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Committee approves bill defining and certifying recovery community organizations
Summary
The House Public Health and Community Committee advanced House Bill 657 to define recovery community organizations, create certification for peer specialists and give the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) authority to designate a statewide coordinating RCO; the measure passed on a voice vote.
The House Public Health and Community Committee voted to pass House Bill 657, which establishes definitions and a state certification framework for recovery community organizations and certified peer specialists and tasks the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) with oversight.
Supporters said the bill aims to protect clients and the integrity of community-run recovery services while preserving free access to those programs.
Representative Hagan told the committee the bill would create statutory language to provide “cohesion and professionalism” among recovery community organizations across the state and would authorize DBHDD to certify training organizations and to designate a statewide recovery community organization to coordinate local RCOs, subject to appropriation. Jeffrey Love, with the Georgia Council for Recovery, said the proposal creates “nothing new” in terms of credential content but would protect communities from bad actors and ensure existing certifications are enforceable in code. “All those certifications have been done for well over 15 years,” Love said.
Under the bill, the state would define multiple types of certified peer specialists, set requirements for peer-support services and list basic operational requirements for an RCO, including that services be nonclinical and that RCOs operate as not-for-profit entities. Supporters said the measure would not authorize Medicaid reimbursement for peer services; Representative Hagan stated “there's no intent of this bill to get Medicaid reimbursement.”
Committee members asked how many RCOs operate in Georgia; supporters said about 45 organizations across the state. The bill, as presented, requires certifying bodies to vet applicants for staff certification and allows DBHDD to recertify organizations; it does not, in its current form, list criminal penalties or specified sanctions for individuals who falsely present themselves as certified. Supporters said that omission is intentional at this stage — the bill creates definitions and a review structure and that penalties could be considered later if problems arise.
Representative Taylor and others emphasized the role RCOs play as alternatives to incarceration and as community supports following clinical treatment, and asked about how RCOs would be listed for public referral. Supporters said DBHDD lists RCOs on its website and that they would work with the General Assembly’s working group to share locations.
The committee recorded a motion and second, conducted a voice vote and advanced the bill. The transcript does not include a recorded roll-call tally; the chair declared, “The ayes have it.”
The bill now moves to the next legislative step for further consideration and potential appropriation if the statewide coordinating RCO is designated.
