§ 50-17-25 — Incurring public debt by resolution; sale of evidences of indebtedness; form of obligations; validation of bonds; civil claims and actions

(a) Authority. The state, through action of the commission, is authorized to incur public debt as hereinafter provided. (b) Resolutions. (1) (A) All actions of the commission shall be taken by resolution. Each resolution adopted in connection with authorizing public debt shall be reduced to writing; and the executive secretary shall maintain a full and correct record of each step or proceeding had or taken in the course of authorizing and contracting public debt. Each authorizing resolution shall state each purpose of the debt it authorizes, which statement need not be more specific but shall not be more general than those purposes in or pursuant to law and the maximum principal amount authorized for each purpose. Public debt may be contracted and evidences of indebtedness issued therefor pursuant to one or more authorizing resolutions, unless otherwise provided in the resolution at any time and from time to time for any combination of purposes, in any specific amounts, at any rates of interest, for any term, payable at any intervals, at any place, in any manner, and having any other terms or conditions deemed by the commission to be necessary or useful. Unless debt is sooner incurred or unless a shorter period is provided in such resolution, every authorizing resolution shall expire one year after the date of its adoption if the debt authorized by such resolution has not been issued in whole or in part. (B) In the event it is determined by the commission that it is to the best interest of the state to fund or refund any such public debt or obligation, the same may be accomplished by resolution of the commission without any action on the part of the General Assembly. Any appropriation made or required to be made with respect to the debt being funded or refunded shall immediately attach and inure to the benefit of the obligations to be issued in connection with such funding or refunding, to the same extent and with the same effect as though the obligation to be issued had originally been authorized by action of the General Assembly, provided that the debt incurred in connection with any such funding or refunding shall be the same as that originally authorized by the General Assembly (except that general obligation debt may be incurred to fund or refund obligations issued upon the security of contracts to which the provisions of the second paragraph of Article IX, Section VI, Paragraph I(a) of the Constitution of Georgia of 1976 are applicable and the continuing appropriation required to be made under such provisions of the Constitution shall immediately attach and inure to the benefit of the obligation to be issued in connection with such funding and refunding with the same force and effect as though the obligation so funded or refunded had originally been issued as a general obligation debt authorized hereunder); and provided, further, that the term of the funding or refunding issue shall not extend beyond the term of the original debt or obligation, and the total interest on the funding or refunding issue shall not exceed the total interest to be paid on the original debt or obligation. The principal amount of any debt issued in connection with such funding or refunding may exceed the principal amount being funded or refunded to the extent necessary to provide for the payment of any premium thereby incurred. (2) An authorizing resolution may authorize the negotiation of a loan or loan agreement of any type, upon any terms, with any bank authorized to transact business in this state or with any agency of the United States government. (3) An authorizing resolution may authorize the issuance and sale of notes or it may authorize the issuance and sale of bonds at public or private sale in such manner and for such price as the commission may determine to be for the best interests of the state. (c) Notice and sale. The commission may adopt resolutions providing for the sale of evidences of indebtedness, which resolutions may provide the manner and methods of making the sale, acceptance of bids, delivery dates, and such other actions deemed necessary by the commission in the sale and delivery of the evidences of indebtedness. (d) Form of obligations. (1) Every loan agreement and every evidence of indebtedness under a loan agreement shall be executed in the name of and for the state by the chairman and secretary of the commission. Every other evidence of indebtedness, except those issued in connection with the incurring of guaranteed revenue debt, shall be executed in the name of the state by the chairman and secretary of the commission and shall be sealed with the official seal of the commission or a facsimile thereof. Coupons shall be executed by the chairman of the commission. The facsimile signature of either the chairman or the secretary, or both, may be imprinted in lieu of the manual signature if the commission so directs, and the facsimile of the chairman's signature shall be used on coupons; provided, however, that the executive secretary may sign as secretary if the commission so directs. Evidence of indebtedness and interest coupons appurtenant thereto bearing the manual or facsimile signature of a person in office at the time such signature was signed or imprinted shall be fully valid notwithstanding the fact that before or after the delivery thereof such person ceased to hold such office. (2) Each bond representing guaranteed revenue debt shall have stamped or printed thereon a certificate reading as follows: "I hereby certify that the State of Georgia guarantees full payment of this obligation and the interest hereon in accordance with its terms and has pledged the full faith, credit, and taxing power of the state to such payment." Immediately below the certificate shall appear the facsimile signature of the secretary of the commission. (3) Debt to be incurred at the same time for more than one purpose may be combined in one issue without stating the purposes separately, but the proceeds thereof must be allocated, disbursed, and used solely in accordance with the original purposes and without exceeding the principal amount authorized for each purpose set forth in the authorization of the General Assembly and to the extent not so used shall be used to purchase and retire public debt. (4) Every evidence