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House · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session

HR 1445: Georgia Building Authority team; continued historical preservation of the Georgia State Capitol; urge

Last action March 31, 2026 · House Passed/Adopted

A Georgia House resolution commends the Georgia Building Authority and its restoration team for renovating the State Capitol and discovering original Andrew Carnegie steel in its structure, and urges continued preservation of the building.

Read the full resolution text

These buttons carry the resolution's own text, not the summaries below. Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the text as filed, then the summaries under a heading that names them as ours. View raw is the text alone.

The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.

In plain language

This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives, not a change to any law. It recognizes the recent renovation of the Georgia State Capitol, completed in 1889, and highlights the discovery of original Andrew Carnegie structural steel found throughout the building during that work. The resolution states this makes the Capitol one of only two capitol buildings in continuous use in the United States known to contain Carnegie steel. The resolution formally urges continued historical preservation of the Capitol and thanks named individuals and firms involved in the restoration, including Georgia Building Authority leaders and members of the construction and design teams. It directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to several of the people named, as a formal record of appreciation.

What the bill does

  • Urges the continued historical preservation of the Georgia State Capitol building.
  • Commends the Georgia Building Authority team for the Capitol restoration and for discovering original Andrew Carnegie structural steel in the building.
  • Formally thanks named individuals and companies involved in the renovation, including Georgia Building Authority leaders, contractors, and designers.
  • Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to send copies of the resolution to specific named individuals and the Georgia Building Authority.

Who it affects

The resolution directly names the Georgia Building Authority and individuals involved in the Capitol restoration, including Marty Smith, Gerald Pilgrim, David Goodhead, and staff from SG Contracting, Balfour-Beatty, Garbutt Construction, and Nelson. It has no legal effect on the public.

Why it matters

The resolution carries no legal or funding effect; it does not create requirements, spend money, or change Georgia law. Its practical significance is symbolic, recording the House's formal recognition of the Capitol restoration and the individuals who carried it out.

Key provisions

  • The whereas clauses describe the Capitol's 1884-1889 construction and the discovery of Carnegie steel found during the recent renovation.
  • The first resolving clause urges continued preservation of the Capitol and commends the Georgia Building Authority team for the restoration and the Carnegie steel discovery.
  • The second resolving clause extends the House's gratitude to all Georgia Building Authority team members who contributed to the project.
  • The final resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to Gerald Pilgrim, David Goodhead, and the Georgia Building Authority.

From the bill

“this discovery establishes the Georgia State Capitol as one of the two oldest capitol buildings still in continuous operation in the United States of America to feature Carnegie steel construction”

States the historical claim about the Capitol's Carnegie steel that motivates the resolution.

“the members of this body urge the continued historical preservation of the Georgia State Capitol”

The resolution's main operative statement urging preservation of the building.

Discussed in meetings (7)

The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.

  1. House Special Rules Committee, March 2, 2026

    From 0:22:16 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HR 1445 urges continued historical preservation of the State Capitol and recognizes the Georgia Building Authority's restoration work. The sponsor described finding Carnegie-stamped steel beams above the Senate chamber during air-conditioning work and said Georgia and Texas had two of the oldest operating state capitols using Carnegie steel. Asked whether other artifacts had been found, the sponsor deferred to the Georgia Building Authority and said restoration remained ongoing. A committee member asked whether the resolution would require careful investigation and preservation of discoveries. The sponsor clarified that it urges preservation but does not impose a requirement. The committee approved the resolution by voice vote; no numerical tally was stated.

  2. House Rules Committee, March 4, 2026

    From 1:08:55 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HR 1445 would urge continued preservation of the State Capitol and recognize the Georgia Building Authority's work and a historical discovery during renovation. The discovery was not described. No questions or decision followed.

  3. House Rules Committee, March 31, 2026

    From 1:31:51 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HR 1445 on the day's floor calendar under the announced modified structure, with no opposition stated. There was no substantive presentation or debate.

  4. House floor session, March 31, 2026 (legislative day 39, part 1)

    From 1:05:07 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 3840

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented HR 1445 to support continued Capitol preservation and recognize the Georgia Building Authority and contractors involved in restoration. The sponsor described finding original structural steel stamped with the Carnegie name above the ceilings during renovation work. The sponsor said Georgia and Texas have the only two operating capitols of their age with Carnegie steel, and described the discovery as evidence of cooperation between Georgia and a northern steelmaker after the Civil War. The presiding officer thanked the Building Authority, contractors, and House members for supporting preservation. There were no questions. The House adopted the resolution 170 to 0.

Status timeline

  1. 2026-03-31House Passed/Adopted (House)
  2. 2026-03-31House Third Readers (House)
  3. 2026-03-03House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
  4. 2026-02-26House Second Readers (House)
  5. 2026-02-25House First Readers (House)
  6. 2026-02-24House Hopper (House)

Sponsors

  • Brent Cox (R, HD-28)Primary sponsor
  • Jon Burns (R, HD-159)
  • Matt Hatchett (R, HD-155)
  • Steve Tarvin (R, HD-2)
  • Gerald Greene (R, HD-154)
  • Rick Jasperse (R, HD-11)

Votes

  1. PassedHouse voteMarch 31, 2026

    170 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 3 excused)

    ADOPT: House Vote #792

Topics

  • Georgia State Capitol
  • historic preservation
  • Georgia Building Authority
  • state government buildings

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Answers come from this document. Not legal advice.

Machine-readable https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1445.md · https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md · MCP https://mcp.georgiacommons.org/mcp

HR1445: Georgia Building Authority team; continued historical preservation of the Georgia State Capitol; urge | Georgia Commons