Committee agrees to transfer Center for Rural Prosperity to Department of Agriculture

Representative Dickey, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, told the panel he was introducing House Bill 495 (LC44307S) to move the Center for Rural Prosperity from the University System of Georgia to the Department of Agriculture. "Transfer from University System of Georgia, to the Department of Ag," Dickey said, adding the center has three employees and a dedicated budget line that would move with it.

The bill would not change the center's board structure or most of its operations, Dickey said. He described the center as a small program that has supported rural counties with research, grant administration and community economic work since its creation in 2018.

Committee members asked whether the center would remain physically located in Tifton and how the funding would fit into the FY2026 budget. Dickey said the center has been renting space in Tifton and in a north Georgia technical-school location, and that the center’s director would be chosen by the rural development council board, with the agriculture commissioner recommending the director. He also told the committee that the House budget that had been transmitted to the chamber "does anticipate this move" and that additional funding had been included.

Senators on the panel praised the center’s work and expressed support for maintaining the existing funding level. Senator Watson moved that the committee report the bill favorably and Senator Anderson seconded. The committee voted in favor; the chair announced the bill "passes unanimously."