Pause certain gene therapy products
Would establish a moratorium on certain uses of human gene therapy products. CODR is watching this proposal on the safety of gene therapy products.
Medical freedom
Protect people who decline COVID-19 vaccines
Creates the COVID-19 Religious Exemption Act, making it unlawful to discriminate against anyone for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine contrary to their belief, and requires health care facilities to adopt protocols for belief-based objections. No one should lose a job, care, or opportunity for declining a vaccine on the basis of conscience or faith.
No COVID-19 vaccine requirement for school
Provides that children may not be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enroll or attend school, and bars the Department of Public Health from requiring it by rule. Parents, not the state, should decide whether their children receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
State vaccine advisory committee role
Among other changes, provides that the Immunization Advisory Committee shall advise the Director of Public Health on diseases for which an immunization or medical countermeasure is licensed. Who sets vaccine recommendations shapes school and health requirements, so CODR is watching how this committee is used.
Let local water providers opt out of fluoridation
Creates the Fluoridation Local Authority Act, letting public water providers opt in or out of state fluoridation requirements without penalty after public notice and comment. Communities should be able to choose whether to add fluoride to their water.
Pass the Georgia Medical Freedom Act
Protects individuals’ right to make their own decisions about medical interventions, bans exclusion based on them, and repeals the power of public health boards to require vaccinations. No one should be forced to accept a medical intervention to take part in public life.
Expanded right to try (signed)
The Hope for Georgia Patients Act expands access to individualized investigational treatments for patients with severely debilitating or life-threatening illnesses, with written informed consent. Seriously ill patients should be free to try treatments with their informed consent.
Keep non-medical vaccine exemptions
Prohibits new non-medical immunization exemptions for school-aged children; a related Senate bill repeals the non-medical exemption entirely. Neither passed in 2026. Families should not lose their religious exemption or be forced to choose between faith and school.
Expand religious vaccine exemptions
Expands the religious exemption from medical examinations, immunizations, and vaccinations to protect parents and others with bona fide religious tenets and practices. Sincere religious belief deserves strong protection in health decisions.
Protect medical freedom without coercion
Protects the right to make autonomous decisions about medical interventions without discrimination, coercion, or exclusion by public or private entities, and requires the Department of Health to amend its rules. No one should be excluded from public life over a personal medical decision.