HB 1395: Drivers licenses; require intervention component for DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Programs be conducted in person

Georgia drivers convicted of DUI must complete a Risk Reduction Program that includes a risk assessment and a 20-hour intervention component covering education and peer counseling about alcohol and drug use. Under current law, the Department of Driver Services sets rules for how that program is delivered, and some programs have offered the intervention portion online or through remote platforms. This bill changes the legal definition of 'intervention component' in O.C.G.A. § 40-5-1 to specify that it must deliver in-person therapeutic education and counseling. It also amends O.C.G.A. § 40-5-83 to explicitly require that intervention components be conducted in person and to prohibit online courses or remote participation platforms for that portion of the program. The risk assessment and clinical evaluation components are not changed by this bill. No specific effective date is stated beyond the standard process, and all conflicting laws would be repealed.

• Rewrites the legal definition of 'intervention component' (O.C.G.A. § 40-5-1) to require that the required therapeutic education and counseling be delivered in person.
• Amends O.C.G.A. § 40-5-83 to require that intervention components of DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Programs be conducted in person.
• Bans online courses or remote participation platforms from being used to deliver the intervention component of these programs.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with the new in-person requirement.

People convicted of DUI in Georgia who must complete a DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program, the certified providers who run these 20-hour intervention classes, and the Department of Driver Services, which sets program rules and certifies instructors.

Drivers required to complete DUI intervention classes would no longer be able to satisfy that requirement online or remotely; they would have to attend in person. This could affect scheduling, travel, and access for people in rural areas or without easy transportation, while providers offering remote classes would need to change how they operate.

• Section 1 revises the definition of 'intervention component' in O.C.G.A. § 40-5-1 to add that the therapeutic education and peer counseling must be delivered in-person.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 40-5-83(e)(1) to state that intervention components 'shall be conducted in person' and that online courses or remote participation platforms 'shall be prohibited.'
• Section 2 leaves unchanged the requirement that a risk assessment component precede the intervention component and that clinical evaluations be conducted only by licensed evaluators.
• Section 3 repeals all laws and parts of laws in conflict with the Act.

1. 2026-02-24House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2026-02-20House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2026-02-19House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Danny Mathis (R, HD-133)Patrocinador principal
• Clint Crowe (R, HD-118)
• Dale Washburn (R, HD-144)
• Carter Barrett (R, HD-024)
• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)
• Gerald Greene (R, HD-154)

• DUI laws
• drivers licenses
• substance abuse programs
• road safety