Our mission is to advance independence, choice and self-determination; protect legal, human and civil rights; and eliminate abuse, neglect and discrimination of people with disabilities through zealous and uncompromising legal advocacy and representation. We are available to educate policy makers about the potential impact of legislative proposals. Please let us know of any legislation that you think we should be following, by emailing us at ga@dlcv.org
dLCV is looking for volunteers to help track legislation that impacts people with disabilities. If you are interested in serving as a Bill Reviewer, please email ga@dlcv.org with “Bill Reviewer” in the subject line. A member of our team will follow up with the next steps.
The 2026 General Assembly will consider a proposal to relocate the Department of Juvenile Justice from the Secretariat of Public Safety to the Secretariat of Health and Human Resources.
HB 1293 (Hope) and SB 21 (Locke) create a stakeholder group to develop a timeline for the transfer, with a deadline of November 1, 2026 to submit the plan to the legislature. The legislature, and the community at large, have concerns about safety in and oversight of juvenile facilities. This move may be an attempt to address those concerns. The bill will be heard in the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services, which meets Friday mornings at 8 a.m.
There is also a bill to limit the use of confinement in juvenile justice facilities. HB 91 (Seibold) requires the development of standards to maximize the amount of time a juvenile in detention spends outside of their room. Given the documented harms of isolation on young people, especially those with disabilities and trauma histories, dLCV joins with others in the legal justice community in supporting this important development The bill will be heard in the House Committee on Public Safety, which meets Fridays at 8 a.m.