SR367: SR367 Polio Vaccination Campaign; 70th anniversary; commemorate

This resolution from the Georgia Senate marks the 70th anniversary of the 1955 nationwide Polio Vaccination Campaign, which began the mass vaccination effort that eventually eradicated polio in the United States. The resolution recounts the history of polio as a disease that paralyzed and killed children and adults, Georgia's connection to the disease through President Franklin Roosevelt's treatment at the Warm Springs Institute, and the role of Augusta's Talmage Memorial Hospital in housing iron lung machines for polio patients across the Southeast. The resolution does not create any new law, funding, or requirement. It simply has the Senate formally commemorate the anniversary and directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available to the public and the press.

• Formally commemorates the 70th anniversary of the nationwide Polio Vaccination Campaign that began in 1955.
• Acknowledges and salutes the scientists, physicians, public health personnel, and parents who contributed to eradicating polio.
• Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare copies of the resolution for distribution to the public and press.
• Creates no new law, funding, or ongoing obligation; it is a ceremonial statement rather than a change to Georgia statutes.

This resolution mainly affects the Georgia Senate itself and the historical record; it names scientists, physicians, public health workers, and parents involved in the polio vaccination effort, and references institutions such as the Warm Springs Institute and the Medical College of Georgia Hospital.

Because this is a commemorative resolution, it does not change any Georgian's rights, obligations, or funding. Its practical effect is limited to an official Senate statement and public distribution of copies, serving as a historical and civic acknowledgment rather than a policy change.

• Recites the history of polio and the 1955 nationwide vaccination campaign, including its scale and impact in the United States.
• Notes Georgia's historical connection to polio through President Franklin Roosevelt's treatment at the Warm Springs Institute.
• Notes that the Talmage Memorial Hospital (now Medical College of Georgia Hospital) served as a regional repository for iron lung machines in the 1950s.
• Resolves that the Senate commemorates the anniversary and honors those who contributed to the vaccination campaign's success.
• Directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies of the resolution available to the public and press.

1. 2025-03-11Senate Read and Adopted (Senate)
2. 2025-03-10Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)Primary sponsor

• polio vaccine history
• public health
• Georgia Senate resolution
• Warm Springs Institute