--- title: House Judiciary Juvenile Committee, February 11, 2026 collection: meetings id: 2026-02-11/house-judiciary-juvenile cite_as: House Judiciary Juvenile Committee, February 11, 2026, video https://vimeo.com/1163766981 (machine transcript by Georgia Commons) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-02-11/house-judiciary-juvenile md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-02-11/house-judiciary-juvenile.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-02-11/house-judiciary-juvenile/text source_url: https://vimeo.com/1163766981 date: 2026-02-11 status: machine transcript corpus_version: meetings-2026-10-23-8c15ead0f18d license: Machine transcript and summaries by Georgia Commons from the General Assembly's public video; the video stays on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel; 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/meetings/2026-02-11.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-02-11/house-public-safety-and-homeland-security.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-02-11/house-higher-education.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/index.md chamber: House body: House Judiciary Juvenile Committee body_url: https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/house-judiciary-juvenile.md meeting_kind: committee session: 2025-2026 Regular Session start_time: 2026-02-11T14:00:00-05:00 location: 403 CAP duration_seconds: 4213.0 video_id: 1163766981 video_title: 2.22.26 Judiciary Juvenile agenda_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/agendas/house/Juvenile Justice%2F021126 Meeting Notice.pdf bills_discussed: - HB 943 - HB 1061 summaries_model: gpt-6.1-sol transcript_turns: 331 transcript_chars: 64843 parts: - https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-02-11/house-judiciary-juvenile.md?start=0 - https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-02-11/house-judiciary-juvenile.md?start=59967 --- # House Judiciary Juvenile Committee, February 11, 2026 House Judiciary Juvenile Committee; February 11, 2026; 2025-2026 Regular Session. Video, on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel: https://vimeo.com/1163766981. Agenda: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/agendas/house/Juvenile Justice%2F021126 Meeting Notice.pdf. > This is a machine transcript of the General Assembly's video, made by a speech-recognition model. It is not an official record and can mishear words, names, and numbers. Speakers are not identified. The video is the record: every timestamp links to the moment it plays. ## Summary written by Georgia Commons Written by gpt-6.1-sol from the transcript below. It is not part of the record. Quote the transcript or the video, not the summary. The committee approved both bills after making changes. [HB 943](https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb943) would establish an autism screening, evaluation and treatment pilot for children in foster care. Members added the committee chair to those receiving progress reports. [HB 1061](https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1061) would create a planning committee to examine how Georgia could move 17-year-olds into juvenile court jurisdiction, without changing the age rules now. Witnesses discussed rehabilitation, public safety, costs and detention capacity. Members approved earlier deadlines for that planning work, then passed the bill. No opposing votes were voiced on either bill’s final passage. ## Bills discussed (2) Each account was written by gpt-6.1-sol from the stretch of the transcript it names. The bill's number is said in that stretch, unless it was the only bill on a committee's agenda. ### HB 943. Social services; establish a pilot program for autism spectrum disorder to children in foster care; provide [HB 943](https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb943) (2025-2026 Regular Session). From [0:17:24](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1044s), turns 0 to 67. At the second hearing on [HB 943](https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb943), a pediatrician described a pilot to expand autism screening, evaluation and treatment across foster-care regions, with a goal of reaching all regions within five years. The witness said a study involving more than 600 foster children found autism six times more common than in the general population. The witness said undiagnosed autism can lead caregivers to mistake difficulty adapting for defiance, contributing to placement changes. In a separate sample of 40 children, the witness reported an average 40-month wait between entering foster care and diagnosis, with average placements falling from 5.5 before diagnosis to 2.4 afterward. The witness argued that appropriate services improve stability and reduce costs and stress. The chair presented a substitute requiring reports after one year of operation and annually thereafter through July 1, 2031, without limiting the pilot’s duration. One member asked why this committee was not a named report recipient. Another member proposed adding its chair. That amendment passed unanimously, and the amended substitute passed with no opposition voiced. ### HB 1061. Mandi Ballinger Act; enact [HB 1061](https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1061) (2025-2026 Regular Session). From [0:35:04](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2104s), turns 72 to 325. The sponsor said the substitute for [HB 1061](https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1061) would create a 12-member committee to plan possible juvenile court jurisdiction for 17-year-olds, examining facilities, transportation, staffing, costs and legal changes. Answering members, the sponsor emphasized that age rules would not change now and later legislation would be necessary. The sponsor declined to require a minimum number of meetings. A Georgia Sheriffs’ Association witness was neutral on the substitute but opposed raising the age, citing reversals in Louisiana and North Carolina and a reported 70% increase in Louisiana youth detention placements. The sponsor questioned whether that increase reflected transfers from adult court rather than increased crime; the witness lacked underlying counts. Members also questioned separation of minors from adult prisoners. The sponsor later cited federal sight-and-sound separation requirements, but county compliance was not established. A Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council witness said most district attorneys supported the planning committee. A Department of Juvenile Justice witness welcomed resource planning. Separate witnesses from the Barton Child Law and Policy Center, Southern Poverty Law Center and Voices for Georgia’s Children supported the bill, citing rehabilitation, public safety and careful implementation. The Southern Poverty Law Center witness urged further reform. Members approved an amendment requiring work to begin by September 15, 2026, a report by December 1, 2027, committee dissolution December 31, 2027, and repeal January 1, 2028. The amended substitute passed with no opposition voiced. > The transcript runs 64,843 characters. A reader that cannot take it at once can read it in 2 parts: part 1 https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-02-11/house-judiciary-juvenile.md?start=0; part 2 https://georgiacommons.org/meetings/2026-02-11/house-judiciary-juvenile.md?start=59967. ## Transcript (331 turns) [0:16:54](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1014s) Good afternoon. Let's try this again. Good afternoon. Can everyone hear me? Oh, there we go. Thank you for being here today for Judiciary Juvenile. We're gonna start this meeting. It's two oh three, so we're just a couple minutes late. We certainly appreciate all of our members being here on this very busy day, and certainly appreciate all of you being here, us being pushed back an hour. I know it complicates your schedules, as it does ours, but thank you for being here. Um, we've got two bills on our agenda for today, and the first is HB 943. [0:17:24](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1044s) This is the second hearing on this bill, and it is a bill that establishes a pilot program for autism spectrum, spectrums disorder for children in foster care. Um, let's see. There is a sub that's being printed that Holly Carter worked on that simply is gonna change a little bit revolving the reporting on page three. And as soon as that arrives, we're gonna pass it around. Uh, there we go. But in the interim, I would like to introduce Dr. [0:17:56](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1076s) Michelle Zeanah. Um, I believe you're from- Statesboro is where you live currently, and, um, if you could tell us a little bit about what your specialty is and how this came to be. You're welcome to come to that first microphone. We'll see if we can get it turned on for you. [0:18:13](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1093s) And, uh, whenever you're ready, Dr. Zeanah, please feel free. [0:18:18](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1098s) Thank you. Um, I, I appreciate this opportunity. I'm gonna just start with a little story about where the... [0:18:25](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1105s) There's people at home that hopefully are wanting to hear this too. [0:18:28](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1108s) Is that better? [0:18:28](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1108s) Yeah. Thank you. [0:18:28](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1108s) Okay. Um, thank you. Uh, I'm Dr. Michelle Zeanah. I'm a pediatrician, and I'm gonna just start with a little story about where this, um, pilot came from. Back in the fall of 2021, I was having a conversation with then interim director for