Georgia Senate passes bills on juvenile arrest warrants, retirement investments, insurance notices and drug-testing tools

ATLANTA — The Georgia State Senate on Feb. 10, 2025, approved four bills addressing criminal-procedure language for juvenile court arrest warrants, expanded authority for retirement-system alternative investments, extended notice for homeowner insurance nonrenewals and authorized testing equipment for non-opioid drug adulterants.

The measures were approved on the floor after committee reports and brief debate. The most contested floor vote was on Senate Bill 23, which raised the cap on alternative investments for the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia; that bill passed 47-8. Senate Bill 8, clarifying arrest-warrant authority for juvenile courts, passed 51-1. Senate Bill 35, extending the required notice period before nonrenewal of certain property insurance policies from 30 to 60 days, passed unanimously, 55-0. Senate Bill 6, broadening authorization for testing equipment to detect adulterants such as xylazine, passed unanimously, 55-0.

Why it matters: the bills affect public-safety procedure for juveniles, retirement-fund investment strategy, consumer protections for homeowners, and harm-reduction tools for drug users. Several authors and committee chairs framed the measures as technical fixes or consumer protections; one bill drew sustained questions about data supporting financial outcomes.

Senate Bill 8 — juvenile arrest warrants

Senate Bill 8, introduced as a Department of Human Services bill, amends Title 15 and Title 17 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated to resolve an inconsistency…