This Act primarily functions to revise elections and voting in three significant areas: voting access, ballot counting, and power and controls. With regard to voting access, the Act confines drop boxes to early voting sites, requires identification for absentee voting, changes the early voting hours, criminalizes the handing out of
The Act expands the eligibility requirements for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program. The Act removes the requirement of having to reside in Georgia for one year before becoming eligible for the Scholarship. Further, the Act requires the Georgia Department of Education to conduct annual surveys of parents whose children
The Act includes various amendments to Georgia’s sexual assault protocol. First, the Act creates a statewide tracking system for sexual assault kits. The system will track the location and status of kits through the investigative process and allow sexual assault victims to track or receive updates. Second, the Act
The Act amends Georgia’s law relating to the general provisions regarding bond and recognizances by revising the list of bail restricted offenses through the addition of both misdemeanor and felony crimes. The Act authorizes appointed judges who are fulfilling a vacancy of an elected judge to issue certain bonds
The Act revises private arrest powers and repeals the Georgia Citizen’s Arrest Law in its entirety. The Act provides certain arresting powers for law enforcement officers when acting outside of their jurisdiction. In addition, the Act clarifies detention powers for shopkeepers of retail, food service establishments, and other business
The Act criminalizes the possession of stolen mail and the theft of mail or packages from the porch or entrance of a residential building. A violator may be subject to felony prosecution and imprisonment of one to five years.
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The Act expands the definition of “hazing” to include actions subjecting a student to physical endangerment as well as actions coercing the student to engage in behavior that would subject the student to a likely risk of vomiting, intoxication, or unconsciousness. Additionally, the Act imposes a mandatory reporting requirement on
The Act revises the Georgia Evidence Code to enhance the evidentiary standard for admitting expert testimony in criminal cases. Like in civil cases, expert testimony in criminal cases now must satisfy the Daubert standard for admission of scientific, technical, and other specialized evidence.
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The Act requires each local board of education to adopt a complaint resolution process to be used by its local school system to address parents’ or permanent guardians’ complaints alleging that harmful material has been provided or is currently available to a minor student.
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The Act prohibits local school systems, charter schools, and their employees from teaching or advocating for divisive concepts as defined in the Act. Training programs for teacher certification by the Professional Standards Commission may not advocate for such divisive concepts. The Act also implements a complaint resolution policy for aggrieved
The Act amends the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act to provide the attorney general with concurrent authority to prosecute criminal gang activity alongside local prosecuting attorneys in Georgia. Modeled after a similar act that created concurrent authority for the attorney general to prosecute human trafficking crimes, the Act
This Act removes the requirement to obtain a weapons carry license to carry concealed weapons in public spaces. The Act makes it lawful to carry a firearm in public so long as the individual is eligible for a license, has a license, or has a license in different state, and
The Act extends the annual revenue received by student scholarship organizations to include interest earned on deposits and investments of scholarship funds or tuition grants. The Act expands the scope of auditing that student scholarship organizations are subjected to and compels the organizations to submit Form 990 to the Department
The Act provides for the remote operation of personal delivery devices on Georgia’s highways, streets, bike paths, and sidewalks. It provides the required parameters for operation including parking, time frames, speed limits, safety parameters, weight limits, insurance, and local enforcement through civil citations.
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The Act protects agricultural facilities, agricultural operations, and forest landowners from nuisance lawsuits after two years of operation. If a facility converts to a confined animal feeding operation, the two-year time period restarts.
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The Act amends Georgia laws relating to mental health and provides a statutory psychiatric advance directive form. The Act allows citizens with diagnosed mental health disorders to appoint a mental health agent to make treatment decisions on their behalf. The Act delineates the responsibilities, duties, and immunities of physicians and
