ChildWelfare.net - Barton Clinic Activities

Barton Clinic Legislative and Advocacy Activities

2010 ^. 2009 ^. 2008 ^. 2007 ^. 2006 ^. 2005 ^. 2004 ^. 2003 ^. 2002 ^. 2001 ^. 2000

2010 Session

Barton Center Report: Addressing the "Demand" Side of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: Review of Federal and State Laws for Prosecuting Offenders. (80-page PDF) - This report, which was funded by the Georgia's Governor's Office for Children and Families on behalf of the statewide initiative to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children, explains that commercial exploitation of children generally occurs in combination with other crimes. Recognizing the interconnections between these crimes can lead to more effective prosecutions and lengthier sentences for those who exploit children.
2010 Legislative Priorities (5-page PDF) - Please read our 2010 Legislative Priorities. This document summarizes the legislative initiatives that the Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic, in cooperation with our advocacy partners, will focus on during the 2010 Session of the Georgia General Assembly.

2009 Session

2009 Legislative Summary (6-page PDF) - Read our summary of child welfare and juvenile justice legislation considered and enacted by the 2009 Georgia General Assembly.
The Child Protection and Public Safety Act (SB 292) (2-page PDF) - The Child Protection and Public Safety Act, also known as Senate Bill 292, would comprehensively modernize and streamline O.C.G.A. Title 15. The bill rewrites Georgia's juvenile code to improve the manner in which courts interact with children. The bill's lead sponsor is Senator Bill Hamrick (R-Carrolton. Among the bill's 23 co-sponsors are Senator Seth Harp (R-Midland), Senator Robert Brown (D-Macon), Senator Don Thomas (R-Dalton), Senator Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur), Senator Renee Unterman, (R-Buford) and Senator Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta).
The Barton clinic has prepared two summaries of SB 292, one short and one detailed.

For further reading

In 2008, the Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic commissioned several white papers on selected areas of juvenile justice and child welfare reform. The papers focus on proposed reforms that were included in the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division Proposed Model Juvenile Code (YLD-PMC). Several of these recommended reforms are contained in SB 292, while others, such as raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction for delinquency to 18 years of age and automatic transfer reform (repealing SB 440), did not make it into the final bill. Nonetheless, these reforms remain a focus for many child advocates, including the faculty and staff of the Barton Clinic, and provide a fascinating topic for further reading. The white papers are available for download as PDFs below.

