The Act known as the "Georgia Higher Education Savings Plan Act," creates the Georgia Higher Education Savings Plan which operates by way of a program of Trust Agreements and Savings Trust Accounts. The Act provides for a board of directors of the Plan and its membership, powers, duties,
The Act provides for the creation of a centralized database for Temporary Protective Orders (TPOs), to be maintained by the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) in consultation with the Georgia Commission on Family Violence. The registry will be linked to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Network and made available
The Act provides for a penalty of five to ten years imprisonment, and a fine of $2500 to $10,000, for the crimes of pimping, pandering, and solicitation of sodomy when these crimes involve the prostitution of persons under the age of eighteen. The Act also provides for a penalty
The Act amends Title 15 of the Georgia Code as it relates to the funding of local victim assistance programs. The Act requires the court officer who is charged with collecting and distributing funds to submit a monthly report and a list of the organizations, agencies, and programs that were
The Act requires state agencies to make their meeting agendas available to the public. The agencies must post and distribute their meeting agendas. If an agency meeting is closed to the public, the chairperson or the person presiding over the meeting must file a notarized affidavit stating that the closed
The Act allows law enforcement agencies to apply for certificates to use speed detection devices so long as the applicant provides continuous law enforcement services or allows only full-time officers to operate such devices. The Act defines what is commonly know as a "speed trap." It provides a
The Act creates a statewide homestead tax credit that has the effect of an exemption and is in addition to existing local exemptions. The Act gives homeowners a credit against their property tax liabilities to counties and school districts, and the state reimburses these entities for lost revenue. The tax
The Act creates a tort with liability for Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) decisions concerning medical conditions that result in death or injury. A plaintiff may recover actual damages from an HMO or managed care provider if the plaintiff can prove he or she suffered from a poor decision made by
The Act requires local school board to create student codes of conduct addressing certain types of conduct during school hours and at school-related functions. It requires the local boards to address the conduct in a manner that is appropriate to the age of the student. It also requires the local
The Act changes provisions relating to termination of parental rights when the child is not in the parent's custody. The Act makes the adoption of children easier by terminating parental rights in appropriate cases. The Act makes it more difficult for parents to circumvent termination by attempting to
The Act amends the general provisions regarding magistrate courts. The Act raises monetary jurisdiction of civil claims in magistrate courts to an amount demanded or value of property claimed from $5000 to $15,000.
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The Act authorizes the appointment of counsel or a court appointed special advocate to act as a guardian ad litem for a minor in deprivation cases. The Act defines a court appointed special advocate as a carefully selected and trained volunteer whom a juvenile court appoints to serve as the
The Act amends the Georgia Registration, Operation, and Sale of Watercraft Act by (1) making it an offense for a person under the age of twenty-one to operate a vessel with a blood alcohol content of 0.02 grams or more and (2) creating a separate offense of child endangerment
The Act brings state law into compliance with federal guidelines and qualifies the state for funding under the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. It establishes that the safety and welfare of a child is the paramount consideration in a court's decision to remove a child
The Act generally addresses deceptive and fraudulent practices involved in telemarketing transactions. It prohibits nonlocal businesses from listing a local telephone number in any nonclassified local directory without also listing their nonlocal address when calls are routinely forwarded to the nonlocal address. The Act also prohibits telemarketers from engaging in
