--- title: HB 620. State holidays; Blood Plasma Donation Awareness Day; designate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb620 cite_as: HB 620, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb620 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb620.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb620/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70795 date: 2026-02-11 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb619.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb621.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 305 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb620.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 620 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-02-26 last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute sponsors: - Noelle Kahaian - David Clark - Joe Campbell - Reynaldo Martinez - Matt Reeves - Floyd Griffin text_version: Comm Sub has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB620/2025 upstream_id: 1986011 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - blood plasma donation - state holidays and observances - sickle cell disease - public health awareness --- # HB 620. State holidays; Blood Plasma Donation Awareness Day; designate ## Text The House Committee on Special Rules offers the following substitute to HB 620: A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapter 4 of Title 1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to holidays and observances, so as to designate Blood Plasma Donation Awareness Day in Georgia; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for related matters; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. The General Assembly finds that: (1) The lives of millions of individuals are heavily reliant on life-saving therapies derived from human blood plasma, emphasizing the need for a robust and inclusive blood plasma collection infrastructure; (2) The United States is home to a vast network of United States Food and Drug Administration licensed blood plasma donation centers, which collectively facilitated over 493 million plasma donations from 2007 to 2021, underscoring the critical role these centers play in supporting healthcare in this country; (3) Approximately 33 million liters of blood plasma are meticulously fractionated each year, yielding essential therapeutic plasma proteins vital for a wide range of medical treatments, including emergencies related to uncontrollable bleeding, autoimmune disorders, sickle cell disease, and various chronic conditions; (4) The demand for therapies derived from blood plasma has surged dramatically over the past two decades, driven by advancements in diagnosing rare diseases, elevated standards of patient care, and enhanced patient access to innovative treatments, further highlighting the need for increased representation in blood plasma collection efforts; (5) Plasma-derived medicinal products (PDMPs) are indispensable in managing urgent health crises tied to bleeding, autoimmune conditions, sickle cell disease, and chronic health issues, and play crucial roles in treating patients with rare and life-threatening illnesses, such as primary immunodeficiencies and hemophilia; (6) Millions of donations are made annually at blood plasma collection centers throughout the United States, revealing the essential contribution these local collection sites make within the healthcare framework of this country and state and the pressing need for more diverse representation in the industry; (7) The global blood plasma market has achieved remarkable financial growth, reaching approximately $30 billion in 2022, a significant increase from just over $5 billion in 2000, highlighting the enormous economic potential embedded within the plasma industry; (8) Sickle cell disease is a chronic, incurable genetic blood disease that disproportionately affects individuals of African descent, with approximately 100,000 people in the United States and over 11,000 people in this state living with the condition; (9) Sickle cell disease is most prevalent among individuals of African descent, with approximately 90 percent of those affected identifying as such, emphasizing the significant impact of this disease on communities of color; (10) Therapeutic plasma exchange has been recognized as a potentially useful treatment in resolving complications of sickle cell disease, including acute chest syndrome and hepatic crisis, highlighting the critical need for accessible and inclusive blood plasma collection infrastructure; (11) Dr. Charles Richard Drew, an African American pioneering figure in modern blood banking and twentieth-century medicine, revolutionized blood plasma donation and storage processes, fundamentally shaping the field as it is known today, and his legacy serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of integration and representation in the medical field; and (12) Despite the significant contributions of individuals of African descent who comprise over 86 percent of blood plasma donations nation wide, there are currently no plasma collection centers owned by individuals from this demographic in this state, a glaring disparity that underscores the need for awareness to promote a more representative blood plasma industry that reflects the communities it serves. SECTION 2. Chapter 4 of Title 1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to holidays and observances, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows: "1-4-28. February 17 of each year is designated as 'Blood Plasma Donation Awareness Day' in Georgia." SECTION 3. This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026. SECTION 4. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. House Bill 620 would create a new Georgia holiday, Blood Plasma Donation Awareness Day, observed each year on February 17 to highlight blood plasma donation and the lack of diversity among plasma center owners in the state. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law currently lists a set of official state holidays and observances in Chapter 4 of Title 1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. This bill adds a new one: Blood Plasma Donation Awareness Day, to be marked every year on February 17. The bill opens with a long list of legislative findings about blood plasma donation, including that plasma-derived medicines treat conditions like sickle cell disease, that sickle cell disease disproportionately affects people of African descent, and that Black Georgians make up a large share of the nation's plasma donors while, according to the findings, no plasma collection center in the state is owned by someone from that demographic. The bill does not create any new program, funding, or requirement beyond adding the observance day to Georgia's code. It would take effect on July 1, 2026, and repeals any conflicting laws. ### What it does - Adds a new Georgia Code section, O.C.G.A. ยง 1-4-28, designating February 17 as Blood Plasma Donation Awareness Day. - Inserts legislative findings into the bill about plasma donation, sickle cell disease, and the lack of Black-owned plasma centers in Georgia, though these findings are not codified as law. - Sets the new observance day's effective date as July 1, 2026. - Repeals any existing laws that conflict with the new designation. ### Who it affects The designation mainly affects how Georgia's official calendar of observances reads; it does not impose duties on individuals or businesses. It may be of particular interest to blood plasma donation centers, patients relying on plasma-derived therapies, people with sickle cell disease, and advocates for greater diversity among plasma center ownership. ### Why it matters Because this is a designated day rather than a legal holiday with office closures or funding, its main effect is symbolic: it puts a spotlight each February 17 on blood plasma donation and on the findings the legislature recorded about representation gaps in Georgia's plasma industry. ### Key provisions - Section 1 lists legislative findings on the medical importance of plasma-derived products, sickle cell disease's disproportionate impact on Black Americans, and the absence of Black-owned plasma centers in Georgia. - Section 2 adds new Code section 1-4-28, stating that February 17 of each year is designated 'Blood Plasma Donation Awareness Day' in Georgia. - Section 3 sets the effective date of the Act as July 1, 2026. - Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-26) - Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (2026-02-11) - Sponsors: Noelle Kahaian, David Clark, Joe Campbell, Reynaldo Martinez, Matt Reeves, Floyd Griffin - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70795 > The history, votes, and amendments (305 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb620.md?full=1