Georgia legislation · 2025-2026 Regular Session
Georgia HB219: Professions and businesses; establish a professional health program to provide for monitoring and rehabilitation of impaired healthcare professionals; authorize
Status: Signed into law, May 5, 2026
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to professions and businesses, so as to authorize the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists to establish a professional health program to provide for monitoring and rehabilitation of impaired healthcare professionals; to authorize the Georgia Board of Nursing to establish a professional health program to provide for monitoring and rehabilitation of impaired healthcare professionals; to provide for funding or gifts in kind; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
What the bill says
To amend Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to professions and businesses, so as to authorize the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists to establish a professional health program to provide for monitoring and rehabilitation of impaired healthcare professionals; to authorize the Georgia Board of Nursing to establish a professional health program to provide for monitoring and rehabilitation of impaired healthcare professionals; to provide for funding or gifts in kind…
From the introduced text:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED To amend Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to professions and businesses, so as to authorize the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists to establish a professional health program to provide for monitoring and rehabilitation of impaired healthcare professionals; to authorize the Georgia Board of Nursing to establish a professional health program to provide for monitoring and rehabilitation of impaired healthcare professionals; to provide for funding or gifts in kind; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to professions and businesses, is amended in Chapter 10A, relating to professional counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists, by adding a new Code section to read as follows: H. B. LC 57 0201 "43-10A-24. (a) As used in this Code section, the term: (1) 'Entity' means an organization or medical professional association which conducts professional health programs. (2) 'Healthcare professional' means any individual licensed, certified, or permitted by the board under this chapter. (3) 'Impaired' means the inability of a healthcare professional to practice with reasonable skill and safety to patients by reason of illness or use of …