Georgia CommonsHouse · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1295: Physician Assistant Licensure Compact; enter into an interstate compact
Last action April 2, 2026 · Senate Passed/Adopted As Amended
House Bill 1295 would have Georgia join the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact, letting physician assistants licensed in other member states practice in Georgia without getting a separate Georgia license, while also adding a criminal background check requirement for Georgia PA licensure.
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 Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Currently, a physician assistant (PA) who wants to work in Georgia generally has to obtain a Georgia license through the Georgia Composite Medical Board, even if already licensed elsewhere. This bill would have Georgia enter the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact, an interstate agreement that lets a PA who holds an unrestricted license in one member state gain a 'compact privilege' to practice in any other member state, including Georgia, without a separate license there. The bill rewrites the legal definition of 'physician assistant' to include those practicing under a compact privilege, and it requires all PA applicants for Georgia licensure to pass a state and FBI criminal background check using fingerprints submitted through the Georgia Crime Information Center. It also directs the Georgia Composite Medical Board to administer the compact. The compact itself sets up a national commission to manage a shared licensing database, handle discipline across states, and make rules binding on member states. The changes take effect July 1, 2027.
What the bill does
- Enrolls Georgia in the interstate Physician Assistant Licensure Compact, letting PAs licensed in other member states practice in Georgia through a 'compact privilege' instead of a separate Georgia license.
- Rewrites the definition of 'physician assistant' in Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-102) to cover people licensed in Georgia or holding a compact privilege under the new law.
- Requires anyone applying for a Georgia PA license to pass a state and FBI fingerprint-based criminal background check through the Georgia Crime Information Center, at the applicant's expense.
- Directs the Georgia Composite Medical Board to administer the new compact alongside its existing licensing duties (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-108).
- Creates a national Physician Assistant Licensure Compact Commission with rulemaking, discipline-tracking, and dispute-resolution powers over all participating states.
- Sets the effective date of the entire Act as July 1, 2027.
Who it affects
Physician assistants seeking to practice in Georgia or move between compact states, the Georgia Composite Medical Board, supervising physicians who employ PAs, patients receiving care from PAs, and the Georgia Crime Information Center, which will process new background checks.
Why it matters
PAs licensed in other compact states could start practicing in Georgia faster, without going through Georgia's full separate licensing process, which could ease staffing in Georgia's health care system. At the same time, every Georgia PA applicant would face a new mandatory criminal background check before being licensed.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends the definition of 'physician assistant' (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-102) to include people licensed in Georgia or holding a compact privilege under the new Code Section 43-34-111.
- Section 2 amends licensure application rules (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-103) to require a satisfactory criminal background check, including fingerprint submission to the Georgia Crime Information Center and FBI, before Georgia licensure is granted.
- Section 2 also states that background check results are confidential, not public records, and usable only by the board for licensing purposes.
- Section 3 amends the Georgia Composite Medical Board's powers (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-108) to add administering the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact to its duties.
- Section 4 creates new Code Section 43-34-111, adopting the full text of the 'PA Licensure Compact,' which defines terms like 'Compact Privilege,' 'Qualifying License,' and 'Adverse Action.'
- The compact requires member states to license PAs, share data through a national Data System, investigate complaints, and report disciplinary actions to a new national Commission.
- The compact takes effect once seven states enact it, and a state may withdraw by repealing the compact, with a 180-day wind-down period for existing compact privileges.
- Section 5 sets the Act's effective date as July 1, 2027, and Section 6 repeals conflicting laws.
From the bill
“The board is authorized to conduct and receive national criminal background checks of applicants for licensure as physician assistants by the submission of fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation through the Georgia Crime Information Center.”
“This Compact shall come into effect on the date on which this Compact statute is enacted into law in the seventh Participating State.”
Discussed in meetings (17)
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.
House Health Committee, February 23, 2026
From 0:13:19 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1295 would join an interstate licensing compact for physician assistants, making it easier to work across state lines while retaining state requirements. The sponsor said the compact requires background checks that the medical board does not currently conduct for physician assistants. An amendment would allow planning to begin July 1, 2026, but delay licensing under the compact until July 1, 2027, so the board could establish background-check procedures. Another presenter said the amendment also corrected formatting by underlining the compact language. The committee approved the amendment and the bill by voice vote.
House Rules Committee, February 25, 2026
From 1:40:59 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter described HB 1295 as an interstate licensing compact for physician assistants. No further explanation, questions or scheduling decision were shown.
