# Georgia SB 567: "Ellaville-Schley County Parks and Recreation Authority Act"; enact Georgia SB 567, "Ellaville-Schley County Parks and Recreation Authority Act"; enact, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Ed Harbison (Democrat); status signed, last action 2026-05-12 (Senate Date Signed by Governor) (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB567-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Georgia SB 567 - State: Georgia - Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session - Title: "Ellaville-Schley County Parks and Recreation Authority Act"; enact - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-02-24 - Last action: 2026-05-12, Senate Date Signed by Governor - Sponsor: Ed Harbison (Democrat) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Intragovernmental Coordination, State and Local Governmental Operations, Local Bill - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 2 (209 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 7 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Public oversight of local parks money: benefit, low. The authority must adopt an itemized budget and capital and operating work plan by December 31, effective January 1. Its fiscal year runs July 1–June 30, and its budget must balance at each fiscal year-end. Annual independent audits must follow national standards and be available for public review.… - Limits on claims against parks authority: mixed, low. The authority has Georgia's protections against negligence and other tort claims. Officers, agents, and employees have their state counterparts' protections while doing authority work. The authority can still be sued over contracts like a private corporation, with cases heard in Schley County Super… - New parks services for Schley County: mixed, low. The law creates the Ellaville-Schley County Parks and Recreation Authority, operating only in Schley County, including Ellaville. It becomes active July 1, 2026, and must start recreation services by January 1, 2027. Initial board appointments are due July 1, 2026: two county appointees, two city a… - Parks assets transfer with existing claims: mixed, low. Upon dissolution, the authority's property transfers only after all debt principal and interest are paid. Applicable deed terms determine who receives the property. Without those terms, property goes to Schley County and Ellaville under any existing intergovernmental agreement. Transfers to the cou… - County and city must fund parks: mixed, low. Schley County and Ellaville must fund the authority through an agreement covering funding and daily operating needs. The law sets no funding amount. The authority can also lend money or extend credit to government bodies for project planning, design, construction, or purchase. It sets reasonable te… - Parks property gets a tax exemption: mixed, low. Covered property acquired by or under the authority's control is exempt from taxes and assessments. The exemption also covers operating and maintaining that property, plus income from fees, rents, and other charges. Sales and use taxes still apply to property bought by or for the authority. Exempti… - Tax-free parks bonds with repayment limits: mixed, low. The authority can issue revenue bonds and other debt to finance projects or refinance obligations under Georgia's revenue bond law. The bonds and their income are exempt from Georgia taxes; the law does not establish a federal tax exemption. Debt is payable only from authority rents, revenues, earn… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Ed Harbison (Democrat), Senate - Cosponsor: Mike Cheokas (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-25 | House | Local Calendar | pass | 164 | 0 | 12 | | 2026-03-03 | Senate | LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR | pass | 45 | 0 | 7 | ## Actions (13) - 2026-05-12: Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate) - 2026-05-12: Act 699 - 2026-05-12: Effective Date - 2026-04-10: Senate Sent to Governor (Senate) - 2026-03-25: House Committee Favorably Reported (House) - 2026-03-25: House Third Readers (House) - 2026-03-25: House Passed/Adopted (House) - 2026-03-06: House Second Readers (House) - 2026-03-04: House First Readers (House) - 2026-03-03: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate) - 2026-03-03: Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate) - 2026-02-25: Senate Read and Referred (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Senate Hopper (Senate) ## Bill text - SB 567/AP* (v6): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/247725) ## Related bills - SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckless stunt driving; replace the forfeiture penalty (signed) - SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation for certain motor vehicles; provide (signed) - SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; establish (signed) - SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact (signed) - HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish (signed) - HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact (signed) ## Sources - [SB 567/AP* (v6) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/247725) ## Related - [SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckles…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB160-2025-2026) - [SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB384-2025-2026) - [SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Servic…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB76-2025-2026) - [SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB406-2025-2026) - [HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1391-2025-2026) - [HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1344-2025-2026) - [Georgia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia/bills) - [Georgia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB567-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-19).