Bill > HB350

This bill amends Georgia's Safe Place for Newborns Act to expand the locations and methods for safely surrendering newborns, adding ambulance services and newborn safety devices as authorized options for mothers to leave their infants without fear of prosecution. The bill defines key terms such as "newborn safety device" as an enclosed, locked, and monitored receptacle where infants can be safely placed, and expands the list of authorized locations from medical facilities, fire stations, and police stations to now include ambulance services. Mothers can surrender a newborn up to 30 days old without criminal charges, either by directly handing the child to an on-duty employee at an authorized location or by placing the child in a newborn safety device. The bill mandates that facilities receiving a newborn must immediately transport the child to the nearest medical facility and notify the Department of Human Services, which must take physical custody within six hours. The legislation also provides detailed specifications for newborn safety devices, including a dual alarm system to ensure the child's prompt retrieval, and maintains liability protections for facilities and their staff while explicitly excluding immunity for negligent treatment of the child.

Health and Social Services, Justice

https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70112