New Georgia law targets elder, incapacitated adult abuse [Video]

Gov. Brian Kemp has signed a new law that will help prosecutors crack down on people who harm the elderly or those who can’t take care of themselves. The law is called HB 218.

The new law allows a “surrogate” to speak in court on behalf of the person who has been hurt if that person is unable to speak for themselves. Georgia has become the first state in the country to allow someone to stand in court on behalf of mentally incapacitated adults over the age of 17, provided the victim previously reported the abuse to them.

“This is just another tool that our prosecutors now have to go after the bad guys who are trying to abuse our state’s most vulnerable people,” said Rep. Scott Hilton. “There was one in Cobb where a school bus driver slapped in the face, a child with Down’s syndrome. He then told a forensic interviewer, and …