Safe Futures A Plan for Program Improvement - Department of ...

were forwarded to the Governor's Office for consideration. As of April 2003, this proposed change has not been included in any
legislation presented to the General Assembly. A sponsor has not been secured. Current plans are to reconvene group to discuss need
for statutory change and discuss alternatives to achieve goals.
3rd Quarter Report: 2003 Legislative session ended without introduction of this proposed change. An extension was requested so
action step could be reviewed by workgroup to determine its appropriateness. Additionally, Georgia's General Assembly will not
reconvene until January 2004.
4 th Quarter Report: Office of Adoptions has again submitted proposal of recommended changes to Chapter 19-8 of the O.C.G.A. to
be considered for legislative priorities for the 2004 General Assembly Session which begins January 2004. We are currently
complying with court order for annual review and policy requires an administrative review every 6 months. If we can't accomplish
court review semiannually through legislation, the Model Court Project has already incorporated more stringent standards that require
review every three months for Juvenile Court Judges. Refer to document presented in Action Step E. 24.
BARRIERS TO ACHIEVEMENT:
Changes to Code require Legislative approval; Changes in State government Leadership have caused delay in new legislation being
introduced; Securing a legislator to sponsor proposed changes; Legislative session will end without proposed legislation being
introduced; Varying opinions and concerns over need for this statutory change
2 nd Quarter Federal Response: Will these activities just not be accomplished, if legislative approval is not granted?
Georgia's Reply 3 rd Quarter: Statutory changes cannot occur without legislative approval.
5 th Quarter Report: Office of Adoptions submitted proposal of recommended changes to Chapter 15-11-03 of the Official Code of
Georgia. HB 1322 has been introduced and hopefully will be passed during the 2004 legislative session that ends in March 2004.
5 th Quarter DOCUMENTATION: HB1322
E11 ACTION STEPS:
Include post termination requirements in CPRS review:
Develop prototype of CPRS that includes specific elements of adoption policy.
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Safe Futures – A Plan for Program Improvement
Georgia Department of Human Resources
March, 2004 Quarter 5 - Work Plan E Page 14