--- title: HB 906. Health; require long-term care facilities to post a link on their websites to the official website of the office of the long-term care ombudsman collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb906 cite_as: HB 906, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb906 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb906.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb906/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71989 date: 2026-02-20 status: introduced 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb905.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb907.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 199 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb906.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 906 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-04-02 last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute sponsors: - Michael Smith text_version: Comm Sub has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB906/2025 upstream_id: 2019468 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - long-term care - nursing home oversight - assisted living - medication administration - ombudsman program --- # HB 906. Health; require long-term care facilities to post a link on their websites to the official website of the office of the long-term care ombudsman ## Text The House Committee on Human Relations and Aging offers the following substitute to HB 906: A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapters 7 and 8 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to regulation and construction of hospitals and other health care facilities and care and protection of indigent and elderly patients, respectively, so as to permit administration of certain medications to residents of personal care homes and assisted living facilities; to require long-term care facilities to post a link on their websites to the official website of the office of the long-term care ombudsman; to provide for penalties; to provide for exemptions; 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, 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 8 of Title 31, relating to care and protection of indigent and elderly patients, is amended by revising Code Section 31-8-59, relating to notice to residents, as follows: "31-8-59. (a) The state ombudsman shall prepare and distribute to each long-term care facility in the state a written notice describing the long-term care ombudsman program and the procedure to follow in making a complaint, including the address and telephone number of the state ombudsman and community ombudsman, if any. The administrator shall give the written notice required by this Code section subsection to each resident and his or her legally appointed guardian, if any, upon admission. The administrator shall also post such written notice in conspicuous public places in the facility in accordance with procedures provided by the state ombudsman and shall give such notice to any resident and his or her legally appointed guardian, if any, who did not receive it upon admission. The failure to provide the notices required by this Code section subsection shall be a ground upon which the department may revoke any permit issued to a long-term care facility under Code Section 31-7-1 Article 1 of this chapter. (b) Each individual long-term care facility which maintains a website shall post in a prominent location on such website a link to the official website of the state long-term care ombudsman. The link shall be preceded with the following statement: 'The long-term care ombudsman program is a federally authorized independent organization that helps residents of nursing homes, personal care homes, and assisted living communities resolve complaints. The service is confidential and free of charge. www.georgia.ombudsman.org' (c)(1) If a long-term care facility violates any provision of subsection (b) of this Code section, the department shall be authorized to: (A) For the first violation within a consecutive 12 month period, issue a formal warning to any long-term care facility; (B) For the second violation within a consecutive 12 month period, impose a civil monetary penalty of $100.00 on a long-term care facility; and (C) For the third and each subsequent violation within a 12 month period, impose a civil monetary penalty of $200.00 on a long-term care facility. (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this subsection, the department shall not impose any penalty on a long-term care facility for a violation of subsection (b) of this Code section within a 12 month period if such violation consists solely of a website link that is broken, inoperable, or misdirected. (3) Failure to maintain the website link required by subsection (b) of this Code section shall not result in the revocation of a license or permit." SECTION 4. This Act shall become effective on January 1, 2027. SECTION 5. 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. A Georgia House bill would let personal care homes and assisted living facilities give residents GLP-1 medication and would require long-term care facilities with websites to post a link to the state long-term care ombudsman's office, with fines for violations. ### Plain-language summary Currently, staff at personal care homes and assisted living communities in Georgia can administer insulin, epinephrine, and B12 to residents under physician direction, but not GLP-1 medications (a class of drugs used for diabetes and weight management). This bill adds GLP-1 to that list in two sections of Georgia law covering personal care homes and assisted living communities. The bill also changes how long-term care facilities must inform residents about the long-term care ombudsman, an independent program that helps residents resolve complaints. Facilities already must give written notice about the ombudsman to residents and post it in the building. This bill adds a new requirement: any long-term care facility with a website must post a prominent link to the state ombudsman's website, preceded by a specific statement about the program. Facilities that violate this face escalating penalties, though a broken or misdirected link alone will not trigger a fine, and failing to maintain the link cannot lead to license revocation. The changes take effect January 1, 2027. ### What it does - Adds GLP-1 medication to the list of drugs that personal care home staff may administer to residents under physician direction (O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12). - Adds GLP-1 medication to the same allowed list for assisted living community medication aides (O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12.2). - Requires every long-term care facility that maintains a website to post a prominent link to the state long-term care ombudsman's website, along with a required explanatory statement. - Creates a graduated penalty system: a warning for a first violation, a $100 fine for a second violation, and a $200 fine for third and later violations within 12 months. - Exempts facilities from penalty if the only problem is a broken, inoperable, or misdirected link, and bars license or permit revocation for failing to maintain the link. - Sets the effective date of the entire Act as January 1, 2027. ### Who it affects Residents and staff of Georgia personal care homes and assisted living communities, facility administrators who must update websites and notices, the state long-term care ombudsman program, and the Department of Community Health, which enforces the new penalties. ### Why it matters Residents on GLP-1 medications could receive them without extra arrangements, and residents or families looking for help with complaints would find the ombudsman's contact information more easily online. Facilities face new compliance duties and possible fines, though minor technical link failures would not be punished. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12 to add GLP-1 to the medications personal care home staff may administer under physician protocol. - Section 2 makes the identical addition of GLP-1 for assisted living communities under O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12.2. - Section 3 restructures O.C.G.A. § 31-8-59 into subsections and adds subsection (b), requiring a website link to the ombudsman program with a specific mandated statement. - Section 3 also adds subsection (c), setting penalties of a warning, then $100, then $200 for repeated violations within a 12-month period, with exceptions for broken links and no license revocation. - Section 4 sets the effective date as January 1, 2027. - Section 5 repeals conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-04-02) - Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (2026-02-20) - Sponsors: Michael Smith - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71989 > The history, votes, and amendments (199 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb906.md?full=1