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Committee hears bill to let judges order cross‑jurisdiction searches for children and vulnerable adults
Summary
A bill prompted by a Griffin case would let law enforcement obtain superior‑court orders to locate children, disabled adults or elderly wards who moved during an open welfare investigation; prosecutors and local investigators told the committee gaps in county coordination left a child unseen and severely neglected.
Lawmakers heard testimony on a measure designed to close jurisdictional gaps when children or protected adults move during investigations of abuse or neglect.
Representative (speaker 16) introduced HB 984 after investigators in Griffin, Georgia, described a case in which a child moved through multiple counties and was later found in a severely neglected condition. The bill would allow law enforcement to ask a superior court judge to issue orders directing agencies and jurisdictions to work together to locate an at‑risk child or adult while investigations are ongoing.
Griffin investigators and a detective described repeated DFACS referrals that were closed as the family moved, and said county case files did not follow the child. "As he moved, his slate was clean," an investigator said, and there was no centralized system to follow families across county lines. Committee members asked whether magistrate courts should be authorized to issue orders and whether a standard affidavit would help make the process more administrable; the sponsor said juvenile‑court judges and the district attorney's office had been consulted while drafting.
Supporters said the bill is narrowly drawn and would not add significant costs to DFACS; questions remained about operational details such as where the authority would be housed and what notice procedures would look like. The committee took testimony from law enforcement and advocates and indicated it would return the bill to full committee with drafting tweaks.
What happens next: Sponsors were asked to work with stakeholders on drafting mechanics, including whether magistrate courts should be empowered and what a standardized application would require.
