Georgia House passes measures on drone security, pharmacy reimbursement, workforce training and other bills

The Georgia House of Representatives on Friday passed a package of bills addressing unmanned aircraft systems, pharmacy reimbursement for the State Health Benefit Plan, workforce development, and several other measures.

The most contested measures were two drone bills: House Bill 205, which directs the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) to compile a cleared list of unmanned aircraft systems for state and local government use, and House Bill 58, which makes it a misdemeanor to operate an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) over certain ticketed entertainment events without exemptions for FAA‑authorized operators, consent, or event employees. Both bills passed on recorded votes after committee substitutes and floor debate.

Why it matters: HB 205 addresses national‑security and data‑security concerns raised by federal agencies about foreign‑made UAS. HB 196 targets reimbursement rules that state lawmakers and pharmacists say have forced some independent pharmacies to close. HB 192 modifies state education code to further align career‑technical programs with a high‑demand workforce list. Other measures removed duplicative steps for international adoptees and clarified law enforcement procedures for roadside citation signatures.

House Bill 205: cleared list for government drones

Representative Clark presented House Bill 205 as a security measure responding to concerns that many commercial drones are designed or assembled abroad and can transmit collected data. Clark told the chamber the measure directs GEMA and the Homeland Security Agency to develop and publish a cleared list of approved UAS by Dec. 1, 2025, and prohibits state and local agencies from acquiring non‑approved drones beginning Jan. 1, 2028. "Drones must not be capable of transmitting data to unauthorized parties," Clark said on the floor. Supporters said the bill does not ban private ownership; it restricts only government acquisitions and directs agencies to coordinate with the Department of Administrative Services and federal partners.

House Bill 196: pharmacy reimbursement for the state plan

Representative Kelly presented House Bill 196 as a change to how the state reimburses pharmacies for drugs dispensed under the State Health Benefit Plan. The bill guarantees reimbursement tied to the NADAC (National Average Drug Acquisition Cost) plus a reasonable dispensing fee, a formula supporters say will prevent independent pharmacies from losing money on certain prescriptions. "That pharmacist had two choices," Kelly said, describing a rural pharmacist who chose to fill life‑saving prescriptions at a loss rather than refuse patients. Several committee chairs and lawmakers urged passage, noting independent pharmacies serve as a first line of care in rural communities. House debate included specific examples of wide discrepancies between mail‑order or PBM‑directed reimbursement and local acquisition costs.

House Bill 58: UAS over ticketed events

Representative William Rick Richardson presented House Bill 58, which creates a misdemeanor offense for operating a UAS within a defined zone around a ticketed entertainment event unless an exception applies. The bill establishes a 400‑foot buffer and exempts operations authorized by the FAA, conducted with event consent, or performed by employees or utilities on official business. Richardson said the measure was designed to avoid preemption of FAA authority while offering local enforcement tools for privacy and nuisance concerns. The chamber adopted a committee substitute before passage.

Other measures passed

- House Bill 192 (workforce education): Sponsored by Representative Gamble, the bill incorporates the high‑demand career list into additional code sections, strengthens required return‑on‑investment reporting, and references the Georgia Match program in statute to better align K‑12, technical college and university offerings with employer needs.

- House Bill 181 (foreign adoption certificates): Presented by Representative Earhart, HB 181 removes the requirement that adoptive families pursue a duplicative state readoption process when U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has already recognized the foreign adoption and the child has a certificate of citizenship. The sponsor said readoption has been costly and redundant for families.

- House Bill 283 (traffic signature law): Representative Neal presented a bill that codifies law enforcement officers' ability to record "refuse to sign" on citations to reduce roadside tension and potential confrontations. Supporters said the change reduces negative encounters and helps officers get home safely.

- Senate Bill 16 (bail bond business and elected office): Presented by Representative Huddleston, the measure modifies a prohibition on bail‑bond business owners holding elected office by adding an exception allowing service where the proprietor's bail business is not located in the same county as the office held.

Local calendar and committee action

The House passed its local calendar of uncontested bills on a recorded vote (yays 170, nays 0). The chamber also adopted several committee substitutes and recommitted a small number of bills to other committees during the floor session.

Votes at a glance

- House Bill 205 — "Development of cleared unmanned aircraft systems list" (presented by Representative Clark). Committee substitute adopted; final passage: Yeas 162, Nays 1. Outcome: passed. Effective/implementation: list due 12/01/2025; prohibition on acquiring non‑listed drones effective 01/01/2028 (text as presented on floor).

- House Bill 196 — "Pharmacy reimbursement; NADAC‑plus formula" (presented by Representative Kelly). Committee substitute adopted; final passage: Yeas 168, Nays 0. Outcome: passed.

- House Bill 58 — "Drone operation over ticketed entertainment events" (presented by Representative William Rick Richardson). Committee substitute adopted; final passage: Yeas 153, Nays 4. Outcome: passed.

- House Bill 192 — "High demand career list; workforce alignment" (presented by Representative Gamble). Final passage: Yeas 155, Nays 1. Outcome: passed.

- House Bill 181 — "Certificate of foreign birth for foreign adoptions; remove readoption" (presented by Representative Earhart). Final passage: Yeas 154, Nays 0. Outcome: passed.

- House Bill 283 — "Signature on citations; refuse to sign" (presented by Representative Neal). Final passage: Yeas 155, Nays 6. Outcome: passed.

- Senate Bill 16 — "Public officers and bail bond business" (presented by Representative Huddleston). Final passage: Yeas 159, Nays 6. Outcome: passed.

- Local calendar (list of local uncontested bills) — Final passage: Yeas 170, Nays 0. Outcome: passed.

What lawmakers said and next steps

Sponsors and committee chairs said several bills were designed to avoid federal preemption (HB 58) or to align state programs with federal guidance and security best practices (HB 205), and they highlighted constituent impacts (HB 196, HB 181). House sponsors frequently asked colleagues to "yield the well" for questions, and multiple committee substitutes were adopted before final passage. For bills that require rule‑making or lists (HB 205) the implementing agencies and deadlines were stated on the floor; those agencies will carry out the next procedural steps or issue guidance.

This summary is based on the House floor transcript for Feb. 21, 2025. Detailed committee reports and enrolled bill text will provide the final statutory language and effective dates.