# Georgia SB 535: Mental Health; the re-creation of community service boards; provide Georgia SB 535, Mental Health; the re-creation of community service boards; provide, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Kay Kirkpatrick (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-07-01 (Effective Date); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB535-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Georgia SB 535 - State: Georgia - Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session - Title: Mental Health; the re-creation of community service boards; provide - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-02-19 - Last action: 2026-07-01, Effective Date - Sponsor: Kay Kirkpatrick (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Public and Community Health, Health and Human Services, General Bill - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (175 yes, 33 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 6 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Consumers gain voice on service boards: benefit, low. The state behavioral health department must establish common board rules by December 31, 2026, and boards must adopt them. Service users and family members must hold at least 50% of seats appointed under subsection (b), paragraphs (1) and (2). These appointees must represent mental health, developm… - Georgia service boards continue under new structure: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Georgia re-creates community service boards that existed on June 30, 2026. They remain public agencies for mental health, developmental disabilities, and addiction services. Their contracts, rights, duties, and benefits existing on June 30, 2026, continue. Counties authorize… - Board members lose expense reimbursement authority: cost, low. The law removes the stated authority to reimburse community service board members for actual board-duty expenses with executive director approval. Members lose this legal basis for reimbursement. The law gives no dollar amount and does not address whether another reimbursement authority applies. - Service workers face narrower retaliation protection: cost, low. Community service board employees retain protection when reporting possible fraud, waste, or abuse involving programs, operations, or client services. Reports cannot be knowingly false or made with willful disregard for whether they are true. Board members and employees with personnel-action author… - Service boards face tighter financial approvals: cost, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, executive directors must approve community service board debts, liabilities, and obligations. Debt payments remain capped at 15% of the board’s prior-year revenue. Forming or joining a qualifying nonprofit entity requires approval from both the executive director and commiss… - Service directors gain power over boards: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, executive directors join the governing boards of community service boards existing on June 30, 2026. Directors are exempt from a contracting-related board eligibility restriction that still applies to certain other people. Starting July 1, directors control staffing, set emp… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Kay Kirkpatrick (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Sharon Cooper (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-16 | House | PASSAGE | pass | 130 | 31 | 9 | | 2026-02-26 | Senate | PASSAGE BY SUBSTITUTE | pass | 45 | 2 | 2 | ## Actions (15) - 2026-07-01: Effective Date - 2026-05-05: Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate) - 2026-05-05: Act 412 - 2026-04-10: Senate Sent to Governor (Senate) - 2026-03-16: House Third Readers (House) - 2026-03-16: House Passed/Adopted (House) - 2026-03-12: House Committee Favorably Reported (House) - 2026-03-04: House Second Readers (House) - 2026-03-03: House First Readers (House) - 2026-02-26: Senate Third Read (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate) - 2026-02-25: Senate Read Second Time (Senate) - 2026-02-24: Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate) - 2026-02-20: Senate Read and Referred (Senate) - 2026-02-19: Senate Hopper (Senate) ## Bill text - SB 535/AP* (v7): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/246158) ## Related bills - SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckless stunt driving; replace the forfeiture penalty (signed) - SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation for certain motor vehicles; provide (signed) - SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; establish (signed) - SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact (signed) - HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish (signed) - HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact (signed) ## Sources - [SB 535/AP* (v7) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/246158) ## Related - [SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckles…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB160-2025-2026) - [SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB384-2025-2026) - [SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Servic…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB76-2025-2026) - [SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB406-2025-2026) - [HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1391-2025-2026) - [HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1344-2025-2026) - [Georgia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia/bills) - [Georgia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB535-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).