The lead partners of the JUSTGeorgia coalition are the Barton Clinic, Georgia Appleseed, and Voices for Georgia's Children. For more information about JUSTGeorgia and to join the coalition please visit the website at JustGeorgia.org.
Youth Development and the Juvenile Justice System (2008) (12-page PDF) - Dr. Don Bower, PhD and Rachel Hagues, MSW - Department of Child & Family Development, University of Georgia
One area of ongoing debate amongst policy makers is when does childhood end and adulthood begin. While this question may be addressed by various developmental markers such as age or cognitive abilities, the issue can be particularly contentious in the area of juvenile justice reform. In the midst of such policy debates, providing accountability and appropriate consequences to young offenders sometimes becomes synonymous with their cases being handled by the adult criminal justice system, often without due consideration of what the science of child development can teach us about the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system versus the adult criminal justice system for youths and adolescents. This paper was written to assist Georgia's lawmakers as they wrestle with this important issue.
A Child's Right to Counsel in Juvenile Court Proceedings (2008) (9-page PDF) - Melissa Carter, JD, Deputy Director, Office of the Child Advocate for the Protection of Children; and Kirsten Widner, JD, Post Graduate Fellow, Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic, Emory University School of Law
Representation of children is a complex issue that raises many questions: Do children or youth involved in juvenile court cases need lawyers? Do children have a right to legal counsel? Are children capable of directing their own representation? Does the benefit of counsel depend on the nature of the proceeding? Yet these individual questions are much more straightforward than the analysis of a child's right to counsel under Georgia's existing statutory and case law. As a result of inconsistent, unclear and sometimes conflicting guidance in the state's body of law, children's right to counsel in Georgia is mired in controversy. This white paper explores the constitutional and best practice arguments for a child's right to counsel in delinquency cases and deprivation cases and includes recommendations to Georgia policy makers for statutory reforms related to child representation in juvenile court.
Prosecution in Superior or Juvenile Court: The Proposed Model Code's Approach (2008); A primer on history, policy, effectiveness, and related research (24-page PDF) - Tom Rawlings, JD, Director, Office of the Child Advocate for the Protection of Children
For the Georgia Legislature to consider substituting the harsh penalties and adult prosecutions of juvenile offenders set up by 1994's Senate Bill 440 ("SB 440") for the presumption that the vast majority of juveniles should be processed in juvenile court, lawmakers must be convinced both that the approach of SB 440 is not a time-honored "tradition" and that practical experience as well as legal and scientific principles show that prosecution in juvenile court is preferred. This white paper begins with the history of juvenile law in Georgia, tracing the efforts of our lawmakers to give juveniles the benefits of accountability and mercy. It goes on to question whether SB 440 has had a positive impact on the citizens of Georgia and has constituted a wise use of taxpayer resources, and it discusses some of the more recent legal and scientific developments suggesting it may be time for a change. Finally, this paper concludes with recommendations for further studies that would help policymakers better understand just how SB 440 has functioned and help them determine whether a new approach is needed.
Reinstatement of Parental Rights: An Important Step Toward Solving the Problems of Legal Orphans (2008) (4-page PDF) - Melissa Carter, JD, Deputy Director, Office of the Child Advocate for the Protection of Children; and Kirsten Widner, JD, Post Graduate Fellow, Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic, Emory University School of Law
The 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) attempted to eliminate the phenomenon of foster care drift. ASFA's tight timelines have helped move many children to safer and more permanent families more quickly, but the law also is responsible for the unintended consequence of creating a new population of "legal orphans." The Proposed Model Code for Georgia (PMC), recently released by the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division Juvenile Law Committee, prescribes a remedy to the problem of legal orphans worthy of thoughtful consideration by the child advocacy community, the public, and state legislators. If enacted, it would create a process by which children can seek to have their parents' legal rights restored following an involuntary termination of parental rights if certain conditions are met.
Adding Emotional Abuse to the Georgia Juvenile Code (2008) (9-page PDF) - Recent studies show that emotional abuse can have long term impact on the physiology of a child's brain, and seriously impair the child's ability to develop healthy relationships even into adulthood. Definitions of emotional abuse vary, but commonly include an injury or potential injury to a child's mental and emotional health or development, evidenced by the child's inability to function at his or her normal range of performance and behavior. Under the current Georgia juvenile code, parents or caretakers are required to provide a child with the proper "care and control necessary for the child's physical, mental or emotional health or morals." However, the current juvenile code and Georgia case law do not provide any further definition or explanation of what is required to protect a child's mental or emotional health or of how to determine when a child's emotional heath is at risk. This paper explores adding a definition of emotional abuse to the Georgia Juvenile Code.
HB 123 Summary and Analysis (3-page PDF) - HB 123 expands the definition of child molestation to include transmitting certain images. The bill also establishes venue in Georgia when the child molestation involves a child who resides in Georgia and when images of immoral or indecent acts are transmitted from Georgia to a child who resides within or outside Georgia.
HB 228 Summary and Analysis (9-page PDF) - HB 228 dismantles the Department of Human Resources, reorganizes the Department of Community Health, and creates a new Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities that houses the functions of the current Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Addictive Diseases (MHDDAD). The Department of Human Resources (DHR) becomes the Department of Human Services and would retain the Division of Family and Children Services and Aging. The Division of Public Health and some of the functions of the Office of Regulatory Services move from the former DHR to the Department of Community Health.
HB 245 Summary and Analysis (2-page PDF) - HB 245 reduces the short term program (STP) from 60 days to 30 days. The bill is part of the legislative package of the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and they estimate the provision will save DJJ $7 million. The bill includes a sunset provision to automatically restore the 60 day program in 2011.
HB 246 Summary and Analysis (2-page PDF) - HB 246 would require that a risk assessment be completed during the intake process for all children being considered for detention to determine whether or not detention is warranted.
HB 254 Summary and Analysis (4-page PDF) - HB 254 requires that the Department of Human Resources (DHR) exercise due diligence to identify a parent or adult relatives of a child removed from the custody of his or her parents within 30 days after the removal of a child. Additionally, DHR would be required to provide all identified adult relatives of the child with timely notice. Finally, courts would be allowed to make permanency placements in accordance with the best interest of the child instead of following a mandated list of preferential permanent placements.
HB 582 Summary and Analysis (3-page PDF) - HB 582 would mandate a minimum age of 18 years old for the prosecution of the offenses of prostitution and masturbation for hire. The bill would codify that prostituted children are victims of adult exploiters rather than offenders.
SB 69 Summary and Analysis (2-page PDF) - SB 69 requires that mandatory reporters alert the Department of Human Resources when they identify a victim of child sexual exploitation. SB 69 achieves this goal by expanding the current definition of child abuse to include all child victims of sexual exploitation and requiring mandatory reporters to report them as abused children. This expansion of the definition of child abuse makes the treatment of child victims of sexual exploitation consistent with the treatment of other sexually abused children.

