Language to free Georgia nursing board passes Senate again in new bill
A bill to give the Georgia Board of Nursing control of its own investigators has passed the Georgia Senate, and now goes to the House.
The bill, HB 301, also would give a tax credit to medical workers who help train students in rotations called "preceptorships."
HB 301 was originally just about the preceptor tax credits. But a Senate committee took the nursing board language of SB 334, which is stuck in the House, and inserted it into HB 301 as a vehicle.
The state's nursing board wants to be free from the office of the Secretary of State, which currently controls its staff and investigators.
The board, charged with licensing and disciplining the state’s nurses, has no authority over how the work of its staff is done or where resources are directed.
Board members say the Secretary of State does not put enough dedicated resources toward investigating cases of problem nurses, resulting in months-long delays in closing cases. Until an investigation is finished, the nurse under investigation is often free to practice with no monitoring or public record. The delays in the past have stretched for years, and the board chair reports still regularly seeing cases with complaints filed more than a year before.
The Secretary of State’s office notes that investigation times have improved.
Secretary of State Brian Kemp responded the state’s overarching policy goal should be providing streamlined licensure at a reasonable cost, and that freeing the nursing board would increase costs.
About the Author
Ariel Hart is a reporter on health care issues. She works on the AJC’s health team and has reported on subjects including the Voting Rights Act and transportation.
