On February 24, 2025, the following Georgia House of Representatives committees met to discuss bills to potentially advance:
- Creative Arts and Entertainment voted on HB 475
- Public and Community Health voted on HB 291 and HB 500
- Education voted on HB 307, HB 340, and HB 198
- Judiciary heard HB 179 and HB 183 and voted on HB 358 and HB 515
- Health voted on HB 54, HB 87, HB 298, HB 323, and HB 428 and heard HB 139
- Regulated Industries voted on HB 219, HB 314, HB 391, HB 455, and SB 81 and heard HB 251 and HB 342
Select the associated links to read each bill in full.
Creative Arts and Entertainment
HB 475
This bill is focused on helping the Department of Economic Development and the film tax credit in Georgia. It cleans up outdated language to ensure long-term viability, applicability, and stability and clarifies that the Department of Economic Development has the authority to communicate rules and regulations regarding which types and distribution methods qualify for the film tax credit.
The bill passed committee.
Public and Community Health
HB 89
This bill, previously discussed (see HERE), seeks to improve maternal mortality in Georgia by adding three provisions to previously passed legislation. Although there appeared to be some changes in motion for this bill, the powers that be decided no changes needed to be made, so the bill will move forward with the language decided upon earlier in the session.
The bill passed committee. This was a rare circumstance in which a bill returned to committee and made no changes; multiple members of the committee had never experienced this before.
HB 500
This bill—Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Act—focuses on a program funded by federal block grants and state resources. Children in this program do not live with their parents but instead live with another relative; the relatives caring for these children only receive benefits on behalf of the child, not for themselves, and are not subject to work requirements. Fewer than 4,000 families are part of the program. This bill increases the monthly benefit to about 30% of the federal poverty line; these benefits have not been updated in 28 years. It will also allow the family to have up to $5,000 in assets and savings.
The bill passed committee.
Education
HB 307
This bill looks to address students’ literacy rates by providing support plans and coaching for those who are significantly at risk of not achieving grade-level reading proficiency or with characteristics of dyslexia. The Department of Education must provide material for educating the public about identifying signs of dyslexia and ways to assist with addressing this issue. The bill prohibits the three-cueing systems model from being featured or promoted in high-quality instructional materials or structured literacy for students in kindergarten through third grade. A Georgia Literacy Coach Coordination Council must assist with the implementation of these changes.
The bill passed committee.
HB 340
This bill prohibits public school students in kindergarten through grade eight from accessing personal electronic devices during the school day; this must be implemented no later than July 1, 2026. School systems will establish methods for storing electronic devices, procedures for off-site events, and communication protocols. The Department of Education shall provide local school systems and public schools with guidance and technical support for the effective implementation and enforcement of this bill.
The bill passed committee.
HB 198
This bill encourages schools to facilitate access for students to participate in activities provided by a patriotic society for the purposes of encouraging civic education. The bill intends to allow youth groups such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to have more access to public schools. A local school system that receives state funding shall not prohibit such groups from using local school system’s facilities. When a local school system denies a patriotic society access to a facility, the principal of the school shall provide in writing reasons for the denial.
The bill passed committee.
Judiciary
HB 179
This bill allows the Judicial Council of Georgia to authorize digital recording as an option for judges in certain court proceedings. Digital recordings will benefit both parties in a trial and help alleviate the court reporter shortage, allowing court reporters to attend proceedings more likely to need transcripts. This does not replace court reporters but will address the shortage. Additionally, felony proceedings cannot be recorded, and judges have discretion for when to record proceedings.
This bill was only heard and will return to the committee at a later date.
HB 183
This bill clarifies and strengthens the rights of innkeepers in managing guest occupancy as well as ensures contractual certainty, protects property rights, and establishes a clear legal process for removing unauthorized occupants. The bill aligns with existing Georgia statutes while providing law enforcement with a framework to assist in these matters.
The bill was only heard and will return to the committee at a later date.
HB 358
This bill concerns the definition of military installation in the Georgia code and previously passed legislation regarding the acquisition of land.
The bill passed committee.
HB 515
This bill increases the number of judges in the Augusta judicial circuit from five to six.
The bill passed committee.
Health
HB 54
This bill will allow physicians assistants and registered nurses to order home health services for people with chronic conditions or disabilities and for individuals who need short-term nursing or rehabilitation services.
The bill passed committee.
