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House · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session

HR 1049: Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day; last Wednesday of October each year; designate

Last action March 12, 2026 · House Passed/Adopted By Substitute

A Georgia House resolution designates the Wednesday of the last week in October each year as Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day, aiming to raise attention to fentanyl and opioid overdoses statewide.

Read the full resolution text

These buttons carry the resolution's own text, not the summaries below. Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the text as filed, then the summaries under a heading that names them as ours. View raw is the text alone.

The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.

In plain language

This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives creates a symbolic day, the Wednesday of the last week in October each year, called Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day. It cites Georgia Department of Public Health figures showing opioid-related overdose deaths rose from 853 in 2019 to 1,718 in 2021, with more than half linked to fentanyl, and notes fentanyl's potency and low cost make it especially dangerous. The resolution does not create new programs, funding, or legal requirements. It simply designates the awareness day and directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. It also references the idea that schools could provide educational materials and overdose prevention kits, but does not mandate this.

What the bill does

  • Designates the Wednesday of the last week in October each year as Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day in Georgia.
  • Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make copies of the resolution available to the public and press.
  • States that Georgia policymakers should encourage students to live drug-free lives by providing educational materials and overdose prevention kits, without requiring any agency to act.

Who it affects

The resolution primarily affects how the state marks a day of awareness; it references Georgia students, middle and high schools, colleges and universities, and the Georgia Department of Public Health, though it imposes no binding duties on any of them.

Why it matters

While the resolution creates no new law, funding, or school requirement, it publicly highlights Georgia's rising fentanyl-related overdose deaths and signals legislative attention to student drug education and naloxone access, which could inform future policy debates.

Key provisions

  • The resolving clause designates the Wednesday of the last week in October each year as Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day in Georgia.
  • A further resolution directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.
  • The preamble cites Georgia Department of Public Health data showing opioid overdose deaths rose from 853 in 2019 to 1,718 in 2021.

From the bill

“the members of this body designate the Wednesday of the last week in October of each year as Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day in Georgia.”

This is the resolution's core action, creating the annual awareness day.

“fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, and is inexpensive, widely available, and highly addictive”

The resolution's stated reasoning for why fentanyl awareness matters.

Discussed in meetings (14)

The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.

  1. House Special Rules Committee, February 5, 2026

    From 0:04:18 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented HR 1049 as an annual October fentanyl awareness observance during Red Ribbon Week, developed by a high school senior as a Girl Scout project. The student witness said education and awareness were needed to address fentanyl and other manufactured drugs. The witness described arranging a school presentation with public health and medical representatives. Citing Georgia Department of Public Health data, the witness reported a 100% increase in opioid overdose deaths from 2012 to 2021 and, for 1999 through 2023, 183 opioid-related deaths in Columbus and 17,764 statewide. The witness said Georgia’s highest annual total was 1,976 in 2022. The sponsor said specifically identifying fentanyl during Red Ribbon Week would help current and future students understand its dangers and prevent unnecessary deaths. Several committee members praised the project, and one emphasized reaching children early. No substantive questions or opposition were raised. The committee approved the resolution by voice vote, with no opposition heard.

  2. House Rules Committee, February 9, 2026

    From 0:42:46 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said HR 1049 would make Fentanyl Awareness Day a permanent annual observance on the last Wednesday of October. There were no questions or calendar action.

  3. House Rules Committee, February 19, 2026

    From 0:43:33 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 746

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HR 1049 on Friday’s floor calendar under modified open rules after a motion and second. No opposition was voiced, and there was no substantive discussion.

  4. House floor session, February 20, 2026 (legislative day 22)

    From 1:48:44 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Postponed)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair postponed HR 1049 from the rules calendar to the next legislative day. There was no substantive discussion or vote on the resolution.

  5. House floor session, February 24, 2026 (legislative day 23)

    From 4:58:51 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Postponed)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair announced that HR 1049 was postponed to the next legislative day. No substantive discussion was shown.

  6. House floor session, February 25, 2026 (legislative day 24)

    From 5:30:17 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Postponed)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair announced that consideration of HR 1049 was postponed until the next legislative day. No substantive discussion or vote was shown.

  7. House floor session, February 26, 2026 (legislative day 25, PM)

    From 1:01:36 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair announced that HR 1049 would be postponed until the next legislative day. No substantive discussion occurred.

  8. House floor session, March 3, 2026 (legislative day 26, PM)

    From 6:01:56 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Postponed)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair announced that HR 1049 would be postponed to the next legislative day. There was no substantive discussion.

  9. House floor session, March 4, 2026 (legislative day 27, PM, part 2)

    From 2:48:23 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Postponed)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair announced that HR 1049 would be postponed until the next legislative day, Friday. No substantive discussion occurred.

  10. House floor session, March 10, 2026 (legislative day 30)

    From 2:21:57 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Withdrawn, Recommitted)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The majority leader moved to withdraw the resolution from the calendar and return it to the Rules Committee. The clerk described it as designating the Wednesday of the last week in October as Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day. The House approved the return to committee without objection.

  11. House Rules Committee, March 11, 2026

    From 0:25:39 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2583

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenting member said HR 1049 would recognize fentanyl awareness annually on the last Wednesday of October as part of Red Ribbon Week. The member explained that the substitute changed the reference from the General Assembly to the Georgia House of Representatives. With no questions, the committee approved the substitute after a motion and second. The committee later placed the substituted resolution on the next day's House calendar with no stated opposition.

  12. House floor session, March 12, 2026 (legislative day 31)

    From 1:22:52 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2588

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The clerk described HR 1049 as designating the Wednesday of the last week in October as Fentanyl and Opioid Awareness Day. The sponsor said the resolution supported a young person’s Girl Scouts award project and advocacy for fentanyl awareness. No questions were asked. The House adopted the Rules Committee substitute without objection and adopted the resolution, 159 to 0. The substitute’s changes were not explained.

Status timeline

  1. 2026-03-12House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
  2. 2026-03-12House Third Readers (House)
  3. 2026-03-10House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
  4. 2026-03-04House Postponed (House)
  5. 2026-03-03House Postponed (House)
  6. 2026-02-26House Postponed (House)
  7. 2026-02-25House Postponed (House)
  8. 2026-02-24House Postponed (House)
Show full history (13 actions)
  1. 2026-02-20House Postponed (House)
  2. 2026-02-05House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
  3. 2026-01-29House Second Readers (House)
  4. 2026-01-28House First Readers (House)
  5. 2026-01-27House Hopper (House)

Sponsors

  • Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)Primary sponsor
  • Floyd Griffin (D, HD-149)
  • Bryce Berry (D, HD-56)
  • Sam Park (D, HD-107)
  • Anissa Jones (D, HD-143)

Votes

  1. PassedHouse voteMarch 12, 2026

    159 yea, 0 nay (10 not voting, 7 excused)

    ADOPT: House Vote #698

Topics

  • opioid crisis
  • fentanyl awareness
  • public health
  • school drug education

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