HB 109 was introduced by Heath Clark (R-Warner Robins) on January 26, 2021. The bill extends the statute of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse to pursue civil claims from two to four years after the victim knew or should have know about the abuse. It also grants victims that were previously barred by the statute of limitations an additional window to file a claim when the abuse was committed by an employee or volunteer of an organization or entity and that organization or entity knew that the abuse occurred or concealed an earlier instance of abuse by that employee or volunteer. HB 109 unanimously passed out of the House of Representatives on Crossover Day. The bill crossed over and is assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee. No update from last week.

HB 114 was introduced by Rep. Bert Reeves (R-Marietta) on January 26, 2021. The bill increases the adoption tax credit to $6000 per year for five years following the adoption and continuing at $2000 thereafter until the adopted child turns 18. HB 114 was part of the Governor's adoption package. The bill unanimously passed out of the House of Representatives on Crossover Day. HB 114 passed out of the Senate Finance Committee and the full Senate by unanimous votes. The Governor signed HB 114 into law last Monday.

HB 154 was introduced by Rep. Bert Reeves (R-Marietta) on January 27, 2021. The bill builds on the comprehensive reforms to the Adoption Code enacted in 2018. It includes technical revisions throughout the Adoption Code to ensure greater efficiency of proceedings in all types of adoption (including private agency adoptions, foster care adoptions, international adoptions, and relative adoptions), reduces the age at which a person is allowed to petition for adoption, from 25 to 21 years old, and streamlines procedures to improve efficiency with changes to venue, authorization for virtual appearances in uncontested hearings, clarification of service and notice requirements, and imposition of timelines on court-appointed investigators. Additionally, the bill offers increased protections for prospective adoptive parents and biological parents by prohibiting conduct that intentionally misrepresents or exploits parties to an adoption. HB 154 is part of the Governor's adoption package. The bill passed out of House of Representative by a 160 to 4 vote and crossed over to the Senate. The bill passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 7-1 vote as a substitute that incorporated provisions from HB 706. The full Senate passed out the substitute of HB 154 by a unanimous vote. The bill now returns to the House for an Agree, Disagree, or Insist motion.

HB 163 was introduced by Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta) on January 28, 2021. The bill requires the Department of Community Health to submit a plan by June 30th of next year for the establishment of an express lane enrollment system for Medicaid eligible children. The bill passed out of the full House of Representatives by unanimous vote. HB 163 has crossed over and was quickly approved by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. The full Senate passed out HB 163 by unanimous vote. The bill now awaits the Governor's signature. No update from last week.

HB 216 was introduced by Chuck Efstration (R-Dacula) on February 1, 2021. The bill revises the pleading form associated with a petition for equitable caregiver status, as well as the associated code section to provide for the revocation of equitable caregiver status. HB 216 is assigned to the House Juvenile Justice Committee but the bill did not pass out before Crossover day. On Wednesday, Chairman Efstration introduced a committee substitute to SB 86 that completely replaced the existing language of that bill with that of HB 216. SB 86 passed out of the House Judiciary Committee and the full House after an extended floor debate between Chairman Efstration and Rep. Josh McLaurin. SB 86 now returns to the Senate for an Agree, Disagree, or Insist motion.

HB 272 was introduced by Mandi Ballinger (R-Canton) on February 3, 2021. The bill raises the age of adult criminal responsibility and juvenile court jurisdiction from 17-years-old to 18-years-old, as well as provides for the creation of an implementation committee to oversee the transition and make any necessary changes to rules or regulations. HB 272 passed out of the full House of Representatives on Crossover Day by a 113-51 vote. The bill has crossed over and was assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee. After two hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, HB 272 passed out of committee with an amendment to extend the dates of implementation for an additional year. The bill now awaits consideration before the House Rules Committee.

HB 322 was introduced by Marcus Wiedower (R-Watkinsville) on February 4, 2021. The bill revises the code sections regarding child sexual exploitation to be consistent with changes made to the juvenile code last year. HB 322 passed out the full House of Representatives by unanimous vote and crossed over to the Senate. The bill passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee as a substitute that incorporated provisions from HB 403 and awaits consideration before the Senate Rules Committee. No update from last week.

HB 464 was introduced by Mitchell Scoggins (R-Cartersville) on February 16, 2021. The bill grants probate courts the discretion to transfer cases involving temporary guardianships to the juvenile courts. HB 464 passed out of the House of Representatives on Crossover Day by a vote of 163-7. The bill crossed over and is assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which held a hearing and passed out HB 464 on Wednesday. HB 464 now awaits consideration before the Senate Rules Committee.

HB 511 was introduced by Rep. Bert Reeves (R-Marietta) on February 17, 2021. The bill makes a series of changes and revisions to the operation of Georgia's various state trust funds, including giving the Director of DFCS greater discretion in the use of funds from the State Children's Trust Fund. HB 541 unanimously passed out of the House of Representatives. The bill passed out of the Senate Finance Committee and the full Senate by unanimous votes. HB 511 now goes to the Governor's desk for his signature. No update from last week.

