Legislative Update 02/23/2026

 

We are halfway through the 40 Legislative Days and the real sausage-making is just beginning. LD 28, Crossover Day, is scheduled for Friday, March 6, and legislators are feeling the pressure to get bills out of committee, into rules, and onto the floor for a vote. To be considered by the other chamber, a bill must “crossover” on or before LD 28, otherwise the bill is mostly dead for the rest of the session. Mostly dead because bills or portions of bills can be added to other bills as they move through the process. The days are getting longer with early morning committee hearings, long floor sessions, and then again, late afternoon committee meetings.  

 

I was honored last week to join with all of the P1 students across the state for our annual Day at the Dome, a virtual legislative day. Every Pharmacy School joined together engaging with legislators, pharmacists and their peers. I would like to thank Chairman Chuck Hufstetler, Rep. Demetrius Douglas and Rep. Michelle Au for spending time and sharing their passion for advocacy with the pharmacy students, and Former Rep. Stacey Reece for providing a Legislation 101 training in advance of the program.   

 

The Georgia General Assembly has completed 22 Legislative Days through Friday, February 20. Legislative Days will resume on Tuesday, February 24, with LD 23 and continue through Thursday, February 26, with LD 25. Monday, February 23 is an official committee workday.  

 

Upcoming Committees:  

 

Keep your eyes on the committee meeting notices here. Committees and agendas will be added as they are scheduled. 

Back in committee last week was HB 810, commercial insurance reimbursement, as Sponsor Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper) worked through perfecting the bill. The previous version of HB 810 did not account for the rural reimbursement rate some pharmacies already receive. The updated version of HB 810 would define rural pharmacies as those in a county with a population of fewer than 35,000 according to the U.S. Census and would allow these pharmacies to still receive the rural reimbursement rate. We appreciate our members that have worked with our lobby team and Rep. Jasperse to perfect HB 810, which is currently back in the House Rules Committee.  

 

Also in the House Health Committee last week was HR 948, sponsored by Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah). HR 948 would create a House Study committee on Pharmacy Benefits Managers and Consumer Access to Prescription Medications. Members of the committee would include the House Appropriations Chair, Rep. Matt Hatchett (R-Dublin), House Health Committee Chairman Rep. Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville) and three other members who may be House members or other experts on PBMs as appointed by the Speaker of the House. The study committee would then meet later in the year and provide a report or legislative recommendations back to the House for the 2027 legislative session. As a single chamber study committee, HR 948 only needs to pass the House to go into effect.  

 

HB 810 and HR 948 are currently awaiting action by the House Rules Committee, which is scheduled to meet next today, Monday, February 23 at 11am. We will be watching!  

HB 973, or the supplemental budget for FY 2025-2026, passed the Senate 49-1 on Friday of last week. Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia) presented the changes the Senate made to the budget. The Senate version of HB 973 includes: 

 

 

As a quick primer on the budget process during the legislative session, the budget proposal starts with recommendations from the Governor; a formal bill is then introduced in the House. The House Appropriations Committee and subcommittees vet the original proposal and make changes based on priorities of the House. Once passed in the House, it then goes over to the Senate where their Appropriation Committee and subcommittees also make changes.

 

Once the bill has passed both chambers, a Conference Committee will be appointed with leaders from both chambers meeting to negotiate directly with each other. A Conference Committee Report will then be released as a final compromise budget, which will be voted upon by both chambers. It is then up to the Governor to sign or veto. For budgetary bills, the Governor does have line-item veto power.  

One bill that crossed over this year is HB 419, sponsored by Rep. Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville). HB 419 would require all colleges in the University System of Georgia to have opioid antagonists and defibrillators on campus and allows for possession of opioid antagonists by students and faculty. HB 419 would allow community groups and grants to provide the antagonists or funding for antagonists and established that “the institution shall make a reasonable effort to maintain its supply.” It also provides those who administer the antagonists with some protection from civil liability when acting in good faith in deciding to apply or not apply an opioid antagonist. HB 419 passed the House 165-0 and is currently in the Senate Higher Education Committee.   

 

SB 440, Sponsored by Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta), passed the Senate on Friday by a vote of 50-0 after a floor fight over an amendment. SB 440 is a twenty-five-page bipartisan code update dealing with the Department of Public Health, removing outdated language. Sen. Elena Parent (D-Atlanta) proposed a floor amendment which would have expanded Medicaid. This amendment seemed to come as a surprise to the sponsor and the majority party and led to robust debate over access to healthcare for individuals in the coverage gap. There are several existing bills in both chambers seeking to expand Medicaid coverage, and these bills have yet to have a committee hearing in either chamber.

 

The amendment ultimately failed and SB 440 passed without a provision to expand Medicaid and is on its way over to the House.  

 

HB 419 Education; require possession of opioid antagonists by institutions within University System of Georgia 

Sponsor Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville)  

Status: Passed House 165-0; In Senate Higher Education 

All colleges in the University System of Georgia will be required to have opioid antagonist and defibrillators on campus. Allows for possession of opioid antagonists by students and faculty. Provides some protection from civil liability when acting in good faith in decisions to apply or not apply an opioid antagonist. Allows for community groups and grants to fund access to antagonists. 

 

HB 810 Insurance; require that final reimbursements to pharmacies for prescription drugs are based on certain formulas 

Sponsor Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper)  

Status: Passed House Health; In House Rules, Anticipate Floor Vote Soon  

Require PBMs reimburse Pharmacies at NADAC plus the current Georgia Medicaid professional dispensing fee. If NADAC is not available, reimbursement must be based on WAC as of January 1, 2026, plus the same dispensing fee.  Updated to define rural pharmacies as located in a county with a population under 35,000 and allows for higher rural reimbursement rates.  

