Georgia CommonsHouse · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1368: Mental health; re-creation of community service boards; provide
Last action March 6, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred
HB1368 would restructure Georgia's community service boards, which deliver local mental health, developmental disability, and addiction services, by adding a state-appointed executive director to each board's leadership and expanding that director's control over contracts, staffing, and daily operations.
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
Community service boards are the local public agencies that provide mental health, developmental disability, and addictive disease services across Georgia's counties. This bill re-creates all existing community service boards effective July 1, 2026, and changes how they are run. Each board's governing board, made up of members appointed by county governments, will now include an executive director as a formal member. Going forward, that executive director will generally be appointed and can be removed by the commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, making the director a state employee rather than someone hired directly by the local board, though current directors get options to stay with the local board under a three-way contract. The bill gives the executive director significant new authority, including hiring and firing staff, signing contracts, approving budgets before the governing board acts, and managing daily operations, while still allowing the governing board to delegate additional duties to the director. It also updates rules for converting a board into a nonprofit, county unit, or hospital authority, requiring the commissioner's approval, and revises when boards can hold teleconference meetings. The Department must create unified bylaws for all boards by December 31, 2026.
What the bill does
- Re-creates all community service boards in Georgia effective July 1, 2026, and adds an executive director as a member of each governing board.
- Shifts appointment and removal authority for most executive directors from the local governing board to the commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, making them department employees.
- Lets current executive directors choose by August 1, 2026 whether to stay employed by the local board under a three-way contract or become a state employee.
- Gives executive directors new powers to hire, discipline, and fire staff, sign and terminate contracts, and set operational, clinical, and employment policies for the board.
- Requires the executive director's approval before a governing board can adopt bylaws, approve budgets, borrow money, or approve certain other actions.
- Requires county government and commissioner approval before a board can convert into a nonprofit, a county government unit, or part of a hospital authority.
Who it affects
Georgia's community service boards and their governing board members, current and future executive directors, county governments that appoint board members, employees of community service boards, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and its commissioner, and Georgians who rely on local mental health, developmental disability, and addiction services.
Why it matters
The bill shifts day-to-day control of local mental health and disability service providers away from locally appointed boards and toward a state-appointed executive director accountable to the commissioner. This changes who makes hiring, contracting, and budget decisions for agencies that deliver care to people with mental illness, developmental disabilities, and addiction across Georgia's counties.
Key provisions
- Section 1 and 2 rewrite definitions in O.C.G.A. §§ 37-1-1 and 37-2-2, adding terms like 'executive director' and clarifying 'community service board' and its service area.
- Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 37-2-6 to re-create all community service boards on July 1, 2026, add the executive director to the governing board, and require the department to issue unified bylaws by December 31, 2026.
- Section 4 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 37-2-6.1 so the commissioner appoints and can remove most executive directors, who gain power to hire/fire staff, sign contracts, and manage daily operations, subject to governing board bylaw and budget approval requirements.
- Section 4 also requires executive director approval before a board can adopt bylaws or approve its budget, and requires executive director sign-off on contracts and borrowing on and after July 1, 2026.
- Section 5 amends O.C.G.A. § 37-2-6.4 to require the commissioner's approval, in addition to county and board approval, before a board converts to a nonprofit, county unit, or hospital authority.
- Section 6 amends O.C.G.A. § 37-2-6.5 to require the Governor's approval before a board can cease operations and updates procedures for reconstituting boards.
- Section 8 amends O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1 to remove the requirement that at least half of a community service board's members be physically present for teleconference meetings.
From the bill
“On and after July 1, 2026, except as otherwise provided in division (ii) or (iii) of this subparagraph, each executive director shall be appointed and subject to removal by the commissioner and shall be an employee of the department.”
“The executive director shall exercise power and authority to: (1) Recruit, hire, manage, discipline, and terminate employees of the community service board”
Discussed in meetings (7)
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 Public and Community Health Committee, February 24, 2026
From 0:36:50 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair described financial mismanagement at some community service boards as a reason for stronger oversight. The behavioral health commissioner said the substitute would give the department authority to appoint and remove executive directors, require common bylaws and board training, and allow virtual meetings with public access and comment. The commissioner said Georgia has 22 boards and three recently needed intervention to avoid failure. Answering members, the commissioner said existing directors would remain in place, services would not be interrupted, and employment agreements could preserve directors’ existing benefits. A Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities witness warned that centralized control could weaken locally tailored services and community-based care. The commissioner disputed that interpretation, saying local boards would retain budget, policy and service decisions and private providers would not be affected. The commissioner reported support from ACCG and the community service board association. The association’s president clarified that its formal vote was scheduled for the following morning, while personally supporting the proposal. A NAMI Georgia witness also expressed support. The committee approved the substitute by voice vote, with no opposition heard.
House floor session, March 4, 2026 (legislative day 27, PM, part 2)
From 1:57:54 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1941
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1368 would reorganize community service boards to improve management and consistency in mental health and addiction services. The sponsor said three or four of Georgia’s 22 boards had approached insolvency and needed department help, including with payroll. The sponsor described one board’s agreement to a lifetime annual payout of $123,000 for its leader. The sponsor said the commissioner could appoint and remove executive directors, who would become state employees accountable to the commissioner, while existing board members would remain and receive required training. Current directors appointed to the new roles could transfer retirement credit, according to the sponsor. Asked whether the boards would remain front-line providers despite funding for a new hospital, the sponsor said they would. The House adopted the committee substitute and passed the bill 156–2.
House Rules Committee, March 4, 2026
From 0:27:05 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1929
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 1368 on the supplemental calendar after a motion and second, with no objection. Members did not discuss its substance.
- Read aloud: House floor session, February 19, 2026 (legislative day 21), 0:29:07
- Read aloud: House floor session, February 20, 2026 (legislative day 22), 0:41:06
- Read aloud: House floor session, February 25, 2026 (legislative day 24), 0:45:37
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 6, 2026 (legislative day 28, part 1), 0:40:56
Status timeline
- 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)
- Matt Hatchett (R, HD-155)
- Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)
- Katie Dempsey (R, HD-13)
- Tremaine Teddy Reese (D, HD-140)
Votes
- House voteMarch 4, 2026
156 yea, 2 nay (2 not voting, 17 excused)
Topics
- mental health services
- developmental disabilities
- community service boards
- local government boards
- behavioral health agencies