DFCS, Candice Broce, um, and she challenged me to help her figure out if u- undiagnosed autism was contributing to hoteling among foster children. And at the end of that hour-long phone call, um, she asked me for proposals to, uh, for three research projects. [0:19:03](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1143s) One, to determine the prevalence of autism among foster children, including planning and designing and implementing that study. A project to determine what do foster parents of au- of autistic foster children need in order to meet those children's needs. And a third for what do case managers need in order to help children with autism in foster care achieve permanence. And, um, we completed all of the, that research and wrote white papers and gave those, um, to DFCS at the end of 2024. [0:19:38](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1178s) So, uh, this is kind of the next step, taking that information and moving forward. Um, uh, in my medical practice, I diagnose autism spectrum disorder every week, um, 10 to 15 cases a week. And, um, we see children from over 80 counties in Georgia. When we got to the 50% mark, we stopped counting. Um, but that's really just evidence of how much need there is for physicians who have, who are willing to see children who have Medicaid and have the expertise to be able to diagnose autism. [0:20:13](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1213s) Um, our research study involved over 600 foster children, and they were between the ages of two and 17. And the study population was defined by time and geography. So if you were in foster care for more than one day during a 90-day window, you were included in the study. And if you exited foster care, you were still part of the study population. Um, we did not successfully collect data on all those children because some of them left the state, um, or were reunited with family or adopted and left the DFCS system and their new guardian was not interested in participating. [0:20:53](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1253s) Um, but we found that autism spectrum disorder is six times more common than the population at large. And we figured out how to overcome lots of challenges in our initial study, including how to obtain accurate contact data for children, determining who could accurately complete screening questionnaires, tracking foster children as they change placements, and children with autism are much more likely to change placements frequently. Um, we also figured out about how to find the resources to meet the foster parents' needs and the children's needs and facilitate ongoing access to care after reunification with biological parents. [0:21:32](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1292s) Um, by expanding the geographic areas from the original pilot and the number of provider offices involved, we'll be able to sort out the logistical hurdles for screening foster children with autism. I figured out how to do it in Bulloch County for a seven-county region, Region 12. Um, but I can change policy today, and the new policy's implemented tomorrow, or if we wanna wait a long time, it's not implemented until Monday. And, you know, we're not a big bureaucracy, but how to do this within big bureaucracies, um, while we were collaborating with the bureaucracy of DFCS, um, was really challenging. [0:22:12](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1332s) And we overcame, um, lots of hurdles, but we need to figure out how to help other offices in other cities apply what we've learned. And the goal, um, in this bill is to screen all foster children in all DFCS regions within five years. That's a lofty goal, but it's not impossible. Um, if you wouldn't mind, uh, indulging me in a quick little overview of autism, I often encounter folks who, um, are missing a little bit of knowledge there. Um, but autism, Asperger's, pervasive developmental delay, and several other related disorders were all grouped together back in 2013 as autism spectrum disorder, which we commonly now just refer to as autism, and everybody with autism has difficulty with relationships, difficulty with back-and-forth interactions, and difficulty with social communication or body language. [0:23:06](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1386s) They also have some combination of repetitive speech, repetitive behavior, sensory sensitivities, restricted interest, and inflexible thinking. And autism is separate from intelligence, just like it's separate from height. You could be very smart or very slow and have autism. And foster children with undiagnosed autism are much more likely, uh, to have frequent placement changes. They're more likely to have very exasperating behaviors. They're more likely to be sent home from school, and they're bor- more likely to be labeled as defiant. [0:23:40](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1420s) Children with autism often struggle with inflexible thinking, which gets misinterpreted as defiance. Um, but defiance is a choice, and when I offer a child with autism a bowl of ice cream and tell them all I have for them to eat it with is a fork, and they refuse to eat the ice cream, but they like ice cream, it's not because they're being defiant. It's because they're being inflexible. They don't gain anything for being inflexible. They're not being manipulative. They just can't change from what they think is expected, and that creates lots of problems, especially before caregivers understand the difference. [0:24:16](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1456s) Um, they also tend to be very literal. Recently, I asked the mom of a six-year-old gir- little girl if her child was literal, and Mom just started laughing and laughing and laughing and, and she said, "Let me just tell you. The other day, I said to my child, 'Put those chips on the table,' and she looked at me and she said, 'You want me to put the chips on the table?'" The mom said, "Yes," and the little girl dumped the bag of chips on the table. She was so literal, and she knew that it wa- didn't make sense to put the chips on the table, but that's what Mama had just told her to do. [0:24:47](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1487s) Now, if that child was in foster care, she would have been in trouble, and no one would have been laughing. [0:24:55](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1495s) Um, you know, and oftentimes, adults don't really understand how literal kids can be. Um, and I have lots of adults and teenagers who tell me they were always in trouble as a kid, and that they never knew why. Um, they learned not to ask what they did wrong because the answer was often, "You know what you did wrong. Stop being bad. Follow the rules." Well, being bad is not clearly defined, and you know what you did wrong is definitely not helpful, and what rules am I supposed to be following because you did not clearly lay them out for me? [0:25:35](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1535s) Uh, when expectations are only implied, it's really difficult for a person with autism to meet those expectations, and if no one understands what your skills deficits are, or they think those deficits are a choice on your part, it's very hard to be successful, and no one is helping you improve on your deficits. So when kids get access to appropriate services, long-term outcomes really improve, and appropriate treatment decreases the problem behaviors and improves the stability of their placement while they're in foster care. [0:26:08](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1568s) Um, both of these save money. They also really reduce stress for the child, for the case manager, and for the foster parent. House Bill 943 will allow the DFCS, m- will allow DFCS to pilot the screening, evaluation, and treatment of foster children in several regions and then grow the number of regions. As we are successful, we will figure out how to overcome all of the logistical hurdles, um, and manage working within bureaucracies. [0:26:42](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1602s) Um, we've already determined that autism is much more common among foster children, and we have lots of anecdotal evidence that access to services saves money and improves outcomes. Um, in my office, it wasn't part of our charge from DFCS, but we did a convenient sample of 40 children that, um, were all in foster care. Not all of them were in the original study, but they were all in foster care, and of those 40 kids, the average number of months between when they s- went into foster care and when they got an autism diagnosis was 40 months. [0:27:18](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1638s) That's over three years. [0:27:23](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1643s) Imagine how often that inflexible child was in trouble [0:27:28](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1648s) and how their needs were not necessarily being met. Um, of those 40 kids, nine of them got adopted after diagnosis. Seven of them went back to their biological parents or to a relative. [0:27:45](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1665s) The average number of foster homes that they were in before they got diagnosed, 5.5. The average number of foster homes that they were in after they got diagnosed, 2.4. [0:28:01](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1681s) Um, I heard in the previous hearing that, um, several questions about how we can prevent children from entering foster care in the first place. I think increasing the number of physicians who care for children who are at risk for foster care, who are willing to see patients on Medicaid, and who are capable of evaluating children for autism is key. We're gonna