---
title: HR 1657. House Study Committee on Medicaid Waiver Populations and Long-Term Financial and Administrative Sustainability; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr1657
cite_as: HR 1657, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1657
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1657.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1657/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74019
date: 2026-03-25
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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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 189
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1657.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 1657
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-03-10
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported
sponsors:
  - Alan Powell
  - Darlene Taylor
  - Gerald Greene
  - Lee Hawkins
  - Ron Stephens
  - Demetrius Douglas
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1657/2025
upstream_id: 2132155
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Medicaid waivers
  - long-term care
  - disability services
  - state government study committees
  - health policy
---

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

## Text

House Resolution 1657
By: Representatives Powell of the 33rd, Taylor of the 173rd, Greene of the 154th, Hawkins of
the 27th, Stephens of the 164th, and others
A RESOLUTION
Creating the House Study Committee on Medicaid Waiver Populations and Long-Term
Financial and Administrative Sustainability; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, Medicaid is a joint federal and state program designed to provide health
coverage and long-term services and supports to eligible beneficiaries, and Medicaid waiver
programs authorized under federal law allow states flexibility in the design and delivery of
services to targeted populations; and
WHEREAS, Medicaid waiver populations often include older adults, children with complex
medical needs, and individuals with disabilities who require long-term services and supports;
and
WHEREAS, states have significant flexibility in the design of Medicaid waiver programs,
including payment methodologies, payment rates, administrative structures, eligibility
parameters, types of services covered, and populations served; and
WHEREAS, examining the financial and administrative framework governing Medicaid
waiver populations will help Georgia ensure compliance with federal standards, enhance
accountability, and promote the long-term sustainability of providing services; and
WHEREAS, a comprehensive study of the Medicaid waiver population, the services
provided, and the framework for providing such services to such population will allow the
House of Representatives to develop informed recommendations for any needed legislative
action.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee
on Medicaid Waiver Populations and Long-Term Financial and Administrative
Sustainability.
(2) Members and officers. The committee shall be comprised of five members of the
House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives
with one of such number designated as chairperson of the committee.
(3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,
issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or
legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.
(4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee
may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or
convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and
accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.
(5) Allowances, expenses, and funding.
(A) The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided
for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.
(B) The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member
of the committee for more than three days unless additional days are authorized. Funds
necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds
appropriated to the House of Representatives; except that funds for the reimbursement
of the expenses of state officials, other than legislative members, and for the
reimbursement of expenses of state employees shall come from funds appropriated to
or otherwise available to their respective agencies.
(6) Report.
(A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that
include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the
same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to
subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.
(B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for
proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)
of this paragraph.
(C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of
abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.
A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with
the Clerk of the House of Representatives.
(D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the
House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu
thereof.
(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2026.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary.

A Georgia House resolution would create a five-member study committee to examine Medicaid waiver programs in Georgia, looking at how the state funds and administers long-term services for older adults, children with complex medical needs, and people with disabilities.

### Plain-language summary

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.

### What it does

- 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.

### Who it affects

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.

### Why it matters

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.

### Key provisions

- 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.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-03-10)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-03-25)
- Sponsors: Alan Powell, Darlene Taylor, Gerald Greene, Lee Hawkins, Ron Stephens, Demetrius Douglas
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74019

> The history, votes, and amendments (189 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1657.md?full=1