---
title: HR 397. House Study Committee on Healthcare Quality and Reporting; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr397
cite_as: HR 397, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr397
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr397.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr397/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70856
date: 2025-02-28
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-12
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: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr397.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 397
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2025-02-26
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Sharon Cooper
  - Deborah Silcox
  - Mark Newton
  - Michelle Au
  - Lee Hawkins
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR397/2025
upstream_id: 1986203
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - healthcare quality
  - Medicaid
  - healthcare data reporting
  - study committee
  - health insurance regulation
---

# HR 397. House Study Committee on Healthcare Quality and Reporting; create

## Text

House Resolution 397
By: Representatives Cooper of the 45th, Silcox of the 53rd, Newton of the 127th, Au of the
50th, and Hawkins of the 27th
A RESOLUTION
Creating the House Study Committee on Healthcare Quality and Reporting; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS, healthcare quality, cost, and accessibility are key concerns for the residents of
Georgia; and
WHEREAS, the establishment of a standardized healthcare reporting initiative aims to
measure and improve the quality of healthcare services across the state; and
WHEREAS, a comprehensive system for collecting, analyzing, and reporting clinical and
claims data can improve patient outcomes and reduce overall healthcare costs; and
WHEREAS, integrating electronic health records and claims data will enhance transparency
in healthcare services, improve substance use disorder treatment, and foster clinical research
in Georgia; and
WHEREAS, it is essential to examine the implications of healthcare reporting on providers,
Medicaid recipients, and insurance entities operating in Georgia; and
WHEREAS, it is in the State's best interest to ensure that data collection and reporting
processes comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and
other relevant regulations; and
WHEREAS, penalties and enforcement mechanisms need to be assessed to ensure
compliance with reporting requirements while minimizing the administrative burden on
healthcare providers; and
WHEREAS, it would be beneficial to:
(1) Evaluate the impact of healthcare reporting on Medicaid care management
organizations and healthcare providers;
(2) Assess the effectiveness of data integration between clinical and claims records in
measuring healthcare quality;
(3) Examine best practices for implementing healthcare reporting and ensuring compliance
among participating entities;
(4) Investigate the role of statewide healthcare data initiatives in supporting reporting
efforts;
(5) Consider the implications of penalties and enforcement measures on Medicaid care
management organizations and insurers; and
(6) Ensure that healthcare providers are not unduly burdened with costs or administrative
requirements related to compliance with reporting mandates.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee
on Healthcare Quality and Reporting.
(2) Members and officers.
(A) The committee shall be composed of nine members.
(B) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint five members of the
House of Representatives.
(C) The Speaker shall also appoint an additional four nonlegislative members of the
committee as follows:
(i) One representative from the Georgia Department of Community Health;
(ii) One representative from a statewide healthcare data initiative;
(iii) One practicing healthcare data analyst; and
(iv) One representative from a Medicaid care management organization.
(D) The Speaker shall also designate a legislative 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.
(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) Members of the committee who are state officials, other than legislative members,
or who are state employees shall receive no compensation for their services on the
committee, but they may be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in the
performance of their duties as members of the committee in the same manner as they
are reimbursed for expenses in their capacities as state officials or employees.
(C) Members of the committee who are not legislators, state officials, or state
employees shall receive a daily expense allowance in an amount the same as that
specified in subsection (b) of Code Section 45-7-21 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, as well as the mileage or transportation allowance authorized for state
employees.
(D) 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; except that funds for the reimbursement
of the expenses of state officials, other than legislative members, and for the
reimbursement of the 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, 2025.

## 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 study committee to examine healthcare data reporting, its effect on Medicaid managed care and providers, and how to enforce compliance without overburdening the industry.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia lawmakers have raised concerns about healthcare quality, cost, and how clinical and claims data are collected and reported. This resolution does not change any law directly. Instead, it creates the House Study Committee on Healthcare Quality and Reporting to look into these issues over the coming months.
The nine-member committee would include five state representatives and four non-legislative members from the Department of Community Health, a statewide healthcare data initiative, a healthcare data analyst, and a Medicaid care management organization. It would study topics such as data integration between clinical and claims records, HIPAA compliance, and penalties for noncompliance, then report any recommended legislation. The committee would be funded through existing House appropriations and would automatically end on December 1, 2025.

### What it does

- Creates the nine-member House Study Committee on Healthcare Quality and Reporting to examine healthcare data reporting issues in Georgia.
- Directs the Speaker of the House to appoint five legislative members and four non-legislative members, including a Department of Community Health representative and a Medicaid care management organization representative.
- Authorizes the committee to study healthcare reporting's effect on Medicaid care management organizations, insurers, and providers, and to recommend legislation.
- Sets daily expense allowances and mileage reimbursement for committee members under existing state pay rules (O.C.G.A. §§ 28-1-8 and 45-7-21).
- Requires the committee to file a report or meeting minutes with the Clerk of the House before it disbands.
- Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2025.

### Who it affects

The resolution affects the state representatives and outside experts who would serve on the committee, along with the Georgia Department of Community Health, Medicaid care management organizations, healthcare data analysts, insurers, and healthcare providers whose data practices the committee would study.

### Why it matters

No law changes immediately, but the committee's work could shape future legislation on how Georgia collects and reports healthcare data, which affects patient privacy protections, provider paperwork burdens, and how Medicaid managed care performance gets measured and penalized.

### Key provisions

- Paragraph (1) formally creates the House Study Committee on Healthcare Quality and Reporting.
- Paragraph (2) sets committee membership at nine: five legislators appointed by the Speaker and four non-legislative members representing state health agencies, a data initiative, a data analyst, and a Medicaid managed care organization.
- Paragraph (3) charges the committee with studying healthcare reporting issues and recommending action or legislation.
- Paragraph (5) sets member allowances, capping paid days at five unless additional days are authorized, funded through House appropriations.
- Paragraph (6) requires a majority-approved report or, absent that, meeting minutes to be filed with the Clerk of the House before the committee dissolves.
- Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-02-26)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-28)
- Sponsors: Sharon Cooper, Deborah Silcox, Mark Newton, Michelle Au, Lee Hawkins
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70856

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr397.md?full=1