HB 548 was introduced by Katie Dempsey (R-Rome) on February 18, 2021. The bill facilitates increased data sharing regarding timing and status of dependency proceedings between DFCS and the courts. HB 548 unanimously passed out of the full House of Representatives. The bill passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and now awaits consideration before the Senate Rules Committee. No update from last week.

HB 562 was introduced by Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton) on February 18, 2021. The bill adds DFCS case managers to the list of professionals who cannot have bench warrants issued for their arrest by a magistrate court judge for acts committed in the course of their duties. HB 562 unanimously passed out of the full House of Representatives on Crossover Day. The Senate Judiciary Committee introduced a committee substitute of the bill that incorporated the language of HB 140, a prosecutorial change of venue provision. The substitute passed out of committee and now awaits consideration before the Senate Rules Committee. No update from last week.

SB 3 was introduced by Sen. Lester Jackson (D-Savannah) on January 12, 2021. The bill raises the age of mandatory education from 16 to 17 years old. The Senate Education and Youth Committee has held two hearings on the bill. Chairman Payne announced that a Senate Resolution (SR 192) would be introduced to establish a study committee to examine the potential cost and implications of this proposal and better inform reconsideration next year. No update from last week.

SB 20 was introduced by Sen. Chuck Payne (R-Dalton) on January 26, 2021. The bill adds three new members of the Child Advocate Advisory Committee, namely one representative each of foster parents, Court Appointed Special Advocates, and former youth in foster care. SB 20 passed out of the House Juvenile Justice Committee and now awaits consideration before the House Rules Committee. No update from last week.

SB 28 was introduced by Sen. Bo Hatchett (R-Lavonia) on January 27, 2021. The bill features a number of technical revisions and adjustments to the juvenile code regarding temporary alternatives to foster care and the admissibility of hearsay evidence in child dependency hearings, as well modifications to the definitions section regarding abandonment and abuse of a child. SB 28 passed out of the Senate on a 49-0 vote. After passing out of the House Juvenile Justice Committee, the full House of Representatives approved of a substitute on SB 28 by a 123-46 vote. The bill now returns to the Senate for an Agree, Disagree, or Insist motion.

SB 33 was introduced by Sen. Clint Dixon (R-Buford) on January 27, 2021. The bill creates a civil cause of action for victims of human trafficking to recover damages and attorney's fees from their traffickers and those who profited from their trafficking. The bill imposes a ten year statute of limitations on bringing such a claim, the clock starts when the victim turns 18 years old if they were trafficked as a child. SB 33 is part of the First Lady's package of bills around human trafficking. The bill passed out of the the Senate and has crossed over to the House. SB 33 passed out of the House Judiciary Committee as well as the full House by unanimous votes. The bill now goes to the Governor's desk for his signature.

SB 34 was introduced by Sen. Clint Dixon (R-Buford) on January 27, 2021. The bill creates an easier pathway for human trafficking victims to legally change their names. SB 34 is part of the First Lady's package of bills around human trafficking. The bill passed out of the the Senate and has crossed over to the House. SB 33 passed out of the House Judiciary Committee and the full House. The bill now goes to the Governor's desk for his signature. No update from last week.

SB 42 was introduced by Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) on January 27, 2021. The bill removes consideration of data regarding student discipline in public schools from school climate determinations. SB 42 passed out of full Senate by a 39-12 vote. The bill crossed over and was assigned to the House Education Committee, which passed out a committee substitute that strikes out much of the bill's original language and incorporates provisions from SB 51. SB 42 now awaits consideration before the House Rules Committee.

SB 85 was introduced by John Albers (R-Roswell) on February 3, 2021. The bill creates a statutory definition of "hazing" and institutes criminal penalties for such conduct that results in death or serious injury. SB 85 was approved by the full Senate, with an amendment limiting criminal applicability to those 17 and older, by a 49-0 vote. The House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee passed out a substitute of SB 85 that limits the bill's provisions to those that clarify the statutory definition of hazing and create a mechanism of transparency for adjudicated cases of hazing by specific organizations at higher education institutions. The bill now awaits consideration before the House Rules Committee.

SB 107 was introduced by Brain Strickland (R-McDonough) on February 8, 2021. The bill would establish a tuition waiver program for qualifying youth in foster care at Georgia's public technical colleges. Initially, the bill would have done the same at Georgia's public universities, but a provision of the Georgia constitution reserves such power to the Board of Regents. SB 107 has been revised to include a policy recommendation that the Board of Regents adopt a waiver program as laid out in the bill. SB 107 passed out of the full Senate by unanimous vote. The House Higher Education Committee held two additional hearings on SB 107 last week and passed out a committee substitute that includes the homeless student in-state tuition eligibility provision from HB 7. The bill now awaits consideration before the House Rules Committee. No update from last week.