Senate Bill 263
By: Senators Mallow of the 2nd, Sims of the 12th, Kemp of the 38th, Payne of the 54th and
Parent of the 44th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Code Section 20-8-5 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to law
enforcement powers of school security personnel in each public school system of the state,
certification, and carrying of firearms or weapons, so as to expand jurisdictional authority
of certain law enforcement officers to include a specified area surrounding school property;
to provide for a conforming change; 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 20-8-5 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to law enforcement
powers of school security personnel in each public school system of the state, certification,
and carrying of firearms or weapons, is amended by revising subsections (a) and (c) as
follows:
"(a) In each <del>public</del> <ins>local</ins> school system in this state, school security personnel employed
by the <ins>local</ins> board of education <del>of a county or an independent board of education of a
municipality for the various public schools thereof</del> who are certified pursuant to
subsection (b) of this Code section and who are authorized by <del>the</del> <ins>such local</ins> board of
education <del>of that county or the independent board of education of that municipality</del> shall
have the same law enforcement powers on school property <ins>and on public or private
property within five miles of school property,</ins> including the power of arrest, as law
enforcement officers of <del>that respective</del> <ins>the</ins> county or municipality <ins>in which the local school
system is located."
</ins> "(c) The provisions of this Code section shall not prohibit a <ins>local</ins> board of education <del>of a
county or an independent board of education of a municipality</del> from employing school
security personnel without law enforcement powers."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.