---
title: HB 471. Health; licensed general hospitals and birthing centers make available a water safety education video to parents or guardians of newborn infants; require
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb471
cite_as: HB 471, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb471
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb471.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb471/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70388
date: 2026-03-19
status: engrossed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 867
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb471.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 471
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-03-06
last_action: Senate Committee Favorably Reported
sponsors:
- Mike Cheokas
- Matt Dubnik
- Gerald Greene
- Lee Hawkins
- Carter Barrett
- Matthew Gambill
- Shawn Still
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB471/2025
upstream_id: 1974187
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- water safety
- newborn care
- hospital regulations
- public health education
---
# HB 471. Health; licensed general hospitals and birthing centers make available a water safety education video to parents or guardians of newborn infants; require
## Text
House Bill 471 (COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE)
By: Representatives Cheokas of the 151st, Dubnik of the 29th, Greene of the 154th, Hawkins
of the 27th, Barrett of the 24th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to regulation of hospitals and related institutions, so as to require that licensed
general hospitals and birthing centers make available a water safety education video to
parents or guardians of newborn infants; to provide for a form to be developed by the
Department of Community Health; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for a
definition; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 1 of Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
regulation of hospitals and related institutions, is amended by adding a new Code section to
read as follows:
"31-7-24.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term 'water safety education' shall have the same
meaning as set forth in Code Section 20-2-779.4.
(b)(1) Prior to discharge, a licensed general hospital or birthing center shall make
available to each newborn infant's parent or guardian a video presentation on water safety
education to be viewed onsite.
(2) Such hospital and birthing center shall provide such parent or guardian with a water
safety education form to be developed by the department.
(c) The department shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the
provisions of this Code section."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
House Bill 471 would require Georgia hospitals and birthing centers to show new parents a water safety video before their newborn is discharged, using a form developed by the state.
### Plain-language summary
Currently, Georgia hospitals and birthing centers are not required to provide water safety information to new parents. House Bill 471 would change that by adding a new section to Georgia's hospital regulation law (O.C.G.A. § 31-7-24). It would require licensed general hospitals and birthing centers to show parents or guardians of newborn infants a water safety education video onsite before the baby is discharged.
The bill also requires these facilities to give parents a water safety education form, which the Department of Community Health would develop. The bill directs the department to write rules and regulations to carry out these requirements, and it borrows the definition of 'water safety education' from an existing section of Georgia's education code (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-779.4).
### What it does
- Requires licensed general hospitals and birthing centers to show new parents or guardians a water safety education video onsite before their newborn is discharged.
- Requires those facilities to hand parents a water safety education form that the Department of Community Health must develop.
- Directs the Department of Community Health to create rules and regulations to implement the video and form requirements.
- Defines 'water safety education' by pointing to the meaning already used in Georgia's school water safety law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-779.4).
### Who it affects
Parents and guardians of newborn infants in Georgia, and the licensed general hospitals and birthing centers that must show the video and provide the form. The Department of Community Health is also affected, since it must create the form and write implementing rules.
### Why it matters
New parents leaving the hospital would receive standardized water safety information before taking their newborn home, something not currently required. Hospitals and birthing centers would face a new operational step, and the state health department would take on responsibility for developing the required materials.
### Key provisions
- Adds new Code Section 31-7-24 to Georgia's hospital regulation law (Title 31, Chapter 7, Article 1).
- Subsection (a) defines 'water safety education' by referencing the definition already used in O.C.G.A. § 20-2-779.4.
- Subsection (b)(1) requires hospitals and birthing centers to make a water safety video available for onsite viewing before a newborn's discharge.
- Subsection (b)(2) requires the facility to give the parent or guardian a water safety education form developed by the Department of Community Health.
- Subsection (c) directs the department to promulgate rules and regulations needed to implement the section.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard closing provision.
## Status
- Status: Engrossed (2025-03-06)
- Last action: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (2026-03-19)
- Sponsors: Mike Cheokas, Matt Dubnik, Gerald Greene, Lee Hawkins, Carter Barrett, Matthew Gambill, Shawn Still
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70388
> The history, votes, and amendments (867 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb471.md?full=1