--- title: HR 1474. Georgia House of Representatives; creation of a life sciences caucus; encourage collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1474 cite_as: HR 1474, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1474 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1474.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1474/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73642 date: 2026-03-18 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1473.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1475.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 189 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1474.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1474 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: - Karen Mathiak - Matt Dubnik - John LaHood - Bill Yearta - Brad Thomas - Ron Stephens text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1474/2025 upstream_id: 2124757 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - life sciences - biotechnology - legislative caucus - economic development - healthcare industry --- # HR 1474. Georgia House of Representatives; creation of a life sciences caucus; encourage ## Text House Resolution 1474 By: Representatives Mathiak of the 82nd, Dubnik of the 29th, LaHood of the 175th, Yearta of the 152nd, Thomas of the 21st, and others A RESOLUTION Encouraging the creation of a life sciences caucus in the Georgia House of Representatives; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Georgia House of Representatives recognizes the life sciences sector as a critical component of this state's economic growth, workforce development, and public health infrastructure impacting urban, suburban, and rural communities in this state; and WHEREAS, the life sciences encompass the scientific study of living organisms and life related processes and span diverse fields, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, industrial biotechnology, and agricultural biotechnology; and WHEREAS, Georgia is home to world-class research universities, academic medical centers, technical colleges, innovative start-ups and established companies, and local, regional, national, and global manufacturers that focus on the life sciences and contribute significantly to this state's economic competitiveness; and WHEREAS, continued advancement in therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, and agricultural innovation by the life sciences sector is essential to improving patient outcomes, strengthening food security and sustainable practices, addressing unfulfilled medical needs, and enhancing quality of life; and WHEREAS, the life sciences sector provides high-income employment opportunities that require diverse skill sets and contribute significantly to this state's workforce development and long-term economic competitiveness; and WHEREAS, continued investments in infrastructure, talent development, education, and advanced manufacturing in the life sciences sector strengthen this state's position as a leader in innovation and enhance healthcare access, food security, environmental sustainability, and public health in this state; and WHEREAS, policymakers will benefit from ongoing education and engagement with life sciences industry leaders, academic institutions, workforce partners, and patient communities to better understand the opportunities and challenges facing this rapidly evolving sector; and WHEREAS, a life sciences caucus in the Georgia House of Representatives will establish a bipartisan forum for legislators to develop a comprehensive understanding of this state's life sciences ecosystem and promote education and dialogue regarding workforce development, research, innovation, manufacturing, and commercialization; and WHEREAS, a life sciences caucus in the Georgia House of Representatives will allow legislators to support policies that enhance the state's competitiveness and foster a strong environment for growth and investment in the life sciences sector and engage with stakeholders through briefings, site visits, and informational sessions to better inform legislative decision making. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body encourage the creation of a life sciences caucus in the Georgia House of Representatives. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the press. ## 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 encourages members to create a life sciences caucus, a group of legislators who would meet regularly to learn about and discuss the state's biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any Georgia law. Instead, it expresses the House of Representatives' support for forming a new life sciences caucus, an informal group of legislators focused on a single topic area. The resolution's whereas clauses describe why members think such a caucus would be useful: Georgia has research universities, medical centers, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and legislators say they would benefit from ongoing briefings, site visits, and informational sessions with industry leaders, academic institutions, and workforce partners. The operative part of the resolution simply states that House members encourage creating this caucus, and it directs the Clerk of the House to make copies available to the public and press. No funding, deadlines, or legal requirements are created. ### What it does - Encourages House members to form a bipartisan life sciences caucus, though it does not create the caucus itself or set any rules for it. