Georgia senators want to allow new hospitals to be built in counties with fewer than 50,000 residents without state permission, a measure particularly aimed at allowing an undisclosed entity to build a new hospital in the home county of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
Senators voted 42-13 to pass Senate Bill 99 on Monday, sending it to the House for more debate.
The measure says governments or private nonprofit groups can build hospitals in less-populated counties without getting a certificate of need from the state Department of Community Health.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
