The 2025 legislative session is in its final stretch, with just a few days left until Sine Die (the last day of the session) on Friday, April 4th. Lawmakers are racing to finalize key bills and the state budget—and there’s still time for you to speak up.
Things can move quickly in these final days, and last-minute advocacy opportunities may arise. Stay connected with us on social media throughout the week so you don’t miss a chance to take action when it matters most.
After the session ends, we’ll share a full recap, including updates on health care bills that passed (or didn’t), what it all means for Georgians, and any health-related study committees that will convene before next year’s session. In the meantime, you can check out our bill tracker to follow the legislation we’re monitoring as we get closer to Sine Die.
Senate FY26 Budget – Key Updates
One of the biggest developments last week was the Senate’s version of HB 68 (The FY26 budget), which makes several key changes to the House’s proposal. These adjustments will shape how Georgia funds health care, housing, and essential services over the next year. Below are highlights of some of the changes the Senate made to the FY26 budget:
Added 50 additional NOW/COMP waiver slots, which are added to the 50 slots the House and the 100 slots that the Governor recommended. With the Senate’s addition, the FY26 proposed budget would fund 200 new waivers (Gov’s Rec: $2.5M, House: $3.5M, Senate: $4.6M).
Removed the following additions from the House’s version of the FY 26 budget:
Additional funding for Citizen Advocacy* services (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $100k, Senate: $0). *Citizen Advocacy is a program that helps Georgians with IDD living in nursing homes find and move into better living situations.
Funding for Mercy Care’s outreach to Atlantans experiencing homelessness ( Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $300k, Senate: $0).
Funding for Partners for Home’s homelessness community action teams (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $750k, Senate: $0).
Transferred funds from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to the Department of Education to “consolidate and streamline funding for school-based mental health support” (Senate: -$9.3M).
Department of Community Affairs
Housing Initiatives
The Senate cut the $4M the House added in one-time funds for the Georgia Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $4M, Senate: $0).
The Georgia Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless provides limited funds for housing and support services for Georgians experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The annual appropriation for the program is about $3M. Adding the one-time funds would also allow Georgia to draw down additional federal housing funds for the program.
Department of Community Health
Added the following funding:
For the Department to submit a State Plan Amendment (SPA) to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to allow for the use of Medicaid funding for Graduate Medical Education slots (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $0, Senate: $300k).
For research on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment and wraparound services for GA veterans and their families (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $0, Senate: $1M).
An increase to the House’s funding to the State Health Benefit Plan to reimburse pharmacies based on a set rate and dispensing fee (as opposed to allowing PBMs to set the rates) (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $1.2M, Senate: $5M).
Cut or reduced the following funding:
The House and Governor’s funds for the PACE (Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) program (Gov’s Rec: $1.14M, House: $1.14M, Senate: $0).
The funds the House added for the Department to conduct a multi-year, comprehensive study of all Medicaid provider reimbursement rates (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $1M, Senate: $0).
Reduced the House’s funds for care and resource coordination for patients with Sickle Cell disease (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $562k, Senate: $196k).
Halved the House’s addition for telecare and maternal health programs (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $500k, Senate: $250k).
Reduced the matching funds the House added for behavioral and mental health services stabilization and augmentation (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $3.5M, Senate: $3M).
Removed the funds the House added to expand and sustain labor and delivery services in rural Georgia (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $5M, Senate: $0).
Removed the House’s add for the Georgia Rural Health Association (GRHA) to support access to rural health care (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $100k, Senate: $0).
Reduced or took out the House’s rate increases across Georgia Medicaid for the following services:
Emergency medical services (EMS) transport to allow reimbursement to begin when the patient is picked up (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $6M, Senate: $3.1M).
Speech therapy for children with physical or developmental disabilities (CIS speech therapy code 92507) (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $1.9M, Senate: $0).
Reduced funding for Federal Eligibility Benefit Services by $1M
Department of Insurance
Reduced state funds for reinsurance and Georgia Access in recognition of funding generated by the user fees insurers pay to use the Georgia Access platform (Gov’s Rec: –$50M, House: –$59M, Senate: -$60M).
Department of Public Health
Added funds for 6 perinatal regional centers to provide clinical care for high-risk infants and train residents in complex care (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $0, Senate: $1M).
Cut or reduced the following funding:
Removed the House’s add for feminine hygiene products at community organizations serving low-income Georgians (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $50k, Senate: $0).
Removed the House’s funding for an Alzheimer’s and related dementia registry (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $298k, Senate: $0).
