---
title: HB 659. Health; rural assistance; expand medical education funding and the service cancelable loan program to include optometrists
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb659
cite_as: HB 659, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb659
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb659.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb659/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70938
date: 2026-05-05
status: passed
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: 1269
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb659.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 659
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-05
last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01
sponsors:
- Gerald Greene
- Darlene Taylor
- Lee Hawkins
- Rick Jasperse
- Leesa Hagan
- Matt Brass
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB659/2025
upstream_id: 1987913
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- rural health care
- optometry
- assisted living facilities
- personal care homes
- medical loan repayment
---
# HB 659. Health; rural assistance; expand medical education funding and the service cancelable loan program to include optometrists
## Text
House Bill 659 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Greene of the 154th, Taylor of the 173rd, Hawkins of the 27th, Jasperse
of the 11th, and Hagan of the 156th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapters 7 and 34 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to regulation and construction of hospitals and other health care facilities and medical
professionals for rural assistance, respectively, so as to permit administration of certain
medications to residents of personal care homes and assisted living facilities; to expand
medical education funding and the service cancelable loan program to include optometrists;
to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and
for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to regulation and
construction of hospitals and other health care facilities, is amended by revising
subparagraph (h)(4)(B) of Code Section 31-7-12, relating to personal care homes, licensing
and registration, requirements, exemptions, and enforcement, as follows:
"(B) Administer insulin, epinephrine, GLP-1, and B12 pursuant to physician direction
and protocol;"
SECTION 2.
Said chapter is further amended by revising subparagraph (g)(7)(B) of Code
Section 31-7-12.2, relating to assisted living communities, licensing and regulation,
medication aides, certification, and requirements, as follows:
"(B) Administer insulin, epinephrine, GLP-1, and B12 pursuant to physician direction
and protocol;"
SECTION 3.
Chapter 34 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to medical
professionals for rural assistance, is amended by revising Code Section 31-34-2, relating to
purpose and intent of article, as follows:
"31-34-2.
It is the purpose of this article to increase the number of physicians, dentists, optometrists,
physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses in underserved rural areas of
Georgia by making loans to physicians, dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, and
advanced practice registered nurses who have completed their medical or health care
education and to dental students and allowing such loans to be repaid by such physicians,
dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses, and dental
students agreeing to practice medicine or provide health care services in such rural areas
and by making grants to hospitals and, as determined by the Georgia Board of Health Care
Workforce, other health care entities, local governments, and civic organizations in
underserved rural areas of Georgia that agree to provide matching funds to the grant, with
the intent to enhance recruitment efforts in bringing physicians, dentists, optometrists,
physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses to such areas. It is the intent
of the General Assembly that if funds are available to the Georgia Board of Health Care
Workforce to make loans, grants, or scholarships under this article or under other
applicable state law, the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce shall give priority to
loans and scholarships under Part 6 of Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 and to loans under
Code Section 31-34-4."
SECTION 4.
Said chapter is further amended by revising paragraph (1) of subsection (a) and paragraph (1)
of subsection (c) of Code Section 31-34-4, relating to loan applicant qualifications and rules
and regulations, as follows:
"(a)(1) A physician, dentist, optometrist, physician assistant, or advanced practice
registered nurse who receives a loan under the program provided for in this article shall
be a citizen or national of the United States licensed to practice his or her health care
profession within the State of Georgia at the time the loan is made, and shall be a
graduate of an accredited graduate medical education program or other applicable
accredited health care education program located in the United States which has received
accreditation or provisional accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education, or the American Osteopathic Association, or such other applicable
accreditation for other health care education programs, as determined by the board."
"(c)(1) The board is authorized to consider, among other criteria for granting loans under
the provisions of this article, the state residency status and home area of the applying
physician, dentist, optometrist, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse
and to give priority to those applicants who are physicians, dentists, optometrists,
physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses actively practicing or
beginning active practice in specialties experiencing shortages or distribution problems
in rural areas of this state as determined by the board pursuant to rules and regulations
adopted by it in accordance with this article."
SECTION 5.
Said chapter is further amended by revising subsections (a) and (b) of Code Section
31-34-4.1, relating to grants to hospitals and other entities, use of funds, and rules and
regulations authorized, as follows:
"(a) After providing priority consideration to granting loans pursuant to Code Section
31-34-4, the board is authorized to make grants to hospitals and, as determined by the
board, other health care entities, local governments, and civic organizations in underserved
rural areas of Georgia, provided that any such hospital, health care entity, local
government, or civic organization matches such grant in an amount not less than such
grant. Such grants shall be for the purpose of enhancing recruitment efforts in bringing
physicians, dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered
nurses to such areas.
(b) Acceptable expenditures of grant funds by a hospital or other health care entity, local
government, or civic organization include, but are not limited to, medical or health care
education loan repayment, salary supplements for physicians, dentists, optometrists,
physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses, and additional support staff
for a physician's, dentist's, optometrist's, physician assistant's, or advanced practice
registered nurse's office. Grant funds shall not be used for hiring or paying a recruiting
firm or individual recruiter."
SECTION 6.
Said chapter is further amended by revising Code Section 31-34-5, relating to service
cancelable loan, amount, repayment, and determination of underserved rural areas, as
follows:
"31-34-5.