of indebtedness shall be dated not later than the date the same was issued; shall contain a reference by date of the appropriate authorizing resolution pursuant to which the same was issued; and may, but need not, state the purpose for which the debt is being incurred. When debt is being incurred at the same time for more than one purpose, the statement "for various purposes" shall be authorized. (5) Bonds issued as evidence of general obligation debt or guaranteed revenue debt shall have a certificate of validation bearing the facsimile signature of the clerk of the Superior Court of Fulton County, stating the date on which the bonds were validated as hereinafter provided, and such entry shall be original evidence of the fact of judgment and shall be received as original evidence in any court in this state. The bonds may be sealed with the official seal of the Superior Court of Fulton County or a facsimile thereof. (6) The commission is authorized to use a standardized registered bond certificate. Such bond certificate may bear the facsimile signatures of the chairman and secretary of the commission and a manual authorizing signature of the registrar or transfer agent or an agent of the registrar or transfer agent. (e) Validation of bonds. Bonds issued to evidence guaranteed revenue debt shall be validated in the Superior Court of Fulton County as provided in the Act creating the instrumentality issuing guaranteed revenue debt. Bonds issued to evidence general obligation debt shall be validated in the Superior Court of Fulton County as provided herein, notwithstanding any provisions of Article 3 of Chapter 82 of Title 36, the "Revenue Bond Law," to the contrary. (1) Notice to district attorney. The commission shall give notice to the Fulton County district attorney of its intention to incur general obligation debt, setting forth the principal amount of issue, the terms of the debt, the purpose, either in general or specific terms, and other terms of the debt to be incurred; provided, however, that the notice, in the discretion of the commission, in lieu of specifying the rate or rates of interest which the bonds are to bear, may state that the bonds when issued will bear interest at a rate not exceeding a maximum per annum rate of interest specified in the notice or that in the event the bonds are to bear different rates of interest for different maturity dates that none of such rates will exceed the maximum rate specified in the notice. The notice, signed by the chairman, vice-chairman, or secretary shall be served to the district attorney. (2) District attorney to file action. Within 20 days from the date of service of the notice provided for in paragraph (1) of this subsection, the district attorney shall prepare and file in the office of the clerk of the Superior Court of Fulton County a complaint directed to the superior court, in the name of the state and against the commission, setting forth service of the notice, the amount of the bonds to be issued, for what purpose or purposes to be issued, what interest rate or rates they are to bear, or the maximum rate or rates of interest, how much principal and interest is to be paid annually, and when the bonds are to be paid in full; and shall obtain from the judge of the court an order requiring the commission, by its proper officers, to appear at such time and place within 20 days from the filing of the complaint, as the judge may direct, and show cause, if any exists, why the bonds should not be confirmed and validated, which complaint and order shall be served upon the commission in the manner provided by law; and to such complaint the commission shall make sworn answer within the time prescribed in this paragraph. (3) Notice of hearing. Prior to the hearing of the case, the clerk of the Superior Court of Fulton County shall publish in a newspaper, once during each of the two successive weeks immediately preceding the week in which the hearing is to be held, a notice to the public that on the day specified in the order providing for the hearing of the case the same will be heard. Such newspaper shall be the official organ of the county in which the sheriff's advertisements appear. (4) Trial of case; parties; judgment; appeal. Within the time prescribed in the order, or such further time as he may fix, the judge of the superior court shall proceed to hear and determine all questions of law and of fact in the case and shall render judgment thereon. Any citizen of this state may become a party to the proceedings at or before the time set for the hearing; and any party thereto dissatisfied with the judgment of the court confirming and validating issuance of the bonds, or refusing to confirm and validate the issuance of the bonds, may appeal from the judgment under the procedure provided by law in cases of injunction. Only a party to the proceedings at the time the judgment appealed from is rendered may appeal from such judgment. In the event no appeal is filed within the time prescribed by law or, if filed, the judgment is affirmed on appeal, the judgment of the superior court, so confirming and validating the issuance of the bonds and the security therefor, shall forever be conclusive upon the validity of the bonds. (5) Costs. The commission shall reimburse the district attorney for his actual costs of the case, if any. The fees payable to the clerk of the Superior Court of Fulton County for validation and confirmation shall be for each $5,000.00 bond as follows: First 100 bonds ............................... $ 1.00 Bonds 101 through 500 ............................... 0.25 All bonds over 500 ............................... 0.10 (f) Civil claims and actions. (1) Any other provisions of law to the contrary notwithstanding, this article shall govern all civil claims, proceedings, and actions respecting public debt. (2) If the state fails to pay any public debt in accordance with its terms, an action to compel such payment may be commenced against the state by delivering a copy of the summons and the complaint to the Attorney General of the state. The place of trial of any such action shall be the Superior Court of Fulton County. If there is final judgment against the state in the action, it shall be paid as provided in Code Section 50-17-23 , together with interest thereon at the rate of 7 percent per annum from the date such payment was judged to have been due until the date of payment of the judgment.