[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6632626,"mediaKeyId","2671300-92b10b67f345d5aa76f0c9385fec8c42","parentId",2671300,"title","Committee hears extensive testimony on medical-cannabis bill; lawmakers defer final action","audioSeconds",781,"startMs",10979000,"endMs",11760000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2671300-92b10b67f345d5aa76f0c9385fec8c42&start=10979&end=11760","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2671300-92b10b67f345d5aa76f0c9385fec8c42/thumbnail_10979000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6632626/Georgia/Committee-hears-extensive-testimony-on-medical-cannabis-bill-lawmakers-defer-final-action","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6632626-b4f4612b5ce82614713082cccf22cc0b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159007&Signature=BOqvWJYFofwTEHYTbX7gXPjsyePNBzG~bBi1XbywrkCGjK6oMBIS9Pi8v6j-GCCGXcC8oqODXGTtzRfYHCSqnGGLRYJthhZ-dH640NLvuq-EG3hUhRP0hMMiDBmK6EMKTDOajdqihoCVGMG4Y0YtQ7cuHtWLKz9BjafphxTTg7D1524J7N~JQOpMP-IFC-sU1mvLAQ7PwtKmf69lann5U-FmgKLFrWEgJWTgTaKlV5-criN96O765KQM3jHWIpmFQo9QATjQ~pIDniBHpW1NlOmDnguEDRwNZupwicKM1dhxBCKzOyhbxK0fJRoprpe8KJFXW7Q0~4LrqhyuFdQZaA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","State of Georgia ","date","2025-03-18T17:04:10.423Z","article","A House committee held an extended hearing on Senate Bill 220, a comprehensive update to Georgia's medical cannabis law that would rename the state program from \"low-THC oil\" to \"medical cannabis,\" raise the allowed THC concentration from 5% to 50%, allow inhalable delivery forms, and expand or clarify qualifying conditions.

Presenters and testimony
Attorney Edward Lindsey, representing a license holder, described key changes in the substitute and emphasized patient access and delivery systems. Former Representative Michael Gravely, who worked on the original program, testified as a private citizen and told the committee the evidence he has seen in other states and in patient experience shows benefit for conditions beyond severe or end-stage disease. Senator Brass, the bill sponsor, said the bill is intended to improve access based on a commission listening tour and clinical feedback.

Major policy changes discussed
- Potency cap: the bill raises the THC cap from 5% to 50%. The sponsor said many other medical-only states set caps at 50% or higher; he described the change as intended to improve clinical effectiveness for some patients. He also said the 50% cap was a political compromise: his original version had no cap.
- Delivery: the bill would allow inhalable forms (vaping) to provide rapid onset for conditions such as seizure disorders; sponsors and patients said vaping can be medically necessary when immediate effect is required. The committee discussed public-use and secondhand-exposure concerns.
- Conditions: the bill broadens or clarifies qualifying conditions (e.g., changing Crohn's disease to inflammatory bowel disease, adding lupus) and removes the \"severe or end-stage\" qualifier for many conditions while adding language that the patient's symptoms \"can reasonably be expected to be relieved by the use of medical cannabis and the potential benefits...outweigh the potential health risks.\" The sponsor said that change was designed to give physicians clearer discretion.

Privacy, dosing and supply
Committee members asked detailed questions about dosing, supply limits and access logistics. The sponsor said a 2-ounce possession limit is intended to allow a 30-day supply for some dosage forms; tracking and registration systems were discussed as a way to prevent diversion. Members also asked whether the program would increase recreational access or lead to street-market spillover; witnesses and the sponsor said licensed, tested products would remain more expensive and more tightly controlled than illicit alternatives.

