HR 816: House Study Committee on an At-Risk Populations Abuse Registry; create

Georgia does not currently keep a statewide registry of people substantiated to have abused, neglected, or exploited at-risk populations such as people with disabilities and older adults. This resolution would create the House Study Committee on an At-Risk Populations Abuse Registry to look into whether Georgia should set one up, modeled partly on a similar registry already used in Tennessee. The eight-member committee, made up of three House members and five nonlegislative appointees including a public health official and advocacy representatives, would study costs, due process protections, appeals, and the effect on hiring in caregiving jobs. It would gather input from advocacy groups, care providers, law enforcement, and the public, then report any findings or proposed legislation. The committee would be funded through existing House appropriations and would stand abolished on December 1, 2025.

• Creates the House Study Committee on an At-Risk Populations Abuse Registry to study a possible Georgia registry of substantiated abusers of at-risk people.
• Sets committee membership at eight: three House members appointed by the Speaker and five nonlegislative appointees, including a public health official and advocacy representatives.
• Directs the committee to review Tennessee's registry model and assess costs, due process, and hiring impacts of a Georgia version.
• Requires the committee to solicit input from advocacy groups, care providers, law enforcement, and the public before reporting.
• Funds legislative member allowances from existing House appropriations and caps allowances at five days unless extended.
• Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2025, after any report is filed.

People with disabilities, older adults, and other at-risk populations who could be covered by a future abuse registry; caregiving and health care employers who could face new hiring checks; advocacy organizations; the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council; and House members appointed to the study committee.

If the committee recommends creating a registry, it could change how Georgia screens caregivers and health workers and how substantiated abuse cases are tracked and disclosed. For now, the resolution only sets up a study process, not any new registry or requirement.

• Paragraph (1) creates the House Study Committee on an At-Risk Populations Abuse Registry.
• Paragraph (2) sets membership at three House members and five nonlegislative appointees, including a public health commissioner designee and disability and elder rights advocates.
• Paragraph (3) directs the committee to review Tennessee's registry, assess feasibility and costs, examine hiring impacts, and consider appeal and removal mechanisms.
• Paragraph (5) funds legislative member allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8 through House appropriations, capped at five days unless extended.
• Paragraph (6) requires any approved findings or legislative recommendations to be filed as a report with the Clerk of the House before abolishment.
• Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025.

1. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2025-04-02House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2025-03-28House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2025-03-27House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
5. 2025-03-27House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)Patrocinador principal
• Jesse Petrea (R, HD-166)
• William Werkheiser (R, HD-157)
• Katie Dempsey (R, HD-013)
• Sharon Cooper (R, HD-045)
• Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)

• disability rights
• elder abuse prevention
• caregiving oversight
• legislative study committee