(a)(1) The board shall have the authority to grant to each applicant approved by the board
on a one-year renewable basis a service cancelable loan for a period not exceeding four
years; provided, however, that, for applicants that who are dental students, service
cancelable loans shall be for a period of four years. The amount of the loan shall be
determined by the board, but such amount shall be related to the applicant's outstanding
obligations incurred as a direct result of completing medical or health care education and
training.
(2) A loan or loans to each approved applicant shall be granted on the condition that the
full amount of the loan or loans shall be repaid to the State of Georgia in services to be
rendered by the applicant's practicing his or her profession in a board approved physician,
dentist, optometrist, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse
underserved rural area of Georgia. For each full year of practicing his or her profession
in such underserved rural area, the physician, dentist, optometrist, physician assistant, or
advanced practice registered nurse who obtained the loan shall receive credit for the full
amount of one year's loan plus regular interest which accrued on such amount.
(b)(1) The board shall have the authority to make grants to each applicant hospital or
other health care entity, local government, or civic organization approved by the board
on a yearly basis, renewable each year at the discretion of the board. The amount of the
grant shall be determined by the board, but such amount shall be related to and shall not
exceed the applicant's proposed expenditures to enhance recruitment efforts in bringing
one or more physicians, dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, or advanced practice
registered nurses to the underserved rural area.
(2) A grant to an approved applicant shall be made on any condition or conditions
determined by the board, which may include, but not be limited to, that one or more
physicians, dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, or advanced practice registered
nurses are employed and retained in the underserved rural area for a prescribed minimum
length of time.
(c) In making a determination of physician, dentist, optometrist, physician assistant, or
advanced practice registered nurse underserved rural areas of Georgia, the board shall seek
the advice and assistance of the Department of Public Health, the University of Georgia
Cooperative Extension Service, the Department of Community Affairs, and such other
public or private associations or organizations as the board determines to be of assistance
in making such determinations. Criteria to determine physician, dentist, optometrist,
physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse underserved rural areas shall
include, but shall not be limited to, relevant statistical data related to the following:
(1) The ratio of physicians, dentists, optometrists, physician assistants, or advanced
practice registered nurses to population in the area;
(2) Indications of the health status of the population in the area;
(3) The poverty level and dependent age groups of the population in the area;
(4) Indications of community support for more physicians, dentists, optometrists,
physician assistants, or advanced practice registered nurses in the area; and
(5) Indications that access to the physician's, dentist's, optometrist's, physician assistant's,
or advanced practice registered nurse's services is available to every person in the
underserved area regardless of ability to pay."
SECTION 7.
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.
HB659 would let personal care homes and assisted living communities administer GLP-1 medications to residents and would add optometrists to Georgia's rural health care loan and grant program alongside physicians, dentists, physician assistants, and nurses.
### Plain-language summary
Under current Georgia law, medication aides in personal care homes and assisted living communities may administer only insulin, epinephrine, and B12 under physician direction. This bill adds GLP-1 medications, a class of drugs often used for diabetes and weight management, to that approved list in both settings.
The bill also expands the state's rural health care workforce program (O.C.G.A. Title 31, Chapter 34), which gives service cancelable loans and recruitment grants to health professionals who agree to practice in underserved rural areas of Georgia. Currently the program covers physicians, dentists, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses. The bill adds optometrists to every part of that program, including loan eligibility, priority criteria, grant purposes, and the criteria used to define an underserved rural area. It also fixes minor wording in the loan qualification rules. The changes take effect once signed into law.
### What it does
- Adds GLP-1 medications to the list of drugs medication aides may administer to residents of personal care homes under physician direction (O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12).
- Makes the identical GLP-1 addition for assisted living community medication aides (O.C.G.A. § 31-34-12.2).
- Adds optometrists as an eligible profession under Georgia's rural health care service cancelable loan program (O.C.G.A. § 31-34-2 and § 31-34-4).
- Allows hospitals, health care entities, local governments, and civic organizations to use recruitment grant funds to help bring optometrists to underserved rural areas (O.C.G.A. § 31-34-4.1).
- Includes optometrists in the criteria the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce uses to determine which rural areas are considered underserved (O.C.G.A. § 31-34-5).
### Who it affects
Residents of personal care homes and assisted living communities and the medication aides who care for them; optometrists and optometry graduates seeking loan repayment or recruitment support; and hospitals, local governments, and civic organizations in rural Georgia that participate in the recruitment grant program.
### Why it matters
Residents in personal care and assisted living settings who use GLP-1 medications could now have them administered on-site by trained aides instead of needing outside help. Optometrists in rural Georgia would gain access to loan forgiveness and recruitment incentives previously limited to physicians, dentists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, potentially improving eye care access in underserved areas.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 and Section 2 add GLP-1 to the approved medication list for personal care home and assisted living medication aides.
- Section 3 revises the purpose statement of the rural assistance loan program to include optometrists among the professions it aims to recruit.
- Section 4 adds optometrists to the loan applicant qualification and priority criteria sections.
- Section 5 allows grant funds to support recruiting and retaining optometrists in underserved rural areas, alongside the existing professions.
- Section 6 adds optometrists throughout the service cancelable loan rules, including loan terms, repayment through rural practice, and the statistical criteria used to define underserved rural areas.
- Section 7 repeals conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Passed (2026-05-05)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-05)
- Sponsors: Gerald Greene, Darlene Taylor, Lee Hawkins, Rick Jasperse, Leesa Hagan, Matt Brass
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70938
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,269 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb659.md?full=1