--- title: HB 645. Health; COVID-19 testing of staff members in long term-care facilities; repeal certain provisions collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb645 cite_as: HB 645, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb645 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb645.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb645/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70844 date: 2025-05-14 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb644.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb646.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 1454 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb645.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 645 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-14 last_action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 sponsors: - John LaHood - Sharon Cooper - Kasey Carpenter - John Corbett - Noel Williams - Ben Watson text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB645/2025 upstream_id: 1986043 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - COVID-19 testing - long-term care facilities - nursing home regulations - flu vaccinations - public health law --- # HB 645. Health; COVID-19 testing of staff members in long term-care facilities; repeal certain provisions ## Text 25 HB 645/AP House Bill 645 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives LaHood of the 175th, Cooper of the 45th, Carpenter of the 4th, Corbett of the 174th, and Williams of the 148th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 1 of Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Official Cod e of Georgia Annotated,1 relating to regulation of hospitals and related institutions, so as to repeal certain provisions2 requiring COVID-19 testing and to authorize influenza vaccinations; to provide for related3 matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:5 SECTION 1.6 Article 1 of Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Geor gia Annotated, relating to7 regulation of hospitals and related institutions, is amended by repealing and reserving Code8 Section 31-7-12.6, relating to SARS CoV-2 testing for residents and staff in long-term care9 facilities.10 SECTION 2.11 Said article is further amended in Code Section 31-7-18, relati ng to vaccinations for12 influenza and related items, by replacing "50" with "18" in subsection (a).13 SECTION 3.14 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.15 H. B. 645 - 1 - ## 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 645 removes Georgia's requirement that long-term care facilities test residents and staff for COVID-19 and lowers the minimum age for offering flu vaccinations under state law from 50 to 18. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law previously required long-term care facilities to test residents and staff for SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, under O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12.6. This bill repeals that requirement entirely, meaning long-term care facilities in Georgia would no longer be legally obligated to conduct that testing. The bill also changes a separate law, O.C.G.A. § 31-7-18, which deals with influenza vaccinations at these facilities. It replaces the age threshold of 50 with 18, which appears to expand who can be offered flu vaccinations under that section by lowering the qualifying age. The bill repeals any conflicting laws and does not list a delayed effective date beyond the standard process for a signed act. ### What it does - Repeals Georgia's requirement that long-term care facilities test residents and staff for SARS CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), found in O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12.6. - Changes the influenza vaccination law (O.C.G.A. § 31-7-18) by replacing the number 50 with 18, lowering the age threshold that governs who the vaccination provision applies to. - Repeals all other Georgia laws that conflict with these two changes. ### Who it affects Long-term care facilities in Georgia, including nursing homes and similar residential care settings, along with their staff and residents, since they are no longer required to conduct COVID-19 testing and face a changed age threshold for flu vaccination provisions. ### Why it matters Long-term care facilities would no longer have to run COVID-19 testing programs for staff and residents, changing infection-control practices at facilities that house medically vulnerable people. The flu vaccination age change could affect which residents or staff are covered by the facility's vaccination provisions. ### Key provisions - Section 1 repeals and reserves O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12.6, which required SARS CoV-2 testing for residents and staff in long-term care facilities. - Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 31-7-18 by replacing the number 50 with 18 in subsection (a), changing the age threshold tied to influenza vaccination provisions. - Section 3 repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with the Act. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-14) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 (2025-05-14) - Sponsors: John LaHood, Sharon Cooper, Kasey Carpenter, John Corbett, Noel Williams, Ben Watson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70844 > The history, votes, and amendments (1,454 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb645.md?full=1