---
title: HB 11. Health; sufficient staff for carrying out food and nutrition services at a long-term care facility; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb11
cite_as: HB 11, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb11
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb11.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb11/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69291
date: 2025-01-15
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb10.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb12.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb11.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 11
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-01-13
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Kim Schofield
- Sandra Scott
- Viola Davis
- Derrick Jackson
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB11/2025
upstream_id: 1916717
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- long-term care
- nursing home staffing
- food and nutrition services
- assisted living regulation
- health care licensing
---
# HB 11. Health; sufficient staff for carrying out food and nutrition services at a long-term care facility; provide
## Text
House Bill 11
By: Representatives Schofield of the 63rd, Scott of the 76th, Davis of the 87th, and Jackson of
the 68th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
regulation and construction of hospitals and other health care facilities, so as to provide for
sufficient staff for carrying out food and nutrition services at a long-term care facility; to
provide for definitions; to provide for the employment of a licensed dietitian; to provide for
the designation and qualifications of a director of food and nutrition services; to provide for
sufficient support personnel; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for related
matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to regulation and
construction of hospitals and other health care facilities, is amended by adding a new Code
section to read as follows:
"31-7-12.9.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Certified dietary manager' means a food service professional who has satisfied
credentialing requirements to work as a dietary manager, including, but not limited to,
coursework, work experience, and passing a nationally recognized credentialing exam.
(2) 'Certified food service manager' means a food service professional who has satisfied
credentialing requirements to work as a food service manager, including, but not limited
to, coursework, work experience, and passing a nationally recognized credentialing exam.
(3) 'Licensed dietitian' means a dietitian licensed under Chapter 11A of Title 43.
(4) 'Long-term care facility' means a skilled nursing home, intermediate care home,
personal care home, assisted living community, community living arrangement, or
inpatient hospice facility licensed or permitted to operate pursuant to this chapter.
(b) A long-term care facility shall employ sufficient staff with the appropriate
competencies and skill sets to carry out the functions of food and nutrition services, taking
into consideration resident assessments, individual plans of care, and the number, acuity,
and diagnoses of such facility's resident population.
(c) A long-term care facility shall employ a licensed dietitian on a full-time, part-time, or
consultant basis; provided, however, that, if such facility does not employ a licensed
dietitian on a full-time basis, such facility shall designate an individual to serve as the
director of food and nutrition services; provided, further, that such individual shall:
(1) Satisfy at least one of the following qualifications:
(A) Be a certified dietary manager;
(B) Be a certified food service manager;
(C) Have a similar national certification for food service management and safety from
a national certifying body;
(D) Have an associate's or higher degree in food service management or in hospitality
from an accredited institution of higher learning, provided that the coursework for such
degree includes food service or restaurant management; or
(E) Have two or more years of experience in the position of director of food and
nutrition services in a long-term care facility and have completed a course of study in
food safety and management, provided that such course of study includes topics integral
to managing dietary operations, including, but not limited to, foodborne illness,
sanitation procedures, and food purchasing or receiving; and
(2) Receive frequently scheduled consultations from a licensed dietitian.
(d) A long-term care facility shall provide sufficient support personnel to safely and
effectively carry out the functions of food and nutrition services.
(e) The department shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the
provisions of this Code section."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
House Bill 11 would require Georgia long-term care facilities like nursing homes and assisted living communities to employ a licensed dietitian or a qualified food service director and enough staff to run food and nutrition services.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia law currently does not spell out staffing requirements for food and nutrition services at long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, personal care homes, assisted living communities, and hospice facilities. This bill adds a new section to the state health code (O.C.G.A. Title 31, Chapter 7) that sets those requirements.
Facilities would have to employ enough staff with the right skills to handle food and nutrition services, based on residents' needs, numbers, and health conditions. They would need a licensed dietitian, whether full-time, part-time, or as a consultant. If they do not have a full-time dietitian, they must designate a director of food and nutrition services who meets specific credential requirements (such as being a certified dietary manager or having relevant education or experience) and who gets regular consultations from a licensed dietitian. Facilities must also provide enough support staff, and the Department of Community Health would write rules to carry out the law.
### What it does
- Requires long-term care facilities to employ enough staff with proper skills to run food and nutrition services based on resident needs and acuity.
- Requires facilities to employ a licensed dietitian on a full-time, part-time, or consultant basis.
- Requires facilities without a full-time dietitian to designate a qualified director of food and nutrition services who meets one of several listed credential options.
- Requires that designated director to receive frequent consultations from a licensed dietitian.
- Requires facilities to provide sufficient support personnel to safely carry out food and nutrition services.
- Directs the state health department to create rules and regulations to implement these requirements.
### Who it affects
Long-term care facilities in Georgia, including skilled nursing homes, intermediate care homes, personal care homes, assisted living communities, community living arrangements, and inpatient hospice facilities, along with their residents, dietitians, and food service staff who would need to meet new staffing and credentialing standards.
### Why it matters
Residents of nursing homes and similar facilities depend on proper nutrition and food safety management. Setting minimum staffing and qualification standards could change hiring practices at these facilities and give residents and families a clearer baseline for what nutrition oversight to expect.
### Key provisions
- New Code section 31-7-12.9(a) defines key terms including certified dietary manager, certified food service manager, licensed dietitian, and long-term care facility.
- Subsection (b) requires facilities to employ sufficient staff with appropriate skills based on resident assessments, care plans, and population acuity.
- Subsection (c) requires employment of a licensed dietitian or, absent a full-time dietitian, designation of a qualified director of food and nutrition services meeting one of five listed credential paths.
- Subsection (c)(2) requires that designated director to receive frequently scheduled consultations from a licensed dietitian.
- Subsection (d) requires sufficient support personnel to safely carry out food and nutrition service functions.
- Subsection (e) directs the department to promulgate rules and regulations to implement the section.
- Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-01-13)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-01-15)
- Sponsors: Kim Schofield, Sandra Scott, Viola Davis, Derrick Jackson
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69291
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb11.md?full=1