HB 717: Medical Practice Act; regulation of the administration of psychedelic-assisted treatment and therapy; provide

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Discussed in meetings (15)

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 0:58:10 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair presented HB 717 as protection against unsafe psychedelic treatment clinics. A Georgia Composite Medical Board representative said the substitute would license clinics and establish prescribing, administration and monitoring standards. The representative described changes allowing physician and nurse anesthetist co-ownership, preserving existing ownership, and protecting on-label drug use. The representative clarified that all clinics would still register. A psychiatrist supported trained supervision, patient screening, emergency equipment and monitoring, citing respiratory, cardiovascular and psychiatric risks. Several members questioned physician ownership requirements, inconsistent treatment distinctions and effects on access. The board representative said physician ownership enabled direct accountability through medical licensing, administration would be limited to physicians, nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologist assistants, and future rules could address safeguards. One member supported physician responsibility and additional monitoring. A veteran described major benefits from ketamine therapy. A physician clinic owner supported regulation but urged rejection of the current text, saying restrictions on nurse practitioners administering treatment would close clinics, including the witness's Warner Robins location. The chair defended the restrictions and offered further discussion afterward. A Georgia Association of Nurse Anesthetists witness requested more work on the proposal. The chair announced that the bill passed following a show-of-hands vote, without a numerical tally.

2. House Rules Committee, February 5, 2026

   From 0:39:13 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor described HB 717 as establishing ownership, equipment and treatment standards for ketamine clinics, comparing the approach to earlier regulation of pain clinics. The sponsor characterized ketamine as dangerous, said clinics were opening without adequate oversight, and described requirements for advanced airway-management training even for physicians. One member asked whether existing clinics had ownership arrangements that would not meet the proposed rules and whether owners would have to sell their interests. The sponsor said some existing clinics did not meet the proposed ownership structure but would be grandfathered in, rather than forced to divest. The sponsor said existing clinics would have to register with the medical board and expressed hope that they would adopt safety equipment standards, including defibrillators and equipment to manage breathing emergencies. The sponsor estimated that more than 20 clinics were known to be operating in Georgia. No calendar action was shown.

3. House Rules Committee, March 2, 2026

   From 0:19:11 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1696

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 717 on Tuesday’s calendar under modified rules. The chair recognized a motion and second, no opposition was heard, and there was no discussion of the bill’s contents.

4. House floor session, March 3, 2026 (legislative day 26, AM)

   From 1:45:02 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1713

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 717 would license ketamine clinics and authorize medical-board rules for prescribing, administration, emergency equipment and monitoring. The sponsor argued that ketamine can cause breathing emergencies and that clinics lack adequate oversight. The sponsor said physicians would hold 51% ownership, nurse anesthetists could hold 49%, and existing clinics could continue operating. Asked for evidence that physician ownership independently improves safety, the sponsor offered none, citing prescribing authority and responsibility instead. Other questions addressed nurses' airway-management training and a physician's involvement in a publicized ketamine death. One opposing member supported safety regulation but argued ownership restrictions disregard nurse anesthetists' expertise, increase costs and limit access. A second opponent sought full nurse-anesthetist ownership and inclusion of mental-health professionals. A supporting member who practices anesthesiology said the medical board requested the bill and warned that the state lacks information on clinics, staffing and safety practices. Questions about injections and lozenges did not establish how each would be covered. The sponsor defended majority ownership as establishing decision-making authority and enabling medical-board oversight. Another supporting member who practices medicine called the bill a first step toward safer team-based care. The House adopted the committee substitute but rejected the bill, 73 to 88. The majority leader gave notice of reconsideration, which the chair scheduled before morning orders the next legislative day.

5. House floor session, March 4, 2026 (legislative day 27, AM)

   From 1:10:58 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Reconsidered)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair said the House had failed to pass HB 717 the previous day. The majority leader moved to reconsider that action, and the House agreed, 159 to 8, returning the bill to the general calendar. Later, the majority leader moved to send it back to the Rules Committee. The House agreed without objection. Members did not discuss the bill's substance.

