Dear Friends,
Legislative Week 5 is complete. On February 11th, National Guard Day was held at the Capitol. Major General Wilson addressed the House on this day. Georgia has 15,000 in its National Guard team, including 11,600 Army National Guard soldiers, 2,900 Air National Guard Airmen, 500 State Defense Force volunteers, and nearly 500 state employees. The Georgia National Guard serves here and abroad and has deployed more than 35,000 Soldiers and Airmen across all geographic combatant commands since September 11, 2001. Georgia’s Army National Guard was recognized as the best National Guard Command by the Association of the United States Army in 2025. Major General Wilson thanked the General Assembly for the resources to modernize facilities so the National Guard is Always Ready and there.
Legislation is moving. This week, the House passed and adopted 23 bills and resolutions. We passed two very meaningful bills to support mental health and substance recovery services, and we passed legislation to modernize and streamline the licensing and credentialing process for Georgia’s medical professionals.
House Bill 657 was passed and sent to the Senate. This bill supports our mental health and substance recovery services. The bill defines a “certified peer specialist” in code as someone with lived experience who is trained to support individuals and families receiving mental health or substance use recovery services. The bill requires peer specialists to be certified through the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to ensure quality of care statewide. It also establishes standards and requirements for recovery community organizations to ensure individuals have access to treatments that best fit their needs.
Senate Bill 162 passed the House this week. This bill modernizes and streamlines the licensing and credentialing process for Georgia’s medical professionals. This bill requires the Georgia Composite Medical Board to implement an automated licensing data management software system for physicians, physician assistants, and anesthesiologist assistants, with the goal of getting qualified providers into Georgia’s workforce faster. This bill will help eliminate duplicative credentialing requirements and reduce administrative backlogs, improving overall efficiency in delivering care.
Legislation Successfully Passed by the House
| House Bill 986 passed. This bill updates the operating procedures and restrictions for personal delivery robots to help prevent collisions on sidewalks and rights-of-way, roads, etc. House Bill 907 passed. This bill updates the Completion Special Schools Act, formerly known as alternative schools. These schools are designed to help students complete their education. There are now seven completion schools offering flexible classes, including evening and online options, to help students complete their education. Completion schools must partner with local school systems. Information about these schools must be clearly communicated to parents and students. This legislation will require schools to share student leads with the completion schools to encourage students who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out to provide a pathway to complete their education. House Bill 57 passed. This legislation adds the step-parent relationship to the definition of incest to close a loophole in the code. House Bill 117 passed. This bill provides transparency into the origin of shrimp. Now, commercial food service establishments must label the country of origin of shrimp on restaurant menus. This bill reflects our commitment to Georgia’s coastal economy. House Bill 383, the Education Student Athletics High School Protection Act, passed. This bill would regulate Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation for prospective and current Georgia high school student-athletes. Right now, student athletes can receive NIL compensation, and this bill puts guardrails in place to protect students from exploitation. It also provides for the automatic expiration of contracts upon the student-athlete’s graduation. Without an automatic expiration of contracts, these minors could be at risk of agreeing to a long-term contract that could affect their ability to play in college and beyond. House Bill 903, the Georgia Administrative Procedures Act, passed. This bill applies to all executive-branch agencies with rule-making authority, ensuring that when a rule or regulation is changed, it must be subject to the same public notice, comments, and procedural requirements that govern formal rule-making. House Resolution 251 passed. This resolution will be put before the voters to decide whether the Georgia Constitution should be amended to elect probate judges on a nonpartisan basis. House Resolution 999 passed. This resolution recognizes America’s 250th Anniversary and Georgia’s vital role in our nation’s founding. House Bill 948 passed. This bill allows foreclosed debtors to learn about funds they might receive after foreclosure, requiring notices to include their right to claim surplus funds and instructions, with language warning that unclaimed funds may be considered abandoned and returned to the state after five years. Senate Bill 195 passed. This bill will modernize and increase access to HIV prevention medications by allowing pharmacists to dispense preexposure and postexposure prophylaxis under certain conditions. |
 Enjoyed an early Valentine’s dinner with my sweet wife, Vickie, on Wednesday night. She’s had my heart for 43 years! Love her dearly! |
 Melinda Murray Dally of Great Oaks Assisted Livng shared her testimony on ways to improve protection for citizens against fraudulent advertising of assisted living services. |
 My long-time friend and fellow State Rep. Stan Gunter of Union County, “rang the bell” this week, celebrating his recent cancer-free diagnosis. |
 Alex Ross of Loganville, GA and her fellow Emory Anesthetist students visited yesterday. I encouraged each of them to please stay and practice medicine in Georgia!  Met some great American Patriots at the Capitol on Thursday, Georgia Day. 293 years ago, James Oglethorpe and his crew arrived in Savannah and laid the foundation for our great state.  Tammy Vandogen of Walton County was at the Capitol for CASA Day on Thursday. She is a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer. I fully support this amazing effort to help the youth in our area who speak up for the best interests of children who are victims of abuse or neglect. |
I hope you will come visit your State Capitol. Give us a call at 404-656-5025 if you plan to come, so that we can make time to meet and discuss matters of importance to you.
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