§ 19-13-32.Membership; terms; filling of vacancies; officers
Chapter 13. Family Violence · Article 3. State Commission on Family Violence · Last amended 2017 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-13-32
Plain-English Summary
This section builds the State Commission on Family Violence that § 19-13-31 creates. The commission has 37 members. Three serve ex officio because of the jobs they hold: the director of the Division of Family and Children Services, the director of Women’s Health Services in the Department of Public Health, and the Attorney General. The Speaker of the House appoints three House members, and the President of the Senate appoints three senators. The Governor appoints everyone else: one judge from each judicial administrative district, three advocates for victims of family violence, one person with expertise in family violence against people 60 or older, one with expertise in family violence involving children, and one representative each from 13 listed groups — among them the Administrative Office of the Courts, the sheriffs’ and police chiefs’ associations, prosecutors, the parole board, the Department of Community Supervision, the legal aid and academic communities, a certified family violence intervention program, and a former victim of family violence. All three appointing officials must choose people specially qualified by experience with and knowledge of family violence.
Members serving on July 1, 2017, finish their terms. After that, each appointment runs three years, and no one may serve more than two consecutive terms unless serving ex officio. A member keeps the seat until a successor is appointed. Because seats are tied to roles, a member who loses the status that earned the seat — a judge who leaves the bench, say — vacates it automatically. The official who made the appointment fills a vacancy for the rest of the term, and the replacement may then serve two more consecutive terms.
The commission elects its own chair, vice chair and secretary for three-year terms, and an officer may be re-elected. Legislators receive the standard legislative allowances, citizen members receive a daily expense allowance plus mileage, and state officials and employees serve without pay but are reimbursed through their own agencies. The section was last amended in 2017.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many members are on the Georgia State Commission on Family Violence?
Thirty-seven. Three serve ex officio, three are House members picked by the Speaker, three are senators picked by the President of the Senate, and the Governor appoints the rest — judges from each judicial administrative district, victim advocates, specialists in elder and child family violence, and representatives of 13 named groups, including a former victim of family violence.
How long do commission members serve?
Three years per term, with a limit of two consecutive terms for anyone not serving ex officio. Members serving on July 1, 2017, finished the terms they already held. Each member stays on until a successor is appointed, and the letter of appointment states the term.
What happens if a commission member changes jobs?
The seat becomes vacant by operation of law. A member may serve only while keeping the status for which he or she was appointed — for example, as a judge or as the representative of a named association. The official who made the original appointment fills the vacancy for the unexpired term.
Is a survivor of domestic violence on the commission?
Yes. The Governor must appoint one former victim of family violence as one of the 13 representative seats. The Governor also appoints three advocates for victims of family violence, taking into account recommendations from groups that have worked on the problem.
Are commission members paid?
Not a salary. Legislative members receive the allowances state law provides for legislators. Citizen members receive a daily expense allowance and mileage or transportation costs. State officials and employees, other than legislators, receive no compensation but are reimbursed for expenses the same way their own agencies reimburse them, from those agencies’ funds.
Amendment History
Laws 1992, p. 1810, § 1; Laws 1995, p. 1186, § 2; Laws 1996, p. 449, § 2; Laws 2009, Act 102, § 1-17, eff. July 1, 2009; Laws 2011, Act 244, § 6-1, eff. July 1, 2011; Laws 2012, Act 600, § 1, eff. April 16, 2012; Laws 2015, Act 73, § 5-48, eff. July 1, 2015; Laws 2017, Act 252, § 1, eff. July 1, 2017.