The Georgia House of Representatives reconvened at the State Capitol on Monday, February 24th to resume our legislative duties. During our seventh week of session, we convened for four legislative days, while Tuesday was set aside for a committee workday. Although the House did not convene on Tuesday, my colleagues and I were diligently working to move legislation through the committee process. The House voted on several bills and resolutions – the most of any week so far. I would like to highlight a few notable pieces of legislation that passed the House this week as we gear up for Crossover Day next week.
With the unanimous passage of House Bill 428, the House took a significant step in supporting Georgians and their growing families. This legislation would codify the right to in vitro fertilization (IVF) in our state’s law, reinforcing our commitment to making Georgia the best place to live, work and raise a family.
House Bill 307 demonstrates the House’s dedication to improving literacy in Georgia. Passed with bipartisan support last week, HB 307 would amend the Georgia Early Literacy Act to include dyslexia, renaming it the Georgia Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act. This legislative measure would further strengthen Georgia’s efforts to improve literacy outcomes and ensure all students receive evidence-based, high-quality reading instruction. By focusing on early literacy, especially for students at risk of falling behind, we ensure that every child has the tools needed to succeed academically and beyond.
Another significant bill that passed out of the House last week was House Bill 124, which would mandate that the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) provide health insurance coverage for children diagnosed with Pediatric Acute Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infection (PANDAS). Under this bill, all SHBP policies renewed or issued on or after July 1, 2025, would be required to include coverage for the purposes of diagnosis, treatment, appropriate management or ongoing monitoring of a covered person’s disorder. Both PANS and PANDAS are rare diseases that have previously not been recognized under the SHBP as covered conditions, and this legislation would help ensure that affected families and patients have answers and receive the care they need.
We also took an important step to protect Georgia’s children by passing House Bill 171, a measure aimed at addressing the growing concern surrounding computer-generated obscene material involving children. As technology evolves, so do the ways in which individuals may exploit and potentially harm children, with artificial intelligence (AI) playing an increasingly prominent role. HB 171, also known as the Illegal AI Activities Act, would create a new criminal offense for the distribution, solicitation or possession with the intent to distribute obscene computer-generated material that depict a child. This would include any AI-generated images, videos, drawings, sculptures or paintings that are obscene and feature realistic depictions of what appears to be a child. Individuals convicted of this crime would face a prison sentence between one and 15 years. In addition, HB 171 would give judges the discretion to impose specific probation rules, including special protections for minors.
To support Georgia’s veterans, the House passed House Bill 108, the Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act (SAVE Act), which would provide various protections for veterans applying for veterans’ benefits, while also encouraging free-market business practices.
We also turned our attention last week to passing legislation that seeks to improve health outcomes for Georgians. The House passed House Bill 373, which would mandate insurance coverage for annual prostate cancer screenings for high-risk men, including digital rectal examinations and prostate-specific antigen tests.
We also passed the following bills and resolutions during the seventh week of session:
House Bill 14, which would designate corn bread as the official state bread of Georgia
House Bill 78, which would allow the Firefighters Pension Fund to invest up to 20 percent of assets in alternative investments. HB 78 would also allow the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) of Georgia to invest up to 10 percent of assets in alternative investments
House Bill 94, which would require every health benefit policy renewed or issued after January 1, 2026, to include coverage for expenses related to starting fertility preservation when a medically necessary treatment may cause infertility
House Bill 233, which would designate Brunswick stew as the official state stew of Georgia
House Bill 254, which would allow a marker to be placed on State Capitol building grounds and state archives building grounds that would commemorate the patriots of the Revolutionary War. The placement location would be subject to approval by the Capitol Arts Standards Commission for placement on Capitol grounds and by the Board of Regents for archives building grounds. No public funds would be used for the design and procurement of the markers
House Bill 267, known as the Riley Gaines Act, which would amend current law to provide for separate restrooms and changing areas for males and females during athletic events in schools and post-secondary institutions. Schools and post-secondary institutions would be required to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals unwilling or unable to use a restroom or changing area designated for such individual’s sex. The bill would also provide for separation according to sex for sleeping arrangements on school trips. All public schools, local school systems, and post-secondary education institutions participating in competitions or athletic events would be required to designate each team, competition, or athletic event as for males, females, co-educational or mixed sex. The bill would also provide for legislative findings on the importance of certain distinctions between the sexes and would require any collector of vital statistics throughout Georgia to identify each individual as either male or female and to replace the term “gender” throughout Georgia law with “sex"
House Bill 352, also known as the Georgia Gestational Diabetes Management Act, which would include patients with gestational diabetes on the list of those eligible for Medicaid covered by continuous glucose monitors. HB 352 would also remove the eligibility requirement for daily insulin administration
House Bill 422, which would require the state employees' health insurance plan to include at least two high deductible health plans. The bill would allow enrolled employees to make pretax contributions to their health savings accounts. Government entities outside the scope of this bill would be encouraged to offer similar pretax contribution options for their employees
House Bill 423, which would provide for Next Generation 9-1-1 systems and services and would require all new 9-1-1 systems to conform to wireless enhanced 9-1-1 standards. The bill would revise the duties and responsibilities of the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority, would add members to the board of directors and would revise the role of the executive director of the authority
The Georgia House of Representatives will reconvene on Monday, March 3rd, marking the start of our eighth week of the legislative session. On Thursday, March 6th, my fellow House members and I will convene for Legislative Day 28, also known as Crossover Day. This is the critical deadline for bills and resolutions to pass out of their chamber of origin in order to remain eligible for final passage before the conclusion of the session on Legislative Day 40, or Sine Die. I invite you to continue to reach out with any questions or concerns regarding the bills being considered. Please don’t hesitate to schedule a phone call or a visit to the State Capitol to discuss matters that are important to you and your family.
