Committee hears bill to let courts order cross‑jurisdiction searches for missing or endangered children and wards

House Bill 984 was presented to the committee as a targeted response to a Griffin case in which a child who had been moved across counties slipped out of contact with investigators and later suffered severe abuse. The sponsor said the bill allows a law‑enforcement agency conducting a welfare investigation to seek a superior court order directing cooperation to locate the individual.

Joseph DeAngelo of Front Line Policy Council and local detectives from the Griffin Police Department described how the child in the motivating case moved between Walton, Henry and Spalding counties and ‘‘fell through the cracks’’ of county‑based case handling. Sergeant Spears and Sergeant Luis told the committee they encountered hurdles tracing the child’s records and birth documentation after the child moved and that multiple DFACS referrals did not produce a centralized follow‑up.

Committee members asked whether magistrate courts should be empowered to issue these orders in addition to superior court judges, and whether a standardized affidavit or intake form had been considered; the sponsor said those drafting details were not settled and that the district attorney’s office would likely be involved in the superior‑court process.

The bill also extends the authority to cases involving disabled adults and elderly wards with guardians who relocate while an investigation is underway. The sponsor thanked juvenile court judges and DFACS for input and said the bill was narrowly drawn to permit judicial oversight rather than bypass agencies.

No final vote was recorded on HB 984 during the hearing; the bill will return to the committee for further consideration and drafting.