HB627: HB627 Courts; juvenile proceedings; use of a deadly weapon; revise a provision

Georgia's juvenile code (O.C.G.A. Title 15) lists certain serious crimes as 'designated felony acts,' which trigger different, often stricter, handling in juvenile court. One of those categories covers aggravated assault with a deadly weapon that causes serious bodily injury. This bill rewrites that specific definition, found in Code Section 15-11-2. As revised, the definition applies to assault with a deadly weapon or other dangerous object causing serious bodily injury, but only when the weapon is not a firearm. It also excludes situations where the injured person is a public safety officer (as defined under O.C.G.A. § 16-5-19) and the conduct is already covered under a different, related provision on assaults against officers. The bill repeals any conflicting laws, a standard closing clause with no independent effect.

• Rewrites division (12)(A)(iii) of the juvenile code's definitions section (O.C.G.A. § 15-11-2) that lists 'designated felony acts.'
• Clarifies that the deadly weapon assault category applies only when the weapon used is not a firearm.
• Excludes cases where the injured person is a public safety officer and the conduct already falls under a separate assault-on-an-officer provision (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-21(c)).
• Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with the revised definition.

The bill affects juvenile court judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys who handle cases involving minors accused of aggravated assault, as well as young people charged with weapon-related offenses whose cases could be classified as 'designated felony acts' under Georgia's juvenile code.

Whether an offense counts as a 'designated felony act' affects how a juvenile case is handled, including possible sentencing and court procedures. By narrowing or clarifying this definition, the bill could change which weapon-related assault cases involving minors get that classification in Georgia juvenile courts.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 15-11-2, revising division (12)(A)(iii), which defines certain aggravated assaults and deadly weapon assaults as 'designated felony acts' for juvenile court purposes.
• The revised text specifies the deadly weapon involved must not be a firearm for the assault to fall under this definition.
• The revised text excludes cases where the victim is a public safety officer as defined in O.C.G.A. § 16-5-19, when the conduct is already addressed under O.C.G.A. § 16-5-21(c).
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause with no substantive effect beyond the specific change made in Section 1.

1. 2026-01-12Senate Recommitted (Senate)
2. 2025-03-27Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
3. 2025-03-27Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
4. 2025-03-10Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
5. 2025-03-06House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
6. 2025-03-06House Third Readers (House)
7. 2025-03-04House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
8. 2025-02-28House Second Readers (House)

• Holt Persinger (R, HD-119)Primary sponsor
• Charles Cannon (R, HD-172)
• Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)
• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)
• Eddie Lumsden (R, HD-012)
• Marcus Wiedower (R, HD-121)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   156 yea, 2 nay (16 not voting, 6 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #237

• juvenile justice
• criminal law
• deadly weapons
• courts