---
title: HR 592. House Study Committee on Noncompete Clauses in Physician Contracts; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr592
cite_as: HR 592, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr592
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr592.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr592/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71354
date: 2026-02-19
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: 305
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr592.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 592
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2025-03-13
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
sponsors:
  - Mark Newton
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR592/2025
upstream_id: 2006972
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - physician noncompete clauses
  - health care policy
  - medical contracts
  - legislative study committees
---

# HR 592. House Study Committee on Noncompete Clauses in Physician Contracts; create

## Text

The House Committee on Health offers the following substitute to HR 592:
A RESOLUTION
Creating the House Study Committee on Noncompete Clauses in Physician Contracts; and
for other purposes.
WHEREAS, a noncompete clause in a physician contract, also known as a restrictive
covenant, restricts a doctor from practicing medicine within a specific geographic area for
a certain period of time after leaving employment; and
WHEREAS, critics argue noncompete clauses can limit patient access to care by restricting
where a physician can practice, potentially disrupting continuity of care; and
WHEREAS, the American Medical Association (AMA) generally opposes noncompete
clauses for physicians, believing they hinder career advancement and can negatively impact
patient care; and
WHEREAS, while AMA policy doesn't support a total ban on noncompete provisions, an
AMA policy was adopted in 2023 to support banning noncompete contracts for physicians
in clinical practice who are employed by for-profit or nonprofit hospitals, hospital systems,
or staffing company employers; and
WHEREAS, Georgia law does not prohibit restrictive covenants in physician contracts,
although Georgia courts will review the breadth of restrictions imposed, such as duration,
territory, and scope; and
WHEREAS, it would be beneficial to conduct a study to evaluate the effect on patient care
and our state healthcare system by noncompete clauses in physician contracts and whether
any changes to current law may be warranted.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee
on Noncompete Clauses in Physician Contracts.
(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.
(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 study committee to examine noncompete clauses in physician contracts and their effect on patient care, reporting recommendations by December 2026.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia law currently allows noncompete clauses (also called restrictive covenants) in physician contracts, which can bar a doctor from practicing in a certain area for a set time after leaving a job. Courts review how broad these restrictions are, but there is no outright ban. This resolution does not change that law directly. Instead, it creates the House Study Committee on Noncompete Clauses in Physician Contracts to look into how these clauses affect patient access to care and the state's health care system.
The committee would have five House members appointed by the Speaker, who also names the chairperson. It can meet as needed, and members get standard legislative allowances (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) for up to five days unless more are approved. The committee must file any findings or proposed legislation with the Clerk of the House before it is abolished on December 1, 2026.

### What it does

- Creates the House Study Committee on Noncompete Clauses in Physician Contracts, made up of five House members appointed by the Speaker.
- Directs the committee to study how noncompete clauses in physician contracts affect patient care and the state health care system.
- Allows the committee to recommend legislation or other action based on its findings.
- Sets legislative allowances for committee members under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at five days unless extended.
- Requires any approved findings or proposed legislation to be filed with the Clerk of the House before the committee ends.
- Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2026.

### Who it affects

Physicians who sign employment contracts with noncompete clauses, hospitals and health systems that use such clauses, patients whose access to care could be affected by physician relocation limits, and the five House members appointed to the study committee.

### Why it matters

The resolution itself changes nothing about current law, which still allows noncompete clauses for physicians in Georgia. But the study could lead to future legislation affecting whether doctors can be restricted from practicing nearby after leaving a job, which touches physician career mobility and patient access to care.

### Key provisions

- Paragraph (1) creates the House Study Committee on Noncompete Clauses in Physician Contracts.
- Paragraph (2) sets the committee at five House members appointed by the Speaker, who also designates the chairperson.
- Paragraph (3) gives the committee power to study the issue and recommend legislation it finds necessary.
- Paragraph (5) ties member allowances to O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8 and limits paid days to five unless additional days are authorized, funded through House appropriations.
- Paragraph (6) requires any approved report or recommended legislation to be filed with the Clerk of the House before abolishment, or minutes filed if no report is approved.
- Paragraph (7) sets the committee's abolishment date as December 1, 2026.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-03-13)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (2026-02-19)
- Sponsors: Mark Newton
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71354

> The history, votes, and amendments (305 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr592.md?full=1