HB1282: HB1282 Criminal procedure; offenses involving a victim under 16 years of age; include offense of aggravated sexual battery

Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 17-3-2.1), certain crimes committed against victims under 16, such as rape, child molestation, incest, and cruelty to children, get special treatment for the statute of limitations, the legal deadline for filing charges. For crimes from July 1992 through June 2012, the clock does not start until the victim turns 16 or reports the crime. For crimes on or after July 1, 2012, prosecutors can bring charges at any time, with some exceptions. This bill adds aggravated sexual battery (O.C.G.A. § 16-6-22.2) to both of those lists. That means if a child under 16 is a victim of aggravated sexual battery, prosecutors would get the same extended or unlimited time window to file charges that already applies to crimes like rape and child molestation. The bill repeals any conflicting laws and does not state a separate effective date beyond the usual rules for new legislation.

• Adds aggravated sexual battery (O.C.G.A. § 16-6-22.2) to the list of crimes covered by Georgia's delayed statute of limitations rule for child victims under 16.
• For offenses from July 1992 through June 2012, aggravated sexual battery against a child under 16 would get a statute of limitations that does not start running until the victim turns 16 or reports the crime.
• For offenses on or after July 1, 2012, aggravated sexual battery against a child under 16 would join the list of crimes that can be prosecuted at any time, with no filing deadline.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with this change.

This bill affects prosecutors and law enforcement agencies handling child sexual abuse cases, and it affects victims of aggravated sexual battery who were under 16 at the time of the crime, by extending or removing the deadline for bringing charges against their abusers.

Right now, a person accused of aggravated sexual battery against a child could avoid prosecution once Georgia's standard statute of limitations expires, even if the crime is reported years later. This bill would close that gap by giving these cases the same extended timeline already given to similar child sex crimes.

• Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 17-3-2.1 to add aggravated sexual battery, defined in O.C.G.A. § 16-6-22.2, to subsection (a), covering crimes from July 1, 1992 through June 30, 2012.
• Section 1 also adds aggravated sexual battery to subsection (b), covering crimes committed on or after July 1, 2012, which can be prosecuted at any time under most circumstances.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause with no specific additional effect described in the text.

1. 2026-02-26House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
2. 2026-02-17House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-12House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-11House Hopper (House)

• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)Primary sponsor
• Stan Gunter (R, HD-008)
• Soo Hong (R, HD-103)
• Mitchell Scoggins (R, HD-014)
• Steven Sainz (R, HD-180)

• child sexual abuse
• statute of limitations
• criminal procedure
• victim protection