--- title: HR 1156. National Birth Defects Prevention Month; January of each year; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1156 cite_as: HR 1156, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1156 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1156.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1156/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72621 date: 2026-02-03 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/hr1155.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1157.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1156.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1156 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-01-29 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Sylvia Baker - Viola Davis - Katie Dempsey - Sandra Scott - Patty Stinson - Floyd Griffin text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1156/2025 upstream_id: 2102296 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - birth defects - maternal and infant health - public health awareness - legislative resolutions --- # HR 1156. National Birth Defects Prevention Month; January of each year; recognize ## Text House Resolution 1156 By: Representatives Baker of the 64th, Davis of the 87th, Dempsey of the 13th, Scott of the 76th, Stinson of the 150th, and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing January as National Birth Defects Prevention Month; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, birth defects are structural or functional abnormalities present at birth that can affect health, development, or survival; and WHEREAS, birth defects affect approximately one in every 33 births in the United States and are a leading cause of infant illness, disability, and mortality; and WHEREAS, many birth defects can be prevented or their impact reduced through education, preventive care, and access to healthcare services; and WHEREAS, National Birth Defects Prevention Month, observed annually in January, promotes awareness of steps individuals can take before and during pregnancy to support healthy outcomes; and WHEREAS, increased awareness strengthens prevention efforts and improves the health of mothers and infants across Georgia. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body: (1) Recognize the month of January of each year as National Birth Defects Prevention Month; (2) Encourage continued education, awareness, and collaboration to reduce the incidence of preventable birth defects; and (3) Respectfully request the Governor to issue annually a proclamation recognizing the month of January in the State of Georgia as National Birth Defects Prevention Month and call upon the people in the State of Georgia to observe the month with appropriate programs and activities. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to Governor Brian Kemp and the public and the press. ## 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 would formally recognize January of each year as National Birth Defects Prevention Month and ask the Governor to issue an annual proclamation. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any Georgia law. Instead, it is a symbolic statement from the House of Representatives recognizing January as National Birth Defects Prevention Month, a national observance meant to raise awareness about steps people can take before and during pregnancy to help prevent birth defects. The resolution asks the Governor to issue a yearly proclamation naming January as this awareness month in Georgia and encourages Georgians to mark the month with programs and activities. It also directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to Governor Brian Kemp and to the public and press. ### What it does - Recognizes January of each year as National Birth Defects Prevention Month in a formal House resolution. - Encourages continued education, awareness, and collaboration aimed at reducing preventable birth defects. - Respectfully requests that the Governor issue an annual proclamation naming January as National Birth Defects Prevention Month in Georgia. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to the Governor and to the public and press. ### Who it affects This mainly affects state government in a symbolic way, particularly the Governor's office, which is asked to issue an annual proclamation. It also touches public health advocates, medical providers, and expectant parents whom the resolution encourages to focus on birth defect awareness and prevention. ### Why it matters Because this is a resolution rather than a law, it creates no new rules, funding, or penalties. Its practical effect is to encourage public attention on birth defect prevention each January and to put the House on record supporting that awareness effort. ### Key provisions - Paragraph (1) formally recognizes January of each year as National Birth Defects Prevention Month. - Paragraph (2) encourages ongoing education, awareness, and collaboration to reduce preventable birth defects. - Paragraph (3) asks the Governor to issue an annual proclamation and calls on Georgians to observe the month with programs and activities. - The closing section directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the Governor and the public and press. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-01-29) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-02-03) - Sponsors: Sylvia Baker, Viola Davis, Katie Dempsey, Sandra Scott, Patty Stinson, Floyd Griffin - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72621 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1156.md?full=1