SB 468: Sexual Offender Risk Review Board; reporting requirements of sexual offenders; increase

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Discussed in meetings (14)

The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.

1. Senate Public Safety Committee, February 18, 2026

   From 0:59:28 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the substitute required homeless registered sex offenders to report sleeping-location changes within 36 hours, disclose registry status when asked by service providers, and follow applicable distance restrictions. The sponsor said it allowed monitoring after reporting failures and set minimum risk classifications for specified child-related convictions. One member warned that restrictions could displace people from services and that reporting could take eight hours. The sponsor defended applying housing restrictions equally and confirmed monitoring could apply regardless of risk level. Cicero Action witnesses supported monitoring as a safety measure. A Georgia Sheriffs' Association witness supported many provisions, reporting about 35,000 registrants, including 617 homeless people, roughly half under probation or parole supervision. That witness said distance restrictions depend on offense dates. Restore Georgia and a Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers witness opposed replacing individual risk assessments with offense-based classifications; the latter also sought longer reporting and travel-notice deadlines. The neutral Department of Community Supervision requested limiting monitoring authority to probation or parole, correcting distance-restriction references and removing mandatory agency payment language while retaining indigency assistance. The committee adopted those changes and approved the amended bill with one opposed.

2. Senate Rules Committee, February 24, 2026

   From 0:20:26 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would require homeless sexual offenders to report their location and employment to the appropriate authorities. No questions or vote followed.

3. Senate Rules Committee, February 25, 2026

   From 0:29:59 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would require homeless sex offenders to report their whereabouts or living conditions and employment to the sheriff's department or registry. No questions followed, and the bill was not selected for the floor calendar.

4. Senate Rules Committee, February 26, 2026

   From 0:13:58 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: A speaker described SB 468 as protecting children from homeless sexual offenders, without explaining its requirements. A committee member later selected it for the floor calendar. The committee unanimously approved the calendar containing the bill.

5. Senate floor session, March 3, 2026 (legislative day 26)

   From 3:02:03 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Third Read)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 468 would help officials locate and monitor homeless people on the sexual-offender registry by requiring reports to the sheriff within 36 hours after a change in sleeping location. The sponsor argued that frequent moves made enforcement of restrictions around places where children gather difficult. According to the sponsor, failure to report could lead to an ankle monitor through probation or parole supervision. The sponsor offered an amendment, requested by the Department of Community Supervision, allowing 72 hours for initial reporting after release from jail or prison because paperwork could take longer. The sponsor said later moves would still require reporting within 36 hours. The amendment also addressed classification as a dangerous sexual predator for second or subsequent convictions of specified offenses involving children. No members asked questions. The Senate adopted the amendment and committee substitute without objection and passed the bill 51-2.

6. House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, March 11, 2026

   From 0:48:17 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 468 would define homelessness for registry purposes, require reporting within 72 hours after release and 36 hours after moving, and allow ankle monitoring of certain homeless registrants on probation or parole. The sponsor said specified convictions would require at least level-two classification or classification as a sexually dangerous predator. One committee member questioned whether mandatory level-two language could prevent a higher classification. The sponsor said these were minimums and welcomed clarifying language. The sponsor said a prior amendment preserved 72 hours after release at the Department of Community Supervision's request. Two defense attorneys and a Restore Georgia witness urged preserving individualized risk assessments. The attorneys warned that conviction-based classifications could place people too high or too low, increase litigation and threaten the legal basis for monitoring. One attorney raised signal gaps and complications involving nonsexual kidnapping and out-of-state convictions. The second raised charging barriers for homeless people and proposed narrowing the homelessness definition. A witness supporting sheriffs endorsed stronger location tracking. The sponsor said monitoring would apply only during probation or parole, with funding available for indigent participants, and welcomed removing subjective housing language and clarifying classification discretion. No changes were adopted. The chair deferred voting for lack of a quorum.

7. House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, March 17, 2026

   From 1:21:12 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 468 would require homeless people on the sex-offender registry to report within 72 hours of release and every 36 hours when changing locations, disclose registry status to shelters, and potentially face ankle monitoring after reporting failures. The sponsor presented a substitute simplifying homelessness to lacking a fixed, regular nighttime residence and allowing certain offenders to receive either a level-two classification or a sexually dangerous predator classification. The sponsor also requested removing the word county before jail to cover other detention facilities. The Sexual Offender Risk Review Board’s director supported the homelessness provisions but opposed section three’s conviction-based classification requirements. The director said risk assessments consider conduct, treatment and criminal history, not just conviction titles, and warned that mandatory classifications could dilute risk labels, divert limited supervision resources and complicate reviews and appeals. The director said Georgia had approximately 28,000 registered offenders and would support the bill without section three. A Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers witness welcomed the homelessness definition change and also requested removing section three. The sponsor defended minimum classifications and continued monitoring as protections for children. No amendment or vote occurred because the committee lacked a quorum.

8. House Rules Committee, March 27, 2026

   From 1:01:33 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 468 would require homeless people on the sex offender registry to report locations more frequently, notify shelters of registry status and potentially face electronic monitoring after reporting failures. The sponsor said the aim was to track compliance with 1,000-foot restrictions around specified places where children gather. One member asked whether families could see updated locations publicly. The sponsor said reports would go to sheriffs but acknowledged that the bill did not require publication of address changes. The same member questioned broad travel-reporting requirements, possible monitoring costs and whether decisions should remain with supervision officers. The sponsor said travel reporting supported information sharing with other states and countries but did not know how many states had similar requirements. Another member asked who would pay for monitoring. The sponsor said the person monitored would pay, with Department of Community Supervision funds and grants available for people unable to afford it. No action was shown.

• Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 6, 2026 (legislative day 14), 0:36:22
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 19, 2026 (legislative day 21), 0:35:08
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 20, 2026 (legislative day 22), 0:41:59
• Read aloud: House floor session, March 4, 2026 (legislative day 27, AM), 0:52:21
• Read aloud: House floor session, March 6, 2026 (legislative day 28, AM), 1:04:20
• Read aloud: House floor session, March 25, 2026 (legislative day 37, AM), 0:44:11

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