Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session

Georgia House Bill HB660 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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11 25 LC 52 0778
22 House Bill 660
33 By: Representatives Cox of the 28
44 th
55 , Jasperse of the 11
66 th
77 , Rice of the 139
88 th
99 , Scoggins of the
1010 14
1111 th
1212 , and McDonald III of the 26
1313 th
1414
1515 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1616 AN ACT
1717 To amend Chapter 18 of Title 45, Chapter 4 of Title 49, and Chapter 1 of Title 50 of the
1818 1
1919 Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the employees' insurance and benefits plans,2
2020 public assistance, and general provisions relative to state government, respectively, so as to3
2121 prohibit coverage of expenses for any transition related intervention under the state health4
2222 benefit plan or with any state funds; to provide for definitions; to prohibit state healthcare5
2323 facilities and healthcare providers employed by the state from providing any transition6
2424 related intervention; to prohibit correctional facilities owned or operated by the state and7
2525 healthcare providers employed at such facilities from providing any transition related8
2626 intervention; to provide for related matters; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for9
2727 an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.10
2828 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:11
2929 SECTION 1.12
3030 The General Assembly finds that:13
3131 (1) The State of Georgia has taken measures to protect individuals from a radical gender14
3232 ideology that has, among other things, resulted in a massive unexplained rise in diagnoses15
3333 of gender dysphoria;16
3434 H. B. 660
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3636 (2) Senate Bill 140 enacted by the General Assembly in the 2023 regular session broadly
3737 17
3838 banned procedures or treatments performed for the purpose of enabling a minor to18
3939 identify with or live as a purported identity inconsistent with such minor's sex or treating19
4040 purported discomfort or distress from a discordance between a minor's sex and asserted20
4141 identity, and similar bills from other states have been upheld by a federal appeals court;21
4242 and22
4343 (3) It is the policy of the State of Georgia that these procedures or treatments shall23
4444 neither be covered by the state health benefit plan nor otherwise paid for through the use24
4545 of any state funds.25
4646 SECTION 2.26
4747 Chapter 18 of Title 45 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to employees'27
4848 insurance and benefits plans, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:28
4949 "45-18-4.2.
5050 29
5151 (a) As used in this Code section, the term:30
5252 (1) 'Congenital defect' means a physical or chemical abnormality present in a minor that31
5353 is inconsistent with the normal development of a human being of such minor's sex,32
5454 including abnormalities caused by a medically verifiable disorder of sex development. 33
5555 Such term does not include gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder, gender34
5656 incongruence, or any mental condition, disorder, disability, or abnormality.35
5757 (2) 'Medical procedure' means a surgical procedure or nonsurgical treatment consisting36
5858 of:37
5959 (A) Surgically removing, modifying, altering, artificially constructing, or entering into38
6060 tissues, cavities, or organs of a human being; or39
6161 (B) Prescribing, administering, or dispensing any puberty blocker or supraphysiological40
6262 hormone dosage to a human being.41
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6565 (3) 'Puberty blocker' means a drug or device that suppresses the production of hormones42
6666 in a minor's body to stop, delay, or suppress pubertal development.43
6767 (4) 'Sex' means an individual's immutable characteristics of the reproductive system that44
6868 define such individual as male or female, as determined by anatomy and genetics existing45
6969 at the time of birth.46
7070 (5) 'State health plan' means any healthcare benefits provided pursuant to Subpart 2 of47
7171 Part 6 of Article 17 of Chapter 2 of Title 20, Subpart 3 of Part 6 of Article 17 of48
7272 Chapter 2 of Title 20, Code Section 31-2-4, and Article 1 of Chapter 18 of this title.49
7373 (6) 'Transition related intervention' means any medical procedure performed for the50
7474 purpose of:51
7575 (A) Enabling an individual to identify with or live as a purported identity inconsistent52
7676 with such individual's sex; or53
7777 (B) Treating an individual's purported discomfort or distress from a discordance54
7878 between such individual's sex and asserted identity.55
7979 (b) On or after January 1, 2026, the state health plan shall not include expenses for any56
8080 transition related intervention except as provided in subsection (c) of this Code section.57
8181 (c) The board shall adopt rules and regulations regarding the exclusion of expenses for any58
8282 transition related intervention as provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section;59
8383 provided, however, that it is not a violation of this Code section if a healthcare provider60
8484 performs or administers a medical procedure for the purpose of treating:61
8585 (1) A minor's congenital defect, precocious puberty, disease, or physical injury;62
8686 provided, however, that the term 'disease' does not include gender dysphoria, gender63
8787 identity disorder, gender incongruence, or any mental condition, disorder, disability, or64
8888 abnormality; and65
8989 (2) Any infection, injury, disease, or disorder that has been caused or exacerbated by the66
9090 performance of a medical procedure, including a transition related intervention, whether67
9191 or not such procedure was performed in accordance with federal or state law; provided,68
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9494 however, that the purpose of such medical procedure shall not be to continue any69
9595 transition related intervention for gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder, gender70
9696 incongruence, or any mental condition, disorder, disability, or abnormality."71
9797 SECTION 3.72
9898 Chapter 4 of Title 49 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to public assistance,73
9999 is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:74
100100 "49-4-159.5.75
101101 The department shall prohibit the coverage of any transition related intervention as76
102102 provided for in Code Section 45-18-4.2 for recipients of medical assistance."77
103103 SECTION 4.78
104104 Chapter 1 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general79
105105 provisions relative to state government, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as80
106106 follows:81
107107 "50-1-14.82
108108 (a) No state funds shall be expended for health benefits coverage that includes coverage83
109109 for any transition related intervention as provided for in Code Section 45-18-4.2.84
110110 (b) No healthcare facility owned or operated by the state and no physician or other85
111111 healthcare provider employed by an agency or entity of this state shall provide any86
112112 transition related intervention as provided for in Code Section 45-18-4.2.87
113113 (c) No correctional facility owned or operated by the state and no physician or other88
114114 healthcare provider employed by such facility shall provide any transition related89
115115 intervention as provided for in Code Section 45-18-4.2 to any individual incarcerated at90
116116 such facility.91
117117 (d) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed as:92
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120120 (1) Prohibiting any individual, entity, or local government from purchasing separate93
121121 coverage for any transition related intervention or health benefits coverage that includes94
122122 any transition related intervention, provided that such coverage is paid for entirely using95
123123 only funds not authorized or appropriated by the state; or96
124124 (2) Restricting the ability of any nonstate health benefits coverage provider from offering97
125125 coverage for any transition related intervention or the ability of a local government to98
126126 contract separately with such a provider for such coverage, provided that such coverage99
127127 is paid for entirely using only funds not authorized or appropriated by the state."100
128128 SECTION 5.101
129129 This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law102
130130 without such approval.103
131131 SECTION 6.104
132132 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.105
133133 H. B. 660
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