ATLANTA — Legislation to provide state funding to ensure the preservation of Georgia’s historic battlefields is on its way to the governor’s desk for approval after passing unanimously in the Georgia Senate.
House Bill 454, the Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund, is heading to Gov. Brian Kemp for a signature.
The bill was named after former University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, who the American Battlefield Trust says moonlighted as a historian.
The former coach held preserving Georgia’s historic battlefields dear to his heart, the organization said.
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The measure was introduced in the Georgia General Assembly by Rep. Houston Gaines of Athens.
“While Coach Dooley is rightfully remembered for his athletic accomplishments, he was a renaissance man with many accomplishments beyond the gridiron,” American Battlefield Trust president David Duncan said. “He was a passionate historian, author and an active member of our Board of Trustees who spent countless hours touring Georgia’s hallowed battlefields and championing their preservation. Sharpening Georgia’s commitment to safeguarding these sites is a wonderful tribute to his memory.”
Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who pushed for support in the Senate, praised the passage and honored the coach, reflecting back on his time in UGA Athletics. While in college, Jones was a co-captain of the 2002 SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs football team.
“Coach Vince Dooley transformed UGA athletics and inspired generations,” Jones said in a statement. “Coach Dooley was a wonderful husband, father, mentor and public servant. He gave back to his community and his legacy continues to inspire others to do the same. It is fitting that we honor his legacy and passion for history with this dedication.”
HB 454 sets up a matching grant program to encourage both federal and private investment in the state’s battlefields. It also requires the Georgia Department of Treasury to prepare an accounting of funds for this purpose and to formally create the Vince Dooley Battlefield Trust Fund.
For organizations to receive grant matches, they must also provide at least $1 for each $1 contributed from the trust fund. Grants must not exceed 50% of the appraised value of the land in question, which would be protected through conservation easements, according to the legislation.
Battlefield sites that qualify for the programs include those listed in the following reports:
- The Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields by the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission (Civil War Sites Advisory Commission/National Parks Service, 1993, as amended)
- The Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States by the American Battlefield Protection Program of the National Park Service (United States Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 2007, as amended).
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