HR 1657: House Study Committee on Medicaid Waiver Populations and Long-Term Financial and Administrative Sustainability; create

Medicaid waiver programs let Georgia use federal Medicaid dollars flexibly to design services for specific groups, such as older adults, children with complex medical needs, and people with disabilities who need long-term care. This resolution does not change any waiver rules itself. Instead it sets up the House Study Committee on Medicaid Waiver Populations and Long-Term Financial and Administrative Sustainability to look into how these programs are structured, funded, and administered in Georgia. The Speaker of the House would appoint five representatives to the committee, one of whom chairs it. The chair calls meetings, and members can receive standard legislative daily allowances under Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 28-1-8) for up to three days unless more are approved. The committee must file any findings or proposed legislation before it is automatically abolished on December 1, 2026.

• Creates the House Study Committee on Medicaid Waiver Populations and Long-Term Financial and Administrative Sustainability within the Georgia House of Representatives.
• Directs the Speaker of the House to appoint five representatives to the committee, including one chairperson.
• Authorizes the committee to study Medicaid waiver populations and services and recommend legislation it finds necessary.
• Sets member pay using existing legislative allowance rules (O.C.G.A. 28-1-8), capped at three paid days unless additional days are approved.
• Requires the committee to file an approved report or meeting minutes with the Clerk of the House before it is abolished.
• Automatically dissolves the committee on December 1, 2026.

Members of the Georgia House of Representatives appointed to the committee, and indirectly Medicaid waiver beneficiaries such as older adults, children with complex medical needs, and people with disabilities, along with the state agencies that administer Medicaid waiver programs.

The resolution itself changes no Medicaid policy or funding. It sets up a fact-finding process that could lead to future legislation affecting how Georgia pays for and administers long-term services for vulnerable populations, so any real-world impact would depend on what the committee later recommends.

• Paragraph (1) formally creates the study committee.
• Paragraph (2) sets committee size at five House members appointed by the Speaker, with one designated chairperson.
• Paragraph (3) gives the committee authority to study Medicaid waiver issues and recommend action or legislation.
• Paragraph (5) sets funding and per diem rules, capping paid allowances at three days unless extended and specifying that House funds cover legislative members' costs.
• Paragraph (6) requires a report or, absent one, meeting minutes to be filed with the Clerk of the House before abolishment.
• Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.

1. 2026-03-25House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
2. 2026-03-16House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-12House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-03-10House Hopper (House)

• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)Primary sponsor
• Darlene Taylor (R, HD-173)
• Gerald Greene (R, HD-154)
• Lee Hawkins (R, HD-027)
• Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)
• Demetrius Douglas (D, HD-078)

• Medicaid waivers
• long-term care
• disability services
• state government study committees
• health policy