SB 170: Georgia Interagency Council for the Homeless; create

This bill amends Georgia's health code (O.C.G.A. Title 31, Chapter 2) to add a new grant program run by the Department of Community Health. The program would help pay for backup generators at certain rural hospitals so they can keep operating during declared states of emergency. To qualify, a hospital must be a nonprofit acute care facility with fewer than 100 beds, located in a rural county (population under 50,000 by the 2020 census, not counting military personnel), and in a region where the Governor declared a state of emergency after July 1, 2024. The hospital cannot already have a backup generator or have received federal funding for one. The department must consult with the state's emergency management agency to set grant criteria and can decide funding amounts case by case. Funding depends on money being appropriated by the General Assembly or coming from other sources like federal funds. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it.

• Creates a new grant program inside the Department of Community Health to fund backup generators for eligible rural hospitals during emergencies.
• Limits eligibility to nonprofit acute care hospitals with under 100 beds in rural counties under 50,000 population that were in a state of emergency declared after July 1, 2024.
• Excludes hospitals that already have a backup generator or have already received federal money for one.
• Requires the department to consult with the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency when setting grant rules and awarding funds.
• Gives the department authority to set grant amounts individually for each hospital rather than a fixed statewide amount.
• Makes the program dependent on funding being appropriated by the General Assembly or coming from other available sources, including federal funds.

Small rural hospitals in Georgia counties with fewer than 50,000 residents, particularly those without backup power and located in areas that have had a state of emergency since mid-2024; the Department of Community Health, which runs the program; and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, which helps set criteria.

If enacted, rural hospitals that currently lack backup power could get state funding to install generators, helping them stay open during hurricanes, storms, or other emergencies when the power grid fails. This targets hospitals that have not already received federal help for the same purpose.

• Section 1 adds a new Code section, O.C.G.A. § 31-2-20, defining 'affected rural hospital' and 'rural county' for purposes of the grant program.
• Section 1 requires the hospital to be nonprofit, have fewer than 100 beds, and be in a region under a gubernatorial emergency declaration after July 1, 2024.
• Section 1 excludes counties' military personnel and dependents when calculating whether a county qualifies as rural under the 50,000-population threshold.
• Section 1 directs the Department of Community Health to consult with the director of emergency management and homeland security to set grant criteria and make award decisions.
• Section 1 restricts funding to hospitals without an existing backup generator that have not received prior federal assistance for one.
• Section 1 makes the grant amount for each hospital a case-by-case decision by the department.
• Section 1 conditions the whole program on funding being appropriated by the General Assembly or available from other sources such as federal funds.
• Section 2 sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 487
3. 2026-05-11Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senado)
4. 2026-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senado)
5. 2026-03-20House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (Cámara de Representantes)
6. 2026-02-09Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub As Amended (Senado)
7. 2025-03-31House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Cámara de Representantes)
8. 2025-03-31House Third Readers (Cámara de Representantes)

• Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)Patrocinador principal
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Sonya Halpern (D, SD-039)
• Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)

1. AprobadaVotación: Senado6 de marzo de 2025

   50 a favor, 2 en contra (3 sin votar, 1 ausentes)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #219

2. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes31 de marzo de 2025

   165 a favor, 3 en contra (3 sin votar, 9 ausentes)

   Passage: House Vote #351

3. AprobadaVotación: Senado28 de enero de 2026

   27 a favor, 22 en contra (2 sin votar, 3 ausentes)

   Agree To House Substitute: Senate Vote #504

4. AprobadaVotación: Senado9 de febrero de 2026

   50 a favor, 0 en contra (0 sin votar, 4 ausentes)

   Agree To House Substitute As Amended: Senate Vote #531

5. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes20 de marzo de 2026

   158 a favor, 0 en contra (7 sin votar, 11 ausentes)

   Agree To Senate Amendment To House Sub: House Vote #737

• rural hospitals
• emergency preparedness
• hospital funding
• state grants
• disaster response