HB 291: Health; certification of community health workers; provide

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

• 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.

1. 2026-03-27Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
2. 2026-01-12Senate Recommitted (Senate)
3. 2026-01-12Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
4. 2025-04-02Senate Tabled (Senate)
5. 2025-03-25Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
6. 2025-03-21Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-10Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-06House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)

• Darlene Taylor (R, HD-173)Primary sponsor
• Katie Dempsey (R, HD-013)
• Sharon Cooper (R, HD-045)
• Karen Mathiak (R, HD-082)
• Lee Hawkins (R, HD-027)
• Karen Bennett (D, HD-094)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   169 yea, 4 nay (4 not voting, 3 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #240

• community health workers
• health worker certification
• public health
• Department of Public Health
• healthcare workforce