--- title: SR 151. Self-Direction Day; recognize February 26, 2025 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr151 cite_as: SR 151, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr151 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr151.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr151/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70104 date: 2025-02-11 status: passed 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr150.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr152.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr151.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 151 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-11 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Matt Brass - Larry Walker - Jason Anavitarte - Bo Hatchett - Chuck Payne - Randy Robertson - Tonya Anderson - Harold Jones - Frank Ginn - RaShaun Kemp - Freddie Sims - Derek Mallow - Ricky Williams - Brian Strickland - Kay Kirkpatrick - Sam Watson - Timothy Bearden - Blake Tillery - Clint Dixon text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR151/2025 upstream_id: 1964585 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - disability services - home and community-based services - Medicaid waivers - Georgia Senate resolution --- # SR 151. Self-Direction Day; recognize February 26, 2025 ## Text Senate Resolution 151 By: Senators Brass of the 6th, Walker III of the 20th, Anavitarte of the 31st, Hatchett of the 50th, Payne of the 54th and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing February 26, 2025, as Self-Direction Day; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, self-direction is an optional model of home and community-based service (HCBS) delivery that enables individuals of all ages, with all types of disabilities, to maintain their independence at home in their local community; and WHEREAS, when an individual chooses to self-direct, they decide how, when, and from whom their services and paid supports will be delivered; self-direction gives individuals the freedom of choice and self-determination about their services and supports to live independently in their own homes and communities; and WHEREAS, the central goal of self-direction is to maximize an individual's opportunities to live independently in the most integrated community-based setting of his or her choice; and WHEREAS, self-direction strategies shift control over resources and staffing to the individual, allowing each person to determine the role that service providers will play in his or her life; and WHEREAS, a range of benefits have been noted when individuals participate in self-directed services, including improved satisfaction with support services, better quality of life, reduced costs compared to provider-directed services, and less institutional stays; and WHEREAS, the program also empowers individuals participating in public programs and their families by expanding their degree of choice and control over their long-term services and supports; and WHEREAS, self-direction further provides attractive alternatives to individuals who find the traditional services system inflexible, as well as those who have been unable to receive all the services they need; and WHEREAS, self-direction was implemented in Georgia beginning with a small number of participants in the Independent Care Waiver Program in April 2005; and WHEREAS, to date, the self-direction model is available in Georgia in five different Home and Community-Based Waiver Programs, which provide the elderly and disabled with necessary medical care and services. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize February 26, 2025, as Self-Direction Day. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the press. ## 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 Senate resolution designates February 26, 2025 as Self-Direction Day, honoring a home and community-based services model that lets people with disabilities direct their own care. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally recognizes February 26, 2025 as Self-Direction Day in honor of a service delivery option called self-direction, which lets people with disabilities and elderly Georgians choose how, when, and from whom they receive home and community-based care and support. The resolution describes how self-direction gives individuals more control over their services, can improve satisfaction and quality of life, and has been part of Georgia's Medicaid waiver programs since it began in the Independent Care Waiver Program in April 2005. It notes the model is now available through five different Home and Community-Based Waiver Programs in Georgia. The resolution directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies to the public and press. ### What it does - Formally designates February 26, 2025 as Self-Direction Day in Georgia. - Recites the history and benefits of self-direction as a model for delivering home and community-based services (HCBS) to people with disabilities and elderly residents. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies of the resolution available to the public and press. - Does not create, fund, or alter any state program, agency duty, or law. ### Who it affects People with disabilities and elderly Georgians who use Home and Community-Based Waiver Programs, their families, and the state agencies that administer these Medicaid waiver services, since the resolution highlights a service option already available to them. ### Why it matters Because this is a ceremonial resolution, it does not change funding, eligibility, or services for anyone. Its main effect is to publicly highlight the self-direction option within Georgia's home and community-based waiver programs, which some families rely on for more control over their care. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses describe self-direction as letting individuals choose how, when, and from whom their services are delivered. - States self-direction began in Georgia in April 2005 through the Independent Care Waiver Program and is now available in five Home and Community-Based Waiver Programs. - The resolving clause designates February 26, 2025 as Self-Direction Day. - A further resolution clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-11) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-11) - Sponsors: Matt Brass, Larry Walker, Jason Anavitarte, Bo Hatchett, Chuck Payne, Randy Robertson, Tonya Anderson, Harold Jones, Frank Ginn, RaShaun Kemp, Freddie Sims, Derek Mallow, Ricky Williams, Brian Strickland, Kay Kirkpatrick, Sam Watson, Timothy Bearden, Blake Tillery, Clint Dixon - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70104 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr151.md?full=1