create that through this pilot, and it's logical that those physicians, some of them will end up seeing other children in their community as well. [0:28:36](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1716s) Um, I also heard questions about reporting. You know, we wrote three paper- white papers for DFCS. I've sent those out to anybody I thought was interested since then, um, and I know that the Commissioner Brose has shared them with quite a few people too. Um, they have, all of our findings have been informing work along the way. As we discovered key things, some of which were very easy to do, it was not hard to get our partners at DFCS to change things. [0:29:09](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1749s) We've changed all kinds of small policy cha- made all kinds of small policy changes that had big results, and sometimes I have to think back, "Oh, well, we, you know, I guess we've been doing it like that for three years now because we figured out that this is the logical way." Um, but it hasn't been hard to get collaboration and make things happen. So if y'all have questions, I am happy to answer. [0:29:36](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1776s) Thank you so much, Dr. Zena. Thank you for explaining the why and the how of this entire program, so thank you for that. Certainly appreciate you being here and driving. And you do have a question. Um, I'm sure the committee members might come up with more in the interim, but Representative Townsend, please go ahead with your question. You're recognized. [0:29:53](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1793s) Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanna say thank you for that testimony. It was strong, and it was on point, and it was, uh, well, all of us could understand it. I'm a former educator, but I think you said, well said and at the appropriate time. [0:30:09](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1809s) All right. Thank you. All right. Are there any further questions for Dr. Zena at this point? I think you must have done an excellent job explaining things to us. So Dr. Zena, thank you for being here with us today and, um, we look forward to working with you more in the future, so thank you. [0:30:25](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1825s) Thank you. [0:30:25](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1825s) Thank you for your work with children. All right. Um, members, committee members, um, if you look, you have a sub and you have an original. The original LC number that y- was in your packet and is in your packet, LC520936, and then the sub, um, is LC481719 S as in Sam. And legislative counsel explained it to me just a few moments ago that the change begins on number fort- line number 49, and everything matches to that point. [0:31:03](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1863s) Um, and it kinda goes through, it changes a little bit, um, upon one year o- of operation of the pilot program, and annually thereafter until July 1, 2031, the division shall submit a detailed written report on implementation and effectiveness of the pilot program to the governor, the speaker of the House, representative speaker, uh, president of the Senate, and chairpersons of the House Committee on Public and Community Health and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Um, that truly is the only change to this. [0:31:33](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1893s) Um, it does not limit the duration of the study in any way, um, but it does give kind of updates along the way. Are there any questions to these changes? [0:31:46](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1906s) Anybody have a question? Speak now or forever hold your peace. [0:31:48](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1908s) Mm-hmm. [0:31:49](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1909s) Okay. Just a second please. Representative Fincher, what, what, what's the- [0:31:54](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1914s) Well, we're evaluating this and voting on it. Uh, why are we not in, in the line of the communications of what the, the pilot program information? [0:32:05](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1925s) Well, we're not in line of communication because it goes to the speaker of the House. The speaker of the House should disseminate that information to the appropriate committees, us being one of the appropriate committees, and the information should be made available. Um, I'm definitely going to speak with the speaker's office to make sure that we have it so our members can see it as it, it goes forward. So thank you. Excellent question. All right. Anyone else? Are there any objections to the substitute being used today rather than the original LC number? [0:32:36](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1956s) Okay. All right. Do I hear a motion on the substitute? [0:32:40](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1960s) Motion to approve. [0:32:42](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1962s) Okay. Do I- [0:32:43](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1963s) Second. [0:32:43](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1963s) Second? All right. Got a motion and a second. Any discussion? [0:32:47](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1967s) I have an amendment. [0:32:47](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1967s) Oh, we have an amendment. All right. [0:32:50](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1970s) I agree with Representative Fincher since it already laid out chairpersons of the House Committee on Public and Community Health and the Senate Health and Health and Human Services Committee. I would add chair of the House Juvenile Judiciary Committee. [0:33:02](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1982s) Okay. All right. So we have a mo- [0:33:05](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1985s) Second. [0:33:05](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=1985s) Okay. We have a motion and a second to add the chair of the Judici- House Judiciary Juvenile Committee. Ms. Carter, is that gonna be a challenge? Not at all, Madam Chair. Okay. All right. So... Oh, gracious. So we go back, we're gonna... So we have an amendment. All right. So let's go back. We're gonna vote on- [0:33:26](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2006s) The amendment first [0:33:27](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2007s) ... the amendment first. Thank you. [0:33:28](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2008s) Yeah. That's what I was gonna say. [0:33:28](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2008s) There you go. I was like, "Wait a second." We have a second for the amendment. It was Mary Margaret. All right. So all in favor of amending LC481719 S as in Sam, um, I guess it'd be on line 54 it would begin, and chair of the House Judiciary Committee or House Judiciary Juvenile Committee. All those in favor say aye. [0:33:50](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2030s) Aye. [0:33:50](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2030s) Aye. [0:33:51](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2031s) Any opposed? All right. That was unanimous. All right. So House Bill 943, LC481719 S as in Sam as amended, do I hear a motion? [0:34:05](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2045s) Motion. [0:34:05](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2045s) Motion. Do I have second? [0:34:06](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2046s) Second. [0:34:07](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2047s) Motion and a second. What's the will of the committee? All those in favor say aye. [0:34:11](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2051s) Aye. [0:34:11](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2051s) Aye. [0:34:11](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2051s) Any opposed? All right. Thank you so much. 943 passes. Thank you so much for committee members, and thank you, Dr. Zena, for being here today and your time. [0:34:22](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2062s) Much appreciated. [0:34:23](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2063s) All right. So the next measure is actually a bill that I'm bringing, so I'm gonna scoot over and I'm gonna let Vice Chair Jenkins conduct the meeting. [0:34:43](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2083s) Oh yeah, this is my loser friend. [0:34:45](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2085s) Yeah. I wouldn't know what to do with that. [0:34:47](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2087s) I know. You can definitely drink later. Don't you worry about that. [0:34:57](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2097s) Okay. At this time, we'll recognize, uh, Chairman Camp to produ- present, uh, House Bill 1061, LC Number s- 630088S. