A bill that would make cornbread the ‘official state bread’ of Georgia has once again been filed in the Georgia legislature.
House Bill 14, filed by Republican State Representatives Kasey Carpenter, Steve Tarvin, and Tim Fleming, and Democrat Omari Crawford, seeks to formally designate cornbread as the Official Georgia state bread.
Citing the ‘colorful history and traditions of the State of Georgia’ which the bill says are ‘inextricably associated with the food traditions of corn,’ the legislation cites a number of locations at which corn is grown, ground, and made into cornmeal at historic mills, including Prater’s Mill, Berry College Mill, and Ogeechee River Mill.
If approved, the bill would take effect upon signature by the Governor.
The measure was introduced in 2024 and passed out of the House in a vote of 155-3. State Representatives Greg Kinnard, Jason Ridley, and Mitchell Horner opposed the bill. Twelve other state representatives did not cast a vote in favor or against. The 2024 bill, HB 1048, was sponsored by Reps. Kasey Carpenter, David Huddleston, Mike Cameron, Scott Hilton, Ken Vance, and Ruwa Romman.
The bill died in the Senate after the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism, chaired by Senator Brandon Beach, added unrelated language which would have expanded the size and scope of state government by creating the ‘Georgia State-wide Music Office Act.’
