Committee advances bill to create electronic tracking of continuing education for licensees

House Bill 34, which would authorize the Secretary of State to establish an electronic system for tracking continuing-education compliance for professional licensing boards, was advanced unanimously by the committee after proponents described it as a cost-free, efficiency measure for licensees and the secretary’s office.

Representative Washburn, the bill’s author, told the committee that “House Bill 34 seeks to establish a system for professional licensing boards to electronically track continuing education compliance. It is designed to streamline this process and help with some of our licensing issues.” He said the measure had passed the committee and rules last year but did not reach the floor.

Gabe Sterling of the Secretary of State’s Office explained how the bill would change current practice, including reducing the office’s manual auditing workload. Sterling said boards already have rulemaking authority over continuing-education requirements and that the department currently audits roughly 3% of CE submissions; the bill would allow broader electronic auditability and reduce staff time spent making individual calls to verify credits. Sterling also noted a recent court decision affecting board rulemaking — “the Supreme Court said none of the boards can pass rules unless they address specifically health and safety,” — though he said that principle does not prevent CE tracking itself.

Tim Davis, senior director of government affairs for the Georgia Nurses Association, testified in support, saying the nurses’ board has already opted into a similar system and that “overwhelmingly, our nurses don’t have any problems with the process and are able to track their continuing education.” Davis and Sterling both said the baseline tracking service would cost the state nothing; a private vendor offers optional paid “concierge” services to licensees who want help finding and registering for classes.

After public testimony and brief questioning, Senator Albers moved that the committee give House Bill 34 a favorable report; Senator Sims seconded the motion. The chair called the vote and the committee advanced the bill.

The bill’s author said he plans to secure a Senate sponsor. The committee noted the measure aims to codify a system some boards are already using by rule so the approach remains in place across administrations.