HB 1142: Courts; require certain agreements for certain offenses to be eligible for a Pretrial Intervention and Diversion Program

Georgia currently runs Pretrial Intervention and Diversion Programs that let some offenders avoid a conviction by completing certain conditions, and it has no public list specifically tracking people who repeatedly commit domestic violence offenses. This bill changes both things. It bars prosecutors from letting someone into a diversion program for a domestic violence offense unless the person agrees that any later domestic violence conviction could lead to placement on a new registry. The bill creates that new registry inside the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for 'recidivist domestic violence offenders,' people convicted of a domestic violence offense who have at least one prior conviction for such an offense. Courts that convict a repeat offender must order registration, and clerks of court must send conviction records to the GBI within 30 days. People stay on the registry for five years with one prior conviction or ten years with two or more, and the registry excludes personal identifiers like addresses and social security numbers. It also updates Georgia's first offender law so that completing a first offender sentence does not erase this new registration requirement. The changes take effect January 1, 2027 and apply only to offenses committed on or after that date.

• Bars prosecuting attorneys from accepting someone into a Pretrial Intervention and Diversion Program for a domestic violence offense unless the offender agrees a future conviction could trigger registry placement.
• Creates a new public registry of 'recidivist domestic violence offenders' maintained by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
• Requires courts that convict a repeat domestic violence offender to order registration and requires clerks of court to send conviction records to the GBI within 30 days.
• Sets registry duration at five years for offenders with one prior domestic violence conviction and ten years for those with two or more.
• Excludes sensitive personal identifiers, such as addresses and social security numbers, from the public version of the registry.
• Amends Georgia's first offender law (O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60) so completing a first offender sentence does not erase the new domestic violence registry requirement, matching how it already treats the sex offender registry.

People charged with domestic violence offenses such as simple assault, battery, or stalking against a dating partner, spouse, co-parent, or family member; prosecuting attorneys; clerks of court; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; and courts handling first offender sentencing and pretrial diversion cases.

Repeat domestic violence offenders convicted after January 1, 2027 could be publicly listed for years, which could affect their reputations and give the public and potential victims a way to check someone's history. People facing a first domestic violence charge would lose the option of diversion unless they accept the registry condition upfront.

• Section 1 adds a new subsection to O.C.G.A. § 15-18-80 requiring offenders to agree to future registry inclusion before being accepted into a diversion program for a domestic violence offense.
• Section 2 creates a new Chapter 13B in Title 19 defining 'domestic violence offense' to include assault, battery, false imprisonment, stalking, and related crimes among family members, spouses, co-parents, or dating partners.
• Section 2 establishes the GBI-run registry, requiring courts to order registration upon a repeat conviction and clerks to forward records within 30 days, and sets removal timelines of 5 or 10 years or upon dismissal or vacated charges.
• Section 2 states the registry provisions apply only to offenses committed on or after January 1, 2027.
• Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 so that first offender discharge does not exempt someone from the new domestic violence registry requirement, mirroring the existing sex offender registry exception.
• Section 4 sets the overall effective date as January 1, 2027, applying to offenses committed on or after that date.

1. 2026-04-02Senate Tabled (Senate)
2. 2026-04-02Senate Third Read (Senate)
3. 2026-04-02Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
4. 2026-03-31Senate Tabled (Senate)
5. 2026-03-25Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
6. 2026-03-25Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-03-09Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-03-06House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)

• Leesa Hagan (R, HD-156)Primary sponsor
• Soo Hong (R, HD-103)
• Jan Jones (R, HD-047)
• Sandy Donatucci (R, HD-105)
• Matt Reeves (R, HD-099)
• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2026

   163 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 11 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #678

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   39 yea, 10 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Motion To Table Remaining Legislation On The Rules Calendar: Senate Vote #912

• domestic violence
• pretrial diversion programs
• criminal justice
• first offender law
• Georgia Bureau of Investigation