[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6686770,"mediaKeyId","2373975-47d11ab7db283da68bd68f84c797469e","parentId",2373975,"title","Committee holds hearing on bill to require dietitians and recognize clinical dietary managers in long-term care","audioSeconds",1245,"startMs",1984000,"endMs",3229000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2373975-47d11ab7db283da68bd68f84c797469e&start=1984&end=3229","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2373975-47d11ab7db283da68bd68f84c797469e/thumbnail_1984000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6686770/Georgia/Committee-holds-hearing-on-bill-to-require-dietitians-and-recognize-clinical-dietary-managers-in-long-term-care","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6686770-84bda54d2562b8676a38851d0592671a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770870396&Signature=O1RP3b4ZrIe906zXoi-Qe1b7kqIq-4H3Pq1CNMsdwM3ovLvWEWx83nFHvGMR5HLmyC0IMgPFimmut5S88853HxFCi6n9Rj8x4hI2SZr03zyhl3xQG3XO0bI3vGCHH9SBNvMMECbYcVB58nhP63~rTYabjF-6A41-6eWDzSgMHlyiO0--sWV-AksuN5x000kuUCzAy~6kJJnoIzGU7UgXPKHV7pK2Qt-zEtpCKTc5RtxyAmhUvHPxnrs-gX~oXt1~ANVPshYWhOJe8FUzIDbAeVDIut1Cl42NIGAAwRrNIKckKbxARBCxH4BNEsuxWocPHbitvRDNK9QlwbnqDHf0EA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","State of Georgia ","date","2025-02-21T14:11:36.09Z","article","Representative Schofield introduced House Bill 11 as a hearing before the Human Relations & Aging Committee, saying the measure aims to improve nutrition and meal oversight in the state's long-term care facilities by requiring each facility to employ a licensed dietitian and appoint a qualified director of food and nutrition services.

\"Recognizing that proper nutrition is critical,\" Representative Schofield said in opening remarks, and described the bill as intended to raise standards of care and to address what she called a growing need for nutritional oversight across long-term care settings. She said the state has approximately 357 long-term care facilities serving more than 44,000 residents, and that roughly 2,500 licensed dietitians are currently registered in Georgia.

Regina St. Clair, introduced to the committee as representing the Georgia Association of Nutritional Food Service Professionals and speaking as a certified dietary manager (CDM), told the committee that CDMs combine clinical and operations responsibilities and that adequate training matters. \"Nutrition is healing,\" St. Clair said, describing the CDM role in menu planning, sanitation and resident assessments. She said CDM credentialing typically requires about 120 training hours plus a proctoring requirement.

Members raised questions about which facilities the bill would cover and whether existing rules already require nutritional standards. Representative LaHood cited assisted-living rules (referencing existing state regulations for assisted living) that already require three meals daily, menu planning and emergency food supplies, and suggested enforcement of current rules might address some problems the bill seeks to fix.

Representative Donahue and other members recounted problems observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, including reports that some residents did not receive meals when facilities were understaffed or when visitors could not enter. Witnesses and members said staffing shortages, vendor delivery practices and enforcement lapses all contribute to inconsistent nutrition outcomes.

Schofield and proponents emphasized the bill is not intended to impose a single approach for every site but to raise clinical nutritional oversight and to recognize CDMs and qualified directors alongside dietitians. Members asked the Department of Community Health (DCH) to provide rule citations and enforcement data and requested fiscal-impact analyses showing both the immediate cost to facilities and potential downstream savings from improved patient outcomes.

No committee vote was recorded at the hearing. Chairman Petrie and other members asked for further information from DCH on current regulatory requirements and for additional data on staffing impacts and cost and outcome tradeoffs before the committee proceeds.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Human Relations & Aging 02.21.25","oneSentenceSummary","Representative Schofield introduced House Bill 11 as a hearing before the Human Relations & Aging Committee, saying the measure aims to improve nutrition and meal oversight in long-term care facilities by requiring licensed dietitians and qualified directors of food and nutrition services.","taxTitle","Human Relations & Aging, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Georgia","taxId",17218,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6686774,"Committee hears bill to create autism-specific missing-persons alert",1674,290000,1964000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2373975-47d11ab7db283da68bd68f84c797469e&start=290&end=1964","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2373975-47d11ab7db283da68bd68f84c797469e/thumbnail_290000.jpg","/articles/6686774/Georgia/Committee-hears-bill-to-create-autism-specific-missing-persons-alert","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6686774-10ee1e0233f1f32a1d850c2c4b8fa4cf/orig.mp4?Expires=1770870396&Signature=ZzxfxnY4OVuta5aP2-HuhCuDP~Vh36wFA9m2A8QOUiRmpZ4ia6E-3MM1JoKtCJAictNWvan65YZGrkUve25LXFvpGj~iI4XFQsGaIfBUYDWTi5dTNH8EeWWll92VMZVjpHDZEphgDnzevPM-0lASOV0gC9qne2ObaddHrmqkn07corxDEsANr87Aw3L60UdKHhPBZYlj8RFD~oAqepnsJiPc0hXh405E40gmr8yCjOA5tl1Uik11Bc-lwlpVteu8ncZezAFrBFc1iYvEFKA~1OaumK7F2zVjsgG-nOhTRIm7CRzSr6L4RDU8~K8IwlKVc-bB8QeOGncGkurKqbouxg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Gilliard presented House Bill 465 to the Human Relations & Aging Committee as a hearing, saying the proposal is aimed at improving searches for missing people who have autism and related conditions.

“This bill is very personal to me,” Representative Gilliard said, describing family experience and citing recent deaths of missing people with autism that he said illustrated the difficulties searches face. He told the committee the bill would create an autism alert system patterned on existing missing-persons alerts and use established networks to disseminate information quickly.

The bill would give the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) authority to activate an autism-specific alert and would use private-sector networks — including the Georgia Lottery Corporation\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000which the bill references\u0000to push alerts to convenience stores and other high-visibility points, Representative Gilliard said. He described cases including a church-camp disappearance and local drownings that he said highlighted the urgency of faster, more tailored responses.

Robbie Bigham, special agent in charge with the GBI, told the committee the state already uses an alert system for missing endangered persons and that the existing program has been used frequently. “For fiscal year 2025 so far since July 1, we\u0000have done over 75 alerts,” Bigham said, and he described how the current system categorizes activations (for example, missing disabled adults or juveniles) but does not retain diagnostic classifications in a searchable database for privacy reasons.

Committee members asked about training for local law enforcement and whether a separate autism-specific program would add value over expanding public awareness of current alert categories. Bigham said much of the benefit depends on outreach and marketing: agencies and the public must know the alert capability already exists under the missing/endangered-persons category and what situations qualify.

Senator James and other legislators recounted personal and constituent experiences with autism and law-enforcement encounters, including several speakers who urged provisions for training and public education. Several members also noted the vulnerability of people with autism to water-related risks and to exploitation.

Chairman Petrie closed the hearing by asking staff and GBI to work on language clarifications raised during questions (for example, references to \"the bureau\" and the director) and said the committee would meet early next week to consider a vote after those edits. The hearing record does not show a committee vote at this session.

The committee did not take a final vote; the bill remains in committee pending technical edits and a follow-up meeting with GBI.","Representatives and state law-enforcement officials discussed House Bill 465, which would create an autism-specific missing-persons alert tied to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and existing alert networks; the committee asked staff to work with the GBI to refine language and meet early next week for a vote.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee holds hearing on bill to require dietitians and recognize clinical dietary managers in long-term care

Committee hears bill to create autism-specific missing-persons alert