House Bill 262 (COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE)
By: Representatives O’Steen of the 169th, Burchett of the 176th, Campbell of the 171st,
Corbett of the 174th, and LaHood of the 175th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 2 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
Department of Community Health, so as to provide for a grant program for the purpose of
providing funding to certain rural hospitals for acquiring or installing backup generators to
ensure continuity of operation during a state of emergency; to provide that the department
shall consult with the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency in
establishing grant criteria; to provide for the department to establish grant amounts; to
provide for definitions; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to
repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 2 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Department
of Community Health, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
<ins>"31-2-20.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
</ins>
<ins>(1) 'Affected rural hospital' means an acute care hospital located in a rural county that
contains fewer than 100 beds and is located in any region of the state in which the
Governor declared a state of emergency after July 1, 2024.
(2) 'Rural county' means a county in this state that has a population of less than 50,000
according to the United States decennial census of 2020 or any future such census;
provided, however, that for counties which contain a military base or installation, the
military personnel and their dependents living in such county shall be excluded from the
total population of such county for purposes of this definition.
(b) Subject to appropriations by the General Assembly or other available funding, the
department shall establish a grant program to provide funding to affected rural hospitals
for the purpose of acquiring, installing, or both acquiring and installing backup generators
to ensure continuity of operation during a state of emergency. The department, in
consultation with the director of emergency management and homeland security shall
establish grant criteria and make award decisions; provided, however, that the department
and the director of emergency management and homeland security shall, to the greatest
extent possible, prioritize the approval of applications of those affected rural hospitals
lacking backup generators and the means by which to install them. The department shall
be authorized to establish the grant amount awarded to each recipient on a case-by-case
basis."
</ins> SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law
without such approval.
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.