SB 500: Behavioral Health Care Workforce Data Base; expand to include data from licensed health care professionals

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Discussed in meetings (13)

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.

1. Senate Health and Human Services Committee, February 23, 2026

   From 0:12:18 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would expand an existing health care workforce database to help identify whether Georgia has enough providers and where they are needed. According to the sponsor, nine licensing agencies would join five already reporting data, bringing the total to 14. The sponsor said the bill would authorize agreements with licensing agencies, outside funding and a public workforce dashboard. The proposed survey would include insurance accepted and participation in Medicare and Medicaid. In response to the chair, the sponsor confirmed that names and personal information would not be included, while age information would be collected. A committee member asked where the underlying data requirements appeared in the text. The sponsor explained that the bill amended existing law and that a prepared substitute showing the existing language had not reached committee staff in time. The member offered to follow up separately. The chair confirmed that the committee was considering the original bill, not that substitute. The committee unanimously approved it.

2. Senate Rules Committee, February 25, 2026

   From 0:34:02 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor described the bill as a Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce measure to expand information about healthcare providers and their locations. The sponsor said the board already had agreements with five licensing agencies and the bill would add nine agencies to improve the statewide picture and help manage the information. No questions followed. The committee later unanimously included the bill on the floor calendar.

3. Senate floor session, February 26, 2026 (legislative day 25)

   From 3:55:13 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Third Read)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 500 would expand the existing behavioral healthcare workforce database to cover more licensed healthcare professionals, adding reporting from nine licensing boards and agencies. The sponsor said the information would help assess whether Georgia has enough providers in different areas and support workforce planning. The sponsor described agreements with licensing entities, a standard survey, authority to seek outside funding and a possible public dashboard. The sponsor said collected information would exclude names and Social Security numbers but include insurance acceptance, including Medicare and Medicaid. The clerk's reading said the database would be renamed the Healthcare Workforce Database. No senators asked questions or spoke against the bill. It passed 46 to 3.

4. House Public and Community Health Committee, March 17, 2026

   From 0:22:17 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 500 would expand the Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce’s database to help identify shortages and guide workforce planning. The sponsor said existing law covers five licensing agencies, the original bill would add nine, and the substitute would add one more, bringing the total to 15. The sponsor said the bill would authorize agreements with licensing agencies, additional funding sources and a public dashboard, without collecting names or Social Security numbers. Asked whether the work was funded, the board’s executive director said existing resources and licensing systems could support the expansion. A member asked whether the data would distinguish active practitioners from people who only hold licenses. The executive director said existing questions cover hours worked and time spent on patient care, research and other activities. In response to other questions, the executive director said surveys accompany license renewals, questions could be tailored with licensing boards, and results would be publicly available, including geographic displays. The sponsor and executive director said insurance acceptance information could help explain access to care; the executive director clarified that existing law already requests it. The committee approved the substitute by voice vote.

5. House Rules Committee, March 23, 2026

   From 0:18:48 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 500 would add 10 types of licensed health care professionals to the Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce database, roughly doubling its scope. The sponsor said the information would concern practice types, accepted insurance and similar details rather than personal information, helping state officials identify where providers are needed. A committee member supported the proposal as a way to guide efforts to attract providers to underserved areas. Later, the committee placed the bill on the day's calendar without stated opposition.

6. House floor session, March 23, 2026 (legislative day 36, PM)

   From 1:14:34 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 3002

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 500 would expand the behavioral healthcare workforce database to cover licensed healthcare professionals and increase participating licensing boards from five to 15. The sponsor said each board would maintain workforce data, work with state leaders and agencies, seek grants and federal funding, and provide an online dashboard. A member asked whether funding was allocated to implement the database. The sponsor's initial answer was unclear, but when asked specifically about the 2027 budget, the sponsor said their understanding was that funding was included. The House adopted the committee substitute and passed the bill 164 to 1.

7. Senate floor session, March 27, 2026 (legislative day 38)

   From 6:02:21 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 500 would expand the Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce's existing provider database to include additional licensing agencies and healthcare professionals. The sponsor said the Senate version added nine agencies and the House added a tenth. The clerk described renaming the behavioral healthcare database as the Healthcare Workforce Database. No questions or opposition followed. The Senate agreed to the House substitute 45-2.

• Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 17, 2026 (legislative day 19), 0:30:00
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 24, 2026 (legislative day 23), 0:19:25
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 25, 2026 (legislative day 24), 0:36:20
• Read aloud: House floor session, March 3, 2026 (legislative day 26, AM), 0:39:21
• Read aloud: House floor session, March 4, 2026 (legislative day 27, AM), 0:58:52
• Read aloud: House floor session, March 18, 2026 (legislative day 33), 0:53:03

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