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HB 361 LC 21 5245

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT

1- 1 To amend Article 3 of Chapter 3 of Title 50 of the Official
1- 2 Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to state symbols, so as
1- 3 to designate the Southeastern Railway Museum as the official
1- 4 state transportation history museum; to repeal conflicting
1- 5 laws; and for other purposes.

1- 6 WHEREAS, tourism and commercial recreation constitute an
1- 7 important industry in the economy of Georgia; and

1- 8 WHEREAS, the State of Georgia has recognized the importance
1- 9 of tourism to the economic and cultural well-being of its
1-10 people through the establishment of the Department of
1-11 Industry, Trade, and Tourism; and

1-12 WHEREAS, many groups in the state are working to improve the
1-13 quality of recreational and history related experiences for
1-14 Georgia residents and for out-of-state tourists as well; and

1-15 WHEREAS, enhancement of tourist attractions in Georgia would
1-16 encourage tourists to extend their stay in Georgia and would
1-17 benefit the state; and

1-18 WHEREAS, the Southeastern Railway Museum located in Duluth
1-19 (Gwinnett County), Georgia, has one of the most notable
1-20 collections of transportation equipment in the country,
1-21 including a 1906 City of Atlanta horse-drawn and
1-22 steam-powered fire engine, a Georgia Power streetcar, and a
1-23 Georgia Power “trackless trolley” exemplifying intra-city
1-24 transportation used in all major Georgia cities during the
1-25 1920s and 1930s, the classic diesel locomotive which pulled
1-26 the Southern “Crescent” passenger train in 1979 when the
1-27 “Crescent” — the last named passenger train operated by the
1-28 U. S. railroad companies in the East — was turned over to
1-29 Amtrak service, and the 1911 Pullman private car “Superb”
1-30 used by Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Warren Harding; and

1-31 WHEREAS, the Southeastern Railway Museum’s historic
1-32 collection illustrates the story of the social and economic
1-33 development of Georgia from 1880 to the present; and

-1-

2- 1 WHEREAS, the Southeastern Railway Museum’s collection is to
2- 2 be housed in a $3.3 million complex donated in 1997 by Frank
2- 3 M. Ewing of Chevy Chase, Maryland; and

2- 4 WHEREAS, the Southeastern Railway Museum serves as an
2- 5 educational resource to students through the offering of
2- 6 private tours, provides a valuable research facility to the
2- 7 public and historians through its extensive library, and
2- 8 attracts tourists both nationally and internationally; and

2- 9 WHEREAS, many states have publicly funded transportation
2-10 history museums and designation of the Southeastern Railway
2-11 Museum, which is operated by a private nonprofit
2-12 corporation, as Georgia’s official transportation history
2-13 museum would be of tremendous public benefit at no cost to
2-14 the State of Georgia.

2-15 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

2-16 SECTION 1.

2-17 Article 3 of Chapter 3 of Title 50 of the Official Code of
2-18 Georgia Annotated, relating to state symbols, is amended by
2-19 inserting at the end thereof the following:

2-20 “50-3-77.

2-21 (a) The Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia, is
2-22 designated as the official state transportation history
2-23 museum.

2-24 (b) The Department of Industry, Trade, and Tourism and
2-25 other public agencies and leaders in the tourism industry
2-26 are encouraged to work together to maximize advertising
2-27 programs which permit citizens of other states and nations
2-28 to learn of the Southeastern Railway Museum and to visit
2-29 this state for tourism purposes.”

2-30 SECTION 2.

2-31 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are
2-32 repealed.

House Action Senate
2/1/99 Read 1st Time 2/15/99
2/2/99 Read 2nd Time 2/24/99
2/10/99 Favorably Reported 1/14/00
Recommitted 1/10/00
2/12/99 Read 3rd Time 1/10/00
2/12/99 Passed/Adopted 1/25/00
3/24/00 Sent to Governor
4/27/00 Signed by Governor
687 Act/Veto Number
7/1/00 Effective Date
Version by LC Number
LC 21 5245 As Introduced

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Before you copy and paste this information to your website, please keep in mind this research took a lot of effort. Appreciate it. Learn from it. But do not plagiarize it. Yes, if you think we might be talking to you, we are.