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House · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session

HB 1195: Veterinarians; practice and provision of veterinary teletriage and veterinary telemedicine; revise provisions

Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date

House Bill 1195 removes the requirement that a licensed veterinarian first show no other vet is available nearby before offering remote 'teletriage' care, and clarifies that Georgia law does not require an in-person vet-client relationship for remote advice or triage.

Read the full bill text

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The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.

In plain language

Georgia law lets veterinarians and supervised veterinary technicians offer remote care, called veterinary teletriage, even without first meeting an animal in person, but only if certain conditions were met. One of those conditions required that no licensed veterinarian or technician be available within 50 miles who could do a physical exam within 24 hours of the client's request. This bill removes that availability condition entirely from O.C.G.A. § 43-50-121, leaving only two requirements: the vet must ask the client to bring the animal in for a physical exam as soon as practical, and the vet must tell the client in writing their name, location, license number, license status, and the limits of teletriage, with the client signing to confirm receipt. The bill also rewrites O.C.G.A. § 43-50-122 to state explicitly that Georgia law does not require a formal veterinarian-client-patient relationship in order to provide either veterinary teleadvice or veterinary teletriage. The law takes effect as soon as the Governor signs it or it otherwise becomes law without his signature.

What the bill does

  • Removes the requirement that a vet or technician show no other licensed provider was available within 50 miles within 24 hours before offering veterinary teletriage.
  • Keeps in place the requirement that the vet ask the client to bring the animal in for a physical exam as soon as reasonably practical.
  • Keeps in place the requirement that the vet give the client written disclosure of name, location, license number, license status, and limitations, with a signed acknowledgment.
  • Rewrites O.C.G.A. § 43-50-122 to explicitly state that no vet-client-patient relationship is required to provide either veterinary teleadvice or veterinary teletriage.
  • Sets the effective date as the day the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law without his signature.

Who it affects

Licensed veterinarians and the veterinary technicians they supervise, who provide remote animal care in Georgia, and pet owners and other animal clients who use remote veterinary services such as teletriage or teleadvice, especially in areas with limited access to in-person veterinary care.

Why it matters

By dropping the 50-mile availability test, veterinarians could offer remote teletriage more broadly, including in areas that already have nearby vets, rather than only where no other provider is available. The clarified language also removes any doubt about whether an existing in-person relationship is required before giving remote advice.

Key provisions

  • Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 43-50-121(a) by deleting the former condition requiring that no vet or technician be available within a 50 mile radius within 24 hours of the client's request.
  • Section 1 renumbers the remaining two conditions: requesting an in-person exam as soon as practical, and providing written disclosure with a signed client acknowledgment.
  • Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 43-50-122 to state the law does not prohibit teleadvice regardless of a vet-client-patient relationship, and does not require such a relationship for teleadvice or teletriage.
  • Section 3 sets the effective date as the date of the Governor's approval or the date the bill otherwise becomes law without approval.
  • Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.

From the bill

“The licensed veterinarian or veterinary technician requests that, as soon as reasonably practical, the client present the animal patient for a physical examination at the veterinary facility or at the premises where such animal is located”

This remaining condition requires vets to ask clients to bring the animal in for an in-person exam when practical.

“Require a valid veterinary-client-patient relationship in order to provide veterinary teleadvice or veterinary teletriage.”

This clarifies that Georgia law does not require an existing in-person relationship before giving remote veterinary advice or triage.

Discussed in meetings (13)

The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.

  1. House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee, February 23, 2026

    From 0:35:48 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1195 would clarify prior veterinary telehealth legislation so that an established veterinarian-client-patient relationship would not be required for veterinary teleadvice or teletriage. The sponsor also said it would remove geographic restrictions that made it difficult for veterinary practices and poison control centers to give advice about specific animals, including poisoning concerns. A committee member confirmed that the proposal was intended to clean up the earlier legislation. A witness for the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association expressed support. The committee approved the presented substitute for Rules by voice vote, with no opposition heard.

