HR428: HR428 House Study Committee on the Affordability and Accessibility of Georgia's Legitimation Process; create

In Georgia, a father who is not married to his child's mother at birth has no automatic legal rights as a parent. He must file a separate court petition, called legitimation, to gain those rights. This resolution notes that cost and lack of awareness often discourage fathers, especially those with limited money, from going through this process. The resolution creates the House Study Committee on the Affordability and Accessibility of Georgia's Legitimation Process, made up of five House members chosen with a chairperson designated by the Speaker. The committee would study the issue and could recommend legislation. Members would receive standard legislative allowances (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) for up to five meeting days unless more are approved, funded through the House's existing budget. The committee must file any approved report before it is abolished on December 1, 2025.

• Creates a House Study Committee on the Affordability and Accessibility of Georgia's Legitimation Process made up of five House members.
• Directs the Speaker of the House to name one committee member as chairperson, who calls and organizes meetings.
• Authorizes the committee to study the legitimation process and recommend legislation it deems necessary.
• Sets legislative pay allowances for committee members under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at five days unless more are approved.
• Funds the committee's work from money already appropriated to the House of Representatives.
• Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2025, after requiring any approved report to be filed with the House Clerk.

The resolution most directly affects the five House members appointed to the study committee. Its subject matter concerns unmarried biological fathers seeking legal parental rights in Georgia, and by extension their children and the family courts that process legitimation petitions.

If the committee's work leads to future legislation, fathers who cannot easily afford or navigate the legitimation process could face fewer barriers to gaining legal parental rights, which affects custody, visitation, and decision-making authority over their children.

• Paragraph 1 establishes the House Study Committee on the Affordability and Accessibility of Georgia's Legitimation Process.
• Paragraph 2 sets committee membership at five House members with a chairperson designated by the Speaker.
• Paragraph 3 charges the committee with studying legitimation-related issues and recommending action or legislation.
• Paragraph 5 caps paid allowances at five days per member unless additional days are authorized, funded from House appropriations.
• Paragraph 6 requires any adopted report to be approved by majority vote before the abolishment date and filed with the Clerk of the House.
• Paragraph 7 abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025.

1. 2025-03-03House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-28House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-27House Hopper (House)

• Teddy Reese (D, HD-140)Primary sponsor
• Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
• Debbie Buckner (D, HD-137)
• Vance Smith (R, HD-138)
• Carmen Rice (R, HD-139)

• legitimation process
• parental rights
• family law
• unmarried fathers
• legislative study committees