Section 42-8-101. County and Municipal Probation Advisory Council

   (a) There is created the County and Municipal Probation Advisory Council, to be composed of one superior court judge designated by The Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia, one state court judge designated by The Council of State Court Judges of Georgia, one municipal court judge designated by the Council of Municipal Court Judges of Georgia, one sheriff appointed by the Governor, one probate court judge designated by The Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia, one magistrate designated by the Council of Magistrate Court Judges, the commissioner of corrections or his or her designee, one public probation officer appointed by the Governor, one private probation officer or individual with expertise in private probation services by virtue of his or her training or employment appointed by the Governor, one mayor or member of a municipal governing authority appointed by the Governor, and one county commissioner appointed by the Governor. Members of the council appointed by the Governor shall be appointed for terms of office of four years. With the exceptions of the public probation officer, the county commissioner, the sheriff, the mayor or member of a municipal governing authority, and the commissioner of corrections, each designee or representative shall be employed in their representative capacity in a judicial circuit operating under a contract with a private corporation, enterprise, or agency as provided under Code Section 42-8-100. No person shall serve beyond the time he or she holds the office or employment by reason of which he or she was initially eligible for appointment. In the event of death, resignation, disqualification, or removal for any reason of any member of the council, the vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment and any successor shall serve for the unexpired term. Such council shall promulgate rules and regulations regarding contracts or agreements for the provision of probation services and the conduct of business by private entities providing probation services and county, municipal, or consolidated governments establishing probation systems as authorized by this article.

(b) The business of the council shall be conducted in the following manner:

   (1) The council shall annually elect a chairperson and a vice chairperson from among its membership. The offices of chairperson and vice chairperson shall be filled in such a manner that they are not held in succeeding years by representatives of the same component (law enforcement, courts, corrections) of the criminal justice system;

   (2) The council shall meet at such times and places as it shall determine necessary or convenient to perform its duties. The council shall also meet on the call of the chairperson or at the written request of three of its members;

   (3) The council shall maintain minutes of its meetings and such other records as it deems necessary; and

   (4) The council shall adopt such rules for the transaction of its business as it shall desire and may appoint such committees as it considers necessary to carry out its business and duties.

(c) Members of the council shall serve without compensation but shall receive the same expense allowance per day as that received by a member of the General Assembly for each day such member of the council is in attendance at a meeting of such council, plus either reimbursement for actual transportation costs while traveling by public carrier or the same mileage allowance for use of a personal motor vehicle in connection with such attendance as members of the General Assembly receive. Payment of such expense and travel allowance shall be subject to availability of funds and shall be in lieu of any per diem, allowance, or other remuneration now received by any such member for such attendance.

(d) The council is assigned to the Administrative Office of the Courts for administrative purposes only in accordance with Code Section 50-4-3. The funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this article shall come from funds appropriated to the Administrative Office of the Courts or otherwise available to the council. The council is authorized to accept and use grants of funds for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this article.

(e) The council shall have the following powers and duties:

   (1) To promulgate rules and regulations for the administration of the council, including rules of procedure for its internal management and control;

   (2) To review the uniform professional standards for private probation officers and uniform contract standards for private probation contracts established in Code Section 42-8-102 and submit a report with its recommendations to the General Assembly;

   (3) To promulgate rules and regulations to implement those uniform professional standards for probation officers employed by a governing authority of a county, municipality, or consolidated government that has established probation services and uniform agreement standards for the establishment of probation services by a county, municipality, or consolidated government established in Code Section 42-8-102;

   (4) To promulgate rules and regulations establishing a 40 hour initial orientation for newly hired private probation officers and for 20 hours per annum of continuing education for private probation officers, provided that the 40 hour initial orientation shall not be required of any person who has successfully completed a probation or parole officer basic course of training certified by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council or any private probation officer who has been employed by a private probation corporation, enterprise, or agency for at least six months as of July 1, 1996;

   (5) To promulgate rules and regulations establishing a 40 hour initial orientation for probation officers employed by a county, municipality, or consolidated government that has established probation services and for 20 hours per annum of continuing education for such probation officers, provided that the 40 hour initial orientation shall not be required of any person who has successfully completed a probation or parole officer basic course of training certified by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council or any probation officer who has been employed by a county, municipality, or consolidated government as of March 1, 2006;

   (6) To promulgate rules and regulations relative to compliance with the provisions of this article, and enforcement mechanisms that may include, but are not limited to, the imposition of sanctions and fines and the voiding of contracts or agreements;

   (7) To promulgate rules and regulations establishing registration for any private corporation, private enterprise, private agency, county, municipality, or consolidated government providing probation services under the provisions of this article, subject to the provisions of Code Section 42-8-107;

   (8) To produce an annual summary report. Such report shall not contain information identifying individual private corporations, nonprofit corporations, or enterprises or their contracts; and

   (9) To promulgate rules and regulations requiring criminal record checks of private probation officers registered under this Code section and establishing procedures for such criminal record checks. The Administrative Office of the Courts on behalf of the council shall conduct a criminal records check for probation officers as provided in Code Section 35-3-34. No applicant shall be registered who has previously been convicted of a felony. The council shall promulgate rules and regulations regarding registration requirements, including restrictions regarding misdemeanor convictions. An agency or private entity shall also be authorized to conduct a criminal history background check of a person employed as a probation officer or an applicant for a probation officer position. The criminal history check may be conducted in accordance with Code Section 35-3-34 and may be based upon the submission of fingerprints of the person whose records are requested. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation shall submit the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation under the rules established by the United States Department of Justice for processing and identification of records. The federal record, if any, shall be obtained and returned to the requesting entity or agency.

Code 1981, § 42-8-101, enacted by Ga. L. 1991, p. 1135, § 2; Ga. L. 1992, p. 3221, § 8; Ga. L. 1995, p. 396, § 2; Ga. L. 1996, p. 1107, §§ 3, 4; Ga. L. 1997, p. 692, § 1; Ga. L. 2006, p. 727, § 2/SB 44.