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House · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session

HB 1061: Mandi Ballinger Act; enact

Last action March 25, 2026 · Senate Read Second Time

HB 1061, the Mandi Ballinger Act, would create a 15-member state committee to study raising the juvenile justice age to include 17-year-olds and report its findings by the end of 2027.

Read the full bill text

These buttons carry the bill's own text, not the summaries below. Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the text as filed, then the summaries under a heading that names them as ours. View raw is the text alone.

The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.

In plain language

Currently 17-year-olds who commit crimes in Georgia are generally handled in the adult criminal system rather than juvenile court. This bill does not change that age itself, but it sets up a temporary organizational committee to study what it would take to move 17-year-olds into the juvenile justice system. The committee would include lawmakers, judicial officials, prosecutors, defense attorneys, sheriffs, and other justice system leaders, cochaired by the House and Senate Judiciary committee chairs. It can consult outside experts and look at how other states handle this issue. The committee must start meeting by September 15, 2026, and must deliver a detailed written report to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and General Assembly by December 1, 2027, covering costs, staffing, timelines, and legal changes needed. The law creating the committee automatically repeals itself on January 1, 2028.

What the bill does

  • Creates a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 15-11-42) called the 'Mandi Ballinger Act' establishing a 15-member organizational committee.
  • Names specific officials to sit on the committee, including legislative committee chairs, the juvenile justice commissioner, sheriffs, prosecutors, public defenders, and court administrators.
  • Allows the committee to consult outside experts, police chiefs, training officials, juvenile court attorneys, and child advocates on implementation questions.
  • Requires the committee to study the costs, staffing, and operational changes needed to include 17-year-olds in the juvenile justice system.
  • Sets a deadline of December 1, 2027 for a written report to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and General Assembly.
  • Automatically repeals the committee and this Code section on January 1, 2028.

Who it affects

The bill directly affects state officials named to serve on the committee: legislative judiciary chairs, the juvenile justice commissioner, sheriffs, prosecutors, public defenders, court administrators, and county commissioner representatives. Indirectly, it affects 17-year-olds who might eventually be moved into the juvenile justice system and the agencies that would handle them.

Why it matters

If Georgia eventually moves 17-year-olds from adult courts into the juvenile system, it could change how those teens are charged, held, and processed statewide. This bill does not make that change itself, but its report will shape whether and how lawmakers pursue it, including cost and staffing implications for courts and detention facilities.

Key provisions

  • Section 1 adds new Code section 15-11-42, naming it the 'Mandi Ballinger Act' and establishing the organizational committee.
  • Subsection (b) lists the 15 committee members and designates the House and Senate Judiciary chairs as cochairpersons who call meetings.
  • Subsection (c) allows the committee to confer with outside subject matter experts, police chiefs, training officials, and child advocates on raising the juvenile age.
  • Subsection (d) requires the committee to begin work no later than September 15, 2026, and sets its abolition date at December 31, 2027.
  • Subsection (e) requires a detailed report on operational and statutory changes, cost estimates, staffing needs, and implementation timelines, due December 1, 2027.
  • Subsection (f) automatically repeals the entire Code section on January 1, 2028.
  • Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

From the bill

“The committee shall commence no later than September 15, 2026, and shall stand abolished on December 31, 2027.”

Sets the start date and expiration date for the new study committee.

“This Code section shall stand repealed in its entirety on January 1, 2028.”

Ensures the entire law creating the committee expires automatically.

Discussed in meetings (11)

The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.

