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House approves NextGen 911 bill to modernize emergency system and assign GEMA responsibilities
Summary
House Bill 423 passed the Georgia House to expand GEMA/Homeland Security’s responsibilities to procure and oversee NextGen 9‑1‑1 services and to bring state emergency communications into modern standards.
Representative Will Wade (Governor’s Floor Leader) presented House Bill 423, described as the NextGen 9‑1‑1 bill. Wade said the bill "will amend the purpose and duties and responsibilities of our agency, GEMA Homeland Security, to include procuring, implementing and overseeing the Next Gen 9‑11 service," and it would add executive‑level representation for information technology, cybersecurity and GIS on the agency board.
Members questioned privacy and operational safeguards. Representative Sanchez asked whether the location access provided by NextGen services would be used only for a specific 9‑1‑1 case; Wade replied, "So this is specifically for 911 usage. That is correct," and confirmed that location access would be initiated by the caller and “not reversible.” Representative Heffner and Representative New described gaps in communication during past disasters and supported modernization.
The House ordered the previous question, agreed the committee report favoring passage, and the clerk announced the vote: the yeas were 163, the nays were 0. The bill passed the House.
Why it matters: The bill authorizes state oversight and procurement of NextGen 9‑1‑1, a technology suite intended to improve call routing, caller location, and multimedia emergency information—particularly relevant in large urban and rural areas where legacy infrastructure has failed during disasters.
Next steps: House passage sends the bill to the Senate. Questions recorded on the floor focused on privacy and the scope of location access; implementation details and rulemaking will be matters for agency rulemaking and future oversight.
