HB1368: HB1368 Mental health; re-creation of community service boards; provide

Georgia's community service boards (CSBs) are local public agencies that deliver mental health, developmental disability, and addictive disease services in each region of the state. This bill formally re-creates all existing CSBs effective July 1, 2026, and reconstitutes their governing boards, which are made up of members appointed by county governments. The biggest change is to how each board's top staff position, the executive director, is chosen. Starting July 1, 2026, executive directors would generally be appointed and removable by the commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and would become state department employees, though local boards can give input. People already serving as executive directors get a choice by August 1, 2026 to stay employed by their local board under a special three-party contract or become state employees instead. The bill also spells out the executive director's day-to-day powers, lets governing boards delegate authority to them (with limits), updates rules for boards that want to convert into nonprofits, county agencies, or hospital authority units, and tightens the rules for when CSB governing boards can meet by teleconference, requiring at least half the members to be physically present.

• Re-creates all community service boards (CSBs) effective July 1, 2026, and reconstitutes their governing boards under updated membership rules.
• Adds the executive director as a formal member of each CSB governing board, changing how boards are composed.
• Requires most executive directors to be appointed and removable by the commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, making them state employees rather than local board employees.
• Lets current executive directors choose by August 1, 2026 whether to remain employed by their local board under a three-party contract or become state department employees.
• Spells out specific day-to-day management powers the executive director holds, including hiring, firing, disciplining staff, and setting operational and clinical policies.
• Requires CSB governing board teleconference meetings to have at least half the members physically present and offer public viewing and comment options.

The bill affects the executive directors and staff of Georgia's community service boards, the county governments that appoint board members, the commissioner and staff of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, and the people who rely on local mental health, developmental disability, and addiction services.

Local mental health and disability agencies would see a shift in who controls their top leadership, moving hiring and firing authority for executive directors from local boards to a state commissioner. This could change accountability and day-to-day operations for the CSBs that deliver services to Georgians in every region of the state.

• Section 1 and 2 update definitions in O.C.G.A. § 37-1-1 and § 37-2-2, including a new definition of 'executive director' tied to the revised appointment process.
• Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 37-2-6 to re-create all CSBs effective July 1, 2026, add the executive director to the governing board, and require the department to issue unified bylaws by December 31, 2026.
• Section 4 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 37-2-6.1 so that, starting July 1, 2026, the commissioner appoints and can remove executive directors, who become department employees, with transition options for current executive directors through August 1, 2026.
• Section 4 also lists specific powers the executive director gains, such as hiring and firing staff, setting clinical standards, and managing contracts and day-to-day operations.
• Section 5 updates O.C.G.A. § 37-2-6.4 on how a CSB can convert into a private nonprofit, a county government unit, or part of a hospital authority.
• Section 6 revises O.C.G.A. § 37-2-6.5 on what happens if a CSB decides to cease operations, including state-appointed management or reconstitution of the board.
• Section 8 amends Georgia's open meetings law (O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1) to require CSB teleconference meetings to have at least half the board physically present and offer public viewing and comment access.

1. 2026-03-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-03-04House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
3. 2026-03-04House Third Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-25House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
5. 2026-02-20House Second Readers (House)
6. 2026-02-19House First Readers (House)
7. 2026-02-18House Hopper (House)

• Sharon Cooper (R, HD-045)Primary sponsor
• James Hatchett (R, HD-155)
• Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)
• Katie Dempsey (R, HD-013)
• Teddy Reese (D, HD-140)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2026

   156 yea, 2 nay (2 not voting, 17 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #643

• mental health services
• community service boards
• behavioral health agency
• open meetings law
• local government boards