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I bring you today substitute for House Bill 1061, LC630088S as in Sam. This bill is known as the Mandi Ballinger Act, and this begins the process for Raise the Age. Um, before we voted on this and passed it out of the House in 2024, it was a, it was a much longer bill. [0:35:33](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2133s) The code section changed from s- 18 to s- or 17, 18, or 18 to 17, depending on how it was written all through the code section. Um, one of the challenges we had at that point in time from some of our friends in the back was we were changing code, but we hadn't figured out how we were gonna do it yet. Um, this bill is just the first part of the bill we passed in 2024, um, and it is section one. It goes through who would be on an organizational committee, and we would figure out from that point in time, and you can look down, it's the House, it, it, House Chair of, um, Judiciary Juvenile, Senate Chair of Judiciary Committee, and it goes forth down. [0:36:14](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2174s) There's a lot of members. It's 12 total, um, including, um, the president of the Georgia Sheriff's Association, um, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorney's Council, and it, it goes right on down the list. And what we're trying to figure out in this is how this would be operationally and statutorily done. Um, we have challenges in our state. We have YDCs, we have our YDCs. Getting kids to those locations sometimes is challenging. [0:36:44](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2204s) Do we have the housing appropriate for 17-year-olds? Um, what, what will be considered to have some objectivity if they're 17 or not? What would be required for them to go to superior court? All those things would be hammered out by this organizational committee. And I am open for any questions, Mr. Chair. [0:37:07](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2227s) Okay. Um, I don't see any at this time. Oh. I do. I think, and you've got two people that want to speak on the bill today. Okay. Uh, number eight is... Is that... Council. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, question, Madam Chair Lady. Um, so this doesn't lower any ages or things like that right now. This is a study. Well, it's an organizational. It's, it's to see if it'll work. If you look on the end of the bill as you're getting closer in, um, there'll be a report submitted, um, and it's gonna discuss everything from cost estimates for capital outlay, operating expenses, and staffing needs as what will take to implement this. [0:37:47](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2267s) The, and there will be a report, um, that will also give the estimated time for such proposal implementation and data reports, statistical information. Um, it's gonna take a little bit of coordination to do this. The report's being given to the governor, lieutenant governor, and members of the General Assembly no later than December 1st, 2028. So it gives it time for this group of, of people to come together as a think tank to figure out how we can do this in our state, if it's possible for us to do it, and how much it's going to cost. And so then there would be a recommendation to the governor and the legislative body to- Correct ... [0:38:21](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2301s) make that happen. The, there will be a recommendation. So there, there'd be another bill to go along with the second act. There will be a se- there will have to be another bill because we'll have to change ages, and we probably will put some, some timelines in on when it will be done by. Instead of just flipping the switch, um, we're gonna, it's gonna take a minute to get this going. I, I think a lot of us are committed to this. I know, I knew Mandi Ballinger very well. This was something she was very passionate about, and she actually worked on this from 2018 until her death last year. Um, I think none of us want the situation to be where there's a kid who does a dumb thing to end up in superior court. [0:39:01](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2341s) On the flip side, if a kid does a dumb thing, but statutorily it needs to go to superior court, we need to make sure that it continues to do that as well. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Good. Representative Oliver. Thank you. I'm looking at line 44. Why are we not commencing the work, uh, until May 2027? It, well, it says, "The committee shall commence no later than." We can commence earlier than that, but that's the absolute latest we can commence. [0:39:37](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2377s) And if I have anything to do with it, we're gonna commence a lot earlier. [0:39:44](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2384s) Thank you. Mm-hmm. Thank you. [0:39:48](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2388s) Representative Panitch. I'm sorry. That was my question. Okay. Oh. Representative. I had to turn this off. Great minds, right? You're fine. He'll turn it off. You're good. Thank you. [0:40:00](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2400s) I don't know if it's working or not, but... What number are you? I think he's gonna be mic one. One? Or not, be witness one. No, this one. This one. Yeah. Two? Or are you two? This is fine. This is good. Uh, I just wanted to find out, do, do you think that there should be at least a minimum number of meetings once you make a commencement so that the work has a tempo that's expected to where... I, I trust that they will, y'all will figure it out, but I do think having it in statute that there is a minimum number of meetings is something worth considering. [0:40:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2431s) That's just a, a personal opinion. That's, and that's, that's a decent point, honestly. Um, but it could be entirely possible that we meet somewhere for a weekend, and we just hammer all this out in a day or two. I mean, it, it is possible, depending on how motivated everyone is. So I hate to say that we've got to meet eight times- Okay ... and we were able to, to do it over the course of maybe 16 hours in two days at two meetings. So, but I, I do get your point, and I appreciate you very much. Yep. [0:41:02](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2462s) Okay. I don't see any further questions. What does the will of the committee? [0:41:05](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2465s) We've got two c- we got two people. [0:41:06](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2466s) Oh, two speakers. Okay. [0:41:07](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2467s) Well, I think, well, I think we've got possibly two. Is everyone nod... Okay. Yes. [0:41:12](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2472s) We're good. [0:41:12](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2472s) All right. So I believe Georgia Sheriff's Association, if that's all right- [0:41:16](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2476s) That's good [0:41:16](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2476s) ... Mr. Chair, let them come up and give their opinion on this, because we have a lot of sheriffs in the state. [0:41:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2491s) Madam Chair, members of the committee, good afternoon. My name is Mike Mitchell. I'm the deputy director at the Georgia Sheriff's Association. Thank you for, uh, letting us, uh, voice, uh, our position on this matter as well as, uh, a couple of concerns. Um, I will, uh, lead off by thanking Madam Chair for, uh, the phone call that we had with you last week. You were very gracious with your time. We're very appreciative of that, and thank you for hearing our concerns. Uh, I will say that our position, uh, on this substitute is one of, uh, being neutral. [0:42:05](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2525s) Uh, we do have concerns. Uh, the sheriffs do remain opposed to the idea of raising the age here in the State of Georgia. Uh, I don't think that's gonna change. Um, and I just would caution the committee to proceed cautiously, uh, down this path. Uh, many states have done this. Uh, two in particular have actually repealed, uh, Raise the Age within the past couple of years. So, uh, I would just issue a, a word of caution, but as for the substitute itself, we are neutral. [0:42:38](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2558s) All right. Thank you. [0:42:39](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2559s) Yeah. [0:42:41](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2561s) All right. Thank you, sir. [0:42:42](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2562s) Thank you. [0:42:43](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2563s) Are you... [0:42:44](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2564s) We have a question. [0:42:44](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2564s) We, we have a question for you. Is that... You have a question for the, uh- [0:42:51](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2571s) Number four [0:42:52](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2572s) ... number four. Is that you? [0:42:54](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2574s) May I ask a question? [0:42:54](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2574s) Sorry. [0:42:56](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2576s) Well, I, I believe- [0:42:57](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2577s) I think you're first [0:42:57](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2577s) ... you're in line, Representative Fincher. Hang on. [0:42:59](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2579s) Go ahead, Representative Oliver. [0:43:01](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2581s) Am I right or wrong that the federal law does not allow 17-year-olds to be incarcerated with 18-year-olds? [0:43:09](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2589s) Uh, I'm not aware of that. [0:43:10](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2590s) I think I'm right. I might be right. Uh, how many of your, uh, 144 counties are c- uh, housing, jailing 17-year-olds and 18-year-olds together? [0:43:24](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2604s) We can find out that information. [0:43:24](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2604s) Probably against the