Georgia CommonsHB 1195: Veterinarians; practice and provision of veterinary teletriage and veterinary telemedicine; revise provisions
Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-05-11
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.
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 LegiScan holds.
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”
“Require a valid veterinary-client-patient relationship in order to provide veterinary teleadvice or veterinary teletriage.”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-05-11
- Act 449
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
Show full history (15 actions)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Rob Leverett (R, HD-123)
- Karen Mathiak (R, HD-082)
- Joseph Gullett (R, HD-019)
- Beth Camp (R, HD-135)
- Sharon Cooper (R, HD-045)
- Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)
Votes
- House voteMarch 3, 2026
172 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 2 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 19, 2026
47 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 5 absent)
Topics
- veterinary telemedicine
- animal care regulation
- veterinary licensing
- rural veterinary access