Committee action and next steps
Lawmakers did not vote on final passage. After extensive questions and testimony, the committee recessed to consider the bill and planned to reconvene; the sponsor and several members agreed to continue working with stakeholders and return with draft modifications. No final committee vote was taken during the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Regulated Industries 03.18.25","oneSentenceSummary","A House committee spent an extended session taking testimony and debating Senate Bill 220, which would rename Georgia's low-THC program \"medical cannabis,\" lift the THC cap to 50 percent, allow inhaled delivery and broaden eligible conditions.","taxTitle","Regulated Industries, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Georgia","taxId",17251,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6632630,"Committee hears broad cemetery, disposition and 'human composting' bill; members ask for language fixes",2059,7240000,9299000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2671300-92b10b67f345d5aa76f0c9385fec8c42&start=7240&end=9299","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2671300-92b10b67f345d5aa76f0c9385fec8c42/thumbnail_7240000.jpg","/articles/6632630/Georgia/Committee-hears-broad-cemetery-disposition-and-human-composting-bill-members-ask-for-language-fixes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6632630-c7b08ad8719dbebbacfc32ddca69f04f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159007&Signature=FR4E8ukdTIIYtZ5JMRtgMs0wpbcZwWUHq5qUdPeorlSEgdwGoOsreDrK2GokOqnGTaH-ewFCIlmrZGrnsfz1cHEfhAOEeBjsYpOVuxTRLkXBfZ6snesyMWPGg9bEf~SbKVg3wUzdCeFCJF7~4L4Bzk3yIyFC0uiaBYdn-Oyrgx~jo1cSSmKEF3nF32Y-wTc7gAgpLrLaHsdFIWkwG551--mXpDbAwR~vhj2aczJoyyhNhx1APUGpCmf0-mcwbkwpuXLFfzQBNkE969eC8lePBlOctT7nHz8330BoIUkYUn0WaQj6gNSZ2QpEvH1AKarlHmjelo740B6k-PhB7wTKQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A committee heard a wide-ranging bill that would regulate methods of human disposition, create procedures to protect family burial plots, and require licensing and inspection requirements for new services such as human composting.

The sponsor said the measure was designed to \"put guardrails\" in place after multiple high-profile failures elsewhere and within the state, including cases where remains were found at facilities that later abandoned operations. The bill would require licensing, inspections and performance standards for human-composting services, clarify the process and required permits for disturbing graves and disinterment, and establish procedures to protect family burial plots and abandoned cemeteries.

Committee members praised the protective intent but raised detailed concerns. Questions included how a landowner's property rights would interact with descendants' visitation and maintenance rights, whether the measure creates obligations on private landowners, how liability or immunity would be handled if a descendant is injured while visiting, and how the law would treat already-established private family cemeteries. Multiple members asked the sponsor and legislative counsel to refine language to protect landowners and clarify judicial processes. The sponsor and subcommittee chair agreed to work with committee members to adjust the language before bringing the bill back.

Notable details discussed
- Human composting: sponsor described composting as an individual, licensed process that is more costly than cremation (sponsor estimated about $10,000) and would be licensed and regulated rather than left unregulated.
- Complaint-driven inspections: the bill would require board members to notify each other and conduct timely inspections when they receive reports of wrongdoing at funeral establishments or disposition facilities.
- Family burial plots and disinterment: the bill sets minimum requirements for establishing a family cemetery on private property, clarifies who holds rights to control disposition, and creates a court process for disputes; members asked whether that process effectively imposes obligations on private landowners.

Committee action
Lawmakers did not finalize the bill in the hearing. The committee voted to accept a substitute to carry forward broader cemetery protections but, after extensive questions about property rights, liability, and implementation, the chair directed sponsor and several committee members to meet and refine the language; the bill was held for further work.","A committee reviewed a broad bill to regulate human-composting services, tighten disinterment permit rules and protect family burial plots, and then paused to seek language changes to clarify property rights and liability.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6632635,"Committee approves statewide health-care provider directory with age/location fields added",4233,1845000,6078000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2671300-92b10b67f345d5aa76f0c9385fec8c42&start=1845&end=6078","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2671300-92b10b67f345d5aa76f0c9385fec8c42/thumbnail_1845000.jpg","/articles/6632635/Georgia/Committee-approves-statewide-health-care-provider-directory-with-agelocation-fields-added","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6632635-9a98c9d2a33ffa7752ff26ec3a5fbb75/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159007&Signature=IZD9enGQNM3Z4M32M1kW9iGV0HWnMTg6kAri4Se9pTEzoqymWxPNKCJFFGIEkBxA~E0KRpfftADqudFDxAnW52eXIlIOMvfo7ZTNRRe4mJaWukXwVCPcUxA8jLby-cOBceInfdYI5DQI734g-VbdyC3aKihOXyCWJh9iS3L5cbdc3Joy7vai0xG0z9uKAp7EiK1~-mMDiF3~AFNWjSKnoXpwWjwD1Fw0v~VdZURfU4MxoAIqDaHulDrmy9FRkO3kIqjRUywpgHo-B3KvKM~FDhzcM0DaWdO5AXoypowmMYiTVhGNCqwbceHmcdCOEA8dqIsh5xND0F78duag3s3anw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A House committee advanced Senate Bill 131 on Thursday after adding an amendment to require that licensing records include month and year of birth and more precise location information so the state can calculate provider age and map practice locations.

