Georgia has enacted sweeping new protections for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, and human trafficking after HB 1283 passed both chambers of the General Assembly without a single opposing vote.
The legislation creates family justice centers — multiagency facilities that provide coordinated services to victims under one roof, eliminating the need for survivors to navigate multiple agencies independently. The bill also requires law enforcement to retain sexual assault evidence for up to 10 years when a victim does not immediately report the abuse.
Lead sponsor Rep. Esther Panitch, a Sandy Springs Democrat, called the bill’s unanimous passage a milestone moment.
“My first job out of law school was working for the brand-new model Domestic Violence Court in Miami-Dade, Florida,” Panitch said. “Over 30 years later, I watched a bill I authored in Georgia pass both chambers without a single opposing vote. Survivors should not have to navigate a fragmented system during the most difficult time of their lives. Family Justice Centers bring those services together, so the system works for victims, not the other way around.”
Panitch noted that the rape kit preservation provision was added to the bill when Rep. Karen Lupton’s standalone measure needed a legislative vehicle.
“When Rep. Karen Lupton’s rape kit preservation bill needed a vehicle, both parties in both chambers came together to make it happen,” Panitch said. “That is what this work looks like. I am grateful to the survivor community for entrusting me with it.”
