HB 46: Public Health, Department of; Maternal Mortality Review Committee; provide composition

Georgia law already directs the Department of Public Health to run a Maternal Mortality Review Committee that studies why mothers die around childbirth and how to prevent it. This bill amends that law (O.C.G.A. § 31-2A-16) to spell out details that were previously left vague. It requires the committee to include members with healthcare and mental health expertise plus representatives from community advocacy organizations, lets the department set term lengths, limits removal of members to the same causes used for licensing boards, and requires vacancies to be filled promptly. The bill also adds the General Assembly as a group that must receive the committee's findings, requires the committee to follow federal HIPAA privacy rules, and creates a new duty: if confidential committee records are improperly disclosed, the department must immediately investigate and report the incident to the General Assembly and the Attorney General. Confidentiality protections for records and meetings remain largely the same.

• Requires the Maternal Mortality Review Committee to include members with healthcare and mental health expertise and representatives from community advocacy organizations.
• Lets the Department of Public Health set the length of committee members' terms and fill vacancies as soon as practicable.
• Limits removal of committee members to the same grounds used for professional licensing boards under O.C.G.A. § 43-1-17.
• Adds the General Assembly to the list of groups that must receive the committee's findings and recommendations.
• Requires the committee to comply with federal and state privacy laws, including HIPAA.
• Creates a new requirement that the department investigate and report to the General Assembly and Attorney General any unauthorized disclosure of confidential committee information.

The Department of Public Health and its Maternal Mortality Review Committee, healthcare and mental health professionals and community advocacy groups who may serve on the committee, healthcare providers, facilities, and pharmacies that must share medical records with the committee, and Georgia families affected by maternal deaths whose confidential information the committee reviews.

The changes give the state a clearer, more accountable structure for reviewing maternal deaths, add mental health and community voices to the committee, and create a formal response if confidential records leak, potentially affecting how quickly problems in maternal death data are identified and reported to lawmakers.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 31-2A-16 to require the committee include members with healthcare and mental health expertise and community advocacy representatives, with term lengths set by the department.
• Members may only be removed for causes listed in O.C.G.A. § 43-1-17, and vacancies must be filled as soon as practicable.
• The committee must now share its findings with the General Assembly in addition to policy makers, providers, facilities, and the public.
• The committee must comply with all applicable federal and state privacy laws, specifically naming HIPAA.
• If confidential committee information is disclosed without authorization, the department must immediately investigate and submit a report to the General Assembly and the Attorney General.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-01-16House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-01-15House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-01-14House Hopper (House)

• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)Primary sponsor
• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)
• Sandra Scott (D, HD-076)

• maternal mortality
• public health policy
• Department of Public Health
• medical privacy
• healthcare committees