HB 329: Professional and businesses; authorize certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants to perform artificial insemination

Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-37), only licensed physicians and surgeons are allowed to perform artificial insemination on a woman; anyone else who does so commits a felony punishable by one to five years in prison. This bill rewrites that law to add certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants to the list of people who may lawfully perform the procedure. The bill adds definitions for terms like 'certified nurse practitioner,' 'physician assistant,' 'additional duty,' and 'Form C' (a state medical board document used to delegate tasks). It sets conditions: a nurse practitioner may only perform the procedure if a supervising physician has delegated that authority through a Form C and is physically present, while a physician assistant needs similar delegation plus specific approval from the Georgia Composite Medical Board. The bill also extends existing civil liability protections, tied to written spousal authorization, to these new providers. The changes take effect January 1, 2026.

• Adds certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants to the short list of people legally allowed to perform artificial insemination in Georgia.
• Requires a certified nurse practitioner to have delegated authority via a Form C from a supervising physician, who must be physically present during the procedure.
• Requires a physician assistant to have delegated authority from a supervising physician who is physically present, plus specific approval from the Georgia Composite Medical Board.
• Extends existing civil liability protections tied to written spousal authorization to certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants, while preserving liability for their own negligence.
• Keeps the existing felony penalty (one to five years in prison) for anyone else who performs artificial insemination without authorization.

Certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants in Georgia, who would gain new authority to perform artificial insemination under supervision; physicians and surgeons who delegate and supervise them; the Georgia Composite Medical Board, which must approve physician assistants for this duty; and patients seeking fertility treatment.

The change could expand access to artificial insemination services by allowing more types of licensed medical providers to perform the procedure, provided a supervising physician delegates the task and is physically present, potentially affecting scheduling and availability at fertility clinics across Georgia.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 43-34-37 to add definitions for 'additional duty,' 'certified nurse practitioner,' 'Form C,' and 'physician assistant.'
• Section 1 expands the list of people authorized to perform artificial insemination to include certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants, alongside physicians and surgeons.
• Section 1 requires a certified nurse practitioner to use a Form C delegation from a supervising physician who is physically present during the procedure.
• Section 1 requires a physician assistant to have physician delegation, physician physical presence, and Board approval of artificial insemination as an additional duty.
• Section 1 extends civil liability protection based on written spousal authorization to the new categories of providers, while preserving liability for their own negligence.
• Section 2 sets the effective date as January 1, 2026.
• Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-01-12Senate Recommitted (Senado)
2. 2026-01-12Senate Taken from Table (Senado)
3. 2025-04-02Senate Tabled (Senado)
4. 2025-03-18Senate Read Second Time (Senado)
5. 2025-03-13Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senado)
6. 2025-02-28Senate Read and Referred (Senado)
7. 2025-02-27House Passed/Adopted (Cámara de Representantes)
8. 2025-02-27House Third Readers (Cámara de Representantes)

• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)Patrocinador principal
• Deborah Silcox (R, HD-053)
• Lee Hawkins (R, HD-027)
• Sharon Cooper (R, HD-045)
• Lehman Franklin (R, HD-160)
• Sandy Donatucci (R, HD-105)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)

1. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes27 de febrero de 2025

   167 a favor, 0 en contra (3 sin votar, 10 ausentes)

   Passage: House Vote #105

• medical licensing
• nurse practitioners
• physician assistants
• fertility treatment
• health care providers