  2. House Rules Committee, February 25, 2026

    From 1:30:31 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said HB 1195 would remove geographic restrictions on veterinary telemedicine and teletriage. The presenter said those restrictions had prevented veterinarians and poison control centers from advising callers whose animals had ingested poison or another harmful substance. No scheduling decision was shown.

  3. House Rules Committee, March 2, 2026

    From 0:20:14 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1696

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 1195 on Tuesday’s calendar under modified rules. The motion was seconded, no opposition was heard, and there was no discussion of the bill’s contents.

  4. House floor session, March 3, 2026 (legislative day 26, AM)

    From 1:39:37 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1711

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor described HB 1195 as a cleanup measure removing a geographic restriction that could prevent veterinary poison-control centers from serving Georgia under the previous year's telemedicine law. The sponsor said the change would also allow veterinarians to provide remote assistance, including help with livestock experiencing difficulty giving birth. One member said Georgia has a shortage of veterinary technicians and asked whether the bill would help expand their practice. The sponsor agreed and said the Department of Agriculture and the Veterinary Association supported the bill and helped develop its language. The House adopted the committee substitute and passed the bill, 172 to 0.

  5. Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, March 11, 2026

    From 0:21:42 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would clarify veterinary telehealth rules so veterinarians and veterinary poison-control centers could continue providing services. According to the sponsor, existing restrictions tied remote advice and triage to whether an animal could receive an examination within 50 miles and 24 hours. The sponsor said poison-control centers feared those limits would prevent timely help after an animal ingested something dangerous. The sponsor also described uncertainty about whether an established veterinarian-client-patient relationship was required. The sponsor said the veterinary association and Department of Agriculture supported the bill and helped draft it. A substitute, the sponsor explained, made the original language cleaner and simpler. One committee member supported the proposal because rural areas have limited access to veterinarians, particularly those treating horses. The sponsor said the changes could help protect both pets and animals used for livelihoods, and described seeking urgent treatment after a pet swallowed a metal pie pan. A motion to approve was seconded, and members responded with audible ayes. The chair did not clearly announce the vote’s result.

  6. Senate Rules Committee, March 18, 2026

    From 0:16:20 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor returned to request consideration of HB 1195 and offered to answer questions. The brief exchange did not provide a clear explanation of the bill's provisions, and no substantive questions followed. A committee member later selected it for the floor calendar, saying the choice would help animals. The committee unanimously approved its inclusion in the ten-measure calendar.

  7. Senate floor session, March 19, 2026 (legislative day 34)

    From 4:23:04 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Third Read)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would clarify veterinary teletriage rules after earlier legislation unintentionally affected animal poison control services. The sponsor said it would remove restrictions and resolve uncertainty about geographic requirements for practitioners. According to the sponsor, the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association and Department of Agriculture helped draft the bill, interested parties supported it and no opposition had emerged. No questions were asked. The Senate passed the bill 47-0.

Status timeline

  1. 2026-05-11Effective Date
  2. 2026-05-11Act 449
  3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
  4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
  5. 2026-03-19Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
  6. 2026-03-19Senate Third Read (Senate)
  7. 2026-03-16Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
  8. 2026-03-12Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
Show full history (15 actions)
  1. 2026-03-04Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
  2. 2026-03-03House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
  3. 2026-03-03House Third Readers (House)
  4. 2026-02-24House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
  5. 2026-02-06House Second Readers (House)
  6. 2026-02-05House First Readers (House)
  7. 2026-02-04House Hopper (House)

Sponsors

  • Rob Leverett (R, HD-123)Primary sponsor
  • Karen Mathiak (R, HD-82)
  • Joseph Gullett (R, HD-19)
  • Beth Camp (R, HD-135)
  • Sharon Cooper (R, HD-45)
  • Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-32)

Votes

  1. PassedHouse voteMarch 3, 2026

    172 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 2 excused)

    PASSAGE: House Vote #585

  2. PassedSenate voteMarch 19, 2026

    47 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 5 excused)

    PASSAGE: Senate Vote #754

Topics

  • veterinary telemedicine
  • animal care regulation
  • veterinary licensing
  • rural veterinary access

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Answers come from this document. Not legal advice.

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