Georgia committee hears bill to authorize Family Justice Centers, tables measure for substitute

Representative Panich introduced House Bill 1283 on behalf of its sponsor, identifying the bill number and Legislative Counsel reference (LC481757SAsInSam) and describing a permissive framework that would authorize nonprofit, county, municipal or district-attorney–led Family Justice Centers across Georgia. The measure would create governance standards, position the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) to administer funding, and add consent-based confidentiality protections for victims.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Panich, argued the model reduces trauma for survivors and improves prosecutorial outcomes by colocating law enforcement, prosecutors, victim advocates, social services and legal aid in a single, trauma-informed location. "Family justice centers change that," she said, describing the centers as a "gold standard" that brings services "under one roof." Juliana Peterson, executive district attorney in Fulton County, said the centers reduce recantation and homicides and increase successful prosecutions, noting the approach has been recognized as an evidence-based practice by the U.S. Department of Justice since 2007.

Witnesses from operating centers gave concrete service data and operational detail. Michelle Gertman, executive director of the Waycross family justice center, said Waycross recorded 325 crisis calls and provided 3,642 services in a recent 12-month period and has averaged more cases than originally projected. She described partnerships with public health, law enforcement and hospitals, and said Waycross raised private and federal seed funding to build and sustain its facility. A sponsor’s expert estimated start-up costs could range from about $1 million to $4 million and that annual operating costs could run into "several million dollars" depending on scale, with many centers leveraging existing partner staff to lower incremental payroll costs.

Law-enforcement and prosecutorial testimony emphasized public-safety benefits. Lieutenant Justin Strom of the Atlanta Police Department, who leads the domestic-violence unit, said centers can empower victims and reduce officer risk, and cited reductions reported in other jurisdictions. District Attorney Anita Howard of the Macon Judicial Circuit described cases where coordinated services aided prosecution and said her office handles more than 550 domestic-violence cases.

Local-government and defense stakeholders sought technical and legal safeguards. Vivian Ernst, deputy general counsel for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG), offered a friendly amendment to add the words "of immunity" after the word "waiver" so that procuring insurance would not be read as waiving existing governmental immunities. Maisie Lynn Gertin of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers raised concerns about language in sections 2 and 3 that references "possession, custody, or control," arguing the bill should not unintentionally block defense access to discovery evidence held by partner agencies; the sponsor and counsel agreed to continue working on precise language.

Committee members adopted several friendly technical amendments by voice vote, including the ACCG modification and a change to broaden the bill’s reference to insurance. Members discussed next steps and agreed to prepare a substitute draft that incorporates stakeholder edits. Though a "do pass" motion was voiced, the committee ultimately tabled the bill for the sponsor and legislative staff to circulate a substitute and return for further consideration.

The committee asked staff to work with Representative Panich and stakeholders to reconcile discovery language and other mechanics; legislative staff and the sponsor agreed to reconvene and circulate an updated substitute before the next formal vote. The committee adjourned with the bill temporarily tabled pending that substitute.