§ 19-10A-5.Investigating and reporting utilization of provisions
Chapter 10A. Eliza Jane Warner Act · Last amended 2026 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-10A-5
Plain-English Summary
This section keeps the legislature informed about how the safe-haven law is used. The Department of Human Services must investigate and report to the General Assembly about children left under § 19-10A-4 — whether with a medical facility, fire station, police station or ambulance service, or in a newborn safety device.
The report has one required topic beyond the numbers. It must address the desirability and cost effectiveness of a dedicated toll-free telephone line. That line would give information to, and answer questions from, two groups: the public, and the employees and staff members of medical facilities, fire stations, police stations and ambulance services. The questions it would cover are the acts and consequences contemplated in § 19-10A-4 — what a mother may do and what follows.
The section doesn’t set a deadline or say how often the report is due, and it doesn’t require the department to create the phone line; it asks only for an assessment. Its list of places tracks § 19-10A-4, although it doesn’t mention public safety vehicles by name. The department’s other duties under the chapter — reimbursing costs and taking custody of the child — are in § 19-10A-6. The section was last amended in 2026, effective July 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who tracks safe haven baby surrenders in Georgia?
The Department of Human Services. This section requires the department to investigate and report to the General Assembly about children left with a medical facility, fire station, police station or ambulance service, or in a newborn safety device, under § 19-10A-4. The section doesn’t set a reporting schedule.
Is there a Georgia safe haven hotline?
This section doesn’t create one. It requires the Department of Human Services to include in its report to the General Assembly an assessment of the desirability and cost effectiveness of a dedicated toll-free line. The line would provide information to, and answer questions from, the public and staff at medical facilities, fire stations, police stations and ambulance services about the safe-haven law.
Does the safe haven report identify the mothers?
The section doesn’t say what personal details the report contains. It requires a report about children left under § 19-10A-4 and an assessment of a toll-free line. Under § 19-10A-4, the mother shows identification and gives her name and address only if she is willing, so the department may have no identifying information to report.
Who would a Georgia safe haven information line serve?
Two groups: members of the public, and the employees and staff members of medical facilities, fire stations, police stations and ambulance services. The line would answer questions about the acts and consequences contemplated in § 19-10A-4 — what a mother may do under the safe-haven law and what happens afterward. The department must assess whether such a line is worthwhile and cost-effective.
What else does the Department of Human Services do under the safe haven law?
Under § 19-10A-6, the department reimburses qualifying facilities for reasonable medical and other costs of caring for the child before placement, takes physical custody of the child within six hours after being told the child is medically ready for discharge, and promptly brings the child before the juvenile court. This section adds the duty to investigate and report.
Amendment History
Laws 2002, p. 1137, § 1; Laws 2009, Act 102, § 2-2, eff. July 1, 2009; Laws 2017, Act 202, § 1, eff. July 1, 2017; Laws 2026, Act 639, § 1, eff. July 1, 2026.