2008 Session

Suspending Reason: An Analysis of Georgia's Off-Campus Suspension Statute (70-page PDF) - The article discusses the policy and legal implications of a Georgia statute permitting the suspension and expulsion of students for behavior that occurs away from school grounds. Despite legislative intent that the statute be used only in extraordinary circumstances, in the four years since the statute has been enacted more than 1,300 of Georgia's children have been removed from school under this provision. The article concludes that such removals fail to ensure school safety, have long-term negative consequences for our children, and disproportionately impact youth of color and students with disabilities. Accordingly, the article recommends that the statute be repealed in its entirety or, in the alternative, that the statute be amended to provide clearer parameters for enforcement.
House Bill 525 Summary and Analysis - HB 525 would require the electronic recordation of all custodial interrogations of juveniles, with certain exceptions. The bill would also require the preservation of such electronic records, as well as the specific training of law enforcement in methods of electronic recordation.
House Bill 832 Summary and Analysis - HB 832 would require courts to notify superintendents or designees if any child in their school district is charged with or adjudicated delinquent for an act that would be considered a felony or misdemeanor if committed by an adult. The bill would require the same notification if any person under the age of 21 and attending a secondary school is convicted of a felony or misdemeanor.
House Bill 1213 Summary and Analysis - HB 1213 would modify the incest statute, Chapter 6 of Title 16 of the O.C.G.A., to neutralize all references to gender and to expand the set of sex acts defined as "incest."
Senate Bill 37 Summary and Post Humphrey v. Wilson Analysis - SB 37 would permit the modification of sentences of teenagers who received mandatory minimum sentences upon being convicted of sex offenses based on mutual sexual activity. The permitted modifications would reflect the sentencing such teenagers would receive today, after the introduction of the "Romeo & Juliet" exceptions in 2006.
Senate Bill 119 Summary and Analysis - SB 119 would add language to Titles 17 and 24 of the O.C.G.A. in order to provide a victim of a crime and members of the victim's immediate family the right to be present in the courtroom during the trial process.
Senate Bill 481 Summary and Analysis - SB 481 would amend Chapter 12 of Title 16 and Chapter 18 of Title 50 of the O.C.G.A. in order to restrict access to certain evidence pertaining to the offenses of sexual exploitation of children, electronic furnishing of obscene materials to minors, and electronic or computer pornography. The restrictions of SB 481 would apply to any evidence depicting a minor or a portion of a minor's body engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Georgia: Service Delivery and Legislative Recommendations for State and Local Policy Makers - The exploitation of children through prostitution is big business in Atlanta, and changing this situation has been a priority for Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin throughout her time in office. In 2005, the Mayor�s office published a paper titled Hidden In Plain View which explained the problem of commercial sexual exploitation of young girls in Atlanta, brought the importance of addressing the issue home by providing stories of real victims, and identified Atlanta�s strengths and areas of need related to this problem. Our paper builds on that foundation, but expands the scope to include all child victims, including boys, across Georgia. It examines approaches taken by other jurisdictions to address the commercial sexual exploitation of children, and makes legislative and policy recommendations for addressing the problem in Georgia.
Secure Detention of Status Offenders: Legislative recommendations to ensure Georgia's compliance with federal law and to better serve Georgia's children - This paper outlines simple legislative approaches that would ensure Georgia's compliance with the federal mandate of reducing the secure detention of status offenders. These recommended changes would better serve Georgia's children by improving practices in the juvenile justice system and moving children out of locked facilities and into the treatment and rehabilitation services they need. In addition, the changes would help Georgia avoid potential federal penalties for non-compliance with the JJDPA's deinstitutionalization mandate.

