--- title: HR 1059. Reach Out and Read Day at the state capitol; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1059 cite_as: HR 1059, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1059 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1059.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1059/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72404 date: 2026-01-27 status: passed 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/hr1058.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1060.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1059.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1059 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-01-27 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Matt Dubnik - Katie Dempsey - Kim Schofield text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1059/2025 upstream_id: 2095224 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - early childhood literacy - pediatric health care - children's books - state capitol recognition --- # HR 1059. Reach Out and Read Day at the state capitol; recognize ## Text House Resolution 1059 By: Representatives Dubnik of the 29th, Dempsey of the 13th, and Schofield of the 63rd A RESOLUTION Honoring Reach Out and Read Day at the state capitol; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Reach Out and Read's model reflects a powerful understanding that the pediatric exam room is one of the earliest and most trusted settings for supporting a child's development; and WHEREAS, during well-child visits from birth to age 5, clinicians, in partnership with Reach Out and Read, provide families with new, age-appropriate books and model shared-reading practices, showing how the simple act of reading together can strengthen parent-child relationships, build early language skills, and lay the foundation for lifelong learning; and WHEREAS, in 2025, Reach Out and Read supported 11.2 million well-child visits nationwide, reaching 4.8 million children and distributing 9 million books to families across the United States, including more than 187,926 children and families in Georgia; and WHEREAS, over the past 12 months, 422,372 well child checkups were conducted across 92 counties in Georgia with pediatricians, home visitors, and providers implementing the Reach Out and Read program; and WHEREAS, in that same time, 307,408 new children's books were prescribed and distributed across 222 children's hospitals, pediatric practices, and home visiting programs; and WHEREAS, since the program began in 1996, more than 3,248,426 new children's books have been given to young children in Georgia by pediatric providers; and WHEREAS, Reach Out and Read has the ability to serve as the intersection of education and healthcare, offering unprecedented access to the pediatric community, children, and families. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body commend the efforts of Reach Out and Read to give young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into the existing pediatric care infrastructure and encourage families in Georgia to read aloud together each and every day. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Reach Out and Read Georgia. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution honors Reach Out and Read Day at the state capitol, recognizing the program's work distributing children's books through pediatric visits across Georgia. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizes Reach Out and Read, a program that partners with pediatric health providers to give young children books during well-child checkups from birth to age 5. The resolution cites statistics showing the program's reach, including hundreds of thousands of well-child visits and book distributions across dozens of Georgia counties over the past year, and millions of books given out since the program began in 1996. The resolution does not create any new law, funding, or requirement. It formally commends Reach Out and Read's approach of combining healthcare visits with early literacy support, and encourages Georgia families to read aloud together every day. It also directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to Reach Out and Read Georgia. ### What it does - Formally commends the Reach Out and Read program for combining pediatric health visits with distribution of children's books. - Cites statistics on the program's reach in Georgia, including well-child visits, books distributed, and counties served. - Encourages Georgia families to read aloud together every day. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to send a copy of the resolution to Reach Out and Read Georgia. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names Reach Out and Read Georgia, pediatric health care providers who take part in the program, and Georgia families with young children from birth to age 5 who participate in well-child visits. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or funding changes, but it gives official recognition to a healthcare-based literacy program, which may raise public awareness of Reach Out and Read's work and encourage more families or providers to take part in reading initiatives during pediatric visits. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses summarize the Reach Out and Read model of distributing books during pediatric well-child visits from birth to age 5. - The whereas clauses report that 422,372 well-child checkups occurred across 92 Georgia counties in the past year, distributing 307,408 books. - The whereas clauses state more than 3,248,426 books have been given to Georgia children since the program began in 1996. - The resolved clause commends Reach Out and Read and encourages Georgia families to read aloud together daily. - The final resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to Reach Out and Read Georgia. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-01-27) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-01-27) - Sponsors: Matt Dubnik, Katie Dempsey, Kim Schofield - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72404 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1059.md?full=1