Georgia CommonsHouse · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 291: Health; certification of community health workers; provide
Last action March 27, 2026 · Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
A Georgia Senate substitute for HB 291 would create a statewide certification system for community health workers, including a new state committee to set training and licensing standards.
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
Georgia currently has no official state certification for community health workers, the frontline workers who connect underserved communities to health services. This bill adds a new chapter to Georgia law creating the Georgia Community Health Worker Certification Committee, an 11 member group appointed by the Commissioner of Public Health, made up of doctors, a social worker, employer representatives, a policy expert, and practicing community health workers. The committee would recommend standards for approving training programs and certifying individuals as community health workers, and the Department of Public Health would carry out those standards and issue certificates. Applicants would need to be 18 or older, have a high school diploma, pass a criminal background check, and complete an approved training program plus 2,000 hours of work experience, with alternate paths for people already working in the field before mid-2027. The committee would be abolished in 2030, with its duties shifting to the department. The law only takes effect once the General Assembly specifically appropriates funding for it.
What the bill does
- Creates the Georgia Community Health Worker Certification Committee, an 11 voting member body appointed by the Commissioner of Public Health, to recommend certification and training standards.
- Requires the Department of Public Health to approve training programs, which must include 45 hours of core competency training, 16 of which cover specific health topics.
- Sets certification requirements for community health workers, including age, education, background checks, and 2,000 hours of relevant work experience.
- Restricts use of the title 'certified community health worker' to people who have actually earned that certification.
- Sets certificates and training program approvals to expire every two years unless renewed, with disciplinary and appeal procedures under Georgia's Administrative Procedure Act.
- Automatically abolishes the committee on June 30, 2030 and transfers its powers to the Department of Public Health, and ties the whole law's effective date to a future state budget appropriation.
Who it affects
Community health workers currently employed without formal certification, people seeking to enter the profession, organizations and training programs that educate them, employers such as hospitals and federally qualified health centers, and the Department of Public Health, which would administer the new certification system.
Why it matters
If funded, Georgians who work as community health workers would gain an official state credential, which could affect job eligibility and pay, while patients would gain a way to verify that someone using the title has met state training and background check standards. Training providers would need state approval to keep operating.
Key provisions
- Code Section 31-31-1 defines key terms including 'certified community health worker,' 'community health worker,' and 'core competencies.'
- Code Section 31-31-2 establishes the 11 member Georgia Community Health Worker Certification Committee and sets two-year terms, with the committee abolished June 30, 2030.
- Code Section 31-31-3 gives the committee power to recommend certification and training standards, handle complaints, and impose discipline, subject to Georgia's open meetings law.
- Code Section 31-31-4 requires training programs to be approved by the committee and includes a 45-hour core competency curriculum requirement.
- Code Section 31-31-5 sets individual certification requirements, including background checks through the Georgia Crime Information Center and 2,000 hours of work experience, with alternate paths for people working before July 1, 2027 or 2028.
- Section 2 makes the entire Act effective only if the General Assembly specifically appropriates funding for it.
From the bill
“The title 'certified community health worker' shall only be used by individuals who have met the requirements and qualifications for certification as a community health worker as established by the committee and have been duly certified by the committee.”
“This Act shall become effective only if funds are specifically appropriated for the purposes of this Act in an appropriations Act enacted by the General Assembly.”
Discussed in meetings (4)
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.
Senate Health and Human Services Committee, March 25, 2026
From 1:22:51 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would establish a framework for certifying community health workers and standardizing their roles, helping bring healthcare resources to rural and underserved communities. The sponsor said hospitals and federally qualified health centers already use these workers. Asked about education requirements, the sponsor said those would be established through the program. The sponsor described changes updating dates and adding fingerprint-based background checks, developed in consultation with the Department of Community Health and committee members. After confirming the correct substitute, the committee approved it unanimously.
Senate Rules Committee, March 30, 2026
From 0:31:37 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor described HB 291 as a training and certification program for community health workers, intended to add help in health care and organize their work without mandating costs or payments. After lunch, a committee member nominated it for the final calendar slot, arguing that community workers should have certification. It received support during the informal vote but was not selected for the final calendar.
House Rules Committee, April 2, 2026
From 0:54:37 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: A presenter explained that HB 291 was incorporated into the new substitute for SB 411. The presenter described its community health worker provisions as a way for workers known in their communities to extend health care into homes and other settings. The committee adopted the combined substitute without stated opposition.
Status timeline
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Recommitted (Senate)
- Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
- Senate Tabled (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
Show full history (13 actions)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Darlene Taylor (R, HD-173)
- Katie Dempsey (R, HD-13)
- Sharon Cooper (R, HD-45)
- Karen Mathiak (R, HD-82)
- Lee Hawkins (R, HD-27)
- Karen Bennett (D, HD-94)
- Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-31)
Votes
- House voteMarch 6, 2025
169 yea, 4 nay (4 not voting, 3 excused)
Topics
- community health workers
- health worker certification
- public health
- Department of Public Health
- healthcare workforce