2007 Session

Senate Bill 37 Summary and Analysis - SB 37 would permit the correction and modification of sentences of some teenagers who were convicted of sex offenses after engaging in mutual sexual activity and subsequently received mandatory minimum sentences prior to a 2006 change in the law.
Senate Bill 88 Summary and Analysis - SB 88 would provide for the creation, authorization, procedure, revocation and termination of a power of attorney from a parent to a grandparent for the care of a grandchild. The bill also provides for the creation of a program to provide a subsidy to certain grandparents raising grandchildren under certain circumstances.
House Bill 155 Summary and Analysis - HB 155 would require criminal background checks for DHR providers who operate a personal care home, private home care, child welfare agencies, child care institutions, child-placing agencies, and maternity homes. This background check would be conducted as part of the licensure process.
HB 303 Summary and Analysis - HB 303 would amend Chapter 11 of Title 15 of the O.C.G.A. as it relates to the extension of the duration of a court custody order when a motion for custody extension is filed by DFCS. HB 303 would extend the duration of the temporary custody order to one or more periods of twelve months with no stated maximum.
HB 50 Summary and Analysis - HB 50 would amend Chapter 3 of Title 39 of the O.C.G.A. regarding the Interstate Compact on Juveniles. Specifically, the compact would facilitate cooperative supervision of delinquent juveniles on probation and parole and would ease the return from one state to another of delinquent children who have escaped or children who have run away.
The Full FY2008 Georgia Governor's Budget Report - We have pulled out the table of contents and broken up this 369 page, 16MB, document into bitesize pieces for easier access.

2006 Session

HB 1500: Summary and Proposed Modifications - HB 1500 adds new crimes to the existing designated felony statute, lowers the age under which children can be prosecuted under the act, lowers the age at which children can be held in secure confinement for crimes committed under the act, adds certain procedural protections for children charged with designated felonies, and modifies current laws regarding confidentiality.
Open or Closed: An overview of the current opinions and realities of opening juvenile court deprivation proceedings - Georgia currently maintains closed dependency proceedings and records. Both sides of the open court debate have legitimate concerns, but, while all agree that the system needs to be mended, the data is insufficient to judge the effectiveness of open courts. Thus, it is essential that open court pilot programs be operated long enough to assess the effectiveness of open courts on the system and the children.
HB 1145 Summary and Analysis - HB 1145 would clarify juvenile court proceedings relating to the mental health of accused juvenile offenders. Current law requires juvenile courts to order an evaluation of a child�s mental health, if at any time following the filing of a petition, there is a question concerning the child�s competence to stand trial. A qualified examiner must conduct an evaluation and determine whether the child is mentally competent and make a report to the court.
HB 1059 - Suggested Changes to Sex Offender Legislation - As a child advocacy organization that focuses on abused and neglected children and children involved with the juvenile justice system, the Barton Clinic unequivocally supports efforts to punish adult sexual offenders who prey on children. We are concerned, however, that the proposed legislation unintentionally impacts children who offend. Child offenders are different from adult offenders in that they are amenable to treatment and are likely not to re-offend once treated. Research suggests that increased sentences for children may not deter child offenders or enhance public safety.
Kenny A v. Perdue Class Action - We are tracking the progress of the Kenny A lawsuit as it moves from settlement to implementation.
The Full FY2007 Georgia Governor's Budget Report - We have pulled out the table of contents and broken up this 374 page, 20MB, document into bitesize pieces for easier access.
Department of Human Resources SFY07 Draft Budget Proposal - $2 million for prevention through home visitation, $22 million for SACWIS, $16 million cut to child placement services, $8.5 million for relative placements, $6 million for 175 specialized case managers, and much more.
HB 847 - Clarifying Emancipation of Minors - Comprehensively addresses emancipation of minors, including the processes of emancipation as well as the rights and duties emancipation confers on minors, parents, and guardians. Full Recommendation

2005 Session

Comparison of DFCS SFY06 Budget Request to Governor's Proposal
The Full FY2006 Georgia Governor's Budget Report - We have pulled out the table of contents and broken up this 354 page, 20MB, document into bitesize pieces for your browsing pleasure.
DFCS SFY06 Proposed Budget Presented at October 27, 2004 DHR Board Meeting

2004 Session

The Full FY2005 Georgia Governor's Budget Report - We have pulled out the table of contents and broken up this 241 page, 2MB, document into bitesize pieces for your browsing pleasure.

