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Georgia / State / 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Bill 985 (Act 441), 2026 Rewrote Georgia veterans cemetery eligibility for reserve members and added Hmong and Laotian special guerrilla unit veterans

Catalog reconciledEnactedScope changed

Signed Takes effect

Expands and restricts Opens state veterans cemeteries to reserve members and Hmong and Laotian veterans, but adds the federal criminal-offense bars.

Revised Code section 38-4-70 from July 1, 2026: reserve component eligibility by reference to the federal Burial Equity for Guards and Reserves Act of 2021, a route for a Hmong or Laotian special guerrilla unit veteran of 1961 to 1975 who was a Georgia resident at death, on affidavits and naturalization records, a Veterans Service Board discretion for substantial compliance, and the 38 U.S.C. 2411 criminal-offense bars. The department keeps authority to charge a per-person burial fee. Signed May 11, 2026.

Progress

Path to law: Bill in a two-chamber legislature

  1. Introduced Done, House
  2. In committee Done, House Defense and Veterans Affairs, then Senate Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security
  3. Passed one chamber Done, House
  4. Passed both chambers Done, Senate
  5. Signed by the governor Done,
  6. In effect Done,

Sponsors

  • Josh BonnerSponsor, Republican, House, District 73
  • Bill HitchensCo-sponsor, Republican, House, District 161
  • Bill WerkheiserCo-sponsor, Republican, House, District 157
  • Danny MathisCo-sponsor, Republican, House, District 133
  • Sandy DonatucciCo-sponsor, Republican, House, District 105
  • Brian PrinceCo-sponsor, Democratic, House, District 132
  • Rick WilliamsCo-sponsor, Republican, Senate, District 25

What it touches

  • O.C.G.A. § 38-4-70

Catalog entry

Official record

Read House Bill 985 (Act 441), 2026 on the jurisdiction's own record