Senate committee advances HR 97, including settlement terms for disputed 4,086-acre marshland

The Georgia Senate Committee on State Institutions and Property on Jan. 1, 2025 voted to pass House Resolution 97 as a substitute, advancing a package of state land conveyances that includes a proposed settlement of a quiet‑title claim covering about 4,086 acres of coastal marshland.

House Resolution 97 packages dozens of conveyances and lease actions — transfers to local governments, exchanges to allow new field offices, and lease extensions for telecommunications sites — and drew focused questions from conservation advocates about one large disputed marsh parcel and the state’s long‑term interest in it.

Frank Smith, a representative of the State Properties Commission, told the committee the settlement negotiated with Glen/Glenn New Hope would transfer title to the private claimants if a mitigation bank is approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, while the State would receive 20% of any mitigation credits generated from an approved bank. Smith said the settlement includes a 10‑year condition tied to credit…