---
title: HR 1860. House Study Committee on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr1860
cite_as: HR 1860, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1860
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1860.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1860/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74380
date: 2026-03-31
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/hr1860.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 1860
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-03-23
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported
sponsors:
  - Scott Hilton
  - Katie Dempsey
  - Deborah Silcox
  - William Werkheiser
  - Jesse Petrea
  - Devan Seabaugh
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1860/2025
upstream_id: 2137379
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - disability services
  - Medicaid waivers
  - special education
  - caregiver support
  - long-term care planning
---

# HR 1860. House Study Committee on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities; create

## Text

House Resolution 1860
By: Representatives Hilton of the 48th, Dempsey of the 13th, Silcox of the 53rd, Werkheiser
of the 157th, Petrea of the 166th, and others
A RESOLUTION
Creating the House Study Committee on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes
for Individuals with Disabilities; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, Georgia offers a variety of programs and services for persons with disabilities
and their families, including federally funded programs and services administered across
multiple state agencies; and
WHEREAS, persons with disabilities and their families report difficulty identifying and
accessing all of the programs and services for which they may be eligible, including
challenges related to fragmented systems, lack of centralized information, and inconsistent
guidance; and
WHEREAS, persons with disabilities and their families report complicated application
processes, administrative burdens, and significant delays in enrollment and access to critical
services, including Medicaid waiver programs and family support services; and
WHEREAS, persons with disabilities frequently experience gaps and disruptions in services
during key life transitions, particularly upon completion of secondary education and entry
into adulthood, due to insufficient coordination among state agencies and service providers;
and
WHEREAS, schools are increasingly working to integrate students with disabilities into
general education settings, and questions remain regarding the availability of appropriate
supports, resources, and placements necessary to ensure successful integration, including the
ability to appropriately address serious behavioral incidents and maintain a safe and effective
learning environment for all; and
WHEREAS, the New Options Waiver Program (NOW) and the Comprehensive Supports
Waiver Program (COMP) provide essential services but are limited by waiting lists,
workforce shortages, and administrative barriers; and
WHEREAS, workforce shortages among direct support professionals, therapists, and other
providers limit access to care and contribute to delays and reduced quality of services; and
WHEREAS, families and caregivers often bear significant financial and caregiving burdens,
including providing uncompensated care and navigating complex systems on behalf of their
loved ones; and
WHEREAS, parents and caregivers of individuals with disabilities face increasing concern
regarding long-term planning, including housing, guardianship, financial security, and
continuity of care when such caregivers are no longer able to provide support; and
WHEREAS, addressing the needs of persons with disabilities requires coordinated
collaboration among all stakeholders, including individuals with disabilities, their families,
educators and schools, service providers, communities, and the state agencies that administer
programs and services; and
WHEREAS, a comprehensive examination of programs, services, and long-term outcomes
for persons with disabilities is needed to identify systemic challenges and develop effective,
sustainable solutions.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee
on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities.
(2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the
House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives. The Speaker shall designate a member of the committee 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. Such study shall
include, but shall not be limited to, addressing the following topics:
(A) Access to services and administrative barriers, including:
(i) Availability and accessibility of programs and services across state agencies;
(ii) Application processes, enrollment time lines, and administrative burdens; and
(iii) Opportunities to streamline processes and to improve access;
(B) Transition services and continuity of care, including:
(i) Gaps in services as individuals transition from school-based services to adulthood;
and
(ii) Coordination among the Department of Education, the Department of Behavioral
Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Community Health, and
the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency;
(C) Medicaid waivers and service capacity, including:
(i) Administration and availability of the NOW and COMP waiver programs;
(ii) Waiting lists and planning lists and strategies to reduce such lists; and
(iii) Flexibility in service delivery and barriers to access;
(D) Workforce and provider capacity, including:
(i) Workforce shortages in direct support professionals and specialized providers;
(ii) Provider reimbursement rates and their impact on access to care; and
(iii) Regulatory and administrative barriers affecting providers;
(E) Interagency coordination and information access, including:
(i) Coordination among state agencies administering programs and services; and
(ii) Opportunities to develop centralized information systems and improve
transparency for families;
(F) Family and caregiver support, including:
(i) Availability and adequacy of family support services;
(ii) Financial and caregiving burdens on families;
(iii) Access to early care and education programs for children with disabilities; and
(iv) Barriers faced by providers and potential incentives to expand access;
(G) Long-term planning and lifetime care, including:
(i) Housing options, including community-based and integrated settings;
(ii) Guardianship, supported decision-making, and long-term legal planning tools;
(iii) Financial planning mechanisms, including special needs trusts, ABLE accounts,
and estate planning tools, and coordination with public benefits eligibility; and
(iv) Continuity of care when parents or caregivers are no longer able to provide
support;
(H) Data, reporting, and accountability, including:
(i) Availability and use of data regarding services, outcomes, and system
performance; and
(ii) Opportunities to improve transparency and reporting;
(I) Integration in educational settings, including:
(i) The effectiveness and availability of appropriate supports in general education
settings; and
(ii) Resources, placements, and behavioral interventions to ensure successful
outcomes for such students and a safe and effective learning environment; and
(J) Any other issues the committee deems necessary to identify systemic challenges
and develop effective and sustainable solutions related to the conditions, needs, issues,
and problems mentioned above.
(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 and funding. 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. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any
member of the committee for more than five 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.
(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 services, waiting lists, and long-term care options for Georgians with disabilities and their families.