The bill directs the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce to establish a statewide data system listing licensed health-care professionals by age, language proficiency, gender, practice location and practice type, and to collaborate with the relevant licensing boards. The sponsor said the goal is to help both health-care planners identify provider shortages and consumers search for nearby providers.

During committee discussion, staff from the Secretary of State's office told lawmakers it does not capture age directly but does record month and year of birth and certain location fields. The sponsor agreed to an amendment to add \"month and year of birth\" and a city/county/ZIP data field to the criteria. Committee debate focused on privacy concerns: several members warned age and location could be personally identifying in counties with very few providers; others said age data are essential for workforce planning and that the information is already collected on license records. The amendment passed on a show-of-hands vote (7 ayes, 5 opposed) and the bill advanced as amended.

Why it matters
Supporters said a centralized, searchable directory will help state health planners locate \"health-care deserts\" and help consumers find nearby providers; opponents warned of privacy and potential misuse if data allow re-identification in sparsely served counties.

What the committee decided
- The committee adopted an amendment to add month/year of birth and city/county/ZIP to the directory criteria. Vote on the amendment: 7 ayes, 5 opposed.
- The bill then advanced as amended.

What remains
The measure moves forward in the legislative process. Sponsors said the board may seek federal or other funding to build and maintain the system, and that licensing boards will collaborate to populate the directory.","A House committee amended and advanced legislation directing the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce to create a statewide directory of licensed health-care professionals, adding month/year of birth and city/county/ZIP fields at the request of the Secretary of State's office.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6632640,"Committee advances two bills on metal recycling, engineering licensure",330,1274000,1604000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2671300-92b10b67f345d5aa76f0c9385fec8c42&start=1274&end=1604","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2671300-92b10b67f345d5aa76f0c9385fec8c42/thumbnail_1274000.jpg","/articles/6632640/Georgia/Committee-advances-two-bills-on-metal-recycling-engineering-licensure","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6632640-f64627c18b272c5421ec909f7843b6e1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159007&Signature=IM6cIzpm8VOGU6peXVBcVDa9g11~ERYLdEzDh6J7lKEioueBQ8dYIjCsmlxbzO-leKozNIvH43AUfWg~hjDyjLrBMSNX01DDGknvCuGxccaYoWY7a0M9rqeMX5OR5ipnBCnlpfsPmpoYqn0Xo4jfzj5nivdIkQWjso-Oz3~m7mn3zratuxYnpaz-k1hTDmeQbZLNuNrRLj6c5FmpMK2ZzTfJYOlXV46t~987OgXLC5zCdxJ-ZMn8qTRbZ5vxdK9oxNG0iCYvSVTy-2VuMlE3BNqDCViKz2Mc68AMbqzP-uvvw24dRyIHOOikM1qv3TjsEi~zDkiGV4S9-DacoXKQPA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A House committee voted to advance two bills on Thursday: a cleanup measure addressing secondary metal recyclers and a change to the order of requirements for professional engineer licensure.

The first, a cleanup to earlier metal-theft legislation, moves a definition for used catalytic converters, limits cash payments that secondary metal recyclers may make (still capped at $100 per transaction and up to twice per day), and establishes a $200 registration fee for secondary metal recyclers with $100 retained by the county and $100 forwarded to a state registry. Senator Hatchett described the measure as \"a cleanup bill\" and said it was previously vetted by the committee. The committee approved the bill by voice vote.

The second bill, Senate Bill 125, would allow applicants to sit for the professional-engineer exam immediately after completing the required academic coursework rather than waiting until after a multi-year engineering-in-training work requirement. The presenter said the change \"simply allows you to take the professional engineering exam immediately after you complete your academic work\" to improve pass rates and help address a shortage of licensed engineers. Committee members had no objections and the bill passed on a voice vote.

Votes at a glance
- Senate Bill 40 (secondary metal recyclers, catalytic converters): advanced by voice vote (committee vote count not specified).
- Senate Bill 125 (professional engineer exam order): advanced by voice vote (committee vote count not specified).

What remains
Both measures were reported out of committee and will move to their next steps in the legislative process (house or other committee referral as applicable). No amendments were reported as adopted for the professional-engineer measure. The metal-recycler bill’s sponsor said the measure was intended only to clarify earlier law and that he was available to answer further questions.","The committee approved a cleanup bill tightening rules for secondary metal recyclers and a measure that lets engineering graduates take the professional licensing exam before completing their field experience.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee hears extensive testimony on medical-cannabis bill; lawmakers defer final action

Committee hears broad cemetery, disposition and 'human composting' bill; members ask for language fixes

Committee approves statewide health-care provider directory with age/location fields added

Committee advances two bills on metal recycling, engineering licensure