Last-minute Ga. bill could have kept you in the dark about crimes

ATLANTA, Ga. - The powerful state House rules committee stripped an attempt by lawmakers that would have radically restricted the public’s right to know about crimes in their neighborhood.

Originally, Senate Bill 12 would just have clarified the definitions of those who are in charge of overseeing public records.

But last-minute language added to the bill would have made all crime records exempt from Georgia’s Open Records Act until every judicial and legal appeal is exhausted.

The language - added Thursday onto the bill without a committee meeting or public hearing - also would have prevented police body camera/dash video, along with other crime records, from being released to the public for years even after the perpetrators have been convicted and further shielded the work of state legislators and police.

The move came in the final hours of the 2025 legislative session, which is set to adjourn by midnight on Friday, April 4.

But the attempt was thwarted Friday on the final day of the session.

The bill sidestepped the usual lawmaking process by tacking a new proposal onto a bill without sending it to a regular committee, where lawmakers and members of the public could weigh in. Democrats in the House Rules Committee raised alarms about the last-minute effort without a clear motive.

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Georgia open records law gives the public the right to see, inspect and copy all “public records.”

The language also would have prevented other agencies from sharing emails or records they receive communicating with state lawmakers, who are already exempt under the Open Records Act.

Currently, anyone in Georgia - from citizens to journalists - can request records from police about crimes that happen in their neighborhood. Anyone can request initial incident reports for an open case or police records for closed cases, including body camera video and 911 call recordings.

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