SB 39: Employees' Insurance and Benefits Plans; expenses for gender-affirming care under the state health benefit plan or with any state funds; prohibit coverage - Georgia

LC 46 1248S/hss → LC 46 1566S/hss · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to shift from prohibiting gender-affirming care to establishing a certification program for community health workers. This changes the legislation from a restrictive ban on specific medical treatments to a supportive framework for training and certifying frontline public health workers.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from amending Titles 45, 49, and 50 to restrict medical coverage and provider services, to amending Title 31 to create a new committee and certification standards for community health workers.

SCOPE

Removed provisions banning state funding and coverage for transition-related interventions and prohibiting state facilities from providing such care.

REQUIREMENT

Added the establishment of the Georgia Community Health Worker Certification Committee to oversee training and certification standards.

Added requirements for the committee membership, including specific professional backgrounds and community representatives, and set a timeline for the committee's eventual abolishment.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'certified community health worker' and 'community health worker' to formalize the role and responsibilities of these workers.

As passed Senate → LC 46 1248S/hss · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to replace the term 'gender-affirming care' with 'transition related intervention' throughout the text, broadening the scope of prohibited coverage and services. The amendment adds specific prohibitions for correctional facilities and their employees, removes references to a 2023 lawsuit settlement, and updates the effective date to January 1, 2026. New definitions were introduced to clarify what constitutes 'sex' and 'transition related intervention' under the law.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly include correctional facilities owned or operated by the state and healthcare providers employed at those facilities, in addition to general state healthcare facilities and providers.

DEFINITION

The term 'gender-affirming care' was replaced with 'transition related intervention' to broaden the language used to describe prohibited medical procedures.

New definitions were added for 'sex' and 'transition related intervention' to clarify the scope of the ban.

SCOPE

New provisions explicitly prohibit correctional facilities and their employees from providing transition related interventions.

REQUIREMENT

References to a 2023 lawsuit settlement, including details about payments and legal expenses, were removed from the legislative findings.

TIMELINE

The effective date for the ban on coverage was changed to January 1, 2026.

As Introduced LC 52 0647 → As passed Senate · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to remove the 'SECTION 1' findings, which previously detailed the legislative history of a 2023 lawsuit settlement involving transgender healthcare coverage. This deletion simplifies the bill by eliminating specific references to the settlement amount and the organization 'Campaign for Southern Equality' while retaining the core policy goal of prohibiting state funds from covering gender-affirming care.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding the prohibition of state funding for gender-affirming care remains unchanged, but the legislative justification has been shortened by removing the detailed findings section.

DEFINITION

Removed the entire 'SECTION 1' containing legislative findings about a 2023 lawsuit settlement, the $365,000 payment, and the involvement of the Campaign for Southern Equality.

TIMELINE

Added 'applicability' to the list of purposes in the short title, clarifying that the bill includes rules on when the law applies.

Employees' Insurance and Benefits Plans; expenses for gender-affirming care under the state health benefit plan or with any state funds; prohibit coverage

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