HR1110: HR1110 General Assembly; support enactment of legislation to establish and maintain a comprehensive electronic inpatient psychiatric bed registry; urge

Georgia currently has no centralized, real-time system for tracking which inpatient psychiatric beds are open across the state. This resolution does not create that system itself; instead it formally expresses the General Assembly's support for separate legislation, described as proposed in the 2026 session, that would build and maintain such a registry. The resolution says the registry legislation should include strong privacy protections, real-time data updates, enforcement mechanisms, adequate funding, and participation from both public and private psychiatric providers. It also calls for transparent reporting and attention to regional gaps in access. Finally, it asks the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to implement the registry quickly once the underlying bill passes, working with stakeholders and reporting progress to the General Assembly. A copy would be sent to the Governor and the department.

• Formally states the General Assembly's support for enacting separate legislation to create a comprehensive electronic inpatient psychiatric bed registry in Georgia.
• Recommends that the registry legislation include privacy protections, real-time data updating requirements, enforcement mechanisms, funding, and both public and private provider participation.
• Urges that the registry produce transparent reporting and address regional disparities in access to psychiatric beds.
• Calls on the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to implement the registry quickly after the bill passes and report progress to the General Assembly.
• Directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to the Governor and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

The resolution touches emergency departments, community mental health providers, law enforcement agencies, crisis hotlines, health plans, families seeking psychiatric care, psychiatric facilities, and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, which would be asked to build and run the registry.

If the underlying registry legislation is later enacted, hospitals, crisis lines, and families could more easily locate open psychiatric beds, potentially reducing delays and transfer problems. This resolution itself does not change law; it signals legislative support and sets expectations for what any future bill should contain.

• Paragraph 1 states the General Assembly's strong support for enacting legislation to establish and maintain an electronic inpatient psychiatric bed registry.
• Paragraph 2 recommends the legislation include privacy protections, real-time data updating, enforcement mechanisms, adequate funding, and both public and private provider participation.
• Paragraph 3 urges that the registry be structured for transparent reporting and to address regional disparities in access, while remaining accessible to patients, families, and practitioners.
• Paragraph 4 calls on the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to implement the registry after the described bill passes, in consultation with stakeholders, and to report progress to the General Assembly.
• A final resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to transmit a copy to the Governor and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

1. 2026-02-02House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-01-29House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-01-28House Hopper (House)

• Sandra Scott (D, HD-076)Primary sponsor
• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)
• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)

• mental health care
• psychiatric beds
• behavioral health policy
• hospital access
• crisis response