Georgia Council for Recovery – Weekly Legislative Update
Week of: January 12 Legislative Session: Week 1 of Session
Prepared by: Georgia Council for Recovery (GC4R)
Recovery Residences Licensing
Legislative Focus:
The Georgia Council for Recovery, in partnership with the Georgia Association of Recovery Residencies, supports legislation to establish statewide licensure for recovery residences and designate the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) as the licensing body. GC4R thanks Senator Randy Robertson and the Georgia State Senate for their work on this issue with the Senate Study Committee of Recovery Residencies. GC4R also thanks Commissioner Kevin Tanner for the work of the Addictive Diseases Subcommittee of the Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission on this critical policy issue.
Status: Active policy development | Anticipating legislation
Key Takeaway: Licensure protects residents while supporting ethical, recovery-oriented housing providers.
Key impacts on the recovery community include:
· Quality & Safety Standards
· Peer Protections
· Alignment with DBHDD and state systems
· Sustainability of recovery housing
Criminal Justice & Peer Support Funding
Advocacy Priority: GC4R is advocating for state funding to support peer recovery support services for people involved in the criminal justice system.
Status: Budget and policy advocacy underway | Ongoing conversations with legislators and agencies
Key Takeaways: Peer support is a proven, cost-effective strategy for reentry, reducing recidivism, and strengthening recovery outcomes.
Key impacts on the recovery community include:
· Continuity of Care from incarceration to community
· Reduced recidivism and overdose risk
· Cost savings to the justice system
· Lived-experience leadership in reentry services
HB 219 Sponsored by Representative Ron Stephens
Summary: A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to professions and businesses, so as to authorize the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapists to establish a professional health program to provide for monitoring and rehabilitation of impaired healthcare professionals; to authorize the Georgia Board of Nursing to establish a professional health program to provide for monitoring and rehabilitation of impaired healthcare professionals; to provide for funding or gifts in kind; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
Status: Filed in 2025 | In Committee
Key Takeaways: The legislation authorizes the creation of professional health programs to support healthcare professionals in Georgia experiencing substance use disorders or other impairing conditions. These programs provide confidential monitoring, rehabilitation, and a structured pathway for clinicians to return safely to practice. Similar “alternatives to discipline” models already operate in many states, offering nurses and other practitioners supportive, non-punitive options for addressing substance use and related health issues.
· Access to treatment: Establishes official programs that provide a pathway to recovery and continued employment.
· Confidentiality Protections: Records and participation information are protected from public disclosure, encouraging early help-seeking.
· Cost Responsibility: Participants must pay for their own monitoring and rehabilitation, which may affect access for some individuals.
· Legal Protections for Providers: Organizations operating these programs receive liability protections.
· Funding Flexibility: Boards may pursue public and private funding to expand program capacity.
HB 657 Sponsored by Representative Lisa Hagan
Summary: A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 37 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to mental health, so as to provide for a legal definition of a recovery
community organization; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
Status: Filed in 2025| In Committee
Key Takeaways: This bill establishes a statutory definition of a Recovery Community Organization (RCO) to protect the integrity and purpose of peer-led recovery services in Georgia.
HB 657 is foundational legislation for the recovery community. By clearly defining what constitutes an RCO, the bill helps ensure that peer-led, community-based recovery services remain authentic, accountable, and aligned with lived experience.
Key impacts on the recovery community include:
· Protection of Peer Integrity: Prevents misuse of the RCO designation.
· Clarity for Policymakers and Funders: Establishes a shared definition for contracts, grants, and policy.
· Foundation for Sustainability: Supports inclusion of RCOs in state systems and funding pathways.
· Community Trust: Reinforces lived-experience leadership.
HB 612 Sponsored by Representative Katie Dempsey
Summary: A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to insurance, so as to create a Parity Compliance Review Panel; to provide for oversight and enforcement of the Georgia Mental Health Parity Act; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
Status: Filed in 2025| In Committee
Key Takeaways: HB 612 establishes a Parity Compliance Review Panel to strengthen enforcement of Georgia’s mental health and substance use parity laws.
This bill addresses the gap between parity on paper and parity in practice, ensuring that behavioral health coverage is treated the same as physical health coverage.
Key impacts on the recovery community include:
· Improved Access to Care: Reduces inappropriate denials and delays.
· Accountability: Creates oversight mechanisms for insurer compliance.
· Systemic Reform: Moves parity enforcement from complaint-driven to proactive.
· Recovery Stability: Improved access supports long-term recovery outcomes.
SB 277 Sponsored by Senator Blake Tillery
Summary: A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend various titles of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated so as to revise statutory definitions of drugs to include alcohol and its derivatives for specified purposes; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
Status: Filed in 2025 | In Committee
Key Takeaways: HB 277 adds alcohol to Georgia’s legal definition of “drugs” for certain purposes. Right now, many state licensed treatment centers can only treat people who use drugs—not those with alcohol-only issues. By updating the definition, the bill would allow these centers to serve people with alcohol use disorders, even if they don’t use other substances.
Key impacts on the recovery community include:
· Public Health Alignment: Acknowledges alcohol use disorder as a major driver of morbidity and mortality.
· Reduced Stigma: Reinforces alcohol addiction as a health condition.
· Policy Consistency: Aligns statutory language with clinical reality.
· Comprehensive Recovery Focus: Ensures alcohol is not excluded from addiction policy.
HB 419 Sponsored by Representative Lee Hawkins
Summary: A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to education, so as to authorize the placement and use of opioid overdose reversal medication on the campuses and facilities of the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia; to provide for training and implementation; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
Status: Filed in 2025| In Committee
Key Takeaways: HB 419 authorizes the placement of opioid overdose reversal medication, such as naloxone, on public college and technical school campuses, expanding access to lifesaving interventions in high-risk environments.
This bill positions Georgia’s higher education system as an active partner in overdose prevention. By allowing naloxone to be readily available on campuses, HB 419 helps ensure rapid response to overdose emergencies involving students, staff, or visitors.
Key impacts on the recovery community include:
· Lives Saved: Immediate access to naloxone significantly reduces fatal overdose risk.
· Expanded Harm Reduction: Normalizes overdose prevention as a public health responsibility.
· Youth & Young Adult Protection: Addresses overdose risk among college-age populations.
· Training & Awareness: Encourages education on overdose recognition and response.
· Recovery-Friendly Campuses: Signals institutional support for students in recovery.
