Georgia CommonsHB 970: Quality Basic Education Act; expand which healthcare professionals may conduct preparticipation physical examinations
Last action March 31, 2026 · Senate Tabled
A Georgia House bill would let nurse practitioners and physician's assistants, not just doctors, perform the physical exams student athletes need before playing school sports, and would add a required heart screening starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Georgia law already requires student athletes to get a preparticipation physical exam before playing school sports, using a form approved by the State Board of Education. This bill changes who is allowed to give that exam and what it must include. The bill lists which healthcare professionals qualify: licensed medical physicians, doctors of osteopathic medicine, nurse practitioners, and physician's assistants, following existing rules in O.C.G.A. § 43-34-103. It also sets a shelf life for the exam: it stays valid for 12 months from the exam date, or, if the exam happens on or after April 1 of the year before the school year, it stays valid through that whole school year. Starting with the 2026-2027 school year, the exam must also include a cardiovascular prescreening based on nationally recognized guidelines from groups like the American College of Cardiology or American Heart Association. Schools must also give parents and guardians educational materials about sudden cardiac arrest in children when students turn in their permission forms.
What the bill does
- Names which healthcare professionals can perform a student athlete's preparticipation physical exam: licensed physicians, doctors of osteopathic medicine, nurse practitioners, and physician's assistants.
- Sets a validity period for the physical exam: 12 months from the exam date, or through the next school year if the exam is done on or after April 1 of the prior year.
- Requires the exam to include a cardiovascular prescreening based on nationally recognized, evidence based guidelines, starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
- Requires schools to give parents or guardians educational materials on sudden cardiac arrest in children along with the permission forms.
Who it affects
Student athletes and their parents or guardians, public school districts and the State Board of Education, and healthcare professionals such as physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician's assistants who perform sports physicals.
Why it matters
Families would have more options for where to get a sports physical done, since nurse practitioners and physician's assistants would be explicitly authorized alongside doctors. The added cardiovascular screening and parent education materials are meant to catch heart conditions that can cause sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2-319.2(c) to specify that the physical exam must be conducted by a qualified healthcare professional, listing physicians, DOs, nurse practitioners, and physician's assistants.
- Section 1 sets the exam's validity at 12 months, or through the following school year if given on or after April 1 of the prior year.
- New subsection (e) requires a cardiovascular prescreening following guidelines from groups like the American College of Cardiology or American Heart Association, effective for the 2026-2027 school year.
- New subsection (e) requires schools to distribute educational materials on sudden cardiac arrest in children to parents or guardians as part of the permission form process.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting Georgia laws.
From the bill
“Physical examinations shall be valid for 12 months from the date of the examination, or, if conducted on or after April 1 of the year preceding the applicable school year, shall remain valid through such applicable school year.”
“a qualified healthcare professional who performs a physical examination of a student athlete shall include in such examination a cardiovascular prescreening that follows nationally recognized, evidence based guidelines”
Status timeline
- Senate Tabled (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
Show full history (10 actions)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)
- Dale Washburn (R, HD-144)
- Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)
- Carmen Rice (R, HD-139)
- Leesa Hagan (R, HD-156)
- Esther Panitch (D, HD-051)
- Mike Hodges (R, SD-003)
Votes
- House voteFebruary 18, 2026
164 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 8 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 31, 2026
39 yea, 10 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)
Topics
- youth sports
- school athletics
- student health
- cardiovascular screening
- healthcare licensing