--- title: HB 430. Sexual Offender Risk Review Board; venue for certain petitions regarding state sexual offender registry; provide collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb430 cite_as: HB 430, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb430 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb430.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb430/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70280 date: 2026-01-12 status: engrossed 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/hb429.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb431.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 637 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb430.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 430 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-03-06 last_action: Senate Recommitted sponsors: - Steven Sainz - Rob Clifton - Bethany Ballard - Jaclyn Ford - Mandi Ballinger - Leesa Hagan - Shawn Still text_version: Comm Sub has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB430/2025 upstream_id: 1968082 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - sex offender registry - criminal justice - court procedure - public safety --- # HB 430. Sexual Offender Risk Review Board; venue for certain petitions regarding state sexual offender registry; provide ## Text 25 LC 48 1571S House Bill 430 (COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE) By: Representatives Sainz of the 180th, Clifton of the 131st, Ballard of the 147th, Ford of the 170th, Ballinger of the 23rd, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 2 of Chapter 1 of Title 42 of the Official Cod e of Georgia Annotated,1 relating to Sexual Offender Risk Review Board, so as to provide f o r v e n u e f o r c e r t a i n2 petitions regarding the state sexual offender registry; to provide for related matters; to repeal3 conflicting laws; and for other purposes.4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:5 SECTION 1.6 Article 2 of Chapter 1 of Title 42 of the Official Code of Geor gia Annotated, relating to7 Sexual Offender Risk Review Board, is amended by revising paragraph (6) of subsection (e)8 of Code Section 42-1-12, relating to State Sexual Offender Registry, as follows:9 "(6) Is a nonresident who changes residence from another state or territory of the United10 States or any other place to Georgia who, at the time of changing residence, is required11 to register as a sexual offender under federal law, military law, tribal law, or the laws of12 another state or territory or who has been convicted in this st ate of a criminal offense13 against a victim who is a minor or any dangerous sexual offense;"14 H. B. 430 (SUB) - 1 - 25 LC 48 1571S SECTION 2.15 Said article is further amended by revising paragraph (2) of subsection (b), paragraph (2) of16 subsection (d), and subsections (e) and (f) of Code Section 42-1-19, relating to petition for17 release from registration requirements, as follows:18 "(2) Such petition shall be served on the district attorney of the jurisdiction where the19 petition is filed, the sheriff of the county where the petition is filed, and the sheriff of the20 county where the individual resides, the sheriff of the county of intended residence, and21 the chief superior court judge of the county of intended residence. Service on the district22 attorney and sheriff may be had by mailing a copy of the petition with a proper certificate23 of service."24 "(2) Any evidence introduced by the district attorney, board, or sheriff sheriffs; and"25 "(e) The court shall hold a hearing on the petition if requested by the petitioner, the sheriff26 of the county of intended residence, or the chief superior cour t judge of the county of27 intended residence.28 (f) The court may issue an order releasing the individual from registration requirements29 or residency or employment restrictions, in whole or part, if t he court finds by a30 preponderance of the evidence that the individual does not pose a substantial risk of31 perpetrating any future dangerous sexual offense. The court ma y release an individual32 from such requirements or restrictions for a specific period of time. The court shall send33 a copy of any order releasing an individual from any requiremen ts or restrictions to the34 sheriff and the district attorney of the jurisdiction where the petition is filed, to the sheriff35 of the county where the individual resides, to the sheriff of t he county of intended36 residence, to the Department of Corrections, to the Department of Community Supervision,37 and to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation."38 SECTION 3.39 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.40 H. B. 430 (SUB) - 2 - ## 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. House Bill 430 would change how petitions to leave Georgia's sex offender registry are handled, requiring notice to more sheriffs and judges when a registered offender is planning to move to a new county. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law lets some registered sex offenders petition a court to be released from registration requirements or residency and employment restrictions if they can show they no longer pose a substantial risk. HB 430 changes who must be notified and involved in that process. Under current law, petitions mainly involve the district attorney and sheriff where the petition is filed and the sheriff where the person currently lives. This bill adds the sheriff of the county where the offender intends to move and that county's chief superior court judge, giving them the right to request a hearing and requiring the court to send them a copy of any release order. The bill also makes a small wording change to the registry law's definition covering nonresidents who move to Georgia from another state or place. It repeals conflicting laws and does not state a delayed effective date. ### What it does - Adds the sheriff and chief superior court judge of the county where a sex offender intends to move as parties who must be served with a petition to leave the registry. - Gives the sheriff and chief superior court judge of the intended residence county the right to request a court hearing on the petition. - Requires the court to send a copy of any order releasing someone from registration or residency requirements to the sheriff of the intended residence county, in addition to current recipients. - Adds sheriffs generally, not just the sheriff who filed, as a source of evidence the district attorney or board can introduce at the hearing. - Makes a minor wording revision to the registry law covering nonresidents who move to Georgia from another state, territory, or other place. ### Who it affects Registered sex offenders who petition Georgia courts to be released from registration or residency and employment restrictions, county sheriffs and chief superior court judges (especially in counties where an offender plans to move), district attorneys, and the Georgia Sexual Offender Risk Review Board. ### Why it matters By pulling in the sheriff and judge of the county someone plans to move to, the bill gives local officials in the destination community a formal voice and notice before a court decides to lift registration or residency restrictions on a sex offender moving into their area. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 42-1-12(e)(6), adjusting the definition covering nonresidents who move to Georgia and were required to register elsewhere. - Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 42-1-19(b)(2) to require petitions be served on the sheriff and chief superior court judge of the county of intended residence, not just the filing county and current residence. - Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 42-1-19(d)(2) to broaden who can introduce evidence at a hearing to sheriffs generally. - Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 42-1-19(e) to let the sheriff or chief superior court judge of the intended residence county request a hearing. - Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 42-1-19(f) to require the court to send copies of any release order to the sheriff of the intended residence county along with existing recipients. - Section 3 repeals conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Engrossed (2025-03-06) - Last action: Senate Recommitted (2026-01-12) - Sponsors: Steven Sainz, Rob Clifton, Bethany Ballard, Jaclyn Ford, Mandi Ballinger, Leesa Hagan, Shawn Still - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70280 > The history, votes, and amendments (637 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb430.md?full=1