---
title: HB 626. Criminal procedure; extend retention period of evidence of sexual assault when victim elects not to immediately report assault
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb626
cite_as: HB 626, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb626
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb626.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb626/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70803
date: 2026-03-04
status: introduced
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/hb625.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb627.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 393
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb626.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 626
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-26
last_action: House Postponed
sponsors:
- Karen Lupton
- Scott Holcomb
- Karen Mathiak
- Matt Dubnik
- Marvin Lim
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB626/2025
upstream_id: 1985973
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- sexual assault evidence
- criminal procedure
- victims' rights
- law enforcement policy
---
# HB 626. Criminal procedure; extend retention period of evidence of sexual assault when victim elects not to immediately report assault
## Text
The House Committee on Judiciary, Non Civil offers the following substitute to HB 626:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Code Section 17-5-71 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
preservation of evidence, so as to extend the retention period of evidence of sexual assault
when the victim chooses not to immediately report the assault; to provide for a short title; to
provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Stephanie Colquitt-Shurman Act of 2026."
SECTION 2.
Code Section 17-5-71 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to preservation of
evidence, is amended by revising subsection (b) as follows:
"(b) If the victim chooses not to report the alleged sexual assault to law enforcement at the
time of evidence collection, the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction shall maintain
any physical evidence collected as a result of such alleged sexual assault that contains
biological material, including, but not limited to, stains, fluids, or hair samples that relate
to the identity of the perpetrator of the alleged sexual assault, for not less than 12 months
30 years from the date any such physical evidence is collected."
SECTION 3.
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 House Judiciary Committee substitute for HB 626 would require Georgia law enforcement agencies to keep sexual assault evidence for 30 years, instead of just 12 months, when a victim chooses not to immediately report the assault to police.
### Plain-language summary
Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 17-5-71), if a sexual assault victim has evidence collected but decides not to report the crime to law enforcement right away, the agency holding that evidence only has to keep it for at least 12 months. This bill, named the 'Stephanie Colquitt-Shurman Act of 2026,' would extend that mandatory retention period to 30 years from the date the evidence is collected.
The evidence covered includes physical material containing biological evidence, such as stains, fluids, or hair samples that could help identify a perpetrator. The bill does not change what happens to evidence when a victim reports right away; it only affects the retention rule for evidence tied to unreported assaults. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws.
### What it does
- Extends the mandatory retention period for sexual assault evidence from at least 12 months to 30 years when the victim has not reported the assault to police.
- Applies specifically to physical evidence containing biological material, including stains, fluids, or hair samples linked to identifying a perpetrator.
- Names the bill the 'Stephanie Colquitt-Shurman Act of 2026' as its official short title.
- Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with the new retention requirement.
### Who it affects
Sexual assault survivors who choose to delay or forgo reporting to police, and the law enforcement agencies across Georgia that collect and store biological evidence from sexual assault cases, since they would need to retain that evidence for decades instead of one year.
### Why it matters
Survivors who are not ready to report an assault right away would have far more time, up to 30 years, to change their mind and pursue a criminal case backed by preserved biological evidence, rather than losing that evidence after just one year under current law.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 gives the bill the short title 'Stephanie Colquitt-Shurman Act of 2026.'
- Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 17-5-71(b) to change the required evidence retention period from 'not less than 12 months' to '30 years' from the date of collection, for cases where the victim did not report the assault at the time evidence was collected.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-02-26)
- Last action: House Postponed (2026-03-04)
- Sponsors: Karen Lupton, Scott Holcomb, Karen Mathiak, Matt Dubnik, Marvin Lim
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70803
> The history, votes, and amendments (393 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb626.md?full=1