Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Georgia Lawmakers Send Baby Safe Haven Box Bill to Kemp

The measure authorizes secure 911‑alert surrender boxes at designated sites with purchase left to local fundraisers.

Overview

  • House Bill 350, the Eliza Jane Warner Act sponsored by Rep. Mike Cameron, cleared both chambers and now awaits Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision.
  • The bill would expand Georgia’s Safe Haven law, which already allows face‑to‑face surrender of unharmed newborns up to 30 days old with immunity from abandonment or neglect charges.
  • Approved boxes mount on exterior walls and include a temperature‑controlled bassinet, interior access for staff, camera monitoring, a brief delay after closure, and an automated 911 alert.
  • Under the process outlined in reporting, responders retrieve the infant, transport the child to a hospital for evaluation, and then transfer custody to the Department of Family and Children Services.
  • The state would not buy units, which cost about $20,000 each, so communities or facilities must fundraise, and hospitals such as the Children’s Hospital of Savannah are weighing installations as similar programs operate in other states.