HR 753: House Study Committee on Improving Access to Internal Medicine in Rural Areas; create

Although titled for a single study committee on rural health care, the substitute version of this resolution actually creates three separate House study committees. The first would study how to improve access to internal medicine doctors in Georgia's rural and underserved counties, citing statistics showing many counties lack an internal medicine physician and face transportation barriers to care. The second would examine whether Georgia's legal process for a father to establish parental rights over a child born outside marriage (called legitimation) is too costly or hard to access. The third would study whether Georgia should legalize casino resorts, horse racing with betting, and sports betting, weighing potential tax revenue and economic effects against social concerns. Each committee has appointed legislative members, some with added nonlegislative healthcare experts for the first committee, holds meetings, receives standard state travel and meal allowances, and must file a report or disband by December 1, 2025.

• Creates the House Study Committee on Improving Access to Internal Medicine in Underserved Areas, made up of five House members and three licensed healthcare providers appointed by the Speaker.
• Creates the House Study Committee on the Affordability and Accessibility of Georgia's Legitimation Process, made up of five House members.
• Creates the House Study Committee on Gaming in the State of Georgia, made up of seven members including three committee chairpersons, to study casinos, horse racing, and sports betting.
• Directs each committee to study its assigned issue and recommend legislation, with meeting and reporting procedures set out in the resolution.
• Requires the gaming committee specifically to hold at least four public hearings around the state before finalizing findings.
• Sets all three committees to dissolve automatically on December 1, 2025, unless they file an approved report before then.

Members of the Georgia House of Representatives who will serve on these committees, rural Georgians seeking medical care, licensed healthcare providers appointed to the health committee, unmarried biological fathers seeking parental rights, and anyone interested in casino, horse racing, or sports betting policy in Georgia.

None of these committees change any law by themselves, but their recommendations could shape future legislation on rural healthcare access, the legal process for unmarried fathers to gain parental rights, and whether Georgia legalizes casinos, horse racing, and sports betting.

• Section 1 creates the internal medicine access committee with eight members, including three nonlegislative healthcare providers familiar with rural Georgia's needs, chaired by a legislator chosen by the Speaker.
• Section 1 cites data that 142 of 159 Georgia counties are healthcare professional shortage areas and about 40 counties have no internal medicine physician.
• Section 2 creates a five-member committee to study whether Georgia's legitimation process, which requires unmarried biological fathers to file a separate legal petition for parental rights, could be made more affordable.
• Section 3 creates a seven-member gaming study committee including the chairs of the Ways and Means, Regulated Industries, and Economic Development committees, to study casinos, horse racing, and sports betting.
• Section 3 requires the gaming committee to hold at least four public hearings across the state plus one meeting to finalize findings.
• All three committees receive standard legislative per diem and expense allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, funded through the House's existing budget.
• Each committee must file an approved report with the Clerk of the House before it is abolished on December 1, 2025, or file meeting minutes if no report is approved.

1. 2025-04-04House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2025-04-04House Third Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2025-04-02House Committee Favorably Reported (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2025-03-31House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
5. 2025-03-28House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
6. 2025-03-27House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Sandy Donatucci (R, HD-105)Patrocinador principal
• Leesa Hagan (R, HD-156)
• Beth Camp (R, HD-135)
• Rob Clifton (R, HD-131)

1. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes4 de abril de 2025

   166 a favor, 0 en contra (5 sin votar, 9 ausentes)

   Uncontested House Resolutions: House Vote #444

• rural healthcare
• study committees
• legitimation and paternity law
• casino and sports betting legalization
• Georgia General Assembly