--- title: HR 1407. Community Health Centers Day; February 18, 2026; commending the Georgia Primary Care Association; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1407 cite_as: HR 1407, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1407 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1407.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1407/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73401 date: 2026-02-18 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/hr1406.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1408.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1407.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1407 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-18 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Leesa Hagan - Katie Dempsey - Mack Jackson - Angie O'Steen text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1407/2025 upstream_id: 2119560 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - community health centers - health care access - Medicaid - Georgia Primary Care Association - commemorative resolutions --- # HR 1407. Community Health Centers Day; February 18, 2026; commending the Georgia Primary Care Association; recognize ## Text House Resolution 1407 By: Representatives Hagan of the 156th, Dempsey of the 13th, Jackson of the 128th, and O’Steen of the 169th A RESOLUTION Recognizing February 18, 2026, as Community Health Centers Day and commending the Georgia Primary Care Association; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Federally Qualified Health Centers located in 145 counties and more than 330 medically underserved communities provide high-quality primary and preventive health care to nearly 750,000 people in the State of Georgia, including more than 193,000 Medicaid recipients and over 192,000 uninsured, the working poor, and numerous underinsured, elderly, homeless, and other vulnerable populations, without regard to income status, cultural or ethnic heritage, or disease conditions; and WHEREAS, Community Health Centers contribute more than $1.6 billion per year to Georgia's economy through indirect and induced economic activity, including over $500 million in household income and 4,711 Georgia jobs, saving the Georgia Medicaid program up to 33 percent in annual spending per Medicaid beneficiary; and WHEREAS, Community Health Centers recruit and retain more than 2,000 health care professionals where they are most needed and offer access to a wide range of cost-effective medical and dental services, behavioral health services, prescription medicines, health education, nutrition counseling, translation services, community outreach, transportation, and other support programs; and WHEREAS, Community Health Centers have a track record spanning over six decades of controlling costs, documented in several studies that show rates of costly emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and specialty care referrals are much lower among health center patients; and WHEREAS, Community Health Centers work in partnership with other health care providers, local hospitals, health departments, social service agencies, and health-related support organizations to maximize resources and ensure that services are coordinated to improve the health status of the community; and WHEREAS, Community Health Centers have been innovators in the establishment of patient-centered medical homes, providing access to quality care and continuity of care for the patients they serve; and WHEREAS, Georgia's Community Health Centers and their state organization, the Georgia Primary Care Association, have worked diligently to increase the number of Community Health Center sites in Georgia and have taken a leadership role in establishing more Health Centers in underserved communities to help resolve this state's health care access problems, demonstrating commendable efforts in continuous quality improvement, reduction of health disparities among the underserved, implementation of new health care initiatives such as the integration of medical and behavioral health services, School-Based Health Centers, and utilization of the latest technology to improve operations and delivery of services to more Georgians; and WHEREAS, Community Health Centers deserve commendation for their valuable contributions in expanding access to health care, their outstanding record of service, and their dedication to improving health care and the health status of Georgians. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize February 18, 2026, as Community Health Centers Day and commend the Georgia Primary Care Association for its laudable service to patients in Georgia. 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 Georgia Primary Care Association. ## 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 18, 2026 as Community Health Centers Day and commends the Georgia Primary Care Association for its work expanding health care access across the state. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives rather than a law that changes anyone's rights or duties. It recognizes February 18, 2026 as Community Health Centers Day and praises the Georgia Primary Care Association, the statewide organization for Community Health Centers, also known as Federally Qualified Health Centers. The resolution's whereas clauses describe the role these health centers play in Georgia, citing figures such as service to nearly 750,000 people in 145 counties, over 193,000 Medicaid recipients, and more than $1.6 billion in annual economic contribution. It resolves that House members recognize the day and commend the association, and directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to the Georgia Primary Care Association for its records. ### What it does - Designates February 18, 2026 as Community Health Centers Day in Georgia through a House resolution. - Commends the Georgia Primary Care Association, the statewide group representing Community Health Centers, for its service to patients. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to the Georgia Primary Care Association. - Creates no new legal requirements, funding, or penalties; it is a symbolic statement of recognition rather than a change to Georgia law. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the Georgia Primary Care Association and Georgia's Community Health Centers, also called Federally Qualified Health Centers, along with the patients they serve, including Medicaid recipients, uninsured and underinsured Georgians, and other vulnerable populations described in the text. ### Why it matters Because this is a commemorative resolution, it does not change any law, funding level, or requirement for health centers or patients. Its practical effect is limited to formally recognizing a day and sending a commendation, which may raise public awareness of Community Health Centers' role in Georgia. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe Community Health Centers' reach, citing service to nearly 750,000 Georgians across 145 counties and more than 330 medically underserved communities. - The whereas clauses cite an economic impact of more than $1.6 billion per year and 4,711 Georgia jobs attributed to Community Health Centers. - The resolving clause formally designates February 18, 2026 as Community Health Centers Day and commends the Georgia Primary Care Association. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute a copy of the resolution to the Georgia Primary Care Association. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-18) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-02-18) - Sponsors: Leesa Hagan, Katie Dempsey, Mack Jackson, Angie O'Steen - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73401 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1407.md?full=1