Removed the House’s funding for the Office of Cardiac Care’s grants to hospitals in recognition of cardiac complications as the leading cause of maternal mortality (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $1.2M, Senate: $0).
Removed the House’s funding for quality improvement at birthing facilities and additional funding to increase the number of birthing facilities with verified maternal and neonatal levels of care (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $700k, Senate: $0).
Reduced the House’s funding for the retention and recruitment of Babies Can’t Wait* Service Coordinators and Special Instructors (Gov’s Rec: $0, House: $1.1M, Senate: $551k).
Georgia’s “Babies Can’t Wait” (BCW) program is a statewide, interagency early intervention program for families with infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) who have developmental delays or disabilities.
What’s Next for the FY26 Budget?
On Monday, the House formally disagreed to the Senate’s budget changes and the Senate insisted on their changes, so a conference committee was appointed to decide which budget items to include in the final version of the FY 2026 budget. Conference committees are made up of six legislators–three from each chamber–to negotiate a final bill that both chambers can agree to.
Legislation on Our Radar
HOUSE BILLS
HB 196 – PBM Price Transparency in the State Health Benefit Plan
Lead Sponsor: Rep. Kelley (16th)
Status: Passed out of the Senate by substitute, goes back to the House for a vote on the revised bill.
GHF Position: Monitoring
What this bill does: HB 196 would require greater transparency and set standards for how Georgia’s State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) reimburses pharmacies for prescription drugs. The bill establishes new rules for how pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) and insurers must calculate drug reimbursements to ensure that pharmacies receive fair payment for dispensing medications. The Senate committee voted on an updated version of HB 196, which removed the ability for a pharmacy or beneficiary to sue the PBM if they violate the reimbursement guidelines outlined in the bill, including by adjusting the final price with a prescription drug discount card.
HB 268 – Student Safety, Health, and Well-Being Act
Lead Sponsor: Rep. Persinger (119th)
Status: Passed by the Senate and the House agreed to the Senate’s changes. The bill now goes to the Governor for review and final approval.
GHF Position: Monitoring
What this bill does: HB 268 proposes a range of policies to try to improve school safety, including creating mental health supports, requiring behavioral threat assessments and management, and establishing a state-wide threat assessment database for Georgia’s elementary and secondary schools. The bill includes funding for school-based mental health coordinators, new student behavioral assessments, and expanded school safety measures. It also enhances information sharing between schools, law enforcement, and state agencies to improve student support and security. The Senate’s version of the bill removed the S3 Database, which would have been a statewide database run by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) containing information about credible threats to school safety and the students involved in making them. The substitute added language defining a “terroristic threat of a school” as when someone threatens harm pertaining to school in a way that causes fear, disruption, or evacuation and defines criminal punishments for such an act ranging from a misdemeanor to a felony (if a threat of death is made). The substitute also defines a “terroristic act upon a school” as committing a violent or dangerous act with the intent to terrorize or force an evacuation on school property. The language also adds terroristic acts on a school to the list of crimes for which children (ages 13-17) can be tried as adults.
Status: Passed out of the Senate. The bill now goes to the Governor for review and final approval.
GHF Position: Monitoring
What this bill does: HB 410 proposes changes to how Georgia’s Department of Insurance (DOI) operates. These changes include repealing several regulations, eliminating certain fees paid by insurers, and removing the requirement for insurance agency branch offices to obtain separate licenses. The bill’s author says HB 410 will streamline the DOI’s operations, reduce costs for insurers, and modernize regulations. However, several potential drawbacks could negatively impact consumers and public insurance industry oversight. These include less transparency in insurance company operations, less financial security, reduced oversight of insurance agencies operating multiple locations, and fewer financial resources for DOI to investigate and enforce consumer protections.
HR 659 – House Study Committee on Insurance Market Reform
Lead Sponsors: Rep. Lumsden (12th), Rep. Burns (159th)
Status: Passed out of the House Insurance Committee with changes
GHF Position: Support
What this resolution does: HR 659 creates the House Study Committee on Insurance Market Reform to examine Georgia’s rising insurance premiums, reduced coverage options, and lack of competition in the insurance industry. In response to some of the concerns about insurance practices raised during the passage of SB 68 (tort reform legislation), the committee will study issues like rate-setting practices, industry profits, regulatory compliance, and models from other states to identify reforms that could protect consumers from unaffordable premiums and ensure fairness and transparency. The substitute changed the composition of the study committee from seven House members and four non-legislative members to eight House members and three non-legislative members.
