Policy: 2026 Georgia General Assembly

HB 219 Sponsored by Representative Ron Stephens

Summary: to authorize the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists to establish a professional health program to provide for monitoring and rehabilitation of impaired healthcare professionals; to authorize the Georgia Board of Nursing to establish a professional health program to provide for monitoring and rehabilitation of impaired healthcare professionals

Status: PASSED – AWAITING SIGNATURE BY GOVERNOR KEMP 

SB 427 Sponsored By Senator Ben Watson 

Summary: relating to medical practice relative to physicians, so as to provide for limited provisional licenses and a pathway to licensure for certain internationally trained physicians; to provide for definitions; to provide for qualifications and conditions; to provide for penalties, license sanctions, and enforcement; to provide for one or more medical directors; to provide for annual reports; to provide for rules, regulations and procedures; to provide for conditional automatic repeal.

Status: PASSED – AWAITING SIGNATURE BY GOVERNOR KEMP

SB 535 Sponsored By Senator Kay Kirkpatrick

Summary: relating to mental health, so as to provide for the re-creation of community service boards; relating to meetings open to the public, limitation on action to contest agency action, recording, notice of time and place, access to minutes, and teleconferences, so as to revise a provision authorizing community service boards to conduct teleconference meetings under certain circumstances.

Status: PASSED – AWAITING SIGNATURE BY GOVERNOR KEMP 

SB 220 By Senator Matt Brass 

Summary: to rename low THC oil as medical cannabis; relating to offenses against the public health and morals, regulation of controlled substances, and general provisions relative to the Department of Public Health, respectively, so as to clarify and revise criminal penalties.

Status: PASSED – AWAITING SIGNATURE BY GOVERNOR KEMP

SB 395 Sponsored By Senator Kay Kirkpatrick 

Summary: relating to the Department of Public Health, so as to require a physician to submit certain information to the Georgia Composite Medical Board when certifying an individual as eligible for the Low THC Oil Patient Registry; to provide for annual reporting; to authorize the Department of Public Health to disclose certain information.

Status: PASSED – AWAITING SIGNATURE BY GOVERNOR KEMP 

SB 33 Sponsored By Senator Kay Kirkpatrick

Summary:  the “Georgia Hemp Farming Act,” so as to provide limits on the total THC concentration of consumable hemp products; to revise provisions concerning the certificate of analysis applicable to consumable hemp products. 

Status: PASSED – AWAITING SIGNATURE BY GOVERNOR KEMP

HB 419 Sponsored by Representative Lee Hawkins

Summary: to authorize the placement and use of opioid overdose reversal medication on the campuses and facilities of the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia; to provide for training and implementation.

Status: ADDED TO ANOTHER BILL – POLICY PASSED – AWAITING SIGNATURE

HB 657 Sponsored by Representative Lisa Hagan

Summary: to provide for a legal definition of a recovery community organization.

Status: FAILED in 2026

SB 526 Sponsored By Senator Randy Robertson 

Summary: to provide for the licensing and regulation of recovery residences; to provide for minimum standards; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for applications for licensing; to provide for provisional licensing; to provide for compliance; to provide for the denial, suspension, or revocation of licenses; to provide for enforcement actions; to provide for confidentiality; to provide for inspections; to provide for procedures and penalties relating to unlicensed recovery residences; to provide for definitions; to provide for conforming changes; to provide legislative findings.

Status: FAILED in 2026

SB 277 Sponsored by Senator Blake Tillery

Summary: to revise statutory definitions of drugs to include alcohol and its derivatives for specified purposes.

Status: FAILED in 2026

HB 326 Sponsored By Representative Michelle Au 

Summary: relating to state employees’ health insurance and benefit plans, so as to mandate that the state health benefit plan provide coverage for qualifying nonopioid pain management drugs that is in parity with its coverage for opioid pain management drugs; to provide for definitions; to provide for parity with regard to annual deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, exclusions, reductions, other limitations, or utilization review.

Status: FAILED in 2026

SB 450 Sponsored By Senator Kenya Wicks 

Summary: relating to state public library activities, so as to authorize the possession of opioid antagonists in public libraries; to define a term; to authorize public libraries to maintain a supply of opioid antagonists; to authorize public library personnel to administer opioid antagonists and carry opioid antagonists on their person; to provide for immunity; to provide for activation of the emergency medical services system and notification of emergency contacts

Status: FAILED in 2026

HR 1049 By Representative Carolyn Hugley

Summary: Recognizing Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day in Georgia Designating the Wednesday of the last week in October of each year as “Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day” in Georgia.

Status: FAILED in 2026

HB 612 Sponsored by Representative Katie Dempsey

Summary: relating to insurance, so as to create a Parity Compliance Review Panel; to provide for oversight and enforcement of the Georgia Mental Health Parity Act.

Status: FAILED in 2026

SB 131 Sponsored By Senator Mike Hodges

Summary: relating to the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce, so as to provide for the establishment of the Georgia Health Care Professionals Data System; to provide for definitions; to provide for collaboration with state licensing boards; to provide for a publicly accessible website; to provide for collection of data from state licensing boards; to provide for specified data; to provide for seeking of funding sources.

Status: FAILED in 2026 

HB 1262 Sponsored By Representative Eddie Lumsden 

Summary: relating to insurance, so as to increase the number of monetary penalties the Commissioner of Insurance is authorized to impose for violations of the Georgia Insurance Code relative to mental health parity, general enforcement authority, surprise billing, and prepaid legal services plans 

Status: FAILED in 2026 

HB 291 Sponsored By Representative Darlene Taylor 

Summary:  relating to health, so as to provide for the certification of community health workers; to provide for definitions; to provide for the establishment of the Georgia Community Health Worker Certification Committee; to provide for membership, powers, and duties of the committee; to provide for the approval of training programs; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Status: FAILED in 2026

SB 254 Sponsored By Senator Bill Cowsert

Summary: the “Georgia Hemp Farming Act,” so as to provide milligram limits on delta-9-THC in consumable hemp products.

Status: FAILED in 2026 

HB 1248 Sponsored By Representative Derrick Jackson 

Summary: relating to crimes and offenses, as to provide for the regulation, licensure, taxation, and use of cannabis; to authorize counties and municipal corporations to adopt certain ordinances; relating to ordinances for governing and policing of unincorporated areas of county, as to authorize counties to adopt ordinances governing and punishing the possession of two ounces or less of marijuana. 

Status: FAILED in 2026 

HB 496 Sponsored By Representative Jasmine Clark 

Summary: relating to arrest by law enforcement officers generally, so as to provide for limitations on stops, searches, seizures, or arrests regarding the scent of marijuana, cannabis, or hemp on its own.

Status: FAILED in 2026