Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: Introduced Bipartisan · 3 D · 2 R cosponsors

SB 511 — "Georgia River Heritage Act"; enact

Last action — Senate Read and Referred

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  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 12, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Stalled 32% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 5 sponsors

    1 primary, 4 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (3 D · 2 R) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 8 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to water rights, so as to clarify the right of citizens of this state to use nonnavigable streams for passage; to provide for a legislative finding; to provide for a short title; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

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AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

This bill amends 1 section(s) of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated: O.C.G.A. § 44-8-3.

  • O.C.G.A. § 44-8-3

    The legislature has no power to compel or interfere with the owner's lawful use of the stream, for the benefit of those above or below him on the stream, except to restrain nuisances. → hapter 8 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to water rights, is mended by revising Code Section 44-8-3, relating to exclusive possession by owner of onnavigable streams and interference by legislature with lawful use, as follows: "44-8-3. (a) The General Assembly finds that it has no power to compel or interfere with an owner's lawful use of a nonnavigable stream, for the benefit of those above or below the owner on 6 LC 60 0268 the stream, except to restrain nuisances. However, the General Assembly further finds that, by common law, the citizens of this state have an inherent right to use nonnavigable streams solely for the purpose of passage. (b) The owner of a nonnavigable stream is entitled to the same exclusive possession of the stream as he or she has of any other part of his or her land; provided, however, that the citizens of this state shall have the right to use any nonnavigable stream for passage only, and solely by means of a shallow draft motorized recreational vessel, canoe, kayak, raft, or tube that the nonnavgiable stream is of sufficient depth to support naturally. (c) Nothing contained in this Code section shall be construed to permit entry upon privately owned land adjacent to nonnavigable streams.

    amended

Action History

  1. Senate Read and Referred

  2. Senate Hopper

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 4 co-sponsors · 242 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (4)

Not signed on (242)

242 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 511 do?
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 8 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to water rights, so as to clarify the right of citizens of this state to use nonnavigable streams for passage; to provide for a legislative finding; to provide for a short title; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
Who sponsors SB 511?
SB 511 is sponsored by Sonya Halpern (Democrat), Nan Orrock (Democrat), Kim Jackson (Democrat), Chuck Hufstetler (Republican), and Shawn Still (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 511?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 12, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 511?
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Last checked for changes 4 months ago · updated continuously

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