---
title: SR 1051. Senate Study Committee on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sr1051
cite_as: SR 1051, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1051
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1051.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1051/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74495
date: 2026-03-27
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: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1051.md?full=1
bill_number: SR 1051
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-03-25
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
  - Drew Echols
  - Chuck Hufstetler
  - Steve Gooch
  - Timothy Bearden
  - Russ Goodman
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR1051/2025
upstream_id: 2138472
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - disability services
  - Medicaid waivers
  - special education
  - caregiver support
  - long-term care planning
---

# SR 1051. Senate Study Committee on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities; create

## Text

Senate Resolution 1051
By: Senators Echols of the 49th, Hufstetler of the 52nd, Gooch of the 51st, Bearden of the
30th and Goodman of the 8th
A RESOLUTION
Creating the Senate Study Committee on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes
for Individuals with Disabilities; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, Georgia offers a variety of programs and services for persons with disabilities
and their families, including federally funded programs and services administered across
multiple state agencies; and
WHEREAS, persons with disabilities and their families report difficulty identifying and
accessing all of the programs and services for which they may be eligible, including
challenges related to fragmented systems, lack of centralized information, and inconsistent
guidance; and
WHEREAS, persons with disabilities and their families report complicated application
processes, administrative burdens, and significant delays in enrollment and access to critical
services, including Medicaid waiver programs and family support services; and
WHEREAS, persons with disabilities frequently experience gaps and disruptions in services
during key life transitions, particularly upon completion of secondary education and entry
into adulthood, due to insufficient coordination among state agencies and service providers;
and
WHEREAS, schools are increasingly working to integrate students with disabilities into
general education settings, and questions remain regarding the availability of appropriate
supports, resources, and placements necessary to ensure successful integration, including the
ability to appropriately address serious behavioral incidents and maintain a safe and effective
learning environment for all; and
WHEREAS, the New Options Waiver Program (NOW) and the Comprehensive Supports
Waiver Program (COMP) provide essential services but are limited by waiting lists,
workforce shortages, and administrative barriers; and
WHEREAS, workforce shortages among direct support professionals, therapists, and other
providers limit access to care and contribute to delays and reduced quality of services; and
WHEREAS, families and caregivers often bear significant financial and caregiving burdens,
including providing uncompensated care and navigating complex systems on behalf of their
loved ones; and
WHEREAS, parents and caregivers of individuals with disabilities face increasing concern
regarding long-term planning, including housing, guardianship, financial security, and
continuity of care when such caregivers are no longer able to provide support; and
WHEREAS, addressing the needs of persons with disabilities requires coordinated
collaboration among all stakeholders, including individuals with disabilities, their families,
educators and schools, service providers, communities, and the state agencies that administer
programs and services; and
WHEREAS, a comprehensive examination of programs, services, and long-term outcomes
for persons with disabilities is needed to identify systemic challenges and develop effective,
sustainable solutions.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE:
(1) Creation of Senate study committee. There is created the Senate Study Committee
on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities.
(2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the
Senate to be appointed by the President of the Senate. The President 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. Such study shall
include, but shall not be limited to, addressing the following topics:
(A) Access to services and administrative barriers, including:
(i) Availability and accessibility of programs and services across state agencies;
(ii) Application processes, enrollment time lines, and administrative burdens; and
(iii) Opportunities to streamline processes and to improve access;
(B) Transition services and continuity of care, including:
(i) Gaps in services as individuals transition from school-based services to adulthood;
and
(ii) Coordination among the Department of Education, the Department of Behavioral
Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Community Health, and
the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency;
(C) Medicaid waivers and service capacity, including:
(i) Administration and availability of the NOW and COMP waiver programs;
(ii) Waiting lists and planning lists and strategies to reduce such lists; and
(iii) Flexibility in service delivery and barriers to access;
(D) Workforce and provider capacity, including:
(i) Workforce shortages in direct support professionals and specialized providers;
(ii) Provider reimbursement rates and their impact on access to care; and
(iii) Regulatory and administrative barriers affecting providers;
(E) Interagency coordination and information access, including:
(i) Coordination among state agencies administering programs and services; and
(ii) Opportunities to develop centralized information systems and improve
transparency for families;
(F) Family and caregiver support, including:
(i) Availability and adequacy of family support services;
(ii) Financial and caregiving burdens on families;
(iii) Access to early care and education programs for children with disabilities; and
(iv) Barriers faced by providers and potential incentives to expand access;
(G) Long-term planning and lifetime care, including:
(i) Housing options, including community-based and integrated settings;
(ii) Guardianship, supported decision-making, and long-term legal planning tools;
(iii) Financial planning mechanisms, including special needs trusts, ABLE accounts,
and estate planning tools, and coordination with public benefits eligibility; and
(iv) Continuity of care when parents or caregivers are no longer able to provide
support;
(H) Data, reporting, and accountability, including:
(i) Availability and use of data regarding services, outcomes, and system
performance; and
(ii) Opportunities to improve transparency and reporting;
(I) Integration in educational settings, including:
(i) The effectiveness and availability of appropriate supports in general education
settings; and
(ii) Resources, placements, and behavioral interventions to ensure successful
outcomes for such students and a safe and effective learning environment; and
(J) Any other issues the committee deems necessary to identify systemic challenges
and develop effective and sustainable solutions related to the conditions, needs, issues,
and problems mentioned above.
(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 Senate.
(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 Secretary of the Senate.
(D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Secretary
of the Senate 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 Senate resolution would create a five-member study committee to examine Georgia's services for people with disabilities, from Medicaid waivers to school transitions to long-term care planning, and report findings by December 2026.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia offers many programs for people with disabilities, but families report trouble finding and accessing them because of fragmented systems, complicated applications, and long delays, especially for Medicaid waiver programs. This resolution creates the Senate Study Committee on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities to look into these problems.
The five-member committee, appointed by the President of the Senate, would study topics including access barriers, transitions from school to adulthood, the NOW and COMP Medicaid waiver waiting lists, workforce shortages among care providers, family caregiver burdens, and long-term planning issues like housing and guardianship. It would also examine how well students with disabilities are integrated into general education. The committee can recommend legislation, must file any approved report before it disbands, and is set to be abolished on December 1, 2026.