House floor session, March 4, 2026 (legislative day 27, PM, part 2)
From 2:05:07 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1962
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1295 would bring Georgia into the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact, making it easier and faster for physician assistants to practice across participating states. The sponsor said 22 states already belonged and described benefits for emergencies, military families and sharing information about practitioners with disciplinary problems. The sponsor emphasized that participating practitioners would still have to follow Georgia’s practice limits and rules. A member thanked the sponsor and said physician assistant students and an instructor had advocated for the measure that morning. The House adopted the committee substitute and passed the bill 157–3.
House Rules Committee, March 4, 2026
From 0:26:40 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1929
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 1295 on the supplemental calendar after a motion and second, with no objection. Members did not discuss its substance.
Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee, March 10, 2026
From 0:35:58 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor described the bill as an interstate compact that would make it easier and faster for physician assistants licensed in good standing to obtain authority to practice in Georgia. The sponsor said participants would still have to meet compact and Georgia requirements and follow Georgia’s limits on professional practice. The sponsor compared the approach with licensing arrangements used for nurses and physicians during the pandemic. Asked whether enough states had joined, another speaker said 22 states were participating, a data system was being developed and implementation was expected in early 2027. That speaker said the bill’s effective date was July 2027. No amendments were offered. The committee approved the substitute in a vote the chair described as appearing unanimous.
Senate Rules Committee, March 16, 2026
From 0:24:22 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1295 would establish participation in an interstate licensing compact for physician assistants, similar to compacts for physicians and nurses. The sponsor described a proposed floor amendment making implementation dependent on appropriated funding and adding GBI-requested background-check language. Members asked how many compacts Georgia participates in and what joining and maintaining them costs. The sponsor did not know. One member recalled budget estimates of $500,000 to $1 million for some compacts. Another member explained that estimates covered entry and maintenance costs but could not confirm whether those estimates applied to this bill. Members also discussed a one-time cost without clearly establishing this bill's cost. No amendment or bill vote occurred.
Senate Rules Committee, March 18, 2026
From 0:22:55 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair identified HB 1295 as a physician assistant licensing compact proposal. No further explanation or calendar action followed.
Senate Rules Committee, March 23, 2026
From 0:34:53 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair identified HB 1295 as a physician assistant licensure compact measure. No further explanation or vote was shown.
Senate Rules Committee, March 25, 2026
From 0:43:59 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: A committee member selected HB 1295 after being asked to replace an earlier selection. No provisions were discussed. The committee unanimously approved the calendar package containing the bill.
Senate floor session, March 31, 2026 (legislative day 39, part 2)
From 5:26:00 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Taken from Table)
Summary by Georgia Commons: The majority leader requested that the bill be removed from the table. The clerk read its title as entering the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact. The chair explained that removing and retabling the bills would preserve their availability for Thursday. The Senate removed this bill from the table without objection, then tabled it again without substantive debate.
Senate floor session, April 2, 2026 (legislative day 40, part 1)
From 6:57:24 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Taken from Table)
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1295 would join an interstate physician-assistant licensing compact with uniform education and background standards. The sponsor argued it would let qualified assistants begin work more quickly, particularly military spouses and providers moving into rural, urban and suburban communities, improving access and lowering costs. The sponsor said the compact could also improve Georgia's score for a federal healthcare transformation grant. The clerk read an amendment including effectiveness contingent on funding, and the sponsor described work with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Georgia Crime Information Center to meet fingerprint and background-check requirements. No questions or opposition followed. The Senate adopted the amendment without objection and passed the bill 49 to 0.
- Read aloud: House floor session, February 17, 2026 (legislative day 19), 0:48:32
- Read aloud: House floor session, February 18, 2026 (legislative day 20), 0:32:47
- Read aloud: House floor session, February 24, 2026 (legislative day 23), 0:50:41
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 6, 2026 (legislative day 28, part 1), 0:40:27
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 12, 2026 (legislative day 31), 0:26:40
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 16, 2026 (legislative day 32), 0:30:50
Status timeline
- Senate Passed/Adopted As Amended (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
- Senate Tabled (Senate)
- Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
- Senate Tabled (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
- Sharon Cooper (R, HD-45)
- Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)
- Lee Hawkins (R, HD-27)
- Michelle Au (D, HD-50)
- John LaHood (R, HD-175)
- Brian Prince (D, HD-132)
- John Albers (R, SD-56)
Votes
- House voteMarch 4, 2026
157 yea, 3 nay (1 not voting, 16 excused)
- Senate voteMarch 27, 2026
26 yea, 22 nay (3 not voting, 3 excused)
- Senate voteApril 2, 2026
49 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 2 excused)
Topics
- physician assistant licensing
- interstate licensing compact
- medical licensing
- criminal background checks
- health care workforce