ATLANTA – State Representative Pam Dickerson (D-Conyers) today announced that the Georgia State Senate unanimously passed House Bill 513 on March 14, 2018. Sponsored by Rep. Dickerson, HB 513 would require the Department of Human Services to develop standards for signs that inform the public that certain facilities are authorized locations to leave a newborn.
“Under our state’s ‘Safe Haven’ laws, birth mothers are not prosecuted for leaving a newborn child in the physical custody of an employee, agent or staff member of several designated safe facilities,” said Rep. Dickerson. “House Bill 513 would simply publicize this existing law and inform birth mothers that they may safely leave a newborn child in certain locations without prosecution. This bill aims to decrease instances of birth mothers abandoning newborns in unsafe locations, such as streets and doorsteps, and I hope that this legislation will improve the safety of all Georgia’s children.”
Under HB 513, the Department of Human Services would be responsible for developing standards for a sign that would be posted at medical facilities and fire and police stations to inform the public that these facilities are authorized locations to leave a newborn child. The Department of Human Services would provide rules and regulations for the size and type of such sign and where such sign should be located within or outside of such facility or station.
For more information on HB 513, please click here.