07 LC 38
0314
Senate
Bill 270
By:
Senators Hamrick of the 30th and Unterman of the 45th
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Title 49 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to social
services, so as to provide for the Office of Runaway Children Assistance within
the Department of Juvenile Justice; to provide for certain duties and structure;
to provide for an alert system for runaway children; to provide for a procedure
of sharing material information regarding runaway children; to provide for a
process to maintain certain records; to provide for the procedure for the taking
and releasing of custody of runaway children; to provide for related matters; to
repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Title
49 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to social services, is
amended by designating the existing provisions of Chapter 4A, relating to the
Department of Juvenile Justice, as Article 1 and adding a new Article 2 as
follows:
"ARTICLE
2
49-4A-20.
As
used in this article, the term:
(1)
'Runaway child' or 'runaway children' means a child or children under the age of
18 whose parents, legal guardian, or custodian has reported to a law enforcement
agency that such person has reason to believe that the child or children have
deserted without cause the child´s or children´s home or abode and are
in imminent danger.
(2)
'Runaway child report' means a report prepared on a form designed by the
department for the use by law enforcement agencies and private citizens to
report information about runaway children to the Office of Runaway Children
Assistance.
49-4A-21.
There
is authorized within the department an Office of Runaway Children Assistance.
The office shall serve as a central repository of information regarding runaway
children and shall collect and disseminate such information as is necessary to
assist in the location of runaway children. The commissioner shall be
responsible for the development, staffing, and maintenance of the
office.
49-4A-22.
(a)
In establishing the duties and structure of the Office of Runaway Children
Assistance the department may:
(1)
Establish a system of intrastate communication of information relating to
runaway children;
(2)
Provide a centralized file for the exchange of information on runaway children
within the state;
(3)
Interface and connect with the National Crime Information Center for the
exchange of information on runaway children;
(4)
Collect, process, maintain, and disseminate information on runaway children and
unidentified bodies and strive to maintain or disseminate only accurate and
complete information;
(5)
Cooperate with the State Board of Education in compiling lists of runaway
children in this state for distribution to local school districts;
(6)
Compile annual statistics on the number of runaway children;
(7)
Develop recommendations for better reporting and use of computer
systems;
(8)
Provide assistance to local law enforcement agencies providing fingerprint
programs for children;
(9)
Circulate a monthly bulletin of runaway children to all law enforcement agencies
in the state;
(10)
Assist local law enforcement agencies in establishing direct computer access to
the Office of Runaway Children Assistance;
(11)
Act as a liaison between private citizens and law enforcement agencies regarding
appropriate procedures for handling and responding to runaway child reports;
and
(12)
Establish a toll-free telephone number to assist individuals and agencies in the
reporting of runaway children and information relative to runaway
children.
(b)
The department is authorized to join and participate in any network of state
runaway children centers or clearing-houses, specifically including but not
limited to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
49-4A-23.
Upon
the filing of a police report by the parent or guardian that a child has run
away, the local law enforcement agency receiving such report shall notify all of
its on-duty law enforcement officers of the existence of the runaway child
report, communicate the report to all other law enforcement agencies having
jurisdiction in the county and all law enforcement agencies of jurisdictions
geographically adjoining that of the local law enforcement agency, and transmit
the report to the Office of Runaway Children Assistance.
49-4A-24.
Every
law enforcement agency and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation shall transmit to
the Office of Runaway Children Assistance any information which is acquired or
collected pursuant to Code Section 35-1-8 or Code Section 35-3-4, which
information would assist in the location of any runaway child.
49-4A-25.
Any
public or private organization which makes lists of or maintains records on
runaway children as a primary activity of that organization and which seeks to
operate in the State of Georgia shall register with the Office of Runaway
Children Assistance.
49-4A-26.
Upon
locating a runaway child, the department or other law enforcement agency shall
process the runaway child pursuant to the procedures set out in Part 5 of
Article 1 of Chapter 11 of Title 15."
SECTION
2.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.