HB1150: HB1150 Professions and businesses; expand certain advanced practice registered nurse and physician assistant prescriptive authorizations

Under current Georgia law, advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs) can be authorized by a supervising physician or nurse protocol to issue short-term emergency prescriptions for drugs like hydrocodone and oxycodone, but only for patients 18 or older. This bill adds a new, separate category for stimulant medications (such as those used to treat ADHD) and does not carry over the age-18 restriction to that category, meaning APRNs and PAs could prescribe stimulants to minors. The bill amends O.C.G.A. § 43-34-25 (governing APRNs) and § 43-34-103 (governing physician assistants) by adding a legal definition of 'stimulant' tied to Georgia's Schedule II controlled substance law (O.C.G.A. § 16-13-26), creating new authorization pathways for stimulant prescriptions, and requiring one additional hour of continuing education every two years on stimulant prescribing. It also repeals any conflicting laws.

• Adds a legal definition of 'stimulant' to Georgia's nurse and physician assistant prescribing law, tied to the state's controlled substances schedule (O.C.G.A. § 16-13-26).
• Creates a new authorization allowing advanced practice registered nurses to issue prescription drug orders for stimulants under a nurse protocol agreement, separate from the existing hydrocodone/oxycodone emergency rule.
• Removes the requirement that a patient be 18 or older before an APRN or physician assistant can prescribe a stimulant, a restriction that still applies to hydrocodone and oxycodone orders.
• Lets a supervising physician delegate stimulant-prescribing authority to a physician assistant under similar experience and evaluation conditions.
• Requires APRNs and physician assistants who prescribe stimulants to complete one additional hour of continuing education every two years on proper stimulant use.
• Requires APRNs and PAs to have at least one year of post-licensure clinical experience and good standing with their licensing board before being authorized to prescribe stimulants.

Advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants who prescribe medication under physician supervision or nurse protocol agreements, the physicians who supervise and delegate authority to them, and patients, including minors, who may be prescribed stimulant medications such as ADHD drugs.

Patients, including children and teenagers, could get stimulant prescriptions directly from an APRN or physician assistant rather than needing a physician's own prescription, potentially making treatment for conditions like ADHD faster to access in areas with fewer doctors.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 43-34-25 by adding a definition of 'stimulant' based on Georgia's Schedule II controlled substance list.
• Section 1 adds new subsection (d.2), letting APRNs with at least one year of post-licensure experience issue stimulant prescriptions under a nurse protocol agreement after directly evaluating the patient.
• Section 1 keeps the existing hydrocodone/oxycodone rule in subsection (d.1), which stays limited to emergency situations, a five-day supply, and patients 18 or older, but does not apply that age limit to stimulants.
• Section 1 requires APRNs authorized to prescribe stimulants to complete one hour of continuing education on stimulant use every two years.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 43-34-103 by adding subparagraph (C), allowing a supervising physician to delegate stimulant-prescribing authority to a physician assistant under similar conditions.
• Section 2 requires physician assistants who prescribe stimulants, hydrocodone, or oxycodone to complete one additional hour of continuing education every two years on those drugs.
• Section 3 repeals any existing laws that conflict with the bill's changes.

1. 2026-02-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-03House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-02House Hopper (House)

• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)Primary sponsor
• Jan Jones (R, HD-047)
• Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)
• Sandy Donatucci (R, HD-105)

• nurse practitioner prescribing
• physician assistants
• stimulant medications
• ADHD treatment
• medical licensing