# Georgia HB 1283: Family Justice Center Act; enact Georgia HB 1283, Family Justice Center Act; enact, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Stan Gunter (Republican), Leesa Hagan (Republican), Scott Holcomb (Democrat) and 2 others; status signed, last action 2026-07-01 (Effective Date) (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1283-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Georgia HB 1283 - State: Georgia - Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session - Title: Family Justice Center Act; enact - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-02-11 - Last action: 2026-07-01, Effective Date - Sponsors: Stan Gunter (Republican), Leesa Hagan (Republican), Scott Holcomb (Democrat), Esther Panitch (Democrat), Shea Roberts (Democrat) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Judiciary Juvenile, Public Safety, General Bill - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 3 (381 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 7 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Sexual assault evidence kept much longer: benefit, medium. The law extends evidence retention when a victim does not report an alleged sexual assault when evidence is collected. The police agency with jurisdiction must keep physical evidence containing biological material tied to the perpetrator's identity. The minimum retention period rises from 12 months… - Victims get privacy protections at centers: benefit, medium. Centers cannot disclose information victims share without their informed written consent, unless a law or court order requires disclosure. Required abuse or neglect reports still apply, but sharing must be limited to information needed for the report. Partner records do not become public just becau… - Center officers can respond beyond boundaries: benefit, low. Qualifying center officers can respond to emergencies within the center's service area, even outside their usual jurisdiction. Officers must work for a participating police agency and be assigned, detailed, or grant-funded to operate at the center. Their response must support the center's mission a… - Local centers can coordinate victim help: benefit, low. Georgia counties, cities, local government groups, and district attorneys can establish Family Justice Centers; no community must open one. Local government groups must partner with at least one nonprofit. Centers bring legal, medical, social, and police services together for victims of family viol… - Service standards protect victims using centers: benefit, low. Centers run directly by counties, cities, or district attorneys need oversight boards with at least five members. Nonprofit operators follow applicable corporate-board rules; some operating structures also require a lead agency or fiscal agent. Every center needs an agreement among agencies, space… - Center workers gain limited lawsuit protection: mixed, low. Operating a center under a county, city, or district attorney is a governmental function. Qualifying partner employees, contractors, and volunteers get the same civil-liability immunity as workers for that authority. This can limit civil claims by people affected by their work. Protection covers ac… - Partner records stay separate in prosecutions: mixed, low. In Georgia felony and misdemeanor cases, sharing a center does not make a partner's records state or police records. This applies to materials created, received, or kept solely by a center partner or participating agency. Co-location alone does not put those materials under the prosecution's posses… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Stan Gunter (Republican), House - Sponsor: Leesa Hagan (Republican), House - Sponsor: Scott Holcomb (Democrat), House - Sponsor: Esther Panitch (Democrat), House - Sponsor: Shea Roberts (Democrat), House - Cosponsor: Randy Robertson (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-02 | House | Agree to Senate Amendment | pass | 170 | 0 | 5 | | 2026-03-31 | Senate | PASSAGE AS AMENDED | pass | 48 | 0 | 3 | | 2026-03-06 | House | PASSAGE | pass | 163 | 0 | 7 | ## Actions (18) - 2026-07-01: Effective Date - 2026-05-12: House Date Signed by Governor (House) - 2026-05-12: Act 719 - 2026-04-10: House Sent to Governor (House) - 2026-04-02: House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House) - 2026-03-31: Senate Third Read (Senate) - 2026-03-31: Senate Passed/Adopted As Amended (Senate) - 2026-03-20: Senate Read Second Time (Senate) - 2026-03-19: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate) - 2026-03-09: Senate Read and Referred (Senate) - 2026-03-06: House Third Readers (House) - 2026-03-06: House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House) - 2026-03-04: House Postponed (House) - 2026-03-03: House Postponed (House) - 2026-02-24: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House) - 2026-02-17: House Second Readers (House) - 2026-02-12: House First Readers (House) - 2026-02-11: House Hopper (House) ## Bill text - HB 1283/AP* (v11): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/249048) ## Related bills - SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckless stunt driving; replace the forfeiture penalty (signed) - SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation for certain motor vehicles; provide (signed) - SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; establish (signed) - SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact (signed) - HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish (signed) - HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact (signed) ## Sources - [HB 1283/AP* (v11) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/249048) ## Related - [SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckles…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB160-2025-2026) - [SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB384-2025-2026) - [SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Servic…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB76-2025-2026) - [SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB406-2025-2026) - [HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1391-2025-2026) - [HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1344-2025-2026) - [Georgia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia/bills) - [Georgia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1283-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).