---
title: HR 1473. House Study Committee on Lupus; create
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr1473
cite_as: HR 1473, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1473
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1473.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1473/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73641
date: 2026-03-27
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.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 189
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1473.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 1473
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-02-25
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported
sponsors:
  - Kim Schofield
  - Lee Hawkins
  - Chris Erwin
  - Sandra Scott
  - Viola Davis
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1473/2025
upstream_id: 2124768
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - lupus
  - disability benefits
  - public health
  - legislative study committee
  - chronic illness
---

# HR 1473. House Study Committee on Lupus; create

## Text

House Resolution 1473
By: Representatives Schofield of the 63rd, Hawkins of the 27th, Erwin of the 32nd, Scott of the
76th, and Davis of the 87th
A RESOLUTION
Creating the House Study Committee on Lupus; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects multiple systems in the body,
often resulting in severe pain, fatigue, organ damage, and life-altering complications; and
WHEREAS, the unpredictable and debilitating nature of lupus frequently impairs individuals'
ability to maintain consistent employment, making disability benefits a critical safety net;
and
WHEREAS, the current Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security
Income approval processes often involve significant delays, exacerbating the financial and
emotional strain on individuals living with lupus; and
WHEREAS, individuals with lupus face unique challenges in documenting their condition
due to the disease's complexity, variability, and often subjective symptoms, contributing to
high rates of initial claim denials and prolonged appeals processes; and
WHEREAS, timely access to disability benefits is essential for individuals with lupus to
afford medical care, medications, and basic living expenses necessary for their survival and
well-being; and
WHEREAS, the science surrounding lupus and its impact on society is advancing and
urgently needs to be better understood.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee
on Lupus.
(2) Members and officers.
(A) The committee shall be composed of seven members.
(B) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint four members of the
House of Representatives who shall be members of the House Committee on Health.
(C) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall also appoint three nonlegislative
members of the committee as follows:
(i) The commissioner of public health or his or her designee.
(ii) A representative of the Georgia Council on Lupus Education and Awareness or
such other person with expertise in the study of lupus; and
(iii) A representative of the Georgia Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America or
such other person with expertise in the study of lupus.
(D) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate a legislative member
of the committee as chairperson of the committee.
(3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,
issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or
legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.
(4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee
may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or
convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and
accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.
(5) Allowances, expenses, and funding.
(A) The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided
for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.
(B) Members of the committee who are state officials, other than legislative members,
or who are state employees shall receive no compensation for their services on the
committee, but they may be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in the
performance of their duties as members of the committee in the same manner as they
are reimbursed for expenses in their capacities as state officials or employees.
(C) Members of the committee who are not legislators, state officials, or state
employees shall receive a daily expense allowance in an amount the same as that
specified in subsection (b) of Code Section 45-7-21 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, as well as the mileage or transportation allowance authorized for state
employees.
(D) The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member
of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds
necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds
appropriated to the House of Representatives; except that funds for the reimbursement
of the expenses of state officials, other than legislative members, and for the
reimbursement of the expenses of state employees shall come from funds appropriated
to or otherwise available to their respective agencies.
(6) Report.
(A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that
include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the
same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to
subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.
(B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for
proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)
of this paragraph.
(C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of
abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.
A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with
the Clerk of the House of Representatives.
(D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the
House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu
thereof.
(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2026.

## 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 create a study committee to examine how lupus affects patients in Georgia, including delays in getting disability benefits, and to recommend possible legislation.

### Plain-language summary

This resolution creates the House Study Committee on Lupus, a temporary panel of the Georgia House of Representatives. The committee would look into how lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, affects people's health and ability to work, and would examine problems Georgians with lupus face in getting Social Security disability benefits due to delays and denied claims.
The committee would have seven members: four state representatives from the House Committee on Health, plus the commissioner of public health (or a designee), a representative from the Georgia Council on Lupus Education and Awareness, and a representative from the Georgia Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America. The Speaker of the House would appoint all members and name the chairperson. The committee can meet as needed, gets limited state funding for member expenses, and must file any findings or recommended legislation before it is abolished on December 1, 2026.

### What it does

- Creates a seven-member House Study Committee on Lupus, made up of four legislators and three nonlegislative experts appointed by the Speaker.
- Directs the committee to study problems Georgians with lupus face, including access to disability benefits, and to recommend legislation if needed.
- Authorizes legislative members to receive standard legislative expense allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, and sets expense rules for other members.
- Limits paid allowances to five meeting days unless additional days are approved.
- Requires any adopted findings or legislative recommendations to be filed as a report with the Clerk of the House before the committee ends.
- Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2026.

### Who it affects

Georgians living with lupus, four members of the Georgia House Committee on Health, the state commissioner of public health, and representatives of the Georgia Council on Lupus Education and Awareness and the Georgia Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America, who would serve on the committee.

### Why it matters

If created, the committee would give lawmakers a formal way to gather information on lupus and disability benefit delays, potentially leading to future legislation, but it does not itself change any law, benefit, or funding for lupus patients.

### Key provisions

- Paragraph (1) creates the House Study Committee on Lupus within the Georgia House of Representatives.
- Paragraph (2) sets the committee's composition at seven members: four legislators from the House Committee on Health and three nonlegislative experts, with the Speaker naming the chairperson.
- Paragraph (3) charges the committee with studying lupus-related issues, including disability benefit access, and recommending legislation.
- Paragraph (5) sets expense and mileage allowances for members and caps paid allowance days at five unless extended.
- Paragraph (6) requires committee approval by majority vote before any report or legislative recommendation can be filed with the Clerk of the House.
- Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-02-25)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-03-27)
- Sponsors: Kim Schofield, Lee Hawkins, Chris Erwin, Sandra Scott, Viola Davis
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73641

> The history, votes, and amendments (189 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1473.md?full=1