Georgia CommonsSenate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SB 525: Juvenile Code; recording of all proceedings under the juvenile code; require
Last action February 19, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred
Senate Bill 525 would require Georgia's juvenile courts to record every proceeding under the juvenile code and would give parties and the Department of Human Services a guaranteed right to obtain the full record without a court order.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Currently, Georgia law requires recording of juvenile court "proceedings" but the bill clarifies that requirement applies to all proceedings under the juvenile code, closing any ambiguity about which hearings must be recorded by stenographic notes or electronic means. The bill also adds new rights for people involved in juvenile court cases. Any party to a juvenile proceeding would have the right to get the full and complete record of that proceeding without having to ask a judge for an order allowing it. The Department of Human Services, when a juvenile court has allowed it to take part in a case, would get the same automatic right to the full record. These changes amend Code Sections 15-11-17 and 15-11-19 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The bill repeals any conflicting laws but does not state a separate effective date beyond standard enactment.
What the bill does
- Expands the recording requirement in O.C.G.A. § 15-11-17 so that all proceedings under the juvenile code, not just some, must be recorded by stenographic notes or electronic means.
- Creates a new right in O.C.G.A. § 15-11-19 letting any party to a juvenile court proceeding obtain the full and complete record without seeking a court order.
- Gives the Department of Human Services the same right to the full record of any juvenile proceeding it has been allowed to participate in, without needing a court order.
- Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with these new recording and record-access rules.
Who it affects
Juvenile court judges and staff who must ensure recordings are made, children and families involved in juvenile court cases as parties, attorneys representing them, and the Department of Human Services when it participates in juvenile proceedings such as abuse or neglect cases.
Why it matters
Parents, children, and other parties in juvenile court would no longer need to petition a judge just to get a copy of the record of their own case, and the state's guarantee that all proceedings are recorded would create a clearer paper trail for appeals or later review.
Key provisions
- Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 15-11-17(c) to require recording of 'all proceedings' under the juvenile code, replacing narrower language about 'proceedings.'
- Section 2 adds new subsection 15-11-19(c) giving any party the right to the full and complete record of a proceeding they were part of, with no court order required.
- Section 2 also adds subsection 15-11-19(d) giving the Department of Human Services the same no-order right to the full record when a court has allowed the department to participate.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause with no independent substantive effect.
From the bill
“shall be recorded by stenographic notes or by electronic, mechanical, or other appropriate means capable of accurately capturing a full and complete record of all words spoken during the proceedings”
“shall have the right to the full and complete record of any proceeding under this chapter to which such individual is a party and shall not be required to obtain or produce a court order to receive any such full and complete record”
Discussed in meetings (2)
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.
Senate Children and Families Committee, March 24, 2026
From 0:14:38 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair said the provisions of this bill had been incorporated into the substitute for HB 256. The presenting sponsor said those provisions would require complete recordings of juvenile court proceedings and give parties access without obtaining a court order. An assisting witness linked the proposal to concerns about delayed court orders and said it would also let the department obtain recordings in certain proceedings where it was not a party. A Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council witness asked whether access for an “individual” would include prosecutors representing the state. The Office of the Child Advocate director said the state was already a party in delinquency and children-in-need-of-services cases. Members nevertheless discussed clarifying the wording. The committee adopted an amendment replacing “an individual” with “a party” and deleting the later phrase specifying that the individual must be a party. An assisting witness confirmed that separate language preserved the department’s access. The recording provisions advanced through approval of the amended substitute for HB 256, not through a separate vote on this bill.
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Randy Robertson (R, SD-29)
- Clint Dixon (R, SD-45)
- John Albers (R, SD-56)
- Marty Harbin (R, SD-16)
- Billy Hickman (R, SD-4)
- Mike Hodges (R, SD-3)
- Timothy Bearden (R, SD-30)
- Blake Tillery (R, SD-19)
- Jason T. Dickerson (R, SD-21)
- Lee Anderson (R, SD-24)
- Matt Brass (R, SD-6)
- Shawn Still (R, SD-48)
- Chuck Payne (R, SD-54)
Topics
- juvenile court
- court records
- family law
- child welfare
- Department of Human Services