February 23, 2026
HB 170 was introduced by Rep. Karen Mathiak in the 2025 legislative session. This past week, it passed the House Insurance Committee and is now in the House Rules Committee! It provides for transparency in medical billing for chiropractors, physicians, patients, and all stakeholders on procedures and billing.
Rep. Mathiak and Rep Anissa Jones, both chiropractors, and our government affairs team, Thrash-Haliburton, have already met on this legislation, strategy, and with the Insurance Commissioner’s Office (at the direction of the House Insurance Committee Chairman).
We met again with the Chairman of the House Insurance Committee, and we have been working with GCA leadership on communication to membership about the bill.
HB 1088 was also introduced, and it puts the definition of a Chiropractor in the same language at the State level as it is at the Federal level. It is still in the House Health Committee.
The Speaker of the House has said in the last few weeks he wants to attempt to pass Insurance Reform in the 2026 session, after the House had a study committee hold several study committee hearings throughout 2025 until December 2025 focused on looking at insurance carriers, how they set premiums, their profits, and how to better reduce insurance premiums and improves the claims process for all stakeholders in Georgia. Bills have been introduced on this and will pass the House!
This past week saw the introduction of Senate Bill 411 from Senator Shawn Still. It provides for dry needling to be performed by certain licensed professionals, restricts certain representations and advertisements related to the performance of dry needling, provides for education and training requirements for occupational therapists to perform dry needling, provides for disciplinary action, and training requirements for acupuncturists. It passed the Senate, and it is in the House Health and Human Services Committee now.
We were also able to clarify that chiropractors are able to conduct sports physicals for high schools, if the local school district approves it. Its up to each school district on approving it or not, and it is a local issue.
GCA’s very important Lobby Day was on February 10 at the State Capitol! Thanks to all who attended to represent our industry and association! They were able to hear from Georgia’s political leadership invited by our government affairs firm of Thrash-Haliburton about what is going on at the Capitol, talk about issues important to our industry, take pictures, and more. Many also met with their local House and Senate members, saw the legislature in session, and were recognized by the House!
The 2026 Georgia General Assembly had its nineteenth through twenty second days of session this past week on Feb 17-20, 2026! They were in for four official legislative days this past week.
Once again, it was a very busy week at the Capitol this past week with a lot of bills being introduced by House and Senate members and committee meetings held to hear, pass, and/or not pass bills. We’re getting closer and closer to Crossover Day.
This week of February 23-27 will have three official legislative days from Tuesday – Thursday for legislative days 23-25 with Monday, February 23, being a committee day. Crossover Day deadline is March 6 (the day a bill has to be passed out of its original chamber), and the last day of session will be April 2!
Georgia’s Legislature operates on a biennial process, so 2026 is the second year of the process for 2025-2026. All bills that were not signed or vetoed by the Governor in 2025 are “alive” for passage and they begin in 2026 in the last committee from which they came in 2026.
Thrash-Haliburton has been in constant communication with GCA leadership about issues and legislation coming up for our industry in the 2026 session.
Our team is acting at the association’s direction on all legislation and issues such as these above, and we will provide further updates in the future.
Here’s to a great year for our industry in 2026 at the State Capitol!
Thrash-Haliburton is diligently watching and working to stop any detrimental legislation to our industry and push the legislation we support. Our governmental affairs team continues every day to work on, look out for and answer requests, needs and interests, as we act at the direction of the group’s leadership.