law. [0:43:25](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2605s) Yeah. [0:43:25](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2605s) Okay. I think I've asked a FOIA on that before- [0:43:27](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2607s) I, I don't know it right offhand [0:43:28](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2608s) ... but it's a- [0:43:29](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2609s) You know, Georgia is one of only three states that still treat 17-year-olds as adults. [0:43:35](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2615s) That's just always an issue that I don't think y'all have paid enough attention to from my humble opinion. [0:43:42](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2622s) Oh. [0:43:42](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2622s) I'm pretty sure the law's clear on that. And 144 jails, you can't tell me whether any are in compliance or not in compliance. [0:43:50](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2630s) Yeah. Well, that, that's a federal law, so, you know, we- [0:43:54](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2634s) I think federal law applies [0:43:55](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2635s) ... we, we base what we do on state law. [0:43:57](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2637s) No, sir, you don't. Not totally. Thank you. [0:43:58](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2638s) Okay. [0:44:02](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2642s) Okay. [0:44:02](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2642s) Representative Fincher. [0:44:03](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2643s) The question I was gonna ask, you said that two states had repealed their law. Uh, do you know which states those are? [0:44:11](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2651s) Yes, sir. So state of Louisiana, uh, repealed theirs in 2024, I believe. State of North Carolina repealed theirs. Uh, theirs was a little bit tricky, uh, my understanding. So it was repealed. Uh, the governor in North Carolina vetoed that, and then the legislature over- overrode the governor's veto. I think they made some, uh, significant modifications to their Raise the Age, uh, law there in North Carolina. Uh, but, you know, one thing that, uh, was interesting in the State of Louisiana, within a year of implementing Raise the Age there, uh, the number of 17-year-olds that were being confined in youth detention centers there, uh, increased by 70%. [0:44:55](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2695s) Uh, so that, that's very, very concerning. Uh, should be very concerning to others as well. [0:45:00](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2700s) Go ahead. [0:45:00](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2700s) So- [0:45:00](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2700s) If I, if I might ask one further question. [0:45:02](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2702s) One further question. [0:45:03](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2703s) Um, you said the... How many states have the younger age? [0:45:08](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2708s) So I think there's three states right now, including Georgia, that treat 17-year-olds as adults. Uh, State of Georgia, State of Texas, and I believe the State of Wisconsin. [0:45:18](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2718s) So there's only three that do it? [0:45:19](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2719s) Only three. [0:45:20](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2720s) Okay. Thank you. [0:45:22](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2722s) There was [0:45:25](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2725s) on the floor as well. [0:45:25](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2725s) Representative Santos. [0:45:29](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2729s) Um, thank you for being here. Thank you for your, um, insight. So given that children are not, their brain is not fully developed until they're 25, I'm just curious why you would oppose reh- um, a child being rehabilitated, um, and put back into society and... I, I'm just curious why the opposition. I don't know if you've elaborated in the past, but I would like to know. [0:45:56](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2756s) Yeah. That, that's a good question. Uh, we're not opposed to rehabilitation. We're certainly not. [0:46:01](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2761s) Mm-hmm. [0:46:01](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2761s) Uh, I will say that I was a 17-year-old at one time- [0:46:04](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2764s) Mm-hmm [0:46:04](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2764s) ... and I did some crazy things, but I never broke the law, and I'm sure that everybody at this table was 17 at one time, uh, and probably, uh, I would venture to say, didn't break the law. [0:46:18](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2778s) Thank you. Madam Chair, may I have a follow-up? Or- [0:46:20](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2780s) Go ahead. One more [0:46:21](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2781s) ... sorry. Um, so I, I, I really wanna stress that children are children, right? We all know that they mis- make mistakes, and so I would just caution, um, anyone making their own personal experience applying to the entire State of Georgia, because I do believe that it is our responsibility to ensure that children have the access to a juvenile system which focuses more on rehabilitation than punishment. [0:46:55](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2815s) So just wanted to say that, but thank you. [0:46:57](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2817s) Yeah. Thank you. [0:46:57](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2817s) All right. Thank you. Uh, Representative Townsend. [0:47:01](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2821s) Uh, thank you, Mr. Chair. Two questions if you allow me to. [0:47:04](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2824s) Go for it [0:47:06](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2826s) First, thank you for your testimony. But second would be, uh, Representative Oliver, you just mentioned the, uh, federal law where you can't house 17-year-olds with 18-year-olds. I know if ledge counsel could corroborate that, I mean, verify that. [0:47:23](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2843s) I could do that offline. [0:47:25](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2845s) That'd be great. Thank you. Thank you, Representative, for bringing that up, because I did not know that. So, so, so thank you. Second question would be, this is where I'm a little confused, because what crimes are we talking about of not counting, of counting 17-year-olds as juveniles instead of adults? Because I could tell you now, I've, I've been around a lot of 17-year-olds and been in a high school setting for many years or school settings, um, even coaching a little, and, and they know what they're doing at 17. [0:47:57](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2877s) So are we talking about rape? We talking about, what are we talking about? Uh, murder? Talking about aggravated assault? What are we, what crimes are we talking about? [0:48:04](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2884s) The- [0:48:04](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2884s) And I apologize if I missed it in the bill. [0:48:07](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2887s) Um, well, it's not in the b- this particular bill. Um, the original bill, um, the 1061 bill, um, clearly outlines that- [0:48:16](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2896s) Mm-hmm [0:48:16](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2896s) ... one of the 12 sins that we talked of, the s- 12 crimes we discussed the other day so in depth on Representative Lim's bill, um, ag- let's see, it's aggravated assault with a gun, a firearm. It just, it goes down the list. Rape, sexual assault, aggravated child molestation. [0:48:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2911s) Okay. [0:48:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2911s) Those, those would not be considered. Um, there would be other crimes that would be considered, because those are some pretty bad crimes, but there, there are a lot more crimes that can be committed by a 17-year-old. Um, one of the notes that Mandy left, um, was, let's see, general title on the bill. This is the only place j- in Georgia Code where 17-year-olds are treated as adults. 