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Legislative Update 03/17/25

03 Nov 2025

Legislative Update Week 10:
Back to Committees

From Ben Ross, PharmD
President, GPhA Board of Directors
 
Welcome to our tenth 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, March 17, you may find state Representatives and Senators enjoying the 201st St. Patrick's Day parade in Savannah. Erin Go Bragh!

Tuesday, March 18 is Legislative Day 32, with the Senate starting at 10am and the House at 1pm. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Development will meet at 7:15am with budget presentation by the Department of Community Health, the Board of Pharmacy, and the Department of Public Health, among others. House Regulated Industries committee is scheduled to meet at 1pm (watch out for time change) on SB 131 and SB 220 – bill information listed below.

Wednesday, March 19 is a committee working day, including House Health Committee at 9am hearing SB 91, SB 140 and SB 195, also listed below. Senate Health and Human Services is scheduled to meet at 4pm; no agenda posted yet.  

Thursday, March 20 is Legislative Day 33 & Friday, March 21st takes us to Legislative Day 34. That puts Sine Die, or Legislative Day 40, right around the corner on Friday, April 4th
 

HB 196, establishing reimbursements rates for the State Health Benefits Plan (SHBP) and the University of System of Georgia (USG), is an updated version of the bill heard in Senate Insurance committee on Thursday of last week. HB 196, LC 57 0274S, would add a definition of Independent Pharmacy as “an entity contracted with the PBM pursuant to an agreement with a single retail pharmacy, or is contracted with the PBM through a pharmacy services administrative organization.” It would change the reimbursement rate for independent pharmacies to NADAC plus $11.50 and adjust chain pharmacies to NADAC plus $10.50.

Because of the changes to the bill, this was a “hearing only” meeting with no vote taken. It is anticipated that this committee will hear HB 196 again on Tuesday afternoon with an official committee vote. Please contact members of the committee and your individual Senator in support of the bill.

As bills are amended, substituted and sometimes flat out rewritten or swapped out in their entirety, LC numbers become particularly important. LC stands for Legislative Counsel, the department that researches and drafts bills. There are 16 staff attorneys and 18 additional support staff to serve the 256 members. As a bill is changed, so does the LC number, this way members and staff know they are all reading the same bill and that it is the correct bill the sponsor is ushering through the process.

HB 68, General Appropriations for FY 2025-2026, passed the House last week. Appropriations Chairman Matt Hatchett (R- Dublin) reported to the House that this budget is for $37.7 billion (yes, with a B) in state funds for government services for 11 million Georgians. That is $3,427.27 per capita of state tax revenue to operate government in Georgia across all state agencies and departments. Currently with the federal match to Medicaid, other federal program funds, and other state fees, the entire Georgia budget is $73 billion. That ends up being $6,636.36 per capita of expenditure.

Included in this budget is an additional $1.2 million, the estimated impact of HB 196 which is proposed to go into effect on January 1, 2026. The current $3 dispensing fee will be in effect only through December 31, 2025; once HB 196 passes and is signed by the Governor, the NADAC + pricing will go into effect on January 1, 2026. 

The Board of Pharmacy’s proposed budget is $1,199,606 for FY 2025-2026, including funds for three new staff positions and updated licensing software. HB 68 passed 171- 4 with two republicans and two democrats voting against the bill. It is now being considered by the Senate where subcommittee meetings are underway.   
 

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: Passed House; Passed Senate Health and Human Services; Senate vote scheduled for 3/18/25
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 passed the House 168-7.
 
HB 196 State Employees' Health Insurance Plan; Board of Community Health from entering into, executing or renewing a contract with any pharmacy benefits manager that owns or has an ownership interest in any retail pharmacy; prohibit 
Sponsor Trey Kelley (R-Cedartown) 
Status: Passed House; In Senate Insurance & Labor, anticipate hearing on 3/18/25
This updated version of the bill would require pharmacies be reimbursed at NADAC plus $10.50 for chain pharmacies and $11.50 for independent pharmacies in the Georgia’s SHBP and university system health plans.  
 
HB 473 Controlled substances; Schedule I; provide certain provisions
Sponsor Ron Stephens (R–Savannah)
Status: Passed House; Passed Senate Health and Human Services; In Senate Rules
It’s the annual update to the list of Schedule 1 drugs. From Acoramidis to Zolbetuximab-clzb there are 61 new dangerous drugs.
 
SB 6 Controlled Substances; determine whether a controlled substance has been adulterated; authorize the use of testing equipment 
Sponsor Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta)             
Status: Passed Senate; Passed House Health; In House Rules
Current law shields the user of drug testing equipment in the detection of synthetic opioids in a controlled substance from getting a drug possession misdemeanor charge. This bill would just say all drug testing equipment would be shielded, not restricted to opioid testing strips. 
 
SB 91 State Employees' Health Insurance Plan; Board of Community Health from entering into, executing, or renewing a contract with any pharmacy benefits manager that owns or has an ownership interest in any retail pharmacy; prohibit
Sponsor Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia)
Status: Passed Senate; In House Health, scheduled for hearing on 3.19/25
Prohibit Georgia’s state employees' health insurance plan from contractin/ with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that own or have an ownership interest in any retail pharmacy or any legal entity that contracts or uses a PBM that owns or has ownership interest in a retail pharmacy. This bill aims to prevent conflicts of interest and promote fair competition in prescription drug pricing and reimbursement.
 
SB 131 Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce; Georgia Health Care Professionals Data System; establishment 
Sponsor Mike Hodges (R-Brunswick)
Status: Passed Senate; In House Regulated Industries, scheduled for hearing on 3/18/25
This bill would require the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce to create and maintain a statewide database of health care workers including Pharmacist 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; In House Health, scheduled hearing on 3/18/25
Scope of Practice bill to allow Optometrists to use, dispense and sell pharmaceutical drugs to treat eye conditions and diseases. This bill passed the Senate 54-1.
 
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; In House Health, scheduled hearing 3/19/25
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.
 
SB 220 Putting Georgia's Patients First Act; enact 
Sponsor Matt Brass (R-Newnan)
Status: Passed Senate; In House Regulated Industries, scheduled for hearing on 3/18/25
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.” Similar language to HB 227. This bill passed the senate 38-17 with one amendment.

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. 



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