---
title: HB 929. Public Health, Department of; three-year pilot program for dietetics services for public elementary and secondary school students and patients at federally qualified health centers; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb929
cite_as: HB 929, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb929
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb929.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb929/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72078
date: 2026-01-12
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.
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index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb929.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 929
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-04-04
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Karen Lupton
  - Marvin Lim
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB929/2025
upstream_id: 2020916
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - public health
  - school health services
  - dietitians
  - federally qualified health centers
  - pilot programs
---

# HB 929. Public Health, Department of; three-year pilot program for dietetics services for public elementary and secondary school students and patients at federally qualified health centers; provide

## Text

House Bill 929
By: Representatives Lupton of the 83rd and Lim of the 98th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to the Department of Public Health generally, so as to provide for a three-year pilot
program for dietetics services for public elementary and secondary school students and
patients at federally qualified health centers; to provide for reimbursement; to provide for
reporting; to provide for definitions; to provide for termination of the pilot program and
automatic repeal of the statute; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and
for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 1 of Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
Department of Public Health generally, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as
follows:
<ins>"31-2A-21.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Dietetics' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code Section 43-11A-3.
</ins>
<ins>(2) 'Dietitian' means an individual duly licensed under Chapter 11A of Title 43 to
practice dietetics and who has at least one year of experience practicing dietetics.
(3) 'Eligible recipient' means a student of a public elementary or secondary school or a
patient at a federally qualified health center.
(4) 'Federally qualified health center' means a facility as defined in 42 U.S.C.
Section 1395x(aa)(4), as of July 1, 2025.
(b) Subject to available funding, the department, in collaboration with the Department of
Education, shall develop, implement, and conduct a three-year pilot program to provide
dietetics services to eligible recipients at public elementary and secondary schools and
federally qualified health centers beginning on June 30, 2026. Such pilot program shall
provide reimbursement for up to five dietitian visits for each eligible recipient, at a
reimbursement rate of up to $200.00 per visit.
(c) No later than June 30, 2027, and annually thereafter, the department shall submit a
detailed written report to the Governor and the General Assembly on the effectiveness of
the pilot program. The final report shall additionally include recommendations as to the
expansion or permanency of the pilot program and any proposed changes to the pilot
program relative to such recommendations.
(d) The department is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations as may be necessary
to carry out and implement the provisions of this Code section.
(e) The pilot program created by this Code section shall terminate on June 30, 2029, and
this Code section shall be repealed by operation of law on such date."
</ins> SECTION 2.
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 create a three-year pilot program letting dietitians provide services to public school students and patients at federally qualified health centers, with the state reimbursing up to five visits per person.

### Plain-language summary

This bill adds a new section to Georgia's public health code (O.C.G.A. § 31-2A-21) directing the Department of Public Health, working with the Department of Education, to run a three-year pilot program offering dietetics services. The program would serve students at public elementary and secondary schools and patients at federally qualified health centers, which are clinics that serve underserved communities.
The state would reimburse up to five visits with a licensed dietitian per eligible person, paying up to $200 per visit, though the whole program depends on available funding. The department must report on the program's effectiveness to the Governor and General Assembly by June 30, 2027 and every year after, with a final report recommending whether to expand or make the program permanent. The program is set to begin June 30, 2026 and automatically end, with the law repealed, on June 30, 2029.

### What it does

- Creates a new three-year pilot program at the Department of Public Health offering dietetics services to public school students and federally qualified health center patients starting June 30, 2026.
- Sets reimbursement at up to $200 per visit for up to five dietitian visits per eligible person, subject to available state funding.
- Requires the Department of Public Health to collaborate with the Department of Education to develop and run the program.
- Requires annual written reports to the Governor and General Assembly starting no later than June 30, 2027, including a final report recommending expansion or permanence.
- Authorizes the department to write rules and regulations needed to carry out the program.
- Automatically ends the pilot program and repeals the statute on June 30, 2029.

### Who it affects

Public elementary and secondary school students, patients at federally qualified health centers, licensed dietitians who provide the reimbursed visits, and the Department of Public Health and Department of Education, which must jointly design and run the program.

### Why it matters

Families and patients could get access to state-subsidized dietitian visits they might not otherwise afford, but only if the legislature actually funds the program, and only for three years before it automatically expires unless lawmakers act to renew it.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 adds new Code Section 31-2A-21 defining 'dietetics,' 'dietitian,' 'eligible recipient,' and 'federally qualified health center' for purposes of the pilot program.
- Subsection (b) directs the Department of Public Health and Department of Education to jointly create the pilot program starting June 30, 2026, subject to available funding.
- Subsection (b) caps reimbursement at five dietitian visits per eligible recipient, at up to $200.00 per visit.
- Subsection (c) requires annual reports to the Governor and General Assembly beginning no later than June 30, 2027, with a final report recommending whether to expand or make the program permanent.
- Subsection (d) authorizes the department to adopt rules and regulations to implement the program.
- Subsection (e) terminates the pilot program and repeals the Code section by operation of law on June 30, 2029.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-04-04)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-01-12)
- Sponsors: Karen Lupton, Marvin Lim
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72078

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb929.md?full=1