17-year-olds cannot vote, cannot join the military, cannot even sit on a jury that might convict them in superior court. So they really are not tried by a jury of their peers. [0:49:04](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2944s) So, um, those were interesting points. And, but I agree. When I was 17, I had a full-time job. I lived on my own. I was a very- [0:49:11](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2951s) Sure [0:49:11](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2951s) ... I was a very, um, mature 17-year-old, but that's not the truth for all 17-year-olds. [0:49:16](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2956s) Correct. [0:49:16](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2956s) So, um, and my 17-year-old, who's now 25, she, she would have been, um, in big trouble if, um, she had been left to her own devices at 17. So, you know, everyone's different. [0:49:29](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2969s) They are. [0:49:29](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2969s) Everyone's different. Um, I would- [0:49:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2971s) Thank you. [0:49:32](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2972s) I do have a question, if it's all right with you, Mr. Chairman- [0:49:34](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2974s) Mm-hmm [0:49:34](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=2974s) ... to ask, um, our wonderful person from the Sheriff's Association. You mentioned that in Louisiana the number of incarcerated 17-year-olds increased by 70%. So at that point in time, my question would be, in Louisiana were most 17-year-olds going to jail and going through superior court rather than going through the juvenile system? And when you say 70%, is it 70%, um, you said a 70% increase. Was it 100 kids? Was it 500 kids? Do you have any idea on the numbers? [0:50:05](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3005s) No, we, I can work on getting that information. Yeah. [0:50:07](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3007s) Because I think, thank you. I think that'd be very relevant, um, if every, if the majority of these 17-year-olds were being tried in the judicial circuits as adults, and then all of a sudden they couldn't, and that would be a great reason why it increased 70%, meaning there was not an increase in crime of 17-year-olds as an increase in crime and where they were being sent, if that makes any sense. [0:50:30](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3030s) It does. [0:50:30](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3030s) Yeah. [0:50:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3031s) Yeah. [0:50:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3031s) Thank you. [0:50:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3031s) Yeah. [0:50:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3031s) I certainly appreciate that. [0:50:35](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3035s) Okay. Uh, got a few more. Uh, we do have several other speakers, and I'll, I'll recognize some more questions, but as we, as we go through this, just understand we do have some more speakers that may generate some more discussion on this. So, uh, Representative Fincher? [0:50:49](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3049s) No, I don't have any questions. [0:50:50](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3050s) Oh, okay. I didn't, uh... Okay. Uh, Representative Wade. [0:50:55](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3055s) Um, thank you, uh, Chair, and I appreciate the commentary. Um, one point I think that I do appreciate about the approach that you're here, you're bringing everybody to the table to have a deep dive as to when there needs to be a bifurcation, and I think that's an important discussion. So I appreciate that. In the spirit of our friend Mandy, I think that this is a great approach, my personal opinion. Um, I do think that I want to point this out, and texting with some folks back home, uh, I think it's OCGA 42-5-52 that directs department to classify and separate inmates by age and may establish a separate institution, or if they are in the same institution, there has to be a clear separation between 17 and 18-year-olds. [0:51:39](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3099s) That also includes in the transfer of those, um, that have been incarcerated, I guess, between, uh, the court system and to and from, uh, jail. So I, I think that that is the current practice among, uh, the, the state prisons and, and that would also help them comply with federal law. So I think that's the case. I, I think the great thing is this committee's gonna be in a position to, uh, pro- find out if that is not the case anywhere in this state and help address it through, uh, the, the debate. [0:52:10](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3130s) So I just wanted to provide that information. Thanks. [0:52:12](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3132s) Okay. Thank you. So at this time I'll recognize, uh, Pete Skandalakis, the Director of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. [0:52:22](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3142s) Prosecuting Attorneys' Council. You were close. [0:52:26](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3146s) I may have got it wrong. [0:52:28](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3148s) Yeah, he's a prosecuting, prosecuting attorney. [0:52:30](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3150s) Oh, okay. [0:52:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3151s) Thank you, Mr. Chairman, um, members of the committee, and Madam Chair. I'm, uh, Peter John Skandalakis. I'm the Executive Director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia. Most of y'all know me as Pete. Sometimes r- people refer to me by different terms, so I'll just stick to Pete, okay? Um, prior to being... I, I joined, I became executive director in, uh, 2018. Prior to that I was the district attorney for the Coweta Judicial Circuit for 25 years, and prior to that I was an assistant DA for seven. [0:53:02](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3182s) So my entire career has been in the criminal justice system. I'm testifying here on behalf of the prosecuting attorney's counsel as well as the DA's Association. I can tell you a majority of the DAs are in favor of this bill. Uh, we welcome this organizational committee meeting. Um, that's the best way to get down to the issues that need to be discussed and hammered out, um, by, by people who deal with this situation every day. And then to give you, you, uh, legislators a detailed report about what's the best course of action to take. [0:53:37](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3217s) Um, I can tell you that the DAs have for the past two years, um, majority of them have voiced their support for this type of organizational or study committee, and I'm here to answer any questions if y'all have any questions. And Madam Chair, I, I thank you so much for bringing this bill, and I appreciate the, uh, the openness and the, and the manner in which you have invited us in to discuss it. So thank you so much. [0:54:03](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3243s) Well, thank you. And I appreciate your willingness, your office's willingness, and certainly the Sheriff's Association will- Association's willingness to have a conversation about what it might take for us to move forward with this and, and look at this as an opportunity to move forward, and, um, thank you. I appreciate you. [0:54:23](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3263s) Thank you. [0:54:24](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3264s) Okay. Do we have any, uh, questions for the director? All right. Thank you, sir. [0:54:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3271s) Thank y'all. [0:54:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3271s) At this time, I'll recognize, um, Margaret Cowart. [0:54:35](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3275s) Cawood. [0:54:36](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3276s) Margaret. [0:54:46](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3286s) Good afternoon, and thank you for the opportunity to speak. I'm Margaret Cawood- [0:54:50](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3290s) Oh [0:54:50](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3290s) ... um, the legislative liaison with Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. And we just want to express that we appreciate the planning process that's referenced in this organizational committee and the specific reporting requirements that include the cost estimates of the capital outlay and resources and staffing, and we will need, um, these resources to allow us to adequately rehabilitate these young people according to the needs of their age group. And then we just, if passed, we look forward to being part of the planning process. [0:55:23](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3323s) And that's all. Any questions? [0:55:25](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3325s) All right. Do we have any questions for... Okay. So the, with the remainder of the speakers, I have a, a few more. Uh, we're gonna, we're kind of getting long on time, so we'll go, what, three minutes a piece. Um, I believe the next one is Kerrington Booz. [0:55:45](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3345s) Uh, Mr. Chairman, as, um, she's coming and getting comfortable, um, legislative council did send me some information regarding the housing of prisoners, and then I also did a, a little, a quick little search. Um, I believe what Representative Oliver was referring to is PREA, um, Prison Rape Elimination Act, um, that does not allow individuals under the age of 18 to be in an adult population, um, to ensure sight and sound separation, to make sure that, um, they are safe. [0:56:15](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3375s) So I believe, is that what you were referring to, Representative Oliver? All right. Thank you. [0:56:21](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3381s) Well, thank you. Go ahead. [0:56:22](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3382s) Good afternoon, uh, members of the committee. Uh, thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of HB 1061. My name is Kerrington Buzz. I'm the postgraduate fellow at the Barton Child Law and Policy Center. For more than a decade, the Barton Center has supported efforts to raise the age of juvenile court jurisdiction, so that Georgia's approach to youth justice aligns