Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1436: Georgia Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act; enact
Last action March 3, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
A Georgia House bill would cut off state grants to local governments that allow judges to release people accused of certain serious crimes without requiring cash bail, starting in mid-2027.
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
Georgia law currently lets judges set various conditions for releasing someone charged with a crime while their case is pending, including releasing them without cash bail (called an unsecured judicial release). This bill targets local governments, such as cities or counties, that have laws, policies, or standing court orders allowing that kind of release for people charged with certain serious offenses. The bill adds a new section to Georgia's bail law defining a 'covered offense' as any crime listed under an existing bail statute, O.C.G.A. § 17-6-12, which covers offenses seen as posing a clear threat to public safety. Beginning with the state fiscal year that starts July 1, 2027, no state agency could award, renew, or extend grants or funding to a local government that permits unsecured release for people charged with those covered offenses. The bill does not ban local bail policies outright; it withholds state money from local governments that keep them.
What the bill does
- Creates a new Georgia law, cited as the 'Georgia Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act,' inside the state's bail and bond statutes.
- Defines 'covered offense' as any crime listed in an existing bail law (O.C.G.A. § 17-6-12) that is considered a threat to public safety and order.
- Bars state agencies from awarding, renewing, or extending grants or funding to any local government that allows judges to release people charged with covered offenses without cash bail.
- Sets the restriction to begin with the state fiscal year starting July 1, 2027, giving local governments time before funding is at risk.
- Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with this new funding restriction.
Who it affects
City and county governments and their courts, which could lose state grants or funding if their bail policies allow no-cash release for serious offenses; state agencies that distribute grants; and people charged with covered offenses, whose local jurisdiction's release options could be shaped by this funding pressure.
Why it matters
Local governments that currently let judges release people accused of serious crimes without cash bail would face a financial choice: change that practice or risk losing state grants starting in 2027. This could push more local jurisdictions toward requiring cash bail for a defined list of offenses.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code Section 17-6-19 to Title 17, Chapter 6 of the Official Code of Georgia, Georgia's bail and bond law.
- Subsection (a) names the law the 'Georgia Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act.'
- Subsection (b) defines 'covered offense' by reference to the list of offenses in O.C.G.A. § 17-6-12(a), an existing statute on serious crimes.
- Subsection (c) prohibits state agencies from awarding, renewing, or extending grants or funds to local governments whose laws or policies allow unsecured judicial release for covered offenses, effective for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2027.
- Section 2 repeals any Georgia laws that conflict with the new provision.
From the bill
“This Code section shall be known and may be cited as the 'Georgia Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act.'”
“no state agency or office of state government shall award, renew, or extend a grant or funds to any branch of local government that has in effect any law, policy, or standing order that allows an unsecured judicial released”
Discussed in meetings (5)
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.
House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, March 2, 2026
From 0:52:24 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1436 would make local governments ineligible for state funding if they maintain standing policies allowing unsecured release for offenses that existing law makes bail-restricted. The sponsor described it as an enforcement measure and acknowledged knowing of no violations to date. One member questioned imposing a funding penalty before any violation and suggested less severe enforcement. The chair supported including consequences for noncompliance. The sponsor clarified that an individual judge’s decision would not trigger the bill. An ACCG witness requested terminology consistent with existing law. The sponsor said a substitute already addressed that concern, and the witness said ACCG remained neutral. Another member questioned including marijuana possession; the sponsor said the bill would not change which offenses are bail-restricted and recalled that the restriction concerned a substantial amount. A supporting witness whose spouse was killed described reduced charges and a sentence without prison, calling for stronger accountability and victim protections. The committee adopted an amendment changing the referenced code section to cover the existing bail-restricted offenses, then approved the amended bill by voice vote. Opposition was audible, but no numerical tally was stated.
House Rules Committee, March 4, 2026
From 1:30:12 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1436 would make cities and counties ineligible for state funding if they violated state restrictions on cashless bail. A member questioned its constitutionality and effects on local control, police funding and emergency healthcare. The sponsor rejected those concerns, saying the bill enforced existing state law and that legislative counsel, ACCG and GMA had not raised constitutional objections. The sponsor said an ACCG-requested terminology change had been incorporated. Another member compared the proposal to withholding funding for failure to meet audit requirements. The sponsor agreed and said the constitutionality of that practice had not been challenged. No decision was recorded.
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Houston Gaines (R, HD-120)
- Alan Powell (R, HD-33)
- Trey Kelley (R, HD-16)
- Trey Rhodes (R, HD-124)
- Lauren McDonald III (R, HD-26)
Topics
- cash bail
- criminal justice
- state grants to local governments
- public safety
- bail reform