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House · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session

HB 657: Mental health; qualifications of recovery community organizations for substance use; provide

Last action March 31, 2026 · Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute

A Senate committee substitute for HB 657 strips out dozens of outdated Georgia public health mandates and advisory boards while creating new state certification rules for peer support specialists and standards for substance use recovery organizations.

Read the full bill text

These buttons carry the bill's own text, not the summaries below. Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the text as filed, then the summaries under a heading that names them as ours. View raw is the text alone.

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

HB 657 is a wide-ranging cleanup bill touching five titles of Georgia law. Most of Part I repeals or 'reserves' provisions that Georgia's Department of Public Health says are outdated or unfunded: the Electronic Database Review Advisory Committee for the prescription drug monitoring program, mandatory AIDS and sickle cell disease brochures for marriage license applicants, a home visitation pilot program for pregnant women, the Cancer Advisory Committee and cancer control officer position, the Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Education Act, the Georgia Commission for Saving the Cure, the Arthritis Prevention and Control Program, and the tax form checkbox for stem cell research donations. It also loosens the state's prescription drug monitoring rules by removing a requirement that regulatory boards certify the database is 99.5 percent operational before penalties apply. Part II adds a new section requiring the department to certify peer support specialists and sets qualifications for organizations that support people recovering from substance use disorders, including a requirement to designate one statewide coordinating organization. The changes take effect July 1, 2026.

What the bill does

  • Repeals or 'reserves' (empties out) more than a dozen Georgia public health programs and advisory bodies, including the Cancer Advisory Committee, the cancer control officer position, and the Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Education Act.
  • Removes the requirement that mandatory AIDS/HIV, sickle cell disease, and marriage manual brochures be given to marriage license applicants through probate courts.
  • Eliminates the Electronic Database Review Advisory Committee and the requirement that the state certify the prescription drug monitoring database as 99.5 percent operational before penalties for skipping it apply.
  • Repeals the Georgia Commission for Saving the Cure and the related income tax checkoff for donating to stem cell research, while allowing (but no longer requiring) a network of postnatal tissue and fluid banks.
  • Creates a new law (O.C.G.A. § 37-1-8) requiring the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to certify peer support specialists and setting standards for organizations that help people recover from substance use disorders.
  • Transfers duties over home delivered meals and preschool programs for children with special needs from the Department of Community Health to the Department of Public Health, and ties several existing reporting duties to available state funding.

Who it affects

The bill affects the Department of Public Health, probate court staff who issue marriage licenses, prescribers who use the prescription drug monitoring database, hospitals reporting on newborn hearing screenings and stroke care, cancer patients and cancer treatment programs, taxpayers who previously donated to stem cell research on their tax forms, and people working in or seeking substance use disorder peer support and recovery services.

Why it matters

Marriage license applicants would no longer automatically receive state-prepared health brochures, several advisory committees and specialized health programs would disappear, and prescribers would face fewer certification hurdles tied to the drug monitoring database. Meanwhile, peer support workers and recovery organizations for substance use disorders would face new state certification and qualification standards.

Key provisions

  • Section 1-1 removes a rule letting regulatory boards rescind old penalties for not enrolling in the prescription drug monitoring program and drops a requirement that the database be certified 99.5 percent operational.
  • Section 1-2 eliminates the 12-member Electronic Database Review Advisory Committee that advised on the prescription monitoring database.
  • Sections 1-4 through 1-6 repeal requirements that probate courts distribute AIDS/HIV brochures, sickle cell disease information, and a marriage manual to marriage license applicants.
  • Section 1-9 repeals the pilot program for home visitation services during pregnancy and early childhood.
  • Sections 1-14 through 1-16 eliminate the Cancer Advisory Committee and the cancer control officer position, and revise the commissioner's cancer program duties, including replacing a certified-clinic system with a statewide cancer diagnosis registry.
  • Section 1-17 repeals the Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Education Act; Section 1-20 repeals the Arthritis Prevention and Control Program.
  • Sections 1-18, 1-19, and 1-21 repeal most of the Georgia Commission for Saving the Cure's structure and duties and remove the income tax checkoff for stem cell research donations, while keeping voluntary postnatal tissue and fluid banking.
  • Section 2-1 adds O.C.G.A. § 37-1-8, requiring department certification of peer specialists and setting eight qualifications for recovery community organizations, plus a state designation of one statewide coordinating organization, subject to appropriations.

From the bill

“Only individuals who have completed the training and testing provided by certification training bodies shall be eligible for certification by the department.”

Sets the eligibility rule for who can become a certified peer support specialist in Georgia.

“Subject to appropriations, the department shall designate a state-wide recovery community organization to act as the coordinator for the network of recovery community organizations for substance use in this state.”

Creates a single statewide coordinator for substance use recovery groups, but only if funding is provided.

“'Recovery community organization for substance use' means an independent nonprofit organization led and governed by representatives of local communities of recovery from substance use disorders”

Defines which organizations qualify as recovery community organizations under the new law.

