--- title: HB 315. Law Enforcement Partners Act; enact collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb315 cite_as: HB 315, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb315 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb315.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb315/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70026 date: 2025-04-04 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb314.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb316.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 249 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb315.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 315 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-02-06 last_action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted sponsors: - Matt Reeves - Houston Gaines - David Clark - Sandy Donatucci - Teddy Reese - Clint Crowe text_version: Comm Sub has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB315/2025 upstream_id: 1961037 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - law enforcement definitions - police training - arrest authority - public safety law - emergency response --- # HB 315. Law Enforcement Partners Act; enact ## Text 25 LC 56 0325S The House Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security offe rs the following substitute to HB 315: A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Code Sections 16-1-3 and 17-4-20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,1 relating to definitions relative to crimes and offenses and authorization of arrests with and2 without warrants generally, use of deadly force, adoption or pr omulgation of conflicting3 regulations, policies, ordinances, and resolutions, and authori ty of nuclear power facility4 security officer, respectively, so as to provide for a definition of law enforcement officer; to5 provide for a cross reference to such definition; to provide fo r a short title; to provide for6 related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.7 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:8 SECTION 1.9 This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Law Enforcement Partners Act."10 SECTION 2.11 Code Section 16-1-3 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to definitions12 relative to crimes and offenses, is amended by adding a new paragraph to read as follows:13 "(8.1) 'Law enforcement officer' means:14 (A) A peace officer;15 H. B. 315 (SUB) - 1 - 25 LC 56 0325S (B) Any state or federal law enforcement officer who render as sistance to a law16 enforcement agency of this state or any political subdivision t hereof in response to a17 declaration of a state of emergency or disaster issued by the Governor pursuant to Code18 Section 38-3-51;19 (C) An appointed chief of police or department head of a law enforcement unit who20 has not completed the applicab le training required by Code Sect ion 35-8-2021 or 35-8-20.1 from the date of initial appointment to the date by which such training is22 to be completed pursuant to the applicable Code section;23 (D) An individual certified or commissioned in another state a s a law enforcement24 officer, peace officer, or other official as being authorized t o make arrests and carry25 firearms in the performance of his or her official duties who i s employed by a law26 enforcement agency, enforcement unit, agency, or department of this state or any27 municipality, county, or other political subdivision thereof but who has not completed28 the applicable training required by Chapter 8 of Title 35, the 'Georgia Peace Officer29 Standards and Training Act,' provided that such individual's certification or commission30 in another state remains in good standing; and31 (E) A federal law enforcement officer who is employed by the U nited States32 government as a full-time law enforcement officer, is in good standing with his or her33 federal agency of employment, is authorized to carry a firearm in the performance of34 his or her official duties, and is empowered to arrest a person for criminal violations of35 the United States Code."36 SECTION 3.37 Code Section 17-4-20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to authorization38 of arrests with and without warrants generally, use of deadly force, adoption or promulgation39 of conflicting regulations, policies, ordinances, and resolutio ns, and authority of nuclear40 H. B. 315 (SUB) - 2 - 25 LC 56 0325S power facility security officer, is amended in subsection (a) b y adding a new paragraph to41 read as follows:42 "(4) As used in this subsection, the term 'law enforcement offi cer' shall have the same43 meaning as set forth in Code Section 16-1-3."44 SECTION 4.45 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.46 H. B. 315 (SUB) - 3 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House bill would add a broad definition of 'law enforcement officer' to state law, covering certain out-of-state and federal officers as well as newly appointed local police chiefs still completing required training. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law currently defines crimes and arrest powers without a single, broad definition of who counts as a 'law enforcement officer' for purposes of arrest authority under O.C.G.A. § 17-4-20. This bill, titled the 'Law Enforcement Partners Act,' adds that definition to O.C.G.A. § 16-1-3, the general definitions section for crimes and offenses. The new definition includes peace officers, out-of-state or federal officers who assist Georgia agencies during a governor-declared state of emergency, newly appointed police chiefs or department heads who have not yet finished required training under O.C.G.A. §§ 35-8-20 or 35-8-20.1, out-of-state certified officers working in Georgia who have not yet completed Georgia's peace officer training but remain in good standing in their home state, and full-time federal law enforcement officers in good standing who are authorized to carry firearms and make arrests. The bill then amends the arrest-authority statute (O.C.G.A. § 17-4-20) to cross-reference this new definition. It repeals conflicting laws. ### What it does - Adds a new definition of 'law enforcement officer' to Georgia's general criminal definitions statute (O.C.G.A. § 16-1-3), covering five specific categories of officers. - Extends the definition to include out-of-state or federal officers who help Georgia agencies during a state of emergency declared by the Governor. - Covers newly appointed police chiefs or department heads who have not yet completed required Georgia peace officer training within their allowed window. - Covers out-of-state certified officers working in Georgia who have not finished Georgia-specific training but remain in good standing in their home state. - Covers full-time federal law enforcement officers who are authorized to carry firearms and make arrests under federal law. - Amends the arrest-authority statute (O.C.G.A. § 17-4-20) to cross-reference this same definition rather than creating a separate one. ### Who it affects The bill affects newly appointed local police chiefs and department heads still in training, out-of-state officers working in Georgia or assisting during declared emergencies, federal law enforcement officers operating in Georgia, and any Georgians involved in arrests or interactions with these categories of officers. ### Why it matters By formally defining who counts as a 'law enforcement officer' under Georgia's arrest laws, the bill clarifies the legal status and arrest authority of officers who have not yet completed standard Georgia training, including new police chiefs, out-of-state officers, and federal agents, potentially affecting how their actions are treated under state criminal law. ### Key provisions - Section 1 gives the bill the short title 'Law Enforcement Partners Act.' - Section 2 adds paragraph (8.1) to O.C.G.A. § 16-1-3, defining 'law enforcement officer' across five categories, including peace officers, emergency-assistance officers, untrained new chiefs, out-of-state officers, and federal officers. - Section 3 amends O.C.G.A. § 17-4-20(a) to add a cross-reference stating that 'law enforcement officer' has the same meaning as defined in O.C.G.A. § 16-1-3. - Section 4 repeals all laws in conflict with the Act. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-06) - Last action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Matt Reeves, Houston Gaines, David Clark, Sandy Donatucci, Teddy Reese, Clint Crowe - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70026 > The history, votes, and amendments (249 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb315.md?full=1