State Rep. Rob Leverett has presented a bill in the Georgia House intended to change how emergency medical services are managed and update requirements for EMS licensing and standards across Georgia, according to the Georgia State House.
Filed as HB1446 on Tuesday, Feb. 24 during the 2026 regular session of the 158th General Assembly, the bill is officially described as: ’Health; transfer responsibility for oversight of emergency medical services from Department of Public Health to Georgia Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Council’.
Here is an overview, compiled from the bill text itself, and may include interpretive details for clarity.
This proposal would restructure emergency medical services in Georgia by establishing the Georgia Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Council, passing oversight of most EMS functions—including licensing and enforcement, as well as stroke and cardiac care functions—from the Department of Public Health to the new council. Responsibility for regional contracts would go to the Board of Community Health. The legislation defines EMS-related terms, creates systems for regional EMS administration and advisory councils, outlines the membership and authorities of the new council, and refreshes processes for granting and appealing licenses, discipline, and rulemaking for ambulance operators and EMS workers. Standards for stroke and cardiac emergency centers, medical direction for EMS, the use of defibrillators and opioid reversal drugs, and related rules would also be updated. Most changes take effect Jan. 1, 2028, though council appointments start July 1, 2027.
Rep. Alan Powell (Republican-33rd) and Rep. Bruce Williamson (Republican-112th), along with two others, joined as co-sponsors of the bill.
Since this session started, Leverett has sponsored 19 other bills, with 7 of those enacted into law.
Leverett earned his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1986 and his law degree from the University of Georgia.
A Republican, Leverett was elected in 2023 to represent Georgia’s 123rd House District, succeeding Mark Newton.
The process for enacting a law in Georgia begins when a legislator, sometimes at the request of a constituent, works with the Office of Legislative Counsel to prepare the bill. After submission to the Clerk of the House or Secretary of the Senate, the proposal has its first reading and goes to committee for most debates and analysis. If it is approved, it proceeds to the full chamber for another reading, further debate and then a vote. Both legislative chambers must agree on the final content—often through a conference committee if they pass differing versions—before the legislation is sent to the governor. The governor then has 6 days while the General Assembly is in session, or 40 days after adjournment (Sine Die), to either sign, veto, or allow the bill to become law without signing. The Georgia General Assembly meets each year for 40 days, starting on the second Monday in January.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| HB1407 | 02/20/2026 | Civil Practice Act; scheduling of civil trials; provide |
| HB1364 | 02/18/2026 | Property; nonjudicial foreclosures on time-share estates; provisions |
| HB1195 | 02/04/2026 | Veterinarians; practice and provision of veterinary teletriage and veterinary telemedicine; revise provisions |
| HB1194 | 02/04/2026 | Insurance; clarify periods of time for transportation network company services |
| HB1111 | 01/29/2026 | Sales and use tax; new special purpose local option sales tax dedicated to certain healthcare purposes; provide |
| HB1084 | 01/29/2026 | Madison County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee |
| HB1083 | 01/29/2026 | Madison County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee |
| HB999 | 01/15/2026 | Magistrate courts; collecting sums and fees authorized by law; revise provisions |
| HB998 | 01/15/2026 | Public utilities; authorize certain Tier 2 local exchange companies to elect to become subject to rate of return regulation |
| HB997 | 01/15/2026 | Penal institutions; limit time that Department of Community Supervision can hold certain inmates in a county facility |
| HB530 | 02/19/2025 | Courts; authorization for electronic filing of pleadings in probate court; provide |
| HB406 | 02/11/2025 | Judicial Retirement System; increase retirement age of superior court judges first taking office on or after July 1, 2026 |
| HB377 | 02/10/2025 | Buildings and housing; manufactured homes; provisions |
| HB339 | 02/06/2025 | Motor vehicles; exempt ride share drivers or ride share network services from definition of motor carrier |
| HB327 | 02/06/2025 | Official Code of Georgia Annotated; amend various titles |
| HB86 | 01/16/2025 | Public officers and employees; calculating and setting the salaries of certain state officials; revise provisions |
| HB85 | 01/16/2025 | Superior Court Judicial Compensation Reform Act; enact |
| HB37 | 01/14/2025 | Education; require local school systems to notify employees regarding social security withholdings and eligibility for certain benefits |
| HB36 | 01/14/2025 | Guardian and ward; revise list of providers who are authorized to participate in the processes for appointment of a guardian for an adult |
Information in this article was sourced from the Georgia State House. The source data is available here.
