Georgia CommonsHB1570: HB1570 Cochran/Bleckley Airport Authority; board; revise membership
Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-05-11
A House bill would expand the Cochran/Bleckley Airport Authority board from its current setup to seven members and loosen residency rules for some of them, allowing certain appointees to live outside Bleckley County if they have aviation, business, or finance expertise.
In plain language
The Cochran/Bleckley Airport Authority was created by a 2015 Georgia law. This bill amends that 2015 Act to change how the authority's board is chosen. It sets the board at seven members: three appointed by the City of Cochran, three appointed by Bleckley County, and one more chosen by a majority vote of those six members. The bill also changes the residency rule. Normally board members must live in Bleckley County, but one member from each appointing group, plus the jointly appointed seventh member, can instead live in a county next to Bleckley County if they have specific expertise in aviation, business, or finance. The bill keeps the existing requirement that appointees be at least 21 years old and have no felony convictions. It repeals any conflicting laws.
What the bill does
- Sets the Cochran/Bleckley Airport Authority board at seven members: three named by the City of Cochran, three named by Bleckley County, and one chosen by those six.
- Allows one appointee from each appointing group, and the jointly chosen seventh member, to live in an adjacent county instead of Bleckley County if they have aviation, business, or finance expertise.
- Keeps the rule that all other board members must be Bleckley County residents.
- Retains the existing eligibility rule that a board member must be at least 21 years old and have no felony conviction.
- Repeals any prior laws that conflict with these membership rules.
Who it affects
The change directly affects the City of Cochran and Bleckley County governments, which appoint the airport authority's board members, and the people eligible to serve on that board, including potential appointees from counties adjacent to Bleckley County.
Why it matters
By letting a few board seats go to residents of neighboring counties who have aviation, business, or finance backgrounds, the authority gains a wider pool of qualified candidates for local airport governance, while most seats still stay tied to Bleckley County residency.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends Section 3 of the 2015 Act creating the authority, revising paragraph (1) of subsection (b) to set the board at seven members appointed by the City of Cochran, Bleckley County, and a joint vote of those six.
- Section 1 also adds a residency exception letting one appointee from each group and the seventh member live in an adjacent county if they have aviation, business, or finance expertise.
- Section 1 restates subsection (c), requiring board members to be at least 21 years old and free of felony convictions.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“The authority shall consist of seven members appointed as follows:”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-05-11
- Act 602
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
Show full history (13 actions)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Danny Mathis (R, HD-133)
Votes
- House voteMarch 25, 2026
164 yea, 0 nay (8 not voting, 4 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 31, 2026
45 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 4 absent)
Topics
- local government
- airport authority
- Bleckley County
- board appointments