HR 145: Education and Public Health, Departments of; collaborate to prioritize the expansion of vision and hearing screenings at various grade levels; urge

Georgia currently requires hearing screening only at newborn hospital discharge and at school entry, and vision screening only at school entry. This resolution notes that about one-third of school age children have vision problems and 8 percent have hearing loss between ages six and 19, and that these problems can interfere with children learning to read. The resolution urges the Department of Education and the Department of Public Health to collaborate on a plan to expand vision and hearing screenings for students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first, third, fifth, and eighth grades, plus transfer students at any grade level. It asks that the resulting plan be presented to the House and Senate education committees and the Georgia Council on Literacy. As a resolution, it does not create a binding legal requirement; it expresses the House's position and directs the Clerk to distribute copies to the two departments.

• Urges the Department of Education and Department of Public Health to jointly develop a strategy to expand vision and hearing screenings.
• Names specific grade levels for expanded screening: pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first, third, fifth, and eighth grades, plus transfer students at any grade.
• Calls for the resulting screening strategy to be presented to the House Committee on Education, the Senate Education and Youth Committee, and the Georgia Council on Literacy.
• Directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the two state departments.

Georgia public school students at the named grade levels and transfer students generally, along with the Department of Education, the Department of Public Health, local school systems that would carry out any expanded screenings, and the legislative education committees that would review the resulting plan.

If the departments act on this resolution, more Georgia students could be screened for vision and hearing problems at additional grade levels, potentially catching undiagnosed issues that affect reading and academic performance earlier than current law requires, since screening is now mandated mainly at school entry.

• Cites O.C.G.A. § 20-2-771 as existing authority requiring the Department of Education to collaborate with public health authorities on student health mandates.
• Resolution clause (1) urges the two departments to develop a comprehensive strategy to expand screenings at pre-K through eighth grade and for transfer students.
• Resolution clause (2) requires the completed strategy to be presented to specified House and Senate committees and the Georgia Council on Literacy.
• Directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to representatives of both departments.

1. 2026-03-12House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
2. 2026-03-12House Third Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-09House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
4. 2026-02-12House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
5. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
6. 2025-02-28House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
7. 2025-02-06House Second Readers (House)
8. 2025-02-05House First Readers (House)

• Chris Erwin (R, HD-032)Primary sponsor
• Matt Dubnik (R, HD-029)
• Mike Cheokas (R, HD-151)
• Will Wade (R, HD-009)
• Matt Barton (R, HD-005)
• Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 12, 2026

   162 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 8 absent)

   Adopt: House Vote #699

• school health screenings
• vision and hearing screening
• student literacy
• public health
• education policy