Georgia General Assembly Passes Felony Child Endangerment Law

April 25, 2004

Atlanta – Today, after three years of building consensus, the Georgia General Assembly joined Lt. Governor Mark Taylor’s in a bipartisan effort to pass a felony child endangerment law.

“Children have no voice and no vote.  It is our obligation to speak out on their behalf and to protect them and the General Assembly has delivered a true victory for Georgia families by passing this child endangerment law,” Lt. Governor Taylor said.

Sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Michael Meyer von Bremen, Senate Bill 1 protects Georgia’s children by making it a felony to endanger the life of a child. Last year, Taylor’s child endangerment bill passed the Senate unanimously and also passed the House. The legislative clock ran out before final passage.

Georgia is the only state without a comparable felony child endangerment law. Its purpose is to provide punishment for endangering the life of a child. Currently, in the event of serious injury to a minor, such as leaving an infant in the car on a hot summer day, prosecutors must prove malicious intent. The new felony law creates a charge of cruelty in the second degree, which does not require proof of malicious intent.
The law also creates a misdemeanor child cruelty charge if a child witnesses acts of violence.

“It is urgent that we meet the needs of Georgia’s children. I am pleased that the Senate and House have again come together to do the right thing for Georgia’s children,” Sen. Meyer von Bremen said.

For two years, Lt. Governor Taylor has worked with District Attorneys, child advocates and victims of domestic violence to craft a law that will provide prosecutors with the tools they need to be able to prosecute in cases of egregious abuse or endangerment.

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