HB347: HB347 Georgia Pro-Birth Accountability Act; enact

Georgia currently bans most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detectable. This bill, titled the Georgia Pro-Birth Accountability Act, would add a new chapter to Georgia's health code letting a pregnant woman claim she would have chosen to end her pregnancy if not for that heartbeat law, and in exchange receive state-funded compensation for carrying the pregnancy to term. To get compensation, a woman would file an affidavit with the Department of Human Services after a heartbeat is detected and before birth. The department would assign a case manager and nurse, and the woman would automatically qualify for benefits like TANF, SNAP, and WIC without reduction until the child turns 18. Compensation could also cover funeral costs if the woman or fetus dies, disability costs, child support, and a funded 529 college savings account for the child. The bill directs the General Assembly to create a separate dedicated fund to pay for all of this.

• Creates a new Georgia law entitling a pregnant woman to state compensation if she says she would have terminated her pregnancy but for the heartbeat abortion ban.
• Requires the woman to file an affidavit with the Department of Human Services between detection of a fetal heartbeat and the child's birth to claim benefits.
• Guarantees automatic, uninterrupted eligibility for TANF, SNAP, and WIC benefits until the child turns 18, regardless of normal eligibility rules.
• Requires the Department of Human Services to assign a case manager and a specially trained nurse to monitor the woman monthly through pregnancy and after birth until the child's second birthday.
• Provides for funeral expenses, disability costs, child support, health insurance costs until age 18, and a funded 529 college savings account as forms of compensation.
• Directs the General Assembly to set up a separate dedicated fund to pay for these benefits and the program's administrative costs.

Pregnant women in Georgia who are unable to obtain an abortion because of the state's fetal heartbeat law, their children, the Department of Human Services (which must process claims and assign case workers and nurses), and biological fathers who may owe child support under the bill's terms.

If enacted, women who say they were prevented from ending a pregnancy by Georgia's heartbeat law could receive ongoing financial support, health coverage, child support, and case management services, creating a new state obligation and a new dedicated funding stream tied directly to the state's abortion restrictions.

• Section 1 names the bill the 'Georgia Pro-Birth Accountability Act.'
• Section 2 adds new Chapter 9C to Title 31, establishing the right to compensation for women compelled to carry a pregnancy to term under the heartbeat law (O.C.G.A. § 31-9C-1).
• Code Section 31-9C-2 lists eleven categories of compensation, including medical and psychological expenses, automatic public assistance eligibility, child support, funeral costs, disability costs, and a 529 college savings account.
• Code Section 31-9C-3(a) sets the affidavit filing process with the Department of Human Services and requires assignment of a case manager and monthly in-person visits during pregnancy.
• Code Section 31-9C-3(b) directs the General Assembly to create a separate fund, apart from the general fund, to pay for the compensation and program administration.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-02-12House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-11House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-10House Hopper (House)

• Dar'shun Kendrick (D, HD-095)Primary sponsor

• abortion law
• fetal heartbeat law
• public assistance benefits
• child support
• state funding