--- title: HR 611. House Study Committee on Abandoned Child Placement Following Hospital Discharge; create collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr611 cite_as: HR 611, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr611 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr611.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr611/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71426 date: 2025-04-04 status: passed 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/hr610.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr612.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 453 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr611.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 611 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-04-04 last_action: House Passed/Adopted By Substitute sponsors: - Katie Dempsey - Sharon Cooper - Lee Hawkins - Omari Crawford - James Hatchett text_version: Comm Sub has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR611/2025 upstream_id: 2010583 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - child welfare - mental health services - hospital discharge - legislative study committee - foster care and out-of-home care --- # HR 611. House Study Committee on Abandoned Child Placement Following Hospital Discharge; create ## Text LC 56 0424S The House Committee on Rules offers the following substitute to HR 611: A RESOLUTION Creating the House Study Committee on Abandoned Child Placement Following Hospital1 Discharge; and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, study is needed to provide gap analysis of community services and resources3 provided by the public, nonprofit, and private sectors to bette r support minors being4 discharged from psychiatric hospitalization and acute hospital emergency rooms; and5 WHEREAS, exploration is also needed into the availability of st ep-down services,6 community-based support services, and evidence-based prevention and treatment services7 and to identify shortfalls in such services; and8 WHEREAS, clearly defined and delineated responsibilities of the state, hospital providers,9 and health insurers should be determined regarding their obligations to serve minors admitted10 and discharged from psychiatric hospitalization or any other type of out-of-home care; and11 WHEREAS, exploration is needed to understand how to engage care coordination more12 effectively to better serve minors being discharged from psychiatric hospitalization or any13 other type of out-of-home care; and14 - 1 - LC 56 0424S WHEREAS, better determinations are needed of the costs associated with meeting the needs15 of Georgia children with mental health issues seeking services; and16 WHEREAS, exploration is needed of programs that will prevent parents' disengagement, and17 abandonment, and that will assist parents in achieving goals concerning service, treatment,18 and reunification plans.19 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:20 (1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee21 on Abandoned Child Placement Following Hospital Discharge.22 (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the23 House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of24 Representatives. The Speaker shall designate a member of the committee as chairperson25 of the committee.26 (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the challenges faced27 by abandoned children following discharge from psychiatric hospitalization or other types28 of out-of-home care.29 (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee30 may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or31 convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and32 accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.33 (5) Allowances and funding. The legislative members of the committee shall receive34 the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Offic ial Code of Georgia35 Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any36 member of the committee for more than three days unless additional days are authorized.37 Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds38 appropriated to the House of Representatives.39 - 2 - LC 56 0424S (6) Report.40 (A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that41 include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the42 same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolut ion, subject to43 subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.44 (B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not i nclude suggestions for45 proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)46 of this paragraph.47 (C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of48 abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.49 A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with50 the Clerk of the House of Representatives.51 (D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the52 House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu53 thereof.54 (7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.55 - 3 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution would create a study committee to examine how the state handles children who are abandoned after being discharged from psychiatric hospitals or other out-of-home care. ### Plain-language summary This resolution creates the House Study Committee on Abandoned Child Placement Following Hospital Discharge. It responds to concerns that Georgia lacks clear systems for supporting minors leaving psychiatric hospitalization or hospital emergency rooms, including gaps in step-down and community-based services, unclear responsibilities among the state, hospitals, and health insurers, and weak care coordination. The committee would have five House members appointed by the Speaker of the House, who would also name the chairperson. The chairperson would call meetings, and the committee would study challenges facing abandoned children after hospital discharge. Members would receive standard legislative allowances under O.C.G.A. 28-1-8 for up to three days unless more are approved, funded through the House's existing budget. Any findings or recommendations, including proposed legislation, would need majority approval before being filed with the Clerk of the House. The committee would be abolished on December 1, 2025. ### What it does - Creates the House Study Committee on Abandoned Child Placement Following Hospital Discharge, made up of five House members appointed by the Speaker. - Directs the committee to study the challenges faced by children abandoned after leaving psychiatric hospitalization or other out-of-home care. - Sets rules for meetings, allowances, and funding, capping paid allowance days at three unless additional days are authorized. - Requires any committee report or legislative recommendations to be approved by majority vote before being filed with the Clerk of the House. - Sets the committee's abolishment date as December 1, 2025, ending its work unless a report is filed before then. ### Who it affects Members of the Georgia House of Representatives appointed to the committee, minors discharged from psychiatric hospitals or emergency rooms, their parents or guardians, hospital providers, health insurers, and state agencies involved in child welfare and mental health services. ### Why it matters The committee's findings could shape future legislation on how Georgia coordinates care for children abandoned after psychiatric hospitalization, potentially affecting funding, service availability, and defined responsibilities among hospitals, insurers, and the state, though the resolution itself creates no new services or requirements yet. ### Key provisions - Paragraph (1) formally creates the study committee. - Paragraph (2) sets membership at five House members appointed by the Speaker, who also designates the chairperson. - Paragraph (3) defines the committee's task as studying challenges facing abandoned children after discharge from psychiatric hospitalization or other out-of-home care. - Paragraph (5) ties member allowances to O.C.G.A. 28-1-8 and limits paid days to three unless additional days are authorized, funded from the House's existing appropriations. - Paragraph (6) requires majority approval of any report or legislative recommendation before it can be filed with the Clerk of the House. - Paragraph (7) sets the committee's abolishment date as December 1, 2025. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-04) - Last action: House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Katie Dempsey, Sharon Cooper, Lee Hawkins, Omari Crawford, James Hatchett - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71426 > The history, votes, and amendments (453 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr611.md?full=1