HB1357: HB1357 Bulloch County Public Facilities Authority; revenue bonding authority; revise provisions

The Bulloch County Public Facilities Authority was created by a 2020 state law to build and finance public facilities in the county. House Bill 1357 amends that 2020 law by revising two definitions in Section 3, clarifying what counts as a 'project' the authority can finance and confirming that 'revenue bonds' means bonds issued under the authority's own founding act. The bill also rewrites Section 5, the core rule governing the authority's power to issue revenue bonds. Under the revised language, the authority can issue bonds to pay for project costs or to refund earlier bonds, but it cannot use these bonds to finance projects for the Bulloch County School District or any other city or political subdivision within the county besides Bulloch County itself. Bond payments must come solely from pledged revenues and properties, and no bond issued under this law can have a maturity longer than 40 years. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Revises the definition of 'project' to mean self-liquidating buildings, facilities, and equipment needed for county government operations plus anything allowed as an 'undertaking' under Georgia's Revenue Bond Law.
• Revises the definition of 'revenue bonds' to mean bonds authorized specifically under the authority's founding 2020 act.
• Bars the authority from issuing revenue bonds to finance projects for the Bulloch County School District or any other city or political subdivision in the county other than Bulloch County itself.
• Caps the maturity of any revenue bonds issued by the authority at 40 years.
• Confirms that bond principal and interest must be paid only from revenues and properties pledged to those specific bonds, not from other county funds.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with these revised provisions.

The Bulloch County Public Facilities Authority, Bulloch County government, the Bulloch County School District, and any municipalities or other political subdivisions within Bulloch County that might have sought project financing through the authority's bonds.

By narrowing who can benefit from the authority's bonds to Bulloch County itself, the bill limits the school district and other local governments from using this particular financing tool, while the 40-year maturity cap and updated definitions clarify the scope and terms of future county-financed projects.

• Section 1 revises the definitions of 'project' and 'revenue bonds' in the authority's 2020 founding act, clarifying what facilities and bond types the law covers.
• Section 2 rewrites Section 5 of the founding act to restrict revenue bond financing to Bulloch County projects only, excluding the school district and other local political subdivisions.
• Section 2 also sets a 40-year maximum maturity for any revenue bonds issued by the authority.
• Section 3 repeals any laws in conflict with the amended provisions.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 560
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-06Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-06Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-03-03Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-26House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Lehman Franklin (R, HD-160)Primary sponsor
• Jon Burns (R, HD-159)
• Butch Parrish (R, HD-158)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 26, 2026

   158 yea, 0 nay (16 not voting, 3 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #569

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2026

   49 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #639

• Bulloch County government
• local government finance
• revenue bonds
• public facilities authority