2003 Session

FAQ Sheet: Frequently Asked Questions: Foster Parenting and SB 236 - SB 236 clarifies for foster parents in Georgia the rights to receive notice and be heard in cases involving the children in their care in an attempt to encourage consistency in the exercise of these rights. This single-page sheet answers some frequenty asked questions about the provisions of SB 236 and its meaning and application for caregivers.
Article: Expanding the Child Protection Team: The Promise of SB 236 - The Governor's 2003 legislative leadership was demonstrated through his introduction and passage of SB 236, which in many ways improves the procedures and placement opportunities for foster care children moving through the court and bureaucratic machinery of the state. Perhaps most important, SB 236 for the first time specifically addresses the rights of foster care parents to appear and give testimony in the juvenile court for children in their care. This clearly identified right expands the children's protection team to include foster care parents in a more inclusive and substantive manner.
Paper: Definition of "Relative" Under Georgia and Federal Law - This paper has particular relevance to HB 41, introduced this session.
A precise definition of who is a relative, a consistent timeline within which a search for a particular relative shall be made, and a hierarchy as to which relatives are to be preferred for placement have not been clearly established by either federal or state statutes or by the cases that have followed seeking a correct statutory interpretation. The purpose of this paper is to trace the use of the term "relative" through the federal and state statutes relating to abused and/or neglected children, and to outline what questions must be resolved to clarify the policies relating to preferred relative placements for children taken into state custody.
Paper: The Rights of Georgia State Employees to Participate in Political Activity - The purpose of this article is to examine the First Amendment constitutional protection of freedom of speech that is enjoyed by all citizens and to outline the state and federal laws that attempt to limit this constitutional protection based on an individual's status as a government employee.
The 3^rd Annual Child Advocacy Forum - Despite the weather, the 2003 forum and the rally across the street in the Capitol Rotunda were a great success. A giant postcard signed by the child advocates was our way of thanking Governor and Mrs. Perdue for their strong commitment to Georgia's neediest children.
The Full FY2004 Georgia Governor's Budget Report - We have pulled out the table of contents and broken up this 724 page, 5MB, document into bitesize pieces for your browsing pleasure.
DHR Child Protection Budget Request Adds $60.1 Million New State Dollars - Including 388 new positions, a per diem increase, money to close the Metro shelters and recruit foster parents, radios, and even new money for Child Fatality Review, CASA, Healthy Families, and SAAGs!
Election 2002: The Year Child Welfare Became a Campaign Issue - Excerpts and links to Georgia GOP positions on child welfare.
Candidate Survey - This candidate survey was designed by a coalition of child advocacy organizations as to create an opportunity for candidates to inform the electorate about their views on issues critical to the children of Georgia.
DHR FY04 Proposed Budget Request for Protection of Children - A request for $60 million in additional state funds for protecting children was sent by Georgia's Department of Human Resources to the Governor on September 18, 2002. This budget request must now make it into the Governor's budget. After that, it will be voted on by the legistlature. If it makes it through that process (some time in early 2003), and is then signed by the Governor, it will provide funds to improve the child protection system in state fiscal year 2004.

2002 Session

Barton Clinic 2002 Working Paper: Workplace Supports to Improve Georgia's Child Protective Services
This 31-page paper provides an overview of some of the many programs and workplace supports implemented elsewhere to enhance longevity and job satisfaction for child welfare workers. It also provides research-based recommendations for improving the recruitment and retention of child welfare case managers in Georgia.
Table of Contents
Posted February 20, 2002.
The Full FY2003 Georgia Governor's Budget Report - We have pulled out the table of contents and broken up this 728 page, 37MB, document into bitesize pieces for your browsing pleasure. At the Barton Clinic, our focus is mainly on the Governor's Special Child Welfare Initiative and the summary of the Department of Human Resources budget.
Survey of Child Endangerment Statutes Nationally and Analysis of Georgia Legislative Opportunity - Authored by Mary Margaret Oliver and Will Crossley. Published in the December 2001 Georgia Bar Journal.
Georgia is the only state in the country with no specific criminal child endangerment statute, and presently before the 2002 Georgia General Assembly is House Bill 453, drafted to create such an offense. This article analyzes the issues surrounding the possible enactment of this proposed legislation.
Legislative Bill Tracker - A single-page summary of the bills tracked by the Clinic over this legislative session. Updates are made automatically from information on the Georgia Net website every 2 hours (during the legislative session). Bills acted on recently are marked with a *.
The 2^nd Annual Child Welfare Advocacy Forum - We had a tremendous turnout for this event -- over 200 child advocates! Speakers included Commissioner Jim Martin, Commissioner Orlando Martinez, Child Advocate Dee Simms, Shawn Huff, and, of course, Governor Roy Barnes.
Summary of Child Protective Services Items in Governor's FY2003 Budget Report
Foster Child Education Grants Are Announced - January 11, 2002: The Foster Child Education Grant will allow all foster children who are in state custody at age 18 to get tuition, room and board expenses covered as long as they are in foster care.
Advocates' Letter to Governor Barnes - An open letter from 37 participants of the Child Advocacy Planning Retreat to Governor Roy Barnes in support of critical items in the DHR FY2002 budget. November 30, 2001.
Department of Human Resources FY 2002 Approved Budget Reductions

