Georgia CommonsHR 1204: United States and the State of Georgia; burden of lung cancer; recognize
Last action February 19, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported
A Georgia House resolution recognizes lung cancer as a major public health burden in the state and nation, and encourages wider access to advanced technology for earlier detection and diagnosis.
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 Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
This resolution does not change any Georgia law. Instead, it is a formal statement from the House of Representatives recognizing lung cancer as a leading cause of cancer death and highlighting statistics showing Georgia lags behind national averages in early diagnosis and survival rates. The resolution cites data on lung cancer's toll, including disparities affecting veterans and people of color, and points to the difficulty of biopsying hard-to-reach tumors with traditional tools. It specifically references a robotic biopsy device made by Intuitive as an example of technology that could help. The resolution concludes by having the House support prevention and early detection efforts and encourage expanding access to such technology, and directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.
What the bill does
- Formally recognizes lung cancer as a critical public health concern in the United States and Georgia, without creating any new law or funding.
- States House support for improving prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer and addressing disparities in care.
- Encourages expanding Georgians' access to advanced medical technology, citing a specific robotic biopsy device as an example.
- Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make copies of the resolution available to the public and press.
Who it affects
Georgia residents at risk of or living with lung cancer, including veterans and people of color who the resolution says face worse outcomes, as well as hospitals and healthcare providers involved in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment across the state.
Why it matters
While the resolution carries no legal force or funding, it signals House recognition of gaps in Georgia's lung cancer early-detection and survival rates compared to national figures, and puts on record support for wider use of advanced diagnostic technology in hospitals statewide.
Key provisions
- The whereas clauses lay out statistics showing Georgia's lung cancer five-year survival rate (26.2 percent) trails the national rate (29.7 percent), ranking Georgia 30th among 39 states.
- The resolution notes only 26.9 percent of Georgia lung cancer cases are caught early, ranking the state 38th among 50 states for early diagnosis.
- The resolving clause has the House recognize lung cancer as a public health concern and support prevention, early detection, and intervention efforts.
- The resolution encourages expanding access to cutting-edge technology, naming Intuitive's Ion robotic endoluminal system as an example.
- The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.
From the bill
“lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, taking the lives of nearly 361 Americans each day”
“the national five-year survival rate after a lung cancer diagnosis is only 29.7 percent, and in Georgia is 26.2 percent, ranking Georgia 30th among 39 states with available data”
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Lee Hawkins (R, HD-027)
- Mark Newton (R, HD-127)
- Sharon Cooper (R, HD-045)
- Rick Jasperse (R, HD-011)
- Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
Topics
- lung cancer
- public health
- cancer screening
- veterans health
- health disparities