 

HB 973 Supplemental appropriations; State Fiscal Year July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026 

Sponsor Jon Burns (R-Newington)  

Status: Passed House 167-5, Passed Senate 49-1; In Conference Committee 

Supplemental Budget for FY 2026. More budget documents can be found here. 

 

HB 1138 Increasing Access to Contraceptives Act; enact 

Sponsor Beth Camp (R-Concord) 

Status: In House Health; Anticipate Action Soon  

This bill would allow pharmacists, under a joint protocol agreement, to dispense self-administered hormonal contraceptives and administer injectable hormonal contraceptives without a patient-specific prescription. The Composite Medical Board and the Board of Pharmacy would join in a joint protocol agreement and be responsible for approving training for pharmacists, self-screening risk assessment for the patient, and other requirements.  

 

HB 1309 Practitioners; clarify that all who dispense drugs are engaged in the practice of pharmacy and shall comply with all record keeping and other requirements 

Sponsor Mark Newton (R- Augusta) 

Status: In House Health  

This bill will explicitly require all practitioners dispensing drugs to adhere to pharmacy regulations, and grants the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy explicit authority to enforce rules and regulations governing practitioners dispensing drugs. 

 

HB 1329 Controlled substances; Schedule I; provide certain provisions 

Sponsor Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) 

Status: In Judiciary Non-Civil  

Annual Drug update bill for over fifty drugs, Aceclidine to  Zopapogene imadenovec-drba. There is added language on dispensing epinephrine nasal spray of 2mg or less OTC. 

 

HB 1344 Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact 

Sponsor Matt Reeves (R-Duluth) 

Status: In House Insurance  

37 page bi-partisan bill raising fees and penalties that the Insurance and Fire Safety Commission may impose on entities found in violation of many code sections. If a person or entity is found to be acting as a PBM without a license or violating regulations, the violation fine would rise to $4,000 to $20,000 depending on the severity of the violation. It is currently $2,000 to $10,000.  

 

HB 1361 Pharmacies; compounding of certain active pharmaceutical ingredients; provisions 

Sponsor Trey Kelley (R-Cedartown) 

Status: In House Health  

This bill would restrict compounding of GLP-1s for obesity or weight loss management. It would require compounding pharmacies to conduct quality control testing of every finished compounded drug. Pharmacies would have to obtain proof that manufacturers have been inspected by the FDA, and retain all paperwork, including quality testing for two years.   Penalties for violating this proposed legislation would include $1,000 fine per dosage and revocation of pharmacy licenses. GPhA is confident this bill will not move forward – no action is needed at this point. 

 

HR 948 House Study Committee on Pharmacy Benefits Managers and Consumer Access to Prescription Medications; create  

Sponsor  Ron Stephens (R-Savannah)  

Status: Passed House Health; In House Rules    

Creates a House Study Committee on PBMs. Committee members would include Chairman of the House Appropriations committee, Chairman of the House Health Committee and three other members appointed by the Speaker of the House. 

 

SB 195 Pharmacies; pharmacists are authorized to dispense preexposure prophylaxis and postexposure prophylaxis under certain conditions; provide 

Sponsor Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome)  

Status: Passed Senate 55-0; Passed House 155-7; Back to Senate for Agree/Disagree  

Bi-partisan bill allowing pharmacists to dispense PrEP and PEP treatment. Before dispensing or administering PrEP or PEP medication to a patient, a pharmacist will need to complete a training program accredited by ACPE and approved by the Georgia Board of Pharmacy. The Board of Pharmacy will need to approve the training program by January 1, 2027. The patient may present a negative HIV test taken within the previous seven days, or the pharmacist may order and administer a CLIA-waived HIV test. 

 

SB 440 Department of Public Health; provisions relative to duties or functions; modernize and update 

Sponsor Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta)  

Status: Passed Senate 55-0; In House  

Bipartisan code update dealing with the Department of Public Health. Removes outdated language on the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). The Georgia Department of Public Health has asked for these updates to remove the requirement that the department establish a PDMP Electronic Database Review Advisory Committee, charged with consulting with and advising the department on matters related to the establishment, maintenance, and operation of electronic prescription review. The Electronic Database Advisory Committee has not met since 2023 and was largely composed of DPH staff. The program will still engage partners in the development of improvements to the PDMP, but a statutorily established committee is no longer necessary per DPH. 

 

PharmPAC is the Georgia Pharmacy Association’s political action committee, established to advocate on behalf of all of pharmacy practice in the state to protect the rights of pharmacy employees, protect the practice of pharmacy in the state, elect candidates who champion pharmacy and pharmacists, and bring important policy issues to the attention of elected officials in Georgia.

 

PharmPAC works at the local and state levels, leading the way in influencing pharmacy-related legislation. An investment in PharmPAC is an investment in the future of pharmacy across the entire state, protecting the long-term health of the practice of pharmacy for independent pharmacy owners, employee pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians so that the vital work of these health care professionals can continue in the best interests of the people of Georgia – your patients. 

 

PharmPAC relies on donations from members and friends of GPhA -- support our advocacy efforts by making a donation today. Click here to make a one-time donation, or consider making a recurring donation here. 

These updates and alerts are a benefit of GPhA membership to keep our members in the know. GPhA believes it is valuable information to help you be a better pharmacist, pharmacy technician, and pharmacy owner.

 

You can find your representative at My Voter Page. Visit Legislative Website to find out more about your representative & senator.