--- title: HR 1949. House Study Committee on Gamecock Fighting in Georgia; create collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1949 cite_as: HR 1949, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1949 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1949.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1949/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74512 date: 2026-04-02 status: introduced 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/hr1948.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1950.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 132 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1949.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1949 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-27 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Joseph Gullett text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1949/2025 upstream_id: 2139165 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - animal cruelty - gamecock fighting - criminal penalties - legislative study committee --- # HR 1949. House Study Committee on Gamecock Fighting in Georgia; create ## Text House Resolution 1949 By: Representative Gullett of the 19th A RESOLUTION Creating the House Study Committee on Gamecock Fighting in Georgia; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, a gamecock is a domesticated fowl bred, reared, or trained for the purposes of fighting with other fowl; and WHEREAS, gamecock fighting is a blood sport that often involves the use of metal blades attached to the gamecocks' legs and frequently results in the death of one or more fowl; and WHEREAS, gamecock fight organizers have been known to receive more than $100,000.00 from gamecock fighting derbies, and such derbies are frequently associated with gambling, drugs, violence, and criminal gang activity; and WHEREAS, gamecock fighting is illegal under federal law, and Georgia is the only state in which gamecock fighting is not a felony offense under state law; and WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of the General Assembly to ensure that state and federal laws prohibiting cruelty to animals are enforced; and WHEREAS, further examination of potential criminal penalties and avenues for deterrence related to gamecock fighting would assist the General Assembly in developing sound policy recommendations. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: (1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee on Gamecock Fighting in Georgia. (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the House of Representatives. Three of such members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Two of such members shall be appointed by the House Minority Leader. The Speaker shall designate a member of the committee as chairperson of the committee. (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs, issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate. (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution. (5) Allowances and funding. (A) The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. (B) The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the House of Representatives. (6) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2026. ## 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 five-member study committee to examine gamecock fighting in the state and recommend whether to toughen criminal penalties for it. ### Plain-language summary Gamecock fighting, in which roosters bred for aggression are pitted against each other, is currently illegal under federal law, and the resolution notes Georgia is the only state where it is not a felony under state law. This resolution does not change any criminal penalties itself. Instead it creates the House Study Committee on Gamecock Fighting in Georgia to look into the issue. The committee would have five House members, three appointed by the Speaker and two by the House Minority Leader, with the Speaker naming the chairperson. It would study the problems described in the resolution, including gambling, drug activity, and violence associated with gamecock fighting derbies, and recommend legislation. Members would receive standard legislative allowances for up to five days of meetings, funded through the House's existing budget. The committee would automatically dissolve on December 1, 2026. ### What it does - Creates the House Study Committee on Gamecock Fighting in Georgia to examine the issue and recommend legislation. - Sets the committee's membership at five House members, three chosen by the Speaker and two by the House Minority Leader. - Directs the committee to study criminal penalties, gambling, and other problems linked to gamecock fighting derbies. - Authorizes standard legislative per diem and travel allowances (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) for up to five meeting days, paid from House funds. - Automatically abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026. ### Who it affects Members of the Georgia House of Representatives appointed to the committee, and more broadly anyone involved in or affected by gamecock fighting, including breeders, organizers, and law enforcement agencies that currently handle it as a lesser offense under Georgia law. ### Why it matters The resolution itself changes no laws or penalties, but it sets up a formal process for lawmakers to gather information and could lead to a future bill making gamecock fighting a felony in Georgia, closing what the resolution describes as a gap compared to other states. ### Key provisions - Paragraph 1 creates the House Study Committee on Gamecock Fighting in Georgia. - Paragraph 2 sets committee membership at five House members and specifies appointment by the Speaker (three) and Minority Leader (two), with the Speaker naming the chairperson. - Paragraph 3 charges the committee with studying gamecock fighting issues and recommending action or legislation. - Paragraph 5 authorizes legislative allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at five paid days unless extended, funded through House appropriations. - Paragraph 6 abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-03-27) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-04-02) - Sponsors: Joseph Gullett - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74512 > The history, votes, and amendments (132 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1949.md?full=1