  1. House Judiciary Juvenile Committee, February 11, 2026

    From 0:35:04 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the substitute for HB 1061 would create a 12-member committee to plan possible juvenile court jurisdiction for 17-year-olds, examining facilities, transportation, staffing, costs and legal changes. Answering members, the sponsor emphasized that age rules would not change now and later legislation would be necessary. The sponsor declined to require a minimum number of meetings. A Georgia Sheriffs’ Association witness was neutral on the substitute but opposed raising the age, citing reversals in Louisiana and North Carolina and a reported 70% increase in Louisiana youth detention placements. The sponsor questioned whether that increase reflected transfers from adult court rather than increased crime; the witness lacked underlying counts. Members also questioned separation of minors from adult prisoners. The sponsor later cited federal sight-and-sound separation requirements, but county compliance was not established. A Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council witness said most district attorneys supported the planning committee. A Department of Juvenile Justice witness welcomed resource planning. Separate witnesses from the Barton Child Law and Policy Center, Southern Poverty Law Center and Voices for Georgia’s Children supported the bill, citing rehabilitation, public safety and careful implementation. The Southern Poverty Law Center witness urged further reform. Members approved an amendment requiring work to begin by September 15, 2026, a report by December 1, 2027, committee dissolution December 31, 2027, and repeal January 1, 2028. The amended substitute passed with no opposition voiced.

  2. House Rules Committee, February 17, 2026

    From 0:21:15 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor described the bill as a narrower version of earlier legislation concerning placement of 17-year-olds in the juvenile justice system. The sponsor said it would establish an organizing committee to work out implementation, funding and facility needs. No questions or decision followed.

  3. House Rules Committee, February 19, 2026

    From 0:43:48 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 746

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 1061 on Friday’s floor calendar under modified structured rules after a motion and second. No opposition was voiced, and there was no substantive discussion.

  4. House floor session, February 20, 2026 (legislative day 22)

    From 1:23:22 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 758

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1061 would allow certain 17-year-olds to be handled in juvenile court rather than automatically in the adult criminal system. The sponsor said serious violent offenses, repeat offenders and certain high-risk crimes would remain in adult court. Arguing for rehabilitation alongside accountability, the sponsor said adolescents’ brains were not fully developed and appropriate intervention could reduce repeat offending. The sponsor said the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association had taken a neutral position and the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia supported the legislation. The sponsor also described an implementation committee to coordinate the transition and said the bill honored a former House member’s work on children’s issues. There were no questions or opposing speakers. The House adopted the committee substitute without objection and passed the bill by 155–0.

  5. Senate Judiciary Committee, March 23, 2026

    From 0:47:19 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1061 would create a planning committee for potentially moving nonviolent cases involving 17-year-olds from adult court to juvenile court. The sponsor emphasized that the bill would study costs, transportation, housing and other needs rather than immediately change court jurisdiction. The chair said the substitute added two sheriffs to address transportation concerns. A Department of Juvenile Justice witness welcomed planning for facilities, staffing and operating costs. A Georgia Public Defender Council witness requested a seat, citing the agency's statewide representation of children. A Voices for Georgia's Children witness supported the bill and estimated that a jurisdictional change could add roughly 760 to 920 youths annually to probation or community programs, requiring expanded services and planning for rural and urban differences. Another witness supported including public defenders. Asked why the council was omitted, the sponsor said it was likely an oversight and welcomed an amendment. Members unanimously added the council's director or a designee, bringing membership to 15, and unanimously approved the amended substitute.

  6. Senate Rules Committee, March 30, 2026

    From 0:39:23 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1061 would create an implementation committee for moving nonviolent 17-year-olds into the juvenile justice system. The sponsor said Senate changes added two sheriff representatives to the committee. After lunch, the chair nominated it on behalf of an absent member for the final calendar slot. It received support in the informal vote but was not selected for the final calendar.

Status timeline

  1. 2026-03-25Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
  2. 2026-03-25Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
  3. 2026-02-24Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
  4. 2026-02-20House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
  5. 2026-02-20House Third Readers (House)
  6. 2026-02-12House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
  7. 2026-02-02House Second Readers (House)
  8. 2026-01-29House First Readers (House)
Show full history (9 actions)
  1. 2026-01-28House Hopper (House)

Sponsors

  • Beth Camp (R, HD-135)Primary sponsor
  • James Burchett (R, HD-176)
  • Matt Reeves (R, HD-99)
  • Stan Gunter (R, HD-8)
  • Mary Ann Santos (D, HD-117)
  • Mary Margaret Oliver (D, HD-84)
  • Chuck Payne (R, SD-54)

Votes

  1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 20, 2026

    155 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 16 excused)

    PASSAGE: House Vote #538

Topics

  • juvenile justice
  • juvenile age reform
  • criminal justice policy
  • legislative study committee

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