SR560: SR560 Congress; reaffirming the 35th parallel as Georgia's northern border; urge

26 LC 60 0238 Senate Resolution 560 By: Senator Moore of the 53rd A RESOLUTION Reaffirming the 35th parallel as Georgia's northern border and any rights therein, and urging1 Congress, the federal Department of the Interior, and all other relevant federal, state, and2 local authorities to recognize and take all steps reasonably necessary to correct the boundary3 line currently dividing Georgia from Tennessee and North Carolina; and for other purposes.4 WHEREAS, the admission of Tennessee to the Union in 1796 by an act of Congress,5 approved June 1, 1796, 1 Stat. 491, and North Carolina's cession of its western lands to the6 United States in 1790 by an act of Congress, approved April 2, 1790, 1 Stat. 106, stipulated7 the 35th parallel as the boundary between Georgia and what became Tennessee and North8 Carolina; and9 WHEREAS, in Georgia v. South Carolina, 259 U.S. 572 (1922), the United States Supreme10 Court recognized that the 35th parallel served as the historica l and legal boundary of11 Georgia; and12 WHEREAS, the Official Code of Georgia Annotated acknowledges Georgia's boundary lines13 in Code Section 50-2-1, which is consistent with state constitutions, federal statutes, and case14 law that reference the 35th parallel as the northern boundary of Georgia; and15 S. R. 560 - 1 - 26 LC 60 0238 WHEREAS, the impacted area remains under the de facto control of Tennessee and North16 Carolina, despite credible and longstanding legal grounds that recognize it as properly17 belonging to the State of Georgia, as described in a resolution approved May 14, 2008 (200818 Ga. L., p. 1180) and a resolution introduced during the 2023 regular session of the General19 Assembly (H.R. 508); and20 WHEREAS, the federal Department of the Interior, through its oversight of federal land and21 official state boundaries in conjunction with other federal age ncies, possesses the22 administrative authority to update or clarify official boundary maps.23 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body24 urge:25 (1) All citizens of Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, an d all state and federal26 authorities to recognize the historical and reaffirmed legal basis of Georgia's claims; 27 (2) Congress, the federal Department of the Interior, and any other relevant federal28 agencies to take all steps reasonably necessary to correct the official boundary maps in29 order to redesignate the land situated south of the 35th parall el, but north of the30 incorrectly placed state boundary line which currently divides Georgia from Tennessee31 and North Carolina, as land occupied by Georgia; and32 (3) The State of Georgia, all political subdivisions, and the Georgia Department of33 Defense to pursue any additional measures, as may be necessary, to advance this claim34 and protect the sovereign integrity of Georgia's boundaries, as originally established and35 confirmed by federal statutes and the Supreme Court of the United States.36 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed37 to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to each member of the38 Congressional delegation, the federal Department of the Interior, and the public.39 S. R. 560 - 2 -