with research, practice, and common sense. Raising the age of the juvenile jurisdiction is, uh, to 18 is overdue. It is research informed, practice tested, and better for public safety. [0:56:55](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3415s) Today, a 17-year-old with no prior record can be arrested, jailed, and prosecuted in adult court for a low-level nonviolent offense, disorderly conduct, minor shoplifting, or even a senior skip day, which I did, um, that escalates into vandalism based solely on their age. The severity of the offense doesn't matter, prior history doesn't matter, and the individualized circumstances don't matter. At the same time, Georgia law recognizes that youth up to age 18, and in sometimes 21, may require the state's protection or support for their own safety and well-being, either through foster care or juvenile court supervision, because they are not yet equipped to navigate adult risks alone. [0:57:38](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3458s) So right now, under current law, we are telling children, "You are a child when we need to protect you, but also you're an adult when we want to punish you." This disconnect is especially troubling given what we know about adolescent behavior, that, um, youth offending rises through adolescence and peaks into mid to late teenage years and then sharply declines as their brain develops more. Georgia's current law takes that predictable, time-limited adolescent behavior and responds to it with the harshest, least effective tools we have, the adult criminal court. [0:58:12](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3492s) Juvenile court, by contrast, is designated precisely for this developmental moment when accountability can still redirect behavior. [0:58:22](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3502s) That said, implementation matters. Um, this bill appropriately recognizes that while the jurisdiction for reform, the justification for reform is obvious, logistics are very real. Court capacity, staffing, placement options, service access, funding all require careful, careful planning, and ignoring those realities would be irresponsible. Along with many partners, the Barton Center has worked to advance this policy conversation for years, and we are grateful to Chair Camp for this committee and this committee for continuing the momentum built by Chair Balinger s- leadership on this issue. [0:58:57](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3537s) We work daily with juvenile courts, child-serving agencies, and young people affected by these decisions. This bill signals something important. Georgia is ready to stop debating whether this reform makes sense and start focusing on how well to do it. [0:59:11](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3551s) Uh, we respectfully ask for you to support this bill, and thank you for your time and consideration. [0:59:16](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3556s) All right. Well, thank you for testifying. Um, Brian Nunez. [0:59:28](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3568s) Uh, good afternoon, uh, Chair Camp and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. Uh, my name is Brian Nunez, and I'm the senior policy associate for Georgia with the Southern Poverty Law Center. Uh, we appreciate Chair Camp's leadership in bringing 1061 forward, and for inviting thoughtful engagement on an issue that is complex, consequential, and long overdue for review, because I've actually myself have been working this, uh, issue since 2018. So this is something that, uh, you know, in her memory, I think we should do for, uh, Chairwoman Ballinger. [1:00:00](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3600s) Uh, this bill reflects an important acknowledgement that Georgia's current approach to 17-year-olds in the adult criminal legal system deserves reconsideration. 1061 represents a re- re- responsible incremental steps toward a system that better aligns accountability with public safety outcomes. It recognizes that 17-year-olds are still developing and that juvenile courts are better equipped to respond in ways that reduce re-offending, support rehabilitation, and protect communities over the long term. [1:00:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3631s) SPLC's position is informed by our decades-long work on youth justice, including our recent report, Only Young Once: How Georgia's Justice System Treats Childrens as Adults. Our research found that youth prosecuted as adults face higher rates of incarceration and long-term system involvement without corresponding public safety benefits. In contrast, states that have limited the prosecution of youth in adult, adult co- court have not experienced increases in crime, and in many cases, have seen improved outcomes and reduced costs. [1:01:04](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3664s) And we love that. You know, we always love the reducing costs in this, uh, Capitol Dome. Uh, 1061 takes a ca- careful approach by facing implementation, accounting for system capacity, and preserving adult court jurisdiction for certain, certain serious offenses. We recognize the value of that caution. Incremental reform, when done deliberately, can be an effective way to ensure system are prepared and reforms are sustainable. At the same time, we believe it is important to be clear that 1061 should be understood as a first step, not the final word. [1:01:38](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3698s) As written, many 17-year-olds will still enter adult court based on charge type rather than individualized assessment, and the bill's delayed implementation means future legislative action will be crit- critical to realize its full impact. We encourage this General Assembly to continue evaluating these issues as implementation proceeds and data becomes available. 1061 opens the door to that ongoing conversation, and we really appreciate Chair, uh, Camp's leadership in moving it forward. SPLC supports 1061 and looks forward to working with this committee and other stakeholders in the room as well to strengthen Georgia's juvenile system in ways that minimize harmful outcomes for youth and communities they oversee that are also fair, effective, and fiscally responsible. [1:02:25](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3745s) Thank you for your time and consideration. [1:02:27](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3747s) Thank you. [1:02:28](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3748s) Thank you for your remarks. Uh, Ms. McKinney. [1:02:38](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3758s) Thank you, and I'll, I'll try to s- I will try to stay brief. I'm Polly McKinney, advocacy director of Voices for Georgia's Children. Uh, thank you for bringing this bill. Um, we are supportive, fully supportive. Um, I'm gonna cut to the quick, um, as best I can. If the state's going to consider raising the age, it must be done with careful planning around youth development, behavioral health capacity, and long-term public safety outcomes. Uh, as you guys already know, most young people who come into contact with the justice system have significant behavioral health needs, rates of trauma, exposure to untreated mental conditions, substance use disorders, learning challenges far greater than in the general population. [1:03:17](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3797s) Um, when they're, those are not addressed, uh, the likelihood of re-offending increases. Um, so we're obviously supporting, supportive of Raise the Age, but what I would like to say is one of the things with response to our friends in the Sheriff's Association, the two states that rescinded their Raise the Age, part of what we believe part of that challenge was is that they did not have a collaborative process like this one. They did not come together and, and plan out how to do this, how to fund this, how to work at the rural and county levels so that all of the differences of our state can be addressed in the, the most effective community level way. [1:03:55](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3835s) So I just want to say that it wasn't just that it's a bad idea, it's that how we do this is what is going to determine its success. Um, and I think that's the most important thing that I had to say. So I'm not gonna belabor this, but I just want to say go team and please vote yes. [1:04:11](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3851s) All right. Thank you for your remarks. [1:04:13](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3853s) Thank you. [1:04:15](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3855s) Okay. So that, that concludes our testimony on this issue. Um, is there any further discussion? [1:04:22](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3862s) I have a motion, so motion. [1:04:24](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3864s) Okay. Uh, you move, uh- [1:04:26](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3866s) Oh, I move [1:04:27](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3867s) ... recognize for a motion. Go ahead there, Representative. [1:04:28](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3868s) Yes, I move do pass, and I have an amendment, so don't move too far. [1:04:32](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3872s) Okay. So we have a motion do pass. Do we have a second? [1:04:36](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3876s) Second. [1:04:37](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3877s) Okay. And a second from, uh, Representative Oliver. [1:04:39](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3879s) Mm-hmm. [1:04:41](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3881s) Okay. And