HR1747: HR1747 House Study Committee on Restoring Georgia's Salt-Water Ecosystems; create

Coastal Georgia includes about a half million acres of estuaries, 368,000 acres of salt marsh, and over 3,400 miles of tidal shoreline across 11 counties, supporting a significant fishing industry. Recent assessments show some fish stocks in Georgia are both overfished and still experiencing overfishing. This resolution creates the House Study Committee on Restoring Georgia's Salt-Water Ecosystems, made up of seven House members appointed by the Speaker of the House, who also names the chairperson. The committee would study conditions and problems affecting salt-water ecosystems and fish stocks and could recommend legislation. Members would receive standard legislative allowances under Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8), funded through the House's existing budget, generally capped at five days unless more are approved. The committee must stand abolished by December 1, 2026, and any report or recommendations would need committee approval before that date.

• Creates the House Study Committee on Restoring Georgia's Salt-Water Ecosystems, made up of seven House members appointed by the Speaker.
• Directs the committee to study problems affecting Georgia's coastal salt-water ecosystems and fish stocks and recommend action or legislation.
• Lets the chairperson call and schedule meetings as needed to carry out the committee's work.
• Sets member pay and travel allowances under existing Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8), capped at five days unless extended, funded from the House's budget.
• Requires any approved findings or legislative recommendations to be filed as a report with the Clerk of the House before the committee is abolished.
• Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2026.

The resolution directly affects members of the Georgia House of Representatives appointed to the committee. More broadly, it touches Georgia's coastal fishing industry, residents of the state's 11 coastal counties, and anyone with an interest in the health of the state's estuaries, salt marshes, and fish stocks.

If overfished stocks continue to decline, coastal fishing opportunities and the industries that depend on them could be affected. This committee would give House members a formal process to study the problem and propose legislative fixes, though it creates no new rules or protections on its own.

• Paragraph (1) creates the House Study Committee on Restoring Georgia's Salt-Water Ecosystems.
• Paragraph (2) sets committee membership at seven House members appointed by the Speaker, who also designates the chairperson.
• Paragraph (3) charges the committee with studying ecosystem and fish stock problems and recommending action or legislation.
• Paragraph (5) ties member allowances to O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8 and limits paid days to five unless additional days are authorized, funded from House appropriations.
• Paragraph (6) requires committee approval before any report with legislative recommendations can be filed with the Clerk of the House.
• Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.

1. 2026-03-19House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-03-18House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-16House Hopper (House)

• Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)Primary sponsor

• fishing industry
• coastal ecosystems
• fish stocks
• study committee
• salt marshes