HB 1150: Professions and businesses; expand certain advanced practice registered nurse and physician assistant prescriptive authorizations

Under current Georgia law, advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs) can only prescribe certain controlled substances, like hydrocodone and oxycodone, in emergency situations, and only to patients who are at least 18 years old. This bill removes that age restriction, meaning minors could also receive these emergency prescriptions from APRNs and PAs under a nurse protocol agreement or physician-approved job description. The bill also creates a new category of prescriptive authority for stimulant medications, defined as substances that increase heart rate, breathing, or brain function. APRNs and PAs with at least one year of post-licensure clinical experience and good standing with their licensing board could be authorized to prescribe stimulants after directly evaluating a patient, provided they complete one hour of continuing education on stimulant use every two years. The bill amends O.C.G.A. § 43-34-25 for nurses and § 43-34-103 for physician assistants, and repeals conflicting laws.

• Adds a legal definition of 'stimulant' as a substance that increases heart rate, breathing, or brain function, tied to Georgia's controlled substances schedule.
• Creates new authority for advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe stimulants under a nurse protocol agreement, after directly evaluating a patient and completing continuing education.
• Creates parallel authority for physician assistants to prescribe stimulants when a supervising physician delegates that authority in a job description.
• Removes the current rule that limited emergency hydrocodone and oxycodone prescriptions by APRNs and PAs to patients 18 years of age or older.
• Requires APRNs and PAs who prescribe stimulants to complete one hour of continuing education every two years on the proper ordering and use of stimulants.
• Extends an exception for county, municipal, and hospital-authority emergency medical systems to also cover the new stimulant prescribing authority.

Advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants who prescribe medications under a nurse protocol or physician-delegated job description, the physicians who supervise them, patients (including minors) who may receive hydrocodone or oxycodone prescriptions in emergencies, and patients who may be prescribed stimulant medications.

Patients under 18 could now receive emergency hydrocodone or oxycodone prescriptions from APRNs and PAs, which is currently barred. Patients needing stimulant medications, often used for conditions like ADHD, could get them from APRNs and PAs directly instead of only from physicians, potentially widening access to care.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 43-34-25 to add a definition of 'stimulant' referencing Georgia's controlled substances schedule in Code Section 16-13-26.
• Section 1 removes the requirement that emergency hydrocodone or oxycodone prescriptions by APRNs be limited to patients 18 or older.
• Section 1 adds new subsection (d.2) allowing APRNs with at least one year of experience to prescribe stimulants after directly evaluating a patient and completing continuing education.
• Section 1 extends an emergency medical services exception for county, municipal, and hospital authority systems to cover the new stimulant authority alongside existing hydrocodone/oxycodone rules.
• Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 43-34-103 to let physicians delegate stimulant-prescribing authority to physician assistants with at least one year of experience, contingent on direct patient evaluation.
• Section 2 removes the 18-and-older age limit for physician assistants prescribing hydrocodone or oxycodone in emergency situations.
• Section 2 requires physician assistants who prescribe stimulants, hydrocodone, or oxycodone to complete one additional hour of continuing education biennially on those drugs.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-03House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-02House Hopper (House)

• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)Primary sponsor
• Jan Jones (R, HD-047)
• Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)
• Sandy Donatucci (R, HD-105)

• nurse practitioners
• physician assistants
• prescription drugs
• stimulant medications
• healthcare regulation