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Committee approves amendments and advances bill tightening reporting for homeless registered offenders
Summary
SB 468, which tightens reporting requirements for homeless registered sex offenders and expands monitoring options when they fail to report, was advanced after debate and amendments. Supporters cited SORNA compliance and public safety; opponents warned the bill could displace homeless people and remove individualized risk assessment.
Senate Bill 468, as amended, was advanced by the Senate Public Safety Committee after extensive testimony from sheriffs, advocacy groups, criminal-defense lawyers and service providers.
Sponsor Senator Kauser said the substitute tightens a gap for homeless registered sex offenders who lack a fixed residence and therefore may not comply with residency and proximity reporting requirements. The amended bill defines homelessness for registry purposes, requires a homeless registered offender to notify the sheriff of their sleeping location within 36 hours of moving, and clarifies that measures such as electronic monitoring would be applied in coordination with probation or parole when appropriate.
Supporters, including the Georgia Sheriffs' Association and local investigators, said the change would help enforcement and public safety. Shelley Daniel of the Sheriffs' Association told the committee there are roughly 35,000 registered offenders in the state and about 617 who are homeless, and said sheriffs need clearer tools to manage compliance.
Opponents and defense groups raised concerns. Brandon Bowman (Restore Georgia) argued the bill replaces individualized risk assessment with automatic offense-based classifications that risk mislabeling people; Jill (Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers) and other witnesses warned that shorter reporting windows (36 hours) and in-person requirements could be onerous and discourage housing stability. Senators also questioned how the longstanding 1,000-foot proximity rule would function in dense urban areas where few sleeping locations would comply.
During the hearing, the Department of Community Supervision proposed and the committee accepted conforming amendments to limit certain provisions "while he or she is on probation or parole," to adjust statutory cross-references and to remove agency-pay language; those amendments passed on voice votes. After the amendment process the committee voted and advanced the bill, recording one opposing hand during the final tally.
The committee's action moves the bill forward with the adopted amendments; staff and agencies will continue working with the sponsor to resolve implementation questions, including how reporting can be performed (phone vs. in-person) and how indigency issues for monitoring costs will be handled.