2001 Session

2001 Legislative Wrap-Up: DHR Budget Items - A summary list of the 5 major budget items we advocated for followed by our preliminary estimates of the DHR allocations that the legislature passed. We requested increases totaling $35 million and received approximately $30 million from the legislature.
Comparison of Pending Legislation Addressing Pimping and Pandering of Minors -
Senate Bills 33, 34, 35 and House Bill 343 were introduced by the Georgia Legislature to address the problem of pimping/pandering of minors. Each bill contains slightly different language and offers different solutions to the problem.
- Section One of this paper offers the language of the current code (O.C.G.A.) regarding pimping and pandering.
- Section Two compares the original legislation proposed and considers the differences between each original piece of legislation.
- Finally, in Section Three, we offer additional questions to consider as these bills are discussed.
The Full FY2002 Georgia Governor's Budget Report - We have pulled out the table of contents and broken up this 670 page, 5.7MB, document into bitesize pieces for your browsing pleasure.
Barton Clinic 2001 Policy Paper
The Barton Clinic was the lead organization during the 2001 legislative session for the Georgia Children's Agenda in the area of Safety. Our agenda item was: Strengthen Georgia's Child Protective Services' Capacity to Protect Children From Abuse and Neglect. This 28-page policy paper details the problems as we see them and our recommendations for first steps toward lasting solutions.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
February 6, 2001.
2001 Child Welfare Forum and Rally - The Barton Clinic was a host of a rally in the capitol rotunda where we presented Governor Roy Barnes with an oversized postcard saying "Thank You For Your Support!". The governor proposed the most generous child welfare package in this states' recent history. The rally followed an impassioned child welfare advocacy forum at which more than 100 child advocates signed the postcard to the governor. January 18, 2001.
2001 Georgia Children's Agenda Item Summary -
A summary and fact sheet encapsulating our agenda for the 2001 legislative session. We seek to strengthen Georgia's Child Protective Services' capacity to protect children from abuse and neglect by:
1. increasing worker salary levels to recruit and retain qualified staff and fill all vacancies;
2. lowering workers' caseloads and reducing turnover by hiring additional staff;
3. creating a statewide confidential information system to monitor children alleged to have been abused or neglected;
4. providing workers with appropriate resources, including legal representation and placement options.
December 20, 2000.
Advocates' Letter to Governor Barnes - An open letter from 38 participants of the Child Advocacy Planning Retreat to Governor Roy Barnes in support of critical items in the DHR FY2002 budget. December 1, 2000.
Department of Human Resources FY 2002 Proposed Budget Request

2000 Session

The Barton Clinic was heavily involved in shaping the following bills:

HB1422 - The Child Advocate Act - Originally HB1081, later evolving into HB 1422, the 'Georgia Child Advocate for the Protection of Children Act'. The bill establishes the Office of the Child Advocate for the Protection of Children in the office of the Governor. The office's primary mandate is to investigate complaints brought on behalf of children under the care of the State of Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services and Child Protective Services. HB1422 was adopted by the Georgia House and Senate and signed into law by Governor Barnes on April 6, 2000. The first Child Advocate, Ms. DeAlvah Simms, was appointed by Governor Barnes on September 15, 2000. The office will have a first year budget of $300,000.
HB182 - Juvenile Court Judges Funding Bill - HB 182 provides for state funded grants toward the salary of juvenile court judges on a per circuit basis. HB182 was adopted by the Georgia House and Senate and signed into law by Governor Barnes on April 28, 2000.

The Barton Clinic was peripherally involved with the following bills:

SB315 - The Terrell Peterson Act - SB315 empowers physicians to retain temporary protective custody of a child. SB315 was adopted by the Georgia House and Senate and signed into law by Governor Barnes on April 6, 2000.

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Emory University School of Law, Gambrell Hall, Atlanta, GA 30322, (404) 727-6664.