--- title: HR 685. House Study Committee on Mental Health Workforce Development; create collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr685 cite_as: HR 685, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr685 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr685.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr685/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71565 date: 2025-03-27 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr684.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr686.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr685.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 685 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-21 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Steven Sainz - Darlene Taylor - Jan Jones - Mary Oliver - Bethany Ballard text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR685/2025 upstream_id: 2012813 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - mental health - workforce development - rural health care - higher education - legislative study committee --- # HR 685. House Study Committee on Mental Health Workforce Development; create ## Text 25 LC 52 9002 House Resolution 685 By: Representatives Sainz of the 180th, Taylor of the 173rd, Jones of the 47th, Oliver of the 84th, and Ballard of the 147th A RESOLUTION Creating the House Study Committee on Mental Health Workforce D evelopment; and for1 other purposes.2 WHEREAS, according to the Health Resources and Services Adminis tration, the United3 States is experiencing a mental health crisis, and more than half of the U.S. population lives4 in a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area; and5 WHEREAS, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employmen t of substance use,6 behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors is projected to grow 19 percent from 20237 to 2033, which is much faster than the average for all occupations; and8 WHEREAS, the need for qualified clinical mental health professionals is at a critical level,9 particularly in rural Georgia; and10 WHEREAS, although undergraduate degrees in behavioral science, social work, sociology,11 or psychology can prepare students for graduate school, many students would prefer degrees12 that prepare them for immediate careers upon graduation; and13 H. R. 685 - 1 - 25 LC 52 9002 WHEREAS, providing qualified baccalaureate mental health professionals a path to licensure14 or certification would help alleviate the shortage of mental he alth professionals in the15 workforce in Georgia; and16 WHEREAS, an increase in the number of qualified mental health professionals in Georgia17 will ensure greater accessibility to mental health services; and18 WHEREAS, it would be beneficial to conduct a study to survey cu rrent undergraduate19 degrees and projected mental health careers available to colleg e graduates, evaluate20 employment needs and opportunities, and recommend mental health workforce development21 initiatives.22 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:23 (1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee24 on Mental Health Workforce Development.25 (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the26 House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of27 Representatives. The Speaker shall designate a member of the committee as chairperson28 of the committee.29 (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,30 issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or31 legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.32 (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee33 may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or34 convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and35 accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.36 H. R. 685 - 2 - 25 LC 52 9002 (5) Allowances and funding. The legislative members of the committee shall receive37 the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Offic ial Code of Georgia38 Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any39 member of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized.40 Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds41 appropriated to the House of Representatives.42 (6) Report.43 (A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that44 include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the45 same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolut ion, subject to46 subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.47 (B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not i nclude suggestions for48 proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)49 of this paragraph.50 (C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of51 abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.52 A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with53 the Clerk of the House of Representatives.54 (D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the55 House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu56 thereof.57 (7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.58 H. R. 685 - 3 - ## 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 the shortage of mental health professionals in the state, especially in rural areas, and recommend workforce solutions. ### Plain-language summary Georgia faces a shortage of mental health professionals, with more than half of the United States living in an area officially short on mental health providers. This resolution responds by creating the House Study Committee on Mental Health Workforce Development. The five member committee, appointed by the Speaker of the House, would study current undergraduate degree paths, projected mental health careers, and employment needs, then recommend legislation or other action to grow the mental health workforce, particularly by creating paths to licensure for bachelor's degree holders. The committee would fund itself through the House of Representatives' existing budget and standard legislative per diem allowances (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8). It must file any findings before it is automatically dissolved on December 1, 2025. ### What it does - Creates a five member House Study Committee on Mental Health Workforce Development, with members appointed by the Speaker of the House. - Directs the committee to study undergraduate degree options, projected mental health careers, and workforce shortages, especially in rural Georgia. - Authorizes the committee to recommend legislation or other action to address the mental health workforce shortage. - Allows committee members to receive standard legislative allowances for up to five days of meetings, paid from House funds. - Sets an automatic end date for the committee of December 1, 2025, after which it must file a report or meeting minutes. ### Who it affects The resolution directly affects members of the Georgia House of Representatives appointed to the committee. More broadly, its subject matter concerns college students studying behavioral science or psychology, aspiring mental health counselors, and Georgians, particularly in rural areas, seeking mental health care. ### Why it matters If mental health workforce shortages continue, especially in rural Georgia, residents may struggle to access counseling and treatment. This committee's study could lead to future legislation creating licensure paths for bachelor's degree holders, potentially expanding the pool of available mental health workers. ### Key provisions - Paragraph (1) creates the House Study Committee on Mental Health Workforce Development. - Paragraph (2) sets the committee at five House members appointed by the Speaker, who also names the chairperson. - Paragraph (3) directs the committee to study workforce shortages and recommend legislation or other action. - Paragraph (5) ties member pay to existing legislative allowances (O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8) for up to five meeting days, funded through the House of Representatives' budget. - Paragraph (6) requires a report on findings or recommended legislation, approved by majority vote, filed with the Clerk of the House before abolishment. - Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-21) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-27) - Sponsors: Steven Sainz, Darlene Taylor, Jan Jones, Mary Oliver, Bethany Ballard - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71565 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr685.md?full=1