HB 87
This bill, discussed previously (see HERE), aims to change the definition of medical necessity deemed by law for Orthotics and Prosthetics. It follows national standards, including those used by the VA, regarding what is deemed medically necessary; the author worked with some insurance companies on a fiscal assessment and came to this agreement.
The bill passed committee.
HB 298
This bill aims to codify some best practices currently implemented in some hospitals but not all across Georgia. These practices include setting up a nurse service staffing plan and creating a nurse staffing committee and advisory committee statewide. This advisory committee will have people appointed by the Speaker, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Governor and will make recommendations to the General Assembly on what measures can be taken to support Georgia nurses statewide.
The bill passed committee.
HB 323
This bill is a Medicare supplement insurance for patients under the age of 65 who may have ALS or end-stage renal failure. It provides an insurance plan so these patients can afford a kidney transplant, which will help the Georgia economy because statistics show that most people can return to normalcy after such an operation. Right now, these patients are paying up to 900% more for these transplants than necessary.
The bill passed committee.
HB 428
This bill codifies the right to in vitro fertilization for individuals in Georgia.
The bill passed committee.
HB 139
A federal statute—the 340B program—established more than three decades ago and overseen by the HRSA was designed to stretch federal resources and expand healthcare services. This program allows certain hospitals and clinics to receive grants to provide reduced drug costs to safety net providers. HB 139 prohibits drug manufacturers and wholesalers from preventing licensed pharmacies from acquiring drugs from entities that participate in the 340B program.
The bill will return to the committee at a later date.
Regulated Industries
HB 219
This bill focuses on helping nurses return to work after an incident. Other healthcare professionals have a peer-to-peer system in place for someone in that field who is mentally, physically, or chemically impaired; this system allows them to go through a program and return to work. Nurses do not have this type of system. This bill sets up a system for all healthcare professionals without access to the current system so they can be monitored and treated and can reapply for their license.
The bill passed committee.
HB 251
This bill addresses the critical shortage of anesthesia providers by recognizing the role of certified registered nurse (CRNAs) in delivering these essential services. CRNAs provide almost 58% of all anesthesia services statewide and are the only anesthesia providers in many rural counties, but restrictions prevent them from practicing to the fullest extent of their abilities. HB 251 will grant them the autonomy needed to serve their communities while still operating in coordination with licensed physicians, specifically in counties where anesthesiologists are sparse. Anesthesia will still be coordinated by surgeons but administered by CRNA.
The bill will continue to be discussed and will return to committee at a later date.
HB 314
This bill is designed to protect Georgians from unlicensed people acting as athletic trainers. Athletic trainers and physical therapists must have certification.
The bill passed committee.
HB 342
This is a deregulation bill that repeals advertising restrictions on the six regulated companies that sell medical marijuana in Georgia. The current law prohibits any advertising of this product, preventing most of the public from even knowing of its existence. Out-of-state markets are advertising to Georgians, and Georgia is losing revenue to these markets due to the current law. HB 342 makes no changes to the other aspects of the law about the low THC oil program.
These companies will mostly advertise to physicians and current patients through social media rather than mass media commercials.
The bill was tabled for further discussion.
HB 391
Five kickboxing associations do not have regulations for safety; this bill moves them under the Georgia Athletic Entertainment Commission, which has licensing for health and safety concerns.
The bill passed committee.
HB 455
This bill addresses bingo “gambling” in Georgia. Under current Georgia law, profits raised through bingo have had to go to a charitable organization rather than private profit. Entities that host these bingo games to raise money hire auctioneers, but these auctioneers can only be paid $30 per day. This bill proposes increasing that to $150 per session.
The bill passed committee.
SB 81
This bill, previously discussed (see HERE), revises laws associated with Georgia’s Motor Vehicle Franchise Protection Act, which focuses on the interaction between auto manufacturers and auto dealers. This bill makes the following changes to this previous act:
- A section has been added to address the introduction of new automotive technology and the maintaining of these new vehicles as well as to protect against monopolies
- Guardrails have been added for data protection for sensitive data transmitted between manufacturers and auto dealers to prevent unauthorized access
- A section has been added to require manufacturers to compensate franchise dealers when the dealers assist customers with vehicle information regarding recalls to accessories or functions
- There will be more scrutiny with the allocation process so dealers know the exact quantity of vehicles and parts coming to them; this helps smaller dealers by clarifying the manufacturer’s ability to meet allocation standards
- Manufacturers may have a gallery but cannot sell directly to the customer; this is to ensure customers can have their cars serviced by dealers since manufacturers are much slower to service vehicles
The bill passed committee.
