---
title: HB 1395. Drivers licenses; require intervention component for DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Programs be conducted in person
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1395
cite_as: HB 1395, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1395
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1395.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1395/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73433
date: 2026-02-24
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1395.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1395
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-19
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Danny Mathis
- Clint Crowe
- Dale Washburn
- Carter Barrett
- Alan Powell
- Gerald Greene
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1395/2025
upstream_id: 2120645
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- DUI laws
- drivers licenses
- substance abuse programs
- road safety
---
# HB 1395. Drivers licenses; require intervention component for DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Programs be conducted in person
## Text
House Bill 1395
By: Representatives Mathis of the 133rd, Crowe of the 118th, Washburn of the 144th, Barrett
of the 24th, Powell of the 33rd, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 5 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
drivers' licenses, so as to require the intervention component for DUI Alcohol or Drug Use
Risk Reduction Programs be conducted in person; to provide for related matters; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 5 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to drivers' licenses,
is amended in Code Section 40-5-1, relating to definitions, by revising paragraph (10) as
follows:
"(10) 'Intervention component' means a program which delivers in-person therapeutic
education about alcohol and drug use and driving and peer group counseling concerning
alcohol and drug use over a period of 20 hours utilizing a methodology and curriculum
approved and certified by the department for the DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk
Reduction Programs under subsection (e) of Code Section 40-5-83."
SECTION 2.
Said chapter is further amended in Code Section 40-5-83, relating to approval and operation
of driver improvement clinics, criteria for defensive driving courses, alcohol and drug
courses, and driving under the influence risk reduction programs, by revising paragraph (1)
of subsection (e) as follows:
"(e)(1) The department is designated as the agency responsible for establishing criteria
for the certification of DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Programs. An applicant
shall meet the certification criteria promulgated by the department through its standards
and shall provide assessment component services and intervention component services.
A certified DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program shall require that a risk
assessment component be conducted prior to administering the intervention component
of such program. A certified DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program may
include a clinical evaluation component after an individual completes risk assessment and
intervention services. Only clinical evaluators licensed by the Department of Behavioral
Health and Developmental Disabilities shall be qualified to conduct clinical evaluations.
The department is designated as the agency responsible for establishing rules and
regulations concerning the contents and duration of the components of DUI Alcohol or
Drug Use Risk Reduction Programs, qualifications of instructors, attendance
requirements for students, examinations, and program evaluations; provided, however,
that intervention components of such courses shall be conducted in person and online
courses or remote participation platforms which provide in-person instruction shall be
prohibited. Qualified instructors shall be certified for periods of four years each, which
may be renewed."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
House Bill 1395 would require the 20-hour intervention class in Georgia's DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program to be taught in person, banning online or remote versions of that class.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia drivers convicted of DUI must complete a Risk Reduction Program that includes a risk assessment and a 20-hour intervention component covering education and peer counseling about alcohol and drug use. Under current law, the Department of Driver Services sets rules for how that program is delivered, and some programs have offered the intervention portion online or through remote platforms.
This bill changes the legal definition of 'intervention component' in O.C.G.A. § 40-5-1 to specify that it must deliver in-person therapeutic education and counseling. It also amends O.C.G.A. § 40-5-83 to explicitly require that intervention components be conducted in person and to prohibit online courses or remote participation platforms for that portion of the program. The risk assessment and clinical evaluation components are not changed by this bill. No specific effective date is stated beyond the standard process, and all conflicting laws would be repealed.
### What it does
- Rewrites the legal definition of 'intervention component' (O.C.G.A. § 40-5-1) to require that the required therapeutic education and counseling be delivered in person.
- Amends O.C.G.A. § 40-5-83 to require that intervention components of DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Programs be conducted in person.
- Bans online courses or remote participation platforms from being used to deliver the intervention component of these programs.
- Repeals any existing laws that conflict with the new in-person requirement.
### Who it affects
People convicted of DUI in Georgia who must complete a DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program, the certified providers who run these 20-hour intervention classes, and the Department of Driver Services, which sets program rules and certifies instructors.
### Why it matters
Drivers required to complete DUI intervention classes would no longer be able to satisfy that requirement online or remotely; they would have to attend in person. This could affect scheduling, travel, and access for people in rural areas or without easy transportation, while providers offering remote classes would need to change how they operate.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 revises the definition of 'intervention component' in O.C.G.A. § 40-5-1 to add that the therapeutic education and peer counseling must be delivered in-person.
- Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 40-5-83(e)(1) to state that intervention components 'shall be conducted in person' and that online courses or remote participation platforms 'shall be prohibited.'
- Section 2 leaves unchanged the requirement that a risk assessment component precede the intervention component and that clinical evaluations be conducted only by licensed evaluators.
- Section 3 repeals all laws and parts of laws in conflict with the Act.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-19)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-02-24)
- Sponsors: Danny Mathis, Clint Crowe, Dale Washburn, Carter Barrett, Alan Powell, Gerald Greene
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73433
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1395.md?full=1