### What it does

- Creates a five-member Senate Study Committee on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities, appointed by the President of the Senate.
- Directs the committee to study access barriers, application delays, and coordination gaps across state agencies serving people with disabilities.
- Requires examination of the NOW and COMP Medicaid waiver programs, including waiting lists and workforce shortages among care providers.
- Assigns the committee to study long-term planning issues like housing, guardianship, special needs trusts, and continuity of care for aging caregivers.
- Sets legislative per diem allowances for committee members under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at five days unless more are authorized.
- Abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026, requiring any approved findings or legislative recommendations to be filed before that date.

### Who it affects

People with disabilities and their families in Georgia, state agencies including the Department of Education, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Community Health, and the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, direct support professionals and other care providers, and the five senators appointed to the committee.

### Why it matters

If created, the committee would give lawmakers a formal venue to investigate long-standing complaints about fragmented disability services, Medicaid waiver waiting lists, and gaps when young people age out of school-based support, potentially shaping future legislation on these issues.

### Key provisions

- Paragraph 1 creates the Senate Study Committee on Comprehensive Services and Long-term Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities.
- Paragraph 2 sets committee membership at five senators appointed by the President of the Senate, who also names the chairperson.
- Paragraph 3 lists ten study areas (A through J), including access barriers, Medicaid waivers, workforce shortages, family caregiver support, and long-term legal and financial planning.
- Paragraph 5 provides legislative allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, limited to five days of pay unless additional days are authorized, funded from Senate appropriations.
- Paragraph 6 requires any approved report or legislative recommendations to be filed with the Secretary of the Senate before the committee's abolishment date.
- Paragraph 7 abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-03-25)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-03-27)
- Sponsors: Drew Echols, Chuck Hufstetler, Steve Gooch, Timothy Bearden, Russ Goodman
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74495

> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1051.md?full=1