--- title: HB 57. Crimes and offenses; incest; include step-grandparent and step-grandchild relationship collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb57 cite_as: HB 57, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb57 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb57.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb57/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69355 date: 2026-02-12 status: engrossed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 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/hb56.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb58.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 569 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb57.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 57 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-02-11 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Mike Cameron - Jan Jones - Beth Camp - Karen Mathiak - Leesa Hagan - Matt Reeves text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB57/2025 upstream_id: 1919086 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - incest law - family relationships - criminal law - sex crimes --- # HB 57. Crimes and offenses; incest; include step-grandparent and step-grandchild relationship ## Text House Bill 57 By: Representatives Cameron of the 1st, Jones of the 47th, Camp of the 135th, Mathiak of the 82nd, Hagan of the 156th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Code Section 16-6-22 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to incest, so as to include step-grandparent and step-grandchild relationship; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Code Section 16-6-22 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to incest, is amended by revising paragraph (4) of subsection (a) as follows: "(4) Grandparent and grandchild of the whole blood or of the half blood or step-grandparent and step-grandchild;" SECTION 2. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## 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 expand the state's incest law to cover sexual relations between a step-grandparent and step-grandchild, adding that relationship to the list of family ties already covered. ### Plain-language summary Georgia's incest law (O.C.G.A. § 16-6-22) currently lists specific family relationships, including grandparent and grandchild, whose sexual contact is illegal as incest. This bill adds step-grandparent and step-grandchild to that list, meaning sexual relations between someone in that step relationship would now count as incest under Georgia law. The bill makes this change by rewriting one paragraph, paragraph (4) of subsection (a), of the existing statute. It does not create any new crime category or penalty structure; it simply extends the existing incest offense to reach a relationship it did not previously cover. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws, a standard closing provision. No specific effective date is stated beyond the standard process of becoming law once signed. ### What it does - Adds step-grandparent and step-grandchild to the list of family relationships covered by Georgia's incest law (O.C.G.A. § 16-6-22). - Rewrites paragraph (4) of subsection (a) of the incest statute to include this new relationship alongside grandparent and grandchild relationships of whole or half blood. - Repeals any existing laws that conflict with this change, a standard closing provision in Georgia bills. ### Who it affects The change affects anyone in a step-grandparent or step-grandchild relationship in Georgia, since sexual contact within that relationship would now be prosecutable as incest. It also affects prosecutors, defense attorneys, and courts handling incest cases under this statute. ### Why it matters Currently, Georgia's incest law does not explicitly list step-grandparent and step-grandchild relationships, which could leave a gap in prosecuting sexual contact between people in that specific step-family tie. This bill closes that gap by folding the relationship into the existing incest offense. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises paragraph (4) of subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 16-6-22 to add 'step-grandparent and step-grandchild' to the relationships covered by the incest statute. - Section 2 repeals all laws and parts of laws in conflict with the Act, a standard provision with no substantive effect beyond the amendment itself. ## Status - Status: Engrossed (2026-02-11) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-02-12) - Sponsors: Mike Cameron, Jan Jones, Beth Camp, Karen Mathiak, Leesa Hagan, Matt Reeves - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69355 > The history, votes, and amendments (569 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb57.md?full=1