Criminal Justice

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 17 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to criminal procedure, so as to provide for pretrial proceedings in capital offense cases where the death penalty is sought when the accused has intellectual disability; to provide for a definition; to provide for notice of intent to claim intellectual disability; to provide for pretrial determination of intellectual disability; to provide for verdicts; to provide for capital case procedures; to provide for reports investigating reversible error; to provide for a standard of review; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 5 of Title 42 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to correctional institutions of state and counties, so as to prohibit the use of state funds or resources for certain treatments for state inmates; to provide for the adoption of rules and regulations by the Board of Corrections relating to such prohibitions and exceptions; to provide for a definition; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

SR 429 creates a Senate study committee to examine Georgia's felony disenfranchisement laws, which deny voting rights to people with felony convictions even after they've completed prison sentences. The committee, composed of six senators appointed by the Senate President, will study the current constitutional clause, assess its impact on reintegration, and recommend potential reforms by December 1, 2025. It will specifically evaluate whether to allow voting rights restoration for individuals serving community supervision post-incarceration, considering economic, legal, and societal effects. This resolution does not change voting rights directly but sets up a process to review and potentially reform Georgia's approach to felony disenfranchisement.