6. House Rules Committee, March 5, 2026

   From 0:34:16 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2013

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter described HB 717 as a ketamine-clinic patient-safety bill and offered a substitute. The presenter said physicians and nurse anesthetists supported the agreement. Instead of a 51%/49% ownership arrangement, the substitute would allow physicians or nurse anesthetists to own a clinic entirely. The presenter also said it would allow an experienced nurse practitioner to work in a clinic and establish continuing education requirements for everyone involved, including physicians. The committee approved the substitute without opposition and later placed the bill on the floor calendar without opposition.

7. House floor session, March 6, 2026 (legislative day 28, AM)

   From 1:38:20 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2027

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented a Rules Committee substitute regulating ketamine clinics. The sponsor said an earlier reconsideration vote allowed time to resolve ownership concerns with certified registered nurse anesthetists. According to the sponsor, the revised bill allows those nurse anesthetists and physicians to own clinics, allows highly trained nurse practitioners to work in them, and preserves existing clinics through a grandfather provision. The sponsor said the agreement would support access while promoting safety. One member thanked the sponsor for listening to concerns. A second member announced support after the parties reached agreement. The House withdrew the earlier committee substitute, adopted the Rules Committee substitute without objection and passed the bill 155 to 8.

8. Senate Health and Human Services Committee, March 18, 2026

   From 0:43:12 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented HB 717 as a Board of Medicine proposal to regulate clinics administering psychedelic treatments, particularly intravenous ketamine. The sponsor said clinics lacked consistent safeguards and described risks including hallucinations, sedation and respiratory failure. The sponsor said the bill would let the board establish standards for equipment, staffing, training and patient monitoring, with clinic ownership limited to physicians and nurse anesthetists. The chair explained that the substitute added physician assistants alongside nurse practitioners as permitted clinic staff. The sponsor said the board, nurse anesthetists and medical association had reached agreement. Asked how many clinics operated in Georgia, the sponsor gave an uncertain estimate of 20 to 40 and said existing clinics would remain open but have to register. The sponsor described varying levels of on-site supervision and said the board would set requirements. The chair compared the proposal to earlier pain-clinic restrictions. The committee approved the substitute unanimously.

9. Senate Rules Committee, March 20, 2026

   From 0:40:50 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair said the bill concerned ketamine clinics and would tighten their regulation. The chair also said they would carry it on the floor. No substantive questions followed. The chair later selected the bill for the floor calendar, which the committee approved unanimously.

10. Senate floor session, March 23, 2026 (legislative day 36)

    From 3:44:28 · 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 HB 717 would establish rules for psychedelic-assisted treatment clinics if the treatments become legal. The presenter said clinical trials were underway and described the proposal as advance preparation, contrasting it with the need to regulate ketamine clinics after they had opened. The presenter attributed the proposal to work by Georgia’s medical board with other boards nationwide and said medical research suggested potential benefits for anxiety disorders. Another senator supported the bill, saying such treatments could help veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress and treatment-resistant depression, and that some had traveled abroad for treatment. No opposing speeches followed. The Senate adopted the committee substitute and passed it 50-1.

11. House floor session, March 27, 2026 (legislative day 38, part 2)

    From 0:27:27 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the Senate change to HB 717, a measure regulating ketamine clinics, would allow physician assistants with advanced training, including special respiratory-care training, to work in those clinics. The sponsor described this as the only change. No questions were asked. The House agreed to the Senate substitute 153 to 3.

• Read aloud: House floor session, February 4, 2026 (legislative day 12), 0:36:14
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 9, 2026 (legislative day 29), 0:26:18
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 19, 2026 (legislative day 34), 0:41:08
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 20, 2026 (legislative day 35), 0:37:58

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