Thank you for your support this legislative session.

Nationally and locally, 2025 has ushered in escalated government assaults on vulnerable communities. We are deeply grateful to have worked alongside so many advocates to block harmful proposals and support positive ones. As we navigate this difficult political moment, we remain steadfast in our committment to resist efforts to expand the reach of Georgia’s carceral systems.

As a reminder, SCHR focused on five key priorities this session:

• Reforming Georgia’s Death Penalty Intellectual Disability Law
• Improving Conditions of Confinement in Georgia
• Protecting the First Amendment
• Mitigating Harms of Wealth-Based Detention
• Treating Kids Like Kids
• Improving Data Collection in the Criminal Legal System

We are inspired by the passage of HB 123, our top legislative priority. After more than 25 years of advocacy, Georgia’s intellectual disability law will finally align with standards across the county. This summer, we will host a reception to honor the individuals who committed decades to this fight. We are so grateful for those who never gave up. For a comprehensive list of all legislative outcomes, please visit our Bill Tracker.

Final Bill Outcomes

Positive Outcomes

• SB 244 – This bill passed with amendments that included the substance of HB 533, which provides an avenue for compensation for people who are wrongfully convicted. Under this new law, people may file administrative complaints and if requirements are met, may be compensated. The rate of compensation is recommended to be $75,000 for each year of incarceration with an additional $25,000 per year for time spent on death row. Compensation will ultimately be left to a judge, who will also be responsible for ensuring it is adjusted according to the Consumer Price Index. While no amount of money can truly compensate people who experience the trauma of incarceration, we congratulate those who worked so hard to make this remedy a reality.
• SB 12 – Thanks to your advocacy, the amendments that would have limited the public’s right to know what its police and its lawmakers are doing were removed. Access to public documents is a key feature of democracy, and we are glad that legislators listened to the opponents of the amendments.
• HB 171 – Because this bill was not placed on the Senate Rules Committee calendar, it did not pass. It would have criminalized children and enhanced adult sentences for offenses involving AI. At the start of the 2026 session, it will be recommitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where we can once again advocate for amendments to address our concerns.

The following bills did not move forward because they were not placed on the House Rules Committee calendar:

• SB 27 would have criminalized constitutionally protected online speech and chilled vocal advocacy—electronically posting someone’s personally identifiable information, including their name or where they work, “with reckless disregard as to whether” the information could be used by another party to cause the identified person (or their associates) to be fearful of physical harm (including stalking, injury, or death), significant economic injury, or mental anguish. Simply put, the criminal law proposed by SB 27 is unconstitutionally over-broad. The risk of arrest and prosecution would chill free speech, and that’s why SB 27—like any overly broad law that prohibits unprotected speech and a substantial amount of protected speech—is a serious constitutional violation.
  • At the start of the 2026 session, SB 27 will be recommitted to the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee.
• SB 29 would require law enforcement to collect the DNA of every adult arrested for a serious violent felony for a statewide database. Under current law, only people convicted of a felony have their DNA collected and sent to GBI’s Division of Forensic Sciences for analysis and entry into the database. SB 29 undermines the presumption of innocence by collapsing distinctions between pre- and post-conviction. It establishes a system of suspicionless and warrantless searches of people’s genetic data.
  • At the start of the 2026 session, SB 29 will be recommitted to the House Public Safety Committee.
• SB 268 would place anyone within 25 feet of an officer who gives them a “verbal warning not to approach” at risks of arrest for the offense of “interference with a first responder.” The offense would require that the person breaching the 25-foot “buffer zone” to have criminal intent, such as intent to “impede or interfere with the first responder’s ability to perform [their] duty.” Flimsy intent elements like this are typical in minor offenses that have been weaponized against over-policed communities. This law would be used to intimidate and retaliate against people attempting to hold police accountable or merely expressing concern for a friend or loved one’s safety. In prior committee hearings, the bill’s author has explicitly named people filming first responders to share online as something the bill is intended to address.
  • At the start of the 2026 session, SB 268 will be recommitted to the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee.
• SB 7, which would have set an awful precedent by allowing the Fulton County sheriff to seize the City of Atlanta‘s jail without adequately addressing human rights abuses, did not pass this year. We are fully aware that efforts to subvert true progress in Fulton County will continue. As we approach the summer months, please stay connected with us on our year-round advocacy efforts, which includes The People’s Process. Read the report from phase one, which focuses on the community input we collected about addressing the human rights abuses at the Fulton County Jail.

Unfortunate Outcomes

• SB 204, if not vetoed by the governor, will drastically expand the scope of felonies that can be charged by accusation of the district attorney rather than indictment by a grand jury. This significantly abridges the right of people facing criminal prosecution to require the presentation of evidence before being formally charged. Despite this challenge, we will support efforts to target abuse of this unwarranted discretion by prosecutors.