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GeorgiaSB 3832025-2026 Regular SessionSenate

Child Abuse; local child fatality review committees; modify the review

Sponsored By: John Albers (Republican), Timothy Bearden (Republican), Sonya Halpern (Democrat), Bo Hatchett (Republican), Kim Jackson (Democrat), Kay Kirkpatrick (Republican), Nan Orrock (Democrat), Elena Parent (Democrat), Randy Robertson (Republican)

Signed by Governor

Judiciary JuvenileChildren and FamiliesGeneral Bill

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

6 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 4 mixed.

Child death reviews focus on prevention

Georgia’s local child death committees focus on finding chances to intervene and prevent similar deaths. Reports must describe events leading to death and recommend steps to protect children at risk. They no longer must state the cause of death or decide whether the death was preventable. Reports still address agency services and dates, family services, court involvement, household violence, and whether earlier services were appropriate.

More infant deaths reach prosecutors

Review rules cover children from birth through age 17. They include sudden deaths of apparently healthy infants, including sudden infant death syndrome, sudden unexplained infant death, and sleep-related deaths. Other covered deaths include unexplained deaths, injuries, suspicious deaths, child abuse, and deaths in state hospitals or penal institutions. Medical deaths without an attending physician qualify, except for patients in hospice licensed under Georgia law. Committees must send completed reports to prosecutors within 15 days when findings match the listed referral reasons. For sudden infant deaths, referral no longer depends on the absence of an autopsy confirming the diagnosis. Other reasons include accidents where supervision or prevention was possible, sexually transmitted disease, preventable medical causes, and suspected or confirmed abuse. They also include head or body trauma, homicide, and suicide in custody or known to the Department of Human Services.

Child review reports get more time

Police, medical staff, and others who know of a child’s death must immediately notify the county coroner or medical examiner. For deaths outside the home county, the death county’s coroner or examiner must notify the home county’s counterpart. Within seven days of receiving notice, the coroner or examiner must notify the home county or circuit committee chair. That notice includes a preliminary report with all available information. Committees have 90 days, rather than 20, to finish their review and report. The clock starts at the first meeting after receiving the coroner’s or examiner’s report; weekends and holidays do not count.

Child reviews gain access with limits

Committee chairs must hold review meetings every 30 days, and qualifying deaths must be reviewed or investigated within 30 days of receiving reports. Committees may ask the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for guidance, but they make the final decision about review eligibility. They may obtain medical, police, and social-service information and must protect it. Federal health privacy rules still apply, but disclosures to committees count as disclosures for a law-enforcement purpose. Local committees can use subpoenas to require records or witness attendance. The state panel can seek subpoenas through a superior court judge only when the local committee has not used its subpoena power. A judge’s earlier ruling that material is unnecessary for the local review blocks a state-panel subpoena for that same material.

Counties publish yearly child review reports

Local committees must publish reports covering the prior calendar year by July 1. Publication can be in the county’s official legal newspaper or on a public website. The county or counties served pay publication expenses. Committees must send annual reports to the state panel by July 15. They no longer must send each individual review report to the panel within 15 days of completion.

Schools join required child death reviews

Each local child death committee must include a school system representative. A local hospital representative may serve instead of a county mental health representative. Designated agencies must take part and send a representative to annual training. A judge must order an agency to participate when it fails to perform its duties. Ignoring that order can lead to contempt of court.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsors

  • John Albers

    Republican • Senate

  • Timothy Bearden

    Republican • Senate

  • Sonya Halpern

    Democrat • Senate

  • Bo Hatchett

    Republican • Senate

  • Kim Jackson

    Democrat • Senate

  • Kay Kirkpatrick

    Republican • Senate

  • Nan Orrock

    Democrat • Senate

  • Elena Parent

    Democrat • Senate

  • Randy Robertson

    Republican • Senate

Cosponsors

  • Devan Seabaugh

    Republican • House

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 213 • No: 0

House vote • 3/18/2026

PASSAGE

Yes: 165 • No: 0 • Other: 7

Senate vote • 2/6/2026

PASSAGE

Yes: 48 • No: 0 • Other: 3

Actions Timeline

  1. Effective Date

    7/1/2026

  2. Senate Date Signed by Governor

    5/6/2026Senate

  3. Act 421

    5/6/2026

  4. Senate Sent to Governor

    4/10/2026Senate

  5. House Third Readers

    3/18/2026House

  6. House Passed/Adopted

    3/18/2026House

  7. House Committee Favorably Reported

    2/24/2026House

  8. House Second Readers

    2/10/2026House

  9. House First Readers

    2/9/2026House

  10. Senate Third Read

    2/6/2026Senate

  11. Senate Passed/Adopted

    2/6/2026Senate

  12. Senate Read Second Time

    1/29/2026Senate

  13. Senate Committee Favorably Reported

    1/28/2026Senate

  14. Senate Read and Referred

    1/13/2026Senate

  15. Senate Hopper

    1/12/2026Senate

Bill Text

  • SB 383/AP* (v5)

    PDF

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