HB906: HB906 Health; require long-term care facilities to post a link on their websites to the official website of the office of the long-term care ombudsman

This substitute to HB 906 changes two parts of Georgia's health care laws. First, it updates the list of medications that trained staff at personal care homes and assisted living communities can administer under physician direction, adding GLP-1 medications and B12 alongside insulin and epinephrine, which were already allowed. Second, it adds a new requirement in the law covering care of indigent and elderly patients (O.C.G.A. Chapter 8 of Title 31): any long-term care facility that has a website must post a prominent link to the official website of the state long-term care ombudsman, along with a required explanatory statement about the ombudsman program. Facilities that violate this get a warning for a first offense, a $100 fine for a second violation within 12 months, and a $200 fine for later violations, though broken or misdirected links alone cannot trigger a penalty, and failing to post the link cannot cost a facility its license. The changes take effect January 1, 2027.

• Adds GLP-1 medications to the list of drugs that trained aides may administer to residents of personal care homes and assisted living communities under physician direction.
• Requires every long-term care facility that maintains a website to post a prominent link to the state long-term care ombudsman's official website.
• Requires the website link to be accompanied by a specific statement describing the free, confidential ombudsman complaint service.
• Creates a penalty system: a warning for a first violation, a $100 fine for a second violation, and $200 fines for further violations within a 12 month period.
• Exempts facilities from penalties if the only problem is a broken, inoperable, or misdirected link, and bars license revocation for failing to post the link.
• Sets the effective date of the changes as January 1, 2027.

Personal care homes, assisted living communities, and their trained medication aides; residents who receive GLP-1 or B12 medications; and long-term care facilities statewide that maintain websites and must now link to the ombudsman program, subject to state health department enforcement.

Residents needing GLP-1 or B12 treatment could receive it from trained facility staff instead of requiring a licensed nurse for every dose. Families and residents would also find it easier to locate the ombudsman's complaint process online, since facilities would face escalating fines for failing to post the required link.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12 to let personal care home staff administer insulin, epinephrine, GLP-1, and B12 under physician direction and protocol.
• Section 2 makes the same medication change for assisted living communities under O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12.2.
• Section 3 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 31-8-59 to add a new subsection (b) requiring long-term care facility websites to post a link to the state ombudsman's site with a specified disclosure statement.
• Section 3 also adds subsection (c), setting a warning for a first violation, a $100 penalty for a second, and $200 for subsequent violations within 12 months.
• Section 3 exempts facilities from penalties for merely broken or misdirected links and clarifies that missing the link cannot lead to loss of a license or permit.
• Section 4 sets the effective date as January 1, 2027.
• Section 5 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-20House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2026-01-12House Second Readers (House)
3. 2025-04-04House First Readers (House)
4. 2025-04-02House Hopper (House)

• Michael Smith (D, HD-041)Primary sponsor

• long-term care
• nursing home oversight
• assisted living regulation
• elder care
• health care licensing