Georgia legislation · 2025-2026 Regular Session
Georgia HB1097: Mental health; criminal background, license status, and registry checks for owners, applicants, and employees of certain mental health facilities; provide
Status: Signed into law, May 11, 2026
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 37 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to mental health, so as to provide for criminal background, license status, and registry checks for owners, applicants, and employees of certain mental health facilities; to provide for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to submit fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Georgia Crime Information Center for the purpose of background checks to find disqualifying records; to provide for maintenance of personnel files; to provide for procedures relating to applicants or employees with ineligible determinations; to provide for definitions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
What the bill says
To amend Titles 35 and 37 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to law enforcement officers and agencies and mental health, respectively, so as to provide for covered individuals to submit certain information for national criminal history background checks; to provide for procedures for authorized agencies to make fitness determinations; provide for criminal background, license status, and registry checks for owners, applicants, and employees of certain mental health facilities…
From the introduced text:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED To amend Titles 35 and 37 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to law enforcement officers and agencies and mental health, respectively, so as to provide for covered individuals to submit certain information for national criminal history background checks; to provide for procedures for authorized agencies to make fitness determinations; provide for criminal background, license status, and registry checks for owners, applicants, and employees of certain mental health facilities; to provide for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to submit fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Georgia Crime Information Center for the purpose of background checks to find disqualifying criminal history records; to provide for maintenance of personnel files; to provide for procedures relating to applicants or employees with ineligible determinations; to provide for civil penalties for failure to terminate employees with ineligible determinations; to provide for notice for applicants; to provide for revocation of licenses; to provide for administrative review; to provide for appeals of administrative decisions; to provide for civil immunity; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for definitions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: H. B. 1097 HB 1097/AP SECTION 1. Title 35 of the Official Code of …