HB 185: Professions and businesses; repeal and reenact Chapter 11A, the Dietetics Practice Act

Georgia currently licenses dietitians under the Dietetics Practice Act. This bill repeals that law and replaces it with the Dietetics and Nutrition Practices Act, which keeps licensed dietitians but adds a new, separate license for nutritionists who work with less complex medical conditions. It renames the licensing board the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Dietitians and Licensed Nutritionists, spells out detailed education, degree, supervised-practice-hour, and exam requirements for each license, and lays out grounds for discipline, protected professional titles, and exemptions (such as health coaches, religious counselors, and health food store employees) who can give general nutrition advice without a license. The bill also has Georgia join the multistate Dietitian Licensure Compact, letting dietitians licensed in other member states practice across state lines under certain conditions. It updates references to dietitians in several other Georgia laws (on malpractice affidavits, background checks, insurance, and torts) to also cover licensed nutritionists. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it.

• Repeals and replaces Georgia's Dietetics Practice Act with a new law creating two license types: licensed dietitian and licensed nutritionist, each with different scopes of practice.
• Renames the licensing board the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Dietitians and Licensed Nutritionists and sets its nine-member composition, including six dietitians, one public member, one nutritionist, and one physician.
• Sets detailed education, degree, supervised-practice-hour (1,000 hours minimum), and examination requirements separately for dietitian and nutritionist licenses.
• Authorizes the board to require criminal background checks, including fingerprinting through the Georgia Crime Information Center, for license applicants.
• Lists grounds for refusing, suspending, or revoking a license and allows fines up to $500 per violation, plus creates a misdemeanor penalty for practicing or using protected titles without a license.
• Enters Georgia into the interstate Dietitian Licensure Compact, letting dietitians licensed in other member states practice in Georgia under a compact privilege, and updates several other Georgia code sections to add 'licensed nutritionist' alongside 'dietitian.'

Licensed dietitians and the newly created licensed nutritionists in Georgia, applicants seeking either license, the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Dietitians and Licensed Nutritionists, hospitals and nursing homes, health food stores, health coaches and wellness educators who rely on the licensing exemptions, and other states participating in the interstate compact.

Georgians seeking nutrition guidance would see a new licensed nutritionist category alongside dietitians, with different scopes for treating complex versus noncomplex medical conditions. The compact could make it easier for out-of-state dietitians to practice in Georgia, while new licensing rules, background checks, and misdemeanor penalties for unlicensed practice affect who can legally call themselves a dietitian or nutritionist.

• Code Section 43-11A-3 defines key terms including 'complex medical condition,' 'noncomplex medical condition,' 'medical nutrition therapy,' and distinguishes the practice of dietetics from the practice of nutrition.
• Code Section 43-11A-10 sets licensure requirements: dietitians need a master's or doctoral degree, 1,000 supervised hours, and the registered dietitian exam; nutritionists need a related master's or doctoral degree, specific coursework, 1,000 supervised hours split across practice areas, and a certified nutrition specialist exam.
• Code Section 43-11A-11 allows one-year, non-renewable provisional licenses for applicants who have completed education and supervised practice but not yet full licensure.
• Code Section 43-11A-15 lets the board fine violators up to $500 per violation and suspend, revoke, or restrict licenses for offenses including fraud, felony convictions, or unprofessional conduct.
• Code Section 43-11A-16 makes it a misdemeanor to use protected titles like 'licensed dietitian' or 'licensed nutritionist' without holding the corresponding license.
• Code Section 43-11A-18 exempts certain people from licensure, including supervised students, military dietitians, other licensed healthcare providers doing nutrition therapy incidental to their practice, and health food store employees giving general nonmedical nutrition information.
• Article 2 (Code Sections 43-11A-30 and 43-11A-31) enacts the Dietitian Licensure Compact, creating a multistate Compact Commission and letting Georgia-licensed dietitians and dietitians from other member states practice across state lines under a 'compact privilege.'
• Part II amends Titles 9, 31, 33, 43, and 51 to add 'licensed nutritionist' next to existing references to dietitians in malpractice, background check, insurance, and tort statutes; Part III makes the Act effective upon the Governor's signature.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 436
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-18House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
6. 2026-03-12Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
7. 2026-03-12Senate Third Read (Senate)
8. 2026-02-06Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)

• Ginny Ehrhart (R, HD-036)Primary sponsor
• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   171 yea, 2 nay (2 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #199

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 12, 2026

   42 yea, 3 nay (4 not voting, 6 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #710

3. PassedHouse voteMarch 18, 2026

   155 yea, 8 nay (4 not voting, 9 absent)

   Agree To Senate Substitute: House Vote #718

• dietitian licensing
• nutritionist licensing
• medical nutrition therapy
• interstate licensing compact
• healthcare professional regulation