Panel approves Mandy Ballenger Act substitute to plan logistics for raising juvenile jurisdiction to include 17‑year‑olds

A committee substitute for HB 10-61 — the Mandy Ballenger Act — passed after sponsors and stakeholders described an implementation-focused approach intended to avoid operational failures seen in other states.

The substitute directs an organizational committee to identify capital, operational and staffing needs and to plan logistics such as transportation and housing before any jurisdictional change takes effect. Sponsor testimony emphasized that the measure reflects the first-stage implementation of a bill the late Rep. Mandy Ballinger championed in 2024 and that careful planning is required to avoid problems during roll-out.

Gail Bacon Murray of the Georgia Public Defender Council, testifying as a career public defender, asked that GPDC be included in the organizational committee because youth defenders have day-to-day implementation expertise. Polly McKinney of Voices for Georgia's Children said the bill's capacity assessment and cross-agency coordination are necessary, estimating an additional 760–920 youth a year likely to be served under juvenile probation or community programs and stressing the need for behavioral-health and evidence-based programming.

With the assent of the sponsor, Senator Parent offered an amendment adding the executive director of the Georgia Public Defender Council (or designee) to the organizational committee; the committee approved the amendment unanimously and then passed the substitute as amended.

Why it matters: Raising the age without ensuring operational capacity can overwhelm juvenile systems and create inconsistent outcomes. Supporters said the substitute's planning requirement aims to prevent those pitfalls and to ground any future jurisdictional change in evidence and fiscal clarity.

Next steps: Committee passed the substitute as amended to be carried forward by a designated Senate sponsor.