Governor Nathan Deal’s proposed state budget eliminates funding for the Georgia Civil War Commission. The cuts come despite a surge in interest in the war.

Tourists worldwide are taking notice of this year’s 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, which had major Georgia events.

But on July 1st, the Georgia Civil War Commission’s budget could be zeroed out.
After years of cuts, the Commission has been getting by on a shoe-string budget of $10,000.

Chairman John Culpepper says that’s doled out into grants that are important for small towns hoping to draw tourists but whose sites aren’t covered by national or state parks:

“These smaller communities who have good Civil War assets, who have good stories pertaining to the Civil War, have not had the luxury of the state signage and so on and so forth.”

Civil War tourism brings in tens of millions of dollars at year to Georgia. Georgia’s budget is about a billion dollars short, and Governor Deal has called for a 3 percent cut to many state agencies.

Tags: Nathan Deal, Georgia Civil War Commission, Georgias Budget