The Georgia General Assembly passed House Bill 1283 on Thursday, the final day of the legislative session. The bill now goes to the governor. If signed, it would allow counties, cities, and district attorneys across the state to open Family Justice Centers — single locations where victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, and human trafficking can access multiple services at once.
What’s happening: Under the bill, a Family Justice Center is a shared facility where government agencies, law enforcement, and nonprofit service providers work in the same building to help victims. Counties, cities, or district attorneys could open a center on their own or with nonprofit partners.
Victim privacy: Information a victim shares at a center could not be released without that person’s written consent, except where required by law or court order. Staff and volunteers would still be required under existing Georgia law to report known or suspected child abuse, elder abuse, or neglect.
Legal protections: Employees, contractors, and volunteers at a center run by a government entity or DA’s office would receive the same legal immunity from lawsuits as government employees, as long as they act in good faith, stay within their assigned duties, and do not act with gross negligence or bad faith.
Records and criminal cases: Records held by a private or nonprofit partner at a center would not automatically become public records or be considered in the possession of prosecutors simply because they share a building with a government agency. This rule applies in both felony and misdemeanor criminal cases. Government-held records at a center would still be subject to Georgia’s Open Records Act, which requires most government documents to be available to the public on request.
The Path Forward: The bill now goes to Gov. Brian Kemp. If signed, local governments and district attorneys across Georgia could begin establishing centers. The bill does not set a deadline for doing so, and no state funding is guaranteed — the council is authorized to distribute funds if they are appropriated or received from federal sources. The bill now moves to the governor fir signing.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
