ATLANTA – State Representative Yasmin Neal (D-Jonesboro) today announced that the Georgia House of Representatives passed House Bill 236, legislation which seeks to protect victims who have been granted a temporary protective order. On Monday, March 8, Rep. Neal’s legislation passed by a unanimous, bipartisan vote of 166-0 on the House floor and will now head to the Senate for consideration.
“This bipartisan bill is a huge win after passing on the House floor, and I want to thank my colleagues for joining me on this journey to make Georgians feel safer and making today better than the day before,” said Rep. Neal. “Democrats and Republicans, along with a collective of law enforcement agencies, have joined me on this bill and worked to provide additional protections to petitioners so that they feel a little safer in their day to day lives.”
Under House Bill 236, when a temporary protective order is granted for relief from family violence, the petitioner would have the ability to request periodic safety checks from local law enforcement officers. These safety checks would include observations of the outside of the petitioner’s residence and an officer’s presence nearby the petitioner’s residence. To request these safety checks, a petitioner would be required to provide a copy of the temporary protective order to his or her local law enforcement agency.
If the petitioner elects to receive these safety checks, the safety checks would last a total of 60 days, and the frequency of the safety checks would be at the discretion of the local police agency. Prior to the 60-day period ending, the petitioner can withdraw his or her request, or the local police agency would determine that the petitioner no longer appears to require the safety checks.
For more information on HB 236, please click here.
Representative Yasmin Neal represents the citizens of District 74, which includes portions of Clayton County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2020 and currently serves on the Economic Development & Tourism, Juvenile Justice and Public Safety and Homeland Security committees.
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