Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HR 816: House Study Committee on an At-Risk Populations Abuse Registry; create
Last action April 4, 2025 · House Withdrawn, Recommitted
A House resolution would create an eight-member study committee to examine whether Georgia should build a registry of people found to have abused, neglected, or exploited people with disabilities and older adults.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia does not currently keep a statewide registry of people substantiated to have abused, neglected, or exploited at-risk populations such as people with disabilities and older adults. This resolution would create the House Study Committee on an At-Risk Populations Abuse Registry to look into whether Georgia should set one up, modeled partly on a similar registry already used in Tennessee. The eight-member committee, made up of three House members and five nonlegislative appointees including a public health official and advocacy representatives, would study costs, due process protections, appeals, and the effect on hiring in caregiving jobs. It would gather input from advocacy groups, care providers, law enforcement, and the public, then report any findings or proposed legislation. The committee would be funded through existing House appropriations and would stand abolished on December 1, 2025.
What the bill does
- Creates the House Study Committee on an At-Risk Populations Abuse Registry to study a possible Georgia registry of substantiated abusers of at-risk people.
- Sets committee membership at eight: three House members appointed by the Speaker and five nonlegislative appointees, including a public health official and advocacy representatives.
- Directs the committee to review Tennessee's registry model and assess costs, due process, and hiring impacts of a Georgia version.
- Requires the committee to solicit input from advocacy groups, care providers, law enforcement, and the public before reporting.
- Funds legislative member allowances from existing House appropriations and caps allowances at five days unless extended.
- Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2025, after any report is filed.
Who it affects
People with disabilities, older adults, and other at-risk populations who could be covered by a future abuse registry; caregiving and health care employers who could face new hiring checks; advocacy organizations; the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council; and House members appointed to the study committee.
Why it matters
If the committee recommends creating a registry, it could change how Georgia screens caregivers and health workers and how substantiated abuse cases are tracked and disclosed. For now, the resolution only sets up a study process, not any new registry or requirement.
Key provisions
- Paragraph (1) creates the House Study Committee on an At-Risk Populations Abuse Registry.
- Paragraph (2) sets membership at three House members and five nonlegislative appointees, including a public health commissioner designee and disability and elder rights advocates.
- Paragraph (3) directs the committee to review Tennessee's registry, assess feasibility and costs, examine hiring impacts, and consider appeal and removal mechanisms.
- Paragraph (5) funds legislative member allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8 through House appropriations, capped at five days unless extended.
- 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, 2025.
From the bill
“individuals who have been substantiated to have committed abuse, neglect, or exploitation of at-risk populations, including individuals with disabilities and older adults, should be properly documented to prevent future harm”
“Assess the feasibility of implementing a registry in Georgia, including potential costs, administrative procedures, and due process protections”
Discussed in meetings (1)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House Human Relations & Aging Committee, February 10, 2026
From 0:40:55 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented HR 816 to create a study committee on an at-risk populations abuse registry, saying the committee had approved the resolution unanimously the previous year but it had not advanced through Rules. The sponsor described three House members and five nonlegislative members studying Tennessee’s registry, hiring effects, appeals, removal procedures and public input. A Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities witness said criminal-background checks miss substantiated abuse without convictions, allowing workers to change employers without disclosure. Citing state data for NOW/COMP waiver recipients, the witness said nine people died from abuse or neglect in 2024 and argued that a registry could have prevented at least two deaths. The witness also reported seven staff with at least two substantiated incidents and two with at least three. The witness described Georgia’s existing registry as limited and voluntary, and Tennessee’s as broader, with worker protections and safeguards for minor mistakes. The chair supported studying broader coverage but cautioned that legal issues were complicated. Asked about agency involvement, the witness said the Department of Community Health had expressed support, but administrative-hearings officials had not joined discussions. No vote occurred.
Status timeline
- House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Scott Hilton (R, HD-48)
- Jesse Petrea (R, HD-166)
- Bill Werkheiser (R, HD-157)
- Katie Dempsey (R, HD-13)
- Sharon Cooper (R, HD-45)
- Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)
Topics
- disability rights
- elder abuse prevention
- caregiving oversight
- legislative study committee