HR 847 – House Study Committee on Evaluating Funding for Public Health
Lead Sponsor: Rep. Taylor (173rd)
Status: Introduced and referred to the House Public and Community Health Committee
GHF Position: Support
What this resolution does: HR 847 creates the House Study Committee on Evaluating Funding for Public Health to examine how Georgia’s public health system is structured, funded, and resourced. The committee will study whether current public health investments are adequate to support a sustainable public health infrastructure, improve health outcomes, and reduce preventable deaths. The resolution notes that Georgia has historically underfunded public health , and less than one in every ten state health dollars go to the Department of Public Health. The committee will consist of five members of the House, appointed by the Speaker, and will make recommendations for potential policy or funding changes. The committee would expire on December 1, 2025.
Status: Passed out of the House Education Committee with changes
GHF Position: Oppose
What this bill does: SB 1 mandates that students participate in school sports and use facilities based on their biological sex at birth, as documented on their birth certificate. The bill explicitly excludes transgender students from joining teams or using shared spaces aligning with their gender identity and outlines financial penalties for schools that violate the transgender athlete ban. Among other changes, the substitute language replaces all references to “gender” in the code section with “sex”, allows for someone who believes they’ve been harmed by another person violating this law to seek damages, and expands the application to include private schools that receive state funding.
SB 30 – Ban on Gender-Affirming Medical Care for Minors
Lead Sponsor: Sen. Watson (1st)
Status: Passed out of the House Public and Community Health Committee with changes
GHF Position: Oppose
What this bill does: SB 30 would expand Georgia’s restrictions on gender-affirming medical care for minors by banning puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries. It goes further than the existing SB 140 law from 2023 by removing exceptions (like for young people already taking these types of medications), increasing penalties for doctors, and allowing parents to sue medical providers. The substitute permits the use of blockers, if approved ahead of time by two psychiatrists or psychologists and under the care of a pediatrician certified in the condition or board-certified. The new language makes it verydifficult for a minor currently receiving puberty blocker treatment to continue, but it does not prohibit it.
SB 39 – Ban on Coverage of Gender-Affirming Care in State-Funded Health Insurance Plans
Lead Sponsor: Sen. Tillery (19th)
Status: Passed out of the House Health Committee but SB 39 is back on the Health Committee agenda today (4/1)
GH position: Oppose
What this bill does: SB 39 would prohibit the use of state funds to cover gender-affirming care, including hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery, for individuals enrolled in state-funded health plans or receiving public assistance. The bill also bans state-owned health care facilities and state-employed providers from offering gender-affirming care.
Status: Passed out of the House. The bill now goes to the Governor for review and final approval
GHF position: Monitoring
What this bill does: SB 72, also known as the “Hope for Georgia Patients Act,” expands access to investigational treatments for patients with severely debilitating or life-threatening illnesses. The bill builds on Georgia’s existing Right to Try Act by allowing patients to seek personalized, experimental medical treatments not fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While the bill could expand access to experimental treatments for patients with rare or terminal diseases, it also opens the door to further expansion of access to treatments not approved by the FDA. FDA approval ensures that drugs meet strict safety and efficacy standards, and bypassing this process could expose patients to unknown risks. Additionally, patients may pursue costly, unproven treatments that may not work or could worsen their condition.
SB 233 – Updates to the Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission (BHRIC)
Lead sponsor: Sen. Brass (6th)
Status: Passed out of the House. The bill now goes to the Governor for review and final approval
GHF position: Support
What this bill does: SB 233 makes several updates to the Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission (BHRIC), including expanding its membership, restructuring its subcommittees, and extending its existence by 18 months. The commission is responsible for evaluating and recommending improvements to Georgia’s behavioral health system. Key changes to the committee include adding to the Commission’s membership a certified addiction recovery specialist with lived experience, a provider specializing in intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), a parent of an individual with IDD or an individual with IDD, an individual who has lost an immediate family member to drug overdose or fentanyl poisoning, a leader of an IDD advocacy organization, and an executive director of a Georgia nonprofit focused on addiction and recovery. The bill also removes the Involuntary Commitment and Workforce & System Development committees and replaces them with the Addictive Diseases and Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities committees, respectively.
GHF monitors legislative activity on a number of critical consumer health care topics. Along with our weekly legislative updates and timely analysis of bills, here are tools to help you stay in touch with health policy under the Gold Dome.
State Holds Final Public Hearing on Georgia Pathways to Coverage Medicaid Program in Cordele
Chris Lewis
CORDELE, GA – Today, Georgians had their last opportunity to speak out in a public hearing on the state’s Pathways to Coverage program, Georgia’s limited Medicaid expansion. The hearing, hosted…
