The Georgia General Assembly has given final approval to tax breaks worth $4.5 million for the Georgia Aquarium’s expansion and $960,000 for an auto history museum in Cartersville.

The Senate voted 45-9 to approve House Bill 793 on Monday, sending it to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature.

The sales tax discount would subsidize the $100 million cost of a new shark gallery, redesigned main entrance and other attractions at the Georgia Aquarium.

The tax incentive would also help fund construction of a $35 million automobile history museum in Cartersville, which is already the site of the Tellus Science Museum and the Booth Western Art Museum.

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Voting stickers are placed and ready to be handed out at Calvary Baptist Church in Austell during the Georgia Public Service Commission’s special election for two of the five seats on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

(Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

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Former AJC reporter Joshua Sharpe has expanded his newspaper article about a man's wrongful conviction into a book, “The Man No One Believed: The Untold Story of the Georgia Church Murders.” (Courtesy of Shannon Byrne)

Credit: Shannon Byrne