HB1295: HB1295 Physician Assistant Licensure Compact; enter into an interstate compact

Right now, a physician assistant (PA) licensed in another state generally cannot practice in Georgia without going through Georgia's own licensing process. This bill would change that by having Georgia enter the PA Licensure Compact, an interstate agreement that lets a PA with an unrestricted license in one member state get a 'compact privilege' to practice in any other member state, including Georgia, without a separate full license there. The bill also updates the definition of 'physician assistant' in Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-102) to include compact privilege holders, and it requires criminal background checks, including fingerprint submission to the Georgia Crime Information Center and FBI, for anyone applying for PA licensure in Georgia (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-103). It creates a new Code section 43-34-111 spelling out the full compact text: definitions, participation requirements, compact privilege rules, adverse action and discipline procedures, a new multistate governing commission, a shared data system, rulemaking powers, dispute resolution, and how states can withdraw or amend the compact. The compact itself does not take effect nationally until seven states enact it. The Georgia bill would become law on July 1, 2027.

• Enters Georgia into the multistate Physician Assistant Licensure Compact, letting PAs licensed elsewhere in a compact state practice in Georgia under a 'compact privilege' instead of a full separate license.
• Requires anyone applying for Georgia PA licensure to pass a criminal background check, including fingerprint submission to the Georgia Crime Information Center and FBI (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-103).
• Updates the legal definition of 'physician assistant' to cover people who hold a compact privilege as well as those licensed directly in Georgia.
• Creates a new national commission made up of delegates from participating states to run the compact, write binding rules, and manage a shared data system tracking PA licenses and disciplinary actions.
• Gives the Georgia Composite Medical Board authority to administer the compact and lets Remote States take disciplinary action against a PA's compact privilege while the licensing state controls action against the underlying license.
• Sets the compact's effective date once seven states join and lets states withdraw with 180 days' notice; the Georgia law itself takes effect July 1, 2027.

Physician assistants seeking to practice across state lines, the Georgia Composite Medical Board, PA applicants who will now face mandatory criminal background checks, patients who see PAs, military families whose spouses hold PA licenses, and other states considering joining the same compact.

PAs licensed in other compact states could start seeing patients in Georgia more quickly, without applying for a full separate Georgia license, which could ease workforce shortages and help military families who move often. At the same time, all Georgia PA applicants would face new fingerprint-based background checks before licensure.

• Section 1 revises the definition of 'physician assistant' in O.C.G.A. § 43-34-102 to include people practicing under a compact privilege, not just those directly licensed in Georgia.
• Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 43-34-103 to require satisfactory results from a criminal background check, including fingerprints sent through the Georgia Crime Information Center to the FBI, before licensure.
• Section 3 amends the Georgia Composite Medical Board's powers (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-108) to include administering the new PA Licensure Compact.
• Section 4 adds new Code Section 43-34-111 containing the full compact text: definitions, state participation duties, compact privilege eligibility rules, designation of a home state, adverse action authority, the Compact Commission's structure and powers, the data system, rulemaking process, dispute resolution and enforcement, and rules for the compact's start, withdrawal, and amendment.
• The compact requires a PA to have no felony or misdemeanor conviction, hold current NCCPA certification, and have no revoked license to qualify for a compact privilege (Section 4 of the compact text).
• A PA loses compact privileges in all other states for at least two years if their home state takes adverse action such as suspension or revocation against their license.
• The compact does not take effect nationally until seven states enact it, and any state may withdraw by repealing its enactment, with a 180 day transition period.
• Section 5 sets the Act's effective date as July 1, 2027.

1. 2026-04-02Senate Passed/Adopted As Amended (Senate)
2. 2026-04-02Senate Third Read (Senate)
3. 2026-04-02Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
4. 2026-03-31Senate Tabled (Senate)
5. 2026-03-31Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
6. 2026-03-27Senate Tabled (Senate)
7. 2026-03-16Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2026-03-12Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)

• Sharon Cooper (R, HD-045)Primary sponsor
• Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)
• Lee Hawkins (R, HD-027)
• Michelle Au (D, HD-050)
• John LaHood (R, HD-175)
• Brian Prince (D, HD-132)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2026

   157 yea, 3 nay (1 not voting, 16 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #644

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2026

   26 yea, 22 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)

   Motion To Table Remaining Legislation On The Rules Calendar: Senate Vote #835

3. PassedSenate voteApril 2, 2026

   49 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 2 absent)

   Passage As Amended: Senate Vote #949

• physician assistants
• medical licensing
• interstate compacts
• healthcare workforce
• criminal background checks