at this time, any discussion on the motion and the amendment? Go ahead. [1:04:47](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3887s) Yes. Thank you. I am, I th- I think this is great. I spent a long time as a juvenile public defender in Miami. Once kids went to the adult system, it was hard to get them out of the system at all after that. So I, uh, and I think this is great. I just think it's, we, we're setting it up for way too long. Um, so I would move to amend line 44, "The committee shall commence no later than September 15th, 2026" [1:05:16](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3916s) And shall stand abolished on December 31st, 2027. [1:05:24](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3924s) I second. [1:05:25](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3925s) And w- did you get all that? December 31st. [1:05:30](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3930s) I believe it's a friendly amendment. [1:05:32](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3932s) Mm-hmm. It is. [1:05:35](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3935s) Okay, so we have an amendment to, uh, to line 44 that shall read, "The committee shall commence no later than Sep- September 15th, 2026, and shall stand abolished on December 31st, 2027." [1:05:49](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3949s) Yes. [1:05:49](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3949s) I read that correctly. Okay. [1:05:50](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3950s) Thank you. [1:05:51](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3951s) And we have a, a second. Any discussion on that amendment? [1:05:54](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3954s) Well, I have a question. Um, I... When you... We're talking about amending line 54, December 1st, 2027? [1:06:02](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3962s) Yeah. [1:06:02](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3962s) Or are we repealing it on... Which, which date are we referring to? Line 54, correct? [1:06:07](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3967s) Four- [1:06:07](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3967s) Well, actually, I was talking about 44- [1:06:09](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3969s) 44 [1:06:09](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3969s) ... and 45, but I didn't see f- 54, so not later than December 1st, 2027- [1:06:15](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3975s) Okay [1:06:15](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3975s) ... would also be amended. Thank you. [1:06:17](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3977s) Okay. So I will not read. So line 44 and 45 will remain as read, and we are gonna add changing, uh, line 54 to read December 1st, 2027. [1:06:30](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3990s) Thank you. [1:06:33](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3993s) Discussion? [1:06:34](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3994s) I thought you said no later than May, in May 2026. [1:06:39](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=3999s) No, it's September 15th, 2026. [1:06:45](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4005s) September. [1:06:45](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4005s) All right. [1:06:47](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4007s) Just to clarify, with those changes, does the committee need to consider that the repeal date be changed to January 1st of 2028? I'm not really- [1:06:58](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4018s) That's fine. [1:06:58](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4018s) Uh- [1:06:59](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4019s) Well- [1:06:59](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4019s) ... that just seems to be in kind of- [1:07:01](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4021s) Well- [1:07:01](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4021s) ... chronological time if the date changes- [1:07:04](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4024s) Well- [1:07:04](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4024s) ... if you're making those changes. [1:07:05](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4025s) Well, one challenge... Well, I don't know, maybe it is a challenge, maybe it's not a challenge. Um, [1:07:13](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4033s) well, it gives it a month. Okay. All right. [1:07:16](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4036s) Yeah. [1:07:16](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4036s) I'm good with that. [1:07:17](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4037s) Just keep, keep it in the same line of thinking. [1:07:18](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4038s) Moving it along. [1:07:18](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4038s) Yeah. [1:07:19](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4039s) Yes, sir. Thank you. [1:07:19](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4039s) Okay. [1:07:19](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4039s) Appreciate you. [1:07:20](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4040s) Re- restate your amendment, please. Or, or, or your request to the- [1:07:26](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4046s) So my request would be if, if... I don't know if we're taking these as three separate amendments or just one amendment. [1:07:32](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4052s) I'll let you ... If, if she's agreeable, we'll just do them all together. [1:07:34](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4054s) I'm okay. [1:07:34](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4054s) So September 15th, 2026, December 31st, 2027 on lines 44, 45, then you're changing line 54 to say December 1st of 2027, and then that would change the date on line 55 to January 1st of 2028, just to be kind of consistent with what the changes are creating. [1:07:54](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4074s) Okay. So as read by Representative Wade, are you good with that? [1:07:57](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4077s) Yes, and I'll second it. [1:07:59](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4079s) Okay. So there we go. So it's still your amendment and- [1:08:01](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4081s) Yep [1:08:01](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4081s) ... and we'll- [1:08:02](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4082s) Yep. [1:08:02](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4082s) Second the amendment. [1:08:03](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4083s) So what's the will of the committee? All in favor. Oh, excuse me. We've already got all that. All in favor. Aye. [1:08:09](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4089s) Aye. [1:08:10](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4090s) Any opposed? All right. [1:08:12](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4092s) I, I'm gonna abstain. Yeah. I, I'm still deciding, and I... Just for the record, I'm just gonna abstain. [1:08:18](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4098s) Okay. [1:08:18](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4098s) I just need to find out more about the crimes that's not, that's included, and that'll help me make, feel better either way. I just, I can't make a great decision now. I want- [1:08:28](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4108s) Well, I understand. May I, just for a moment? [1:08:30](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4110s) Go ahead. [1:08:31](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4111s) We're not a- we're not actually changing any code section at this point in time that's changing the age. This is just an organizational committee to see if we can move forward with doing so. [1:08:40](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4120s) No, good point. Yeah. [1:08:41](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4121s) Yeah. [1:08:41](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4121s) I think you're right on that. I, I can, I can live with that. That's fine. [1:08:44](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4124s) Okay. [1:08:44](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4124s) With that, yes, that's fine. [1:08:46](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4126s) Okay. Okay. So we have an amendment. We have the motion to, um, re-pass the bill as amended. So at this time, uh, any further discussion? I guess that's... Okay. Any further discussion? So all in favor? Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay, so, uh- [1:09:11](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4151s) Congratulations. Thank you. [1:09:11](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4151s) Bill has passed committee. [1:09:12](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4152s) Thank you, committee. Thank you all the presenters and speakers. Appreciate your assistance. [1:09:21](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4161s) And this meeting is adjourned. [1:09:23](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4163s) Good job. You did great. [1:09:24](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4164s) There we go. Figured out. [1:09:26](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4166s) I just need to get more specifics. [1:09:28](https://vimeo.com/1163766981#t=4168s) And you're good. You're good. Oh, now I'm hearing my phone.