### Plain-language summary

This resolution sets up the House Study Committee on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities. It does not change any law itself; instead it directs five House members, appointed by the Speaker, to study how well Georgia's disability programs work and report back with findings or proposed legislation.
The committee is asked to look at a wide range of issues: administrative barriers to accessing services, gaps when students transition from school to adulthood, the NOW and COMP Medicaid waiver waiting lists, workforce shortages among direct support professionals, family caregiving burdens, long-term planning tools like guardianship and ABLE accounts, and integration of students with disabilities into general education classrooms. Members get standard legislative allowances for up to five meeting days, paid from House funds. The committee must file any approved report before it is abolished on December 1, 2026.

### What it does

- Creates a five-member House Study Committee on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities, appointed by the Speaker.
- Directs the committee to study access barriers, Medicaid waiver waiting lists, workforce shortages, and school transition gaps for people with disabilities.
- Authorizes the committee to hold meetings and recommend legislation, with the chairperson responsible for calling meetings and filing any final report.
- Provides legislative allowances under O.C.G.A. 28-1-8 for up to five meeting days, funded from the House of Representatives' budget.
- Sets an abolishment date of December 1, 2026, by which any approved report must be filed with the Clerk of the House.

### Who it affects

People with disabilities and their families who use Georgia's disability services, the five House members appointed to the committee, and state agencies including the Department of Education, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Community Health, and the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency.

### Why it matters

The committee itself changes no benefits or programs, but its findings could shape future legislation on Medicaid waiver waiting lists, school transition support, direct support worker shortages, and long-term care planning, areas families of people with disabilities have described as difficult to navigate.

### Key provisions

- Paragraph 1 creates the House Study Committee on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities.
- Paragraph 2 sets committee membership at five House members appointed by the Speaker, who also names the chairperson.
- Paragraph 3 lists ten study topics (A through J), including Medicaid waiver capacity, workforce shortages, family caregiver support, and long-term planning tools like guardianship and special needs trusts.
- Paragraph 5 authorizes standard legislative allowances for up to five meeting days, funded through the House of Representatives.
- Paragraph 6 requires any approved findings or legislative recommendations to be filed as a report with the Clerk of the House before abolishment.
- Paragraph 7 abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-03-23)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-03-31)
- Sponsors: Scott Hilton, Katie Dempsey, Deborah Silcox, William Werkheiser, Jesse Petrea, Devan Seabaugh
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74380

> The history, votes, and amendments (189 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1860.md?full=1