Criminal Justice

introduced · Georgia · House Feb 19, 2025

HB 441: Georgia Prenatal Equal Protection Act; enact

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 16 of the O.C.G.A., relating to crimes and offenses, so as to provide for a coercion defense to a charge of murder for defendant mothers of unborn children; to provide for construction; to provide for exceptions; to provide for concurrent prosecuting authority of the Attorney General and prosecuting attorneys in certain cases; to provide for applicability; to remove exceptions that allow for assault and battery on an unborn child; to amend Code Section 19-7-1 of the O.C.G.A., relating to in whom parental power lies, how such power lost, and recovery for homicide of a child or unborn child, so as to provide for the right to recovery for the life of a child beginning at the stage of fertilization; to provide for related matters; to provide for legislative findings and determinations; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeRemoves exception for assault on unborn child, expanding criminalization (oppose indicator).90% confidence

Sub-Topics Civil Rights Violent Crime

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died · Georgia · House Mar 6, 2026

HB 285: Law enforcement agencies; judicial procedure for purging a person's involuntary hospitalization information; provide

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Code Section 35-3-34 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to disclosure and dissemination of criminal records to private persons and businesses, resulting responsibility and liability of the Georgia Crime Information Center, and provision of certain information to the FBI in conjunction with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, so as to provide for a judicial procedure for purging a person's involuntary hospitalization information received by the center for the purpose of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System under certain circumstances; to change provisions relating to the retention of a person's involuntary hospitalization information; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill establishes judicial procedure to purge involuntary hospitalization records from criminal background checks, aiding reentry and reducing barriers for individuals with non-criminal mental health history.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Firearms

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died · Georgia · House Feb 18, 2026

HB 675: Crimes and offenses; criminal offenses related to material support of terrorism; provide

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 11 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to offenses against public order and safety, so as to provide for criminal offenses related to material support of terrorism; to provide for penalties; to provide for legislative intent; to provide for the creation of guidelines for law enforcement investigations; to provide for definitions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new criminal offenses for material support of terrorism, expanding criminalization without reform elements or protections.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement

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in committee · Georgia · Senate Feb 3, 2025

SB 66: Crimes; persons convicted of misdemeanor crimes of family violence from receiving, possessing, or transporting a firearm; prohibit

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Titles 16 and 19 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to crimes and offenses and to domestic relations, respectively, so as to prohibit persons convicted of misdemeanor crimes of family violence from receiving, possessing, or transporting a firearm and to prohibit persons subject to family violence protective orders from receiving, possessing, or transporting a firearm; to provide for definitions; to provide an effective date and applicability; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeProhibits firearm access for misdemeanor family violence offenders and protective order subjects, reducing recidivism risk and aligning with criminal justice reform goals.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Domestic Violence Firearms

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introduced · Georgia · House Jan 15, 2025

HB 3: Brady Law Regulations; require universal background checks in all manner of firearm transfers

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Part 5 of Article 4 of Chapter 11 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to Brady Law Regulations, so as to require universal background checks in all manner of firearm transfers; to provide for definitions; to provide for exceptions; to provide for criminal penalties; to provide for applicability; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires universal background checks for all firearm transfers to prevent prohibited individuals from obtaining guns, advancing public safety within criminal justice reform.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Firearms

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introduced · Georgia · House Jan 16, 2025

HB 49: Georgia Anti-Corruption Act; enact

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 1 of Title 45 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions regarding public officers and employees, so as to revise provisions regarding whistleblowers; to broaden the scope of persons who may report information to public employers; to expand the definition of the term "retaliation"; to extend the statute of limitations regarding public employer retaliation; to provide for a misdemeanor offense for violations; to provide for a short title; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill strengthens whistleblower protections for public employees, enhancing law enforcement accountability and combating corruption in criminal justice system, directly supporting reform.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands whistleblower protections for public employees, broadens retaliation definition, and adds misdemeanor penalties for violations, directly strengthening worker rights under Labor & Employment.95% confidence

Track

died · Georgia · House Apr 4, 2025

HR 118: Woolfolk, Mr. Michael; compensate

This resolution compensates Mr. Michael Woolfolk for 18 years of wrongful imprisonment following his exoneration in 2021. It authorizes $1.35 million in total payments - $445,500 upfront plus a 10-year annuity starting in 2026 - to cover his losses from being wrongfully convicted of a murder he did not commit. Georgia lacks a statutory compensation system for exonerated individuals, making this a one-time resolution for Woolfolk, who was the first person exonerated by Fulton County’s Conviction Integrity Unit. The payment is tax-exempt for state income tax purposes.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill authorizes $1.35M state budget allocation for wrongful imprisonment compensation, directly impacting fiscal management through government spending.95% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeCompensates wrongfully convicted individual, addressing systemic gap in exoneree support, aligns with civil rights protection in criminal justice reform.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Income Tax

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introduced · Georgia · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 911: Torts; prohibit individuals from bringing defamation actions against another individual who makes a communication regarding an incident of sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination; provisions

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 5 of Title 51 of the Official Code of Georgia, relating to libel and slander, so as to prohibit individuals from bringing defamation actions against another individual who makes a communication regarding an incident of sexual assault, sexual harassment, or sex discrimination when that individual believed such incident to have occurred; to provide for attorney's fees and costs for a prevailing defendant; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeProtects individuals reporting sexual assault/harassment from defamation lawsuits, encouraging victim disclosure and aligning with criminal justice reform goals of increasing reporting and accountability.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill protects individuals reporting workplace sexual harassment/discrimination from defamation lawsuits, strengthening workers' ability to report misconduct without fear of legal retaliation.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Civil Rights Violent Crime Employment Discrimination

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introduced · Georgia · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 194: Crimes and offenses; justification for use of force in defense of self or others; revise standards

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Article 2 of Chapter 3 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to justification and excuse in defenses to criminal prosecutions, so as to revise standards of justification for use of force in defense of self or others; to provide for a rebuttable presumption; to provide for timing for claims of immunity from prosecution based upon justification; to provide for standards of proof; to amend Code Section 51-11-9 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to no duty to retreat and immunity in certain instances of threat or use of force, so as to extend immunity from civil liability in justified use of force cases to legal representatives and heirs of the person against whom force was used; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRevises self-defense standards to ease justification claims, protecting defendant rights in criminal cases per Georgia's revised defense standards.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Policing

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died · Georgia · House Apr 4, 2025

HR 129: Clark, Mr. Daryl Lee; compensate

This bill, HR 129, is a resolution to compensate Daryl Lee Clark for his wrongful imprisonment. Clark was exonerated in 2022 after over 25 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, based on suppressed evidence, unreliable witness testimony, and police misconduct. The resolution directs Georgia's Department of Administrative Services to pay Clark $1,917,128 - $75,000 per year of wrongful incarceration - with an initial payment of $632,652 and the remainder paid in monthly installments over ten years via an annuity. It addresses Georgia’s lack of a statutory compensation system for exonerees, as Clark was the first to receive such payment under this private resolution.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeCompensates wrongful conviction victim due to police misconduct and suppressed evidence, directly addressing systemic criminal justice failures and enhancing accountability.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Policing

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