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 <del>not less than 12 months
</del> <ins>30 years</ins> from the date any such physical evidence is collected."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.