Archives: Bills

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.

SB 96 expands the State Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless Commission, which oversees funding and programs to prevent and reduce homelessness. It operates under the Georgia Dept of Community Affairs (DCA). It provides grants, financial assistance, and support services to organizations that serve individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. The bill increases the commission’s membership from nine to 11 and makes structural updates to appointment terms, allowing for broader representation and expertise in homelessness prevention efforts. This expansion could strengthen policy direction and funding decisions related to affordable housing and homelessness services.

The original language from SB 91 was removed and replaced with two bills that passed out of the House – HB 373 to require insurers to cover prostate cancer screening and HB 323 to make Medicare Advantage plans available to Georgians under the age of 65 with ALS or end-stage renal disease.

HB 689 creates a statewide homelessness prevention program under the Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless. The program is designed to prevent evictions, support housing stability for low-income individuals, and reduce homelessness. It establishes an application process, minimum program standards, and a funding structure for organizations that provide rental assistance, eviction diversion services, and other homelessness prevention efforts.

HB 500 updates Georgia’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program by increasing the maximum benefit amount, lifetime eligibility limits, and asset exclusions for applicants. It raises cash assistance levels to 40% of the federal poverty level (FPL) and allows recipients to receive benefits for up to 60 months, an increase from the previous 48-month limit. The bill also increases the asset limit to $5,000. It exempts one primary vehicle from asset calculations, with an additional $4,650 equity exclusion for a second vehicle if used for work, education, or job search.

This committee is charged with examining gaps in access to quality cancer care; how to increase prevention and early detection efforts; and needs related to care facilities and workforce. The study committee will be made up of five members of the House (appointed by the Speaker of the House) and an additional seven members. The additional members will be two representatives of Georgia’s medical or public health schools; one primary care physician; one community oncologist practicing in a rural community; and one representative from Georgia’s federally qualified health centers; and two others representing cancer survivors, hospitals or medical centers, caregivers, navigators, or other areas of expertise. The committee will complete its work by the end of 2025.

HB 182 was replaced with the language from HB 410. Now, HB 182 makes 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.

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.

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 (until Dec. 31, 2026). 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.

HB 97 would create a new coverage option for low-income Georgians ages 19-65 with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Eligible Georgians would enroll in a health plan through Georgia Access (the state-run website where people can sign up for private health insurance). Under this program, the state would fully cover premiums and other costs for enrollees.