Discussed in meetings (10)

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.

  1. House Public and Community Health Committee, February 3, 2026

    From 0:26:54 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 657 would define certified peer specialists, require training through an entity approved by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, and establish requirements for recovery community organizations. The sponsor said the goal was consistent, quality support without removing each organization's local approach, and that the text was unchanged from the version unanimously approved by the committee last year. Asked whether peer specialists could accompany first responders, the sponsor deferred to witnesses. A Georgia Council for Recovery program manager said some organizations already work alongside emergency responders and in emergency departments. That witness said Georgia had 59 organizations in some stage of development and supported defining them in law to protect the network's integrity. A Rise witness described support after treatment or prison. A Living Proof Recovery witness said clear standards would protect vulnerable people and public and donated funds without new taxpayer costs. A STAN Inc. witness said the organization served more than 1,000 people monthly. The committee approved the bill by voice vote, described by the chair as passage of a substitute. No numerical tally was announced.

  2. House Rules Committee, February 5, 2026

    From 0:20:10 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 657 would define certified peer specialists and establish requirements for recovery community organizations. The sponsor described the goal as consistent care and quality support for people and families recovering from substance use. There were no questions or calendar action.

  3. House Rules Committee, February 9, 2026

    From 0:47:25 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 657 on the February 9 floor calendar after a motion and second, with no opposition voiced. The bill's contents were not discussed.

  4. House floor session, February 9, 2026 (legislative day 15)

    From 1:36:53 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 484

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 657 would define certified peer specialists and set requirements for substance use recovery community organizations to improve consistency while preserving locally tailored services. The sponsor said Georgia had the nation's second-largest number of these organizations, behind Texas, and that all Georgia recovery community organizations and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities commissioner supported the language. A member speaking in favor emphasized support for pregnant and postpartum families, saying overdose and relapse risks rise after birth. That member supported medication-assisted treatment alongside harm reduction, standardized training and better statewide coordination, and hoped future funding would address rural and LGBTQ service gaps. Another member said people working with peer counselors have better recovery rates because counselors share similar experiences. A further member highlighted services for young people in recovery. No opposition speech or substantive question was heard. The House passed the bill 167 to 2.

  5. Senate Health and Human Services Committee, March 25, 2026

    From 1:31:00 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would define certified peer specialists, require training through a Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities-approved training body, and establish basic operating requirements for recovery community organizations. The sponsor said these organizations requested consistent standards while preserving their individual community identities. The sponsor also described a requirement for the department to designate a statewide organization to coordinate the network, subject to funding. The sponsor said Georgia had surpassed Texas in the number of recovery community organizations. The substitute incorporated SB 440, which another presenter described as Department of Public Health updates previously passed by the Senate. That presenter said the governor's office opposed House amendments to the agency bill, prompting inclusion of its earlier language here. The committee approved the substitute unanimously.

  6. Senate Rules Committee, March 30, 2026

    From 0:50:26 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 657 established definitions and guidelines for recovery community organizations and now also included Department of Public Health legislation. No details of the added provisions were given. A member selected it, and the committee unanimously approved the calendar containing it.

  7. Senate floor session, March 31, 2026 (legislative day 39, part 2)

    From 2:21:28 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Third Read)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said the bill revised administration of social-services funding and established certification requirements for peer specialists and recognition standards for recovery community organizations. The presenter said the committee had added Department of Public Health legislation repealing outdated programs and simplifying reporting requirements. Another senator offered an amendment requiring hospitals and birthing centers to make a water-safety education video available to parents or guardians of newborns. The presenter opposed that amendment, and its author withdrew it without objection. No questions were asked. The Senate adopted the committee substitute and passed it, 47 to 1.

Status timeline

  1. 2026-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
  2. 2026-03-31Senate Third Read (Senate)
  3. 2026-03-27Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
  4. 2026-03-27Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
  5. 2026-02-10Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
  6. 2026-02-09House Passed/Adopted (House)
  7. 2026-02-09House Third Readers (House)
  8. 2026-02-04House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
Show full history (13 actions)
  1. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
  2. 2025-03-06House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
  3. 2025-03-03House Second Readers (House)
  4. 2025-02-28House First Readers (House)
  5. 2025-02-27House Hopper (House)

Sponsors

  • Leesa Hagan (R, HD-156)Primary sponsor
  • Katie Dempsey (R, HD-13)
  • Mike Cameron (R, HD-1)
  • Debbie Buckner (D, HD-137)
  • Inga Willis (D, HD-55)
  • Matthew Gambill (R, HD-15)
  • Matt Brass (R, SD-6)

Votes

  1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 9, 2026

    167 yea, 2 nay (1 not voting, 7 excused)

    PASSAGE: House Vote #488

  2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

    47 yea, 1 nay (3 not voting, 3 excused)

    PASSAGE BY SUBSTITUTE: Senate Vote #906

Topics

  • public health programs
  • substance use recovery
  • peer support specialists
  • prescription drug monitoring
  • cancer programs

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