HB 955: Holidays and observances; April of each year as Georgia Native Plant Month; designate

This bill makes two changes to Georgia law. First, it adds a new section to the state's holidays and observances law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 4 of Title 1) naming April of each year 'Georgia Native Plant Month.' Second, it amends the state symbols law (O.C.G.A. § 50-3-53) to swap out the Cherokee rose, Georgia's current state flower, in favor of the sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) as the new official state floral emblem. The bill is given a short title, the 'Caroline Romberg Silcox Act.' It does not create any new funding, penalties, or enforcement mechanisms; it simply changes what the state officially designates and recognizes. Like most bills, it also repeals any existing laws that conflict with these changes.

• Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 1-4-28) declaring April of each year as 'Georgia Native Plant Month.'
• Changes Georgia's official state flower from the Cherokee rose to the sweetbay magnolia by amending O.C.G.A. § 50-3-53.
• Gives the bill a short title, the 'Caroline Romberg Silcox Act.'
• Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with these new designations.

This bill mainly affects the state's official symbols and calendar of observances, so its direct impact falls on state government recordkeeping rather than any regulated industry. Georgians interested in native plants, gardening groups, schools, and anyone who references the state's official symbols would see the change.

The bill does not regulate behavior or spend money; it changes what Georgia officially celebrates and recognizes as its state flower. The practical effect is largely symbolic and educational, potentially shaping how the state promotes native plant awareness and how textbooks or official materials describe the state flower.

• Section 1 titles the bill the 'Caroline Romberg Silcox Act.'
• Section 2 adds new Code Section 1-4-28 designating April as 'Georgia Native Plant Month' in Georgia.
• Section 3 revises Code Section 50-3-53 to remove the Cherokee rose and adopt the sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) as the state floral emblem.
• Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard closing provision.

1. 2026-02-25House Committee Favorably Reported (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2026-01-15House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2026-01-14House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2026-01-13House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Deborah Silcox (R, HD-053)Patrocinador principal
• Jan Jones (R, HD-047)
• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)
• Stacey Evans (D, HD-057)
• Sandy Donatucci (R, HD-105)
• Houston Gaines (R, HD-120)

• state symbols
• native plants
• Georgia holidays and observances
• state flower