--- title: HB 884. Public Health, Department of; establish grant program for perinatal facilities to increase availability of obstetric care in low access maternity care areas and deserts collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb884 cite_as: HB 884, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb884 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb884.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb884/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71890 date: 2025-04-04 status: introduced 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/hb883.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb885.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb884.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 884 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-03-31 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Park Cannon - Kim Schofield - Carolyn Hugley - Karen Bennett - Tyler Smith text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB884/2025 upstream_id: 2017669 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - maternal health - obstetric care - rural health care - public health funding - maternity care deserts --- # HB 884. Public Health, Department of; establish grant program for perinatal facilities to increase availability of obstetric care in low access maternity care areas and deserts ## Text 25 LC 52 0822 House Bill 884 By: Representatives Cannon of the 58th, Schofield of the 63rd, Hugley of the 141st, Bennett of the 94th, and Smith of the 18th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the1 Department of Public Health, so as to establish a grant program for perinatal facilities to2 increase the availability of obstetric care in low access to maternity care areas and maternity3 care deserts; to provide for definitions; to provide for appropriations and funding; to provide4 for reporting; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for related matters; to provide5 for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:7 SECTION 1.8 Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Department9 of Public Health, is amended by adding a new article to read as follows:10 "ARTICLE 411 31-2A-70.12 As used in this article, the term:13 (1) 'Department' means the Department of Public Health.14 H. B. 884 - 1 - 25 LC 52 0822 (2) 'Low access to maternity care area' means a county in this state that has limited15 access to maternity care services, as evidenced by having only one hospital or birth16 center offering obstetric care, fewer than 60 obstetric providers per 10,000 births, or 1017 percent or more reproductive aged women without health insurance.18 (3) 'Maternity care desert' means a county in this state that has no hospitals or birth19 centers offering obstetric care or no obstetric providers.20 (4) 'Obstetric care' means the management of low-risk, moderat e-risk, and high-risk21 pregnancies, including labor, delivery, and the postpartum period.22 (5) 'Obstetric provider' means a licensed obstetrician-gynecol ogist, a licensed family23 physician who delivers babies, a certified nurse midwife, or a licensed nurse practitioner24 who delivers babies.25 (6) 'Perinatal facility' means a hospital, clinic, or birthing center that provides maternal26 or neonatal healthcare services.27 31-2A-71.28 (a) The department shall establish a grant program for perinatal facilities in low access to29 maternity care areas and maternity care deserts to use for:30 (1) The recruitment and retention of obstetric providers;31 (2) Facility upgrades of obstetric units that are related to o bstetric care, equipment32 purchases that are related to obstetric care, and the establishment of obstetric units; and33 (3) Partnerships with larger medical centers to offer training, resources, and support for34 obstetric care and obstetric providers.35 (b) The department shall establish criteria, implement an application process, and award36 grants consistent with the provisions of this Code section.37 (c) The grant program established pursuant to this article sha ll be contingent upon the38 appropriation of funds by the General Assembly for the purposes of this article in annual39 appropriations Acts of the General Assembly.40 H. B. 884 - 2 - 25 LC 52 0822 31-2A-72.41 (a) The department shall be authorized to accept donations, contributions, and gifts and to42 receive, hold, and use grants, devises, and bequests of real, personal, and mixed property43 on behalf of the state to enable the department to carry out the functions and purposes of44 this article.45 (b) The department shall be authorized to pursue federal fundi ng opportunities and46 collaborations with private entities, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropic47 organizations to fund the grant program established pursuant to this article.48 31-2A-73.49 (a) The department shall prepare and submit an annual report t o the Governor, the50 President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairpersons51 of the House Committee on Public Health and the Senate Committee on Health and Human52 Services for distribution to its committee members. Such repor t shall evaluate the53 effectiveness of the grant program established pursuant to this article, including indicating54 the total number of perinatal facilities that applied for the grant program, the total number55 of such facilities that were awarded grants, and the amount of each grant awarded to each56 perinatal facility.57 (b) The department shall biennially make recommendations to the General Assembly on58 the continuation or discontinuation of the grant program established pursuant to this article59 and improvements to such program in the annual report provided for in subsection (a) of60 this Code section.61 31-2A-74.62 The department shall adopt such rules and regulations as are reasonable and necessary to63 implement the provisions of this article."64 H. B. 884 - 3 - 25 LC 52 0822 SECTION 2.65 This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law66 without such approval.67 SECTION 3.68 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.69 H. B. 884 - 4 - ## 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. A Georgia House bill would create a state grant program to help hospitals, clinics, and birth centers expand obstetric care in counties with limited or no maternity services. ### Plain-language summary Many rural and underserved Georgia counties have few or no options for maternity care. This bill would add a new article to Georgia's public health code (O.C.G.A. Title 31, Chapter 2A) directing the Department of Public Health to set up a grant program for perinatal facilities, meaning hospitals, clinics, and birthing centers that provide maternal or newborn care, located in what the bill calls low access to maternity care areas or maternity care deserts. The bill defines those areas by specific measures, such as having only one hospital offering obstetric care, fewer than 60 obstetric providers per 10,000 births, or a high share of uninsured women of reproductive age. Grants could pay for recruiting and keeping obstetric providers, upgrading or building obstetric units, and forming partnerships with larger medical centers. The program depends on the General Assembly actually funding it each year, and the department must report annually on results and make recommendations every two years. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it. ### What it does - Creates a new grant program inside the Department of Public Health for perinatal facilities in underserved maternity care areas. - Defines 'low access to maternity care area' and 'maternity care desert' using specific thresholds like provider counts and insurance rates. - Allows grant money to be used for recruiting obstetric providers, upgrading facilities, and building partnerships with larger medical centers. - Makes the entire grant program dependent on the General Assembly appropriating funds for it each year. - Authorizes the department to accept private donations and pursue federal or philanthropic funding for the program. - Requires an annual report to state leaders and biennial recommendations on whether to continue or improve the program. ### Who it affects Pregnant patients and families in Georgia counties with few or no maternity care options, hospitals and birth centers seeking grants, obstetric providers such as OB-GYNs, family physicians, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners, and the Department of Public Health, which would run the program. ### Why it matters If funded, the program could help bring obstetric providers and updated facilities to Georgia counties currently lacking maternity care, potentially shortening travel distances for pregnant patients. Because funding is not guaranteed, the actual impact depends on future budget decisions by the General Assembly. ### Key provisions - Section 1 adds a new Article 4 to Chapter 2A of Title 31, defining terms like 'low access to maternity care area,' 'maternity care desert,' and 'obstetric provider' (O.C.G.A. § 31-2A-70). - O.C.G.A. § 31-2A-71 directs the department to create the grant program, set criteria, and run an application process, but makes it contingent on annual state funding. - O.C.G.A. § 31-2A-72 lets the department accept private donations, gifts, and pursue federal or philanthropic funding for the program. - O.C.G.A. § 31-2A-73 requires an annual report to the Governor, legislative leaders, and relevant committees on grant applications, awards, and amounts, plus biennial recommendations. - O.C.G.A. § 31-2A-74 directs the department to adopt rules and regulations needed to carry out the program. - Section 2 sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-31) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Park Cannon, Kim Schofield, Carolyn Hugley, Karen Bennett, Tyler Smith - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71890 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb884.md?full=1