--- title: HR 1180. Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week; February 7-14, 2026; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1180 cite_as: HR 1180, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1180 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1180.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1180/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72743 date: 2026-02-02 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/hr1179.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1181.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1180.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1180 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-02 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Angie O'Steen text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1180/2025 upstream_id: 2104336 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - congenital heart defects - child health awareness - Georgia House resolutions - birth defects --- # HR 1180. Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week; February 7-14, 2026; recognize ## Text House Resolution 1180 By: Representative O’Steen of the 169th A RESOLUTION Recognizing February 7-14, 2026, as congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the health and well being of all children throughout Georgia are of paramount importance the our families and communities; and WHEREAS, thousands of children are born with birth defects every year, including approximately 40,000 children in the United States who begin life with one of more than 35 identified forms of congenital heart defects; and WHEREAS, congenital heart defects are among Georgia’s most common birth defect and they can be fatal due to their seriousness, insufficient medical intervention options, and the limited availability of infant donor hearts; and WHEREAS, the origins and symptoms of congenital heart defects are becoming more readily identifiable and the range of surgical options are expanding continuously thanks to doctors’ and scientists’ diligent research efforts and field experiences that extend our body of knowledge every day; and WHEREAS, there is much to learn about the causes of and the effective treatments for congenital heart defects and it is important for parents, pediatricians, and nurses to recognize the warning signs associated with congenital heart defects among newborns so they may provide proper treatment as early as possible; and WHEREAS, many of Georgia’s families and communities are directly or indirectly affected by infant illness and death caused by congenital heart defects, and the state of Georgia applauds the efforts of doctors and scientists everywhere who work diligently to solve life’s medical mysteries and to improve the quality of life for us all; and WHEREAS, Ben Abram Lingenfelter, born August 3, 2002, with Trasposition of the Great Arteries, endured open heart surgery during his first week of life in August, Georgia, and eventually survived three more open heart surgeries; and WHEREAS, Ben graduated from the University of Georgia in December 2025, and created the Miracle Child Heart Foundation to help kids and young adults through the many physical, mental, and spiritual challenges of surviving multiple surgeries. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize February 7-14, 2026, as Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Week. 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 the Lingenfelter family. ## 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 designates February 7-14, 2026, as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week, honoring survivors and raising awareness of birth defects affecting the heart. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizes February 7-14, 2026 as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. It cites statistics on congenital heart defects, describing them as among Georgia's most common birth defects and noting that around 40,000 children in the United States are born each year with one of more than 35 identified forms of the condition. The resolution highlights the story of Ben Abram Lingenfelter, who was born with Transposition of the Great Arteries, underwent multiple open heart surgeries, graduated from the University of Georgia, and founded the Miracle Child Heart Foundation to support other survivors. The House directs its Clerk to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to the Lingenfelter family. The resolution does not create any new law, funding, or regulatory requirement. ### What it does - Formally designates February 7-14, 2026 as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week in Georgia. - Recognizes the medical and personal impact of congenital heart defects on Georgia families through a series of factual statements (whereas clauses). - Honors Ben Abram Lingenfelter's survival story and his founding of the Miracle Child Heart Foundation. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to the Lingenfelter family. ### Who it affects This resolution mainly affects the Lingenfelter family, who receive a copy in recognition of Ben Lingenfelter's story, and more broadly honors Georgia families affected by congenital heart defects, along with the doctors, nurses, and researchers who treat the condition. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or funding changes, but it gives official recognition to a health issue affecting thousands of children nationally and many Georgia families, and publicly honors a survivor's advocacy work through his foundation. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses state that congenital heart defects are among Georgia's most common birth defect and can be fatal due to limited treatment options. - It notes about 40,000 children nationally are born each year with one of more than 35 identified congenital heart defects. - It recounts Ben Abram Lingenfelter's multiple open heart surgeries and his founding of the Miracle Child Heart Foundation. - The resolving clause designates February 7-14, 2026 as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. - A further resolution directs the Clerk of the House to distribute a copy of the resolution to the Lingenfelter family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-02) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-02-02) - Sponsors: Angie O'Steen - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72743 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1180.md?full=1