03 Nov 2025

Legislative Update Week 7:
HB 196 Passed the House

From Ben Ross, PharmD
President, GPhA Board of Directors

Welcome to our seventh weekly Legislative Update Newsletter of the 2025-2026 Georgia General Assembly Legislative Session.

We'll start once again with a look at key events this week:

Monday, February 24 brings us to Legislative Day 22. At 8am the Senate Appropriations Committee will review and pass out the Amended FY25 budget. Senate Health and Humans Services is scheduled for 3pm.

Tuesday, February 25 has been set as a Committee Work Day. Expect lots and lots of committee meetings and agendas to be announced today.

Wednesday, February 26 through Friday, February 28 takes us to Legislative Day 25. Crossover Day, which is Legislative Day 28, will be coming up quickly on Thursday, March 6, when bills need to move to the next chamber to be considered before sine die. Of course, there are ways around this, and I am sure we will witness again this year.

HB 196, State Health Benefit Plan Reimbursement Bill Passes House!

On Friday, HB 196, passed the House 168-0! Thank you to GPhA Members who took action contacting their representatives. Representative Trey Kelley (R-Cedartown) spoke about the decisions independent pharmacist face – providing patient care and accepting an underwater reimbursement or declining the order. Several other Representatives referenced local pharmacies in their districts that closed last year or were on the verge of closing this year. By a 168-0 vote it’s clear that all House Members recognize the value of community pharmacists in their district and service to their community.

We are grateful for bill sponsor Representative Trey Kelley (R-Cedartown), Committee Chairman Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville), Rules Chairman Butch Parrish (R-Swainsboro) and Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) for their support during the legislative process. And Chairman Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) and Chairman Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) for their impassioned support along with many others.

HB 196 will continue through the legislative process in the Senate. We anticipate it will be assigned to a Senate committee later this morning.

The GPhA team does our best to track and report on bills of interest to our members. With 565 House Bills and 232 Senate Bills as of Friday Morning, our list gets rather long (and hopefully not boring!). We are reporting each week on our primary bill HB 196, and bills moving which impact the profession and patients. There are six active PBM reform bills, two practice bills, seven bills in various forms on medical cannabis, three different Medicaid expansion bills, and…. well, you get the picture).

If you hear of an issue or have a question, please let us know at info@gpha.org.

HB 89 Public Health, Department of; require healthcare providers, facilities, and pharmacies to provide the Maternal Mortality Review Committee with psychiatric or other clinical records
Sponsor Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta)
Status: Recommitted back to House Public and Community Health from the Rules Committee
The Georgia Department of Public Health collects information and records to provide information to the Maternal Mortality Review Committee. The records and information are collected from all healthcare providers, including pharmacists, to obtain information around a maternal death. This bill will add psychiatric records to the requirements and create a Regional Perinatal Center Advisory Committee. This bill was sent back to the committee to be reworked before moving forward.

HB 100 Prescription Drug Consumer Financial Protection Act; enact
Sponsor Demetrius Douglas (D-Stockbridge)
Status: In House Insurance; Heard in Subcommittee last week, no vote was taken
This bill would require health insurance plan providers to pass on to the patient drug rebates of at least 80% at the point of sale with an explanation of the calculation. There are civil penalties and revocation of an insurers license for noncompliance. A patient’s co-pay and deductible would still apply.

HB 101 State employees; annual public report on the amount of prescription drug rebates and other price concessions applied to premium reductions; provide
Sponsor Demetrius Douglas (D-Stockbridge)
Status: In House Insurance; Heard in Subcommittee last week, no vote was taken
This would require an annual report on the impact prescription drug rebate programs have on the SHBP.

HB 196 State employees' health insurance plan; drugs dispensed for self-administration; provisions
Sponsor Trey Kelley (R-Cedartown)
Status: Passed House 168-0
This bill would require pharmacies be reimbursed at NADAC plus $10.64 in the Georgia’s SHBP and university system health plans.

HB 227 Putting Georgia's Patients First Act; enact
Sponsor Robert Dickey (R-Musella)
Status: Passed House Health, now in House Rules Committee
This bill would replace “Low THC Oil” with “Medical cannabis” throughout various code sections and renaming the “Low THC Oil Patient Registry” the “Medical Cannabis Patient Registry.”

HB 265 Georgia Hemp Farming Act; provide limits on the total concentration of THC and other intoxicating cannabinoids in consumable hemp products
Sponsor Steven Sainz (R–St. Mary’s)
Status: In House Agricultural and Consumer Affairs
This bill sets limits on the amount of THC and other intoxicating cannabinoids allowed in consumable hemp products in Georgia, including a cap on THC per serving in gummies. It also strengthens labeling, testing, and compliance requirements while introducing penalties for violations.

HB 419 Education; require possession of opioid antagonists by institutions within University System of Georgia
Sponsor Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville)
Status: In House 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 student 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 473 Controlled substances; Schedule I; provide certain provisions
Sponsor Ron Stephens (R–Savannah)
Status: In House Health
It’s the annual update to the list of Schedule I drugs. From acoramidis to zolbetuximab-clzb there are 61 new dangerous drugs.

SB 131 Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce; Georgia Health Care Professionals Data System; establishment
Sponsor Mike Hodges (R-Brunswick)
Status: Senate Regulated Industries Committee favorable reported the bill out by substitute
This bill would require the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce to create and maintain a statewide database of health care workers including Pharmacists and Pharmacist Technicians. Fourteen different state licensing boards, including the Board of Pharmacy, would report into such a database.

SB 140 Optometrists; Doctor of Optometry to dispense and sell pharmaceutical agents to patients under certain conditions; provide
Sponsor Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming)
Status: Passed Senate Health and Human Services; In Senate Rules
Scope of Practice bill to allow optometrists to use, dispense and sell pharmaceutical drugs to treat eye conditions and diseases.

SB 195 Pharmacies; pharmacists are authorized to dispense preexposure prophylaxis and postexposure prophylaxis under certain conditions; provide
Sponsor Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome)
Status: In Senate Health and Human Services
Bi-partisan bill allowing pharmacist 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, 2026. 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.

About this newsletter:

These updates and alerts are a benefit of GPhA membership to keep our members in the know. There is a lot to read here, and we believe it is important 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. Check out the Committee meeting schedule here, and find a list of the Committees and their members here.

Your contributions to PharmPAC are critical. Please consider a donation to our political action committee today so we can elevate the Voice of Pharmacy in Georgia.

Legislative Update 02/24/25

Legislative Update Week 7:HB 196 Passed the House

Donate to PharmPAC

Legislative Update Week 7:
HB 196 Passed the House