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69784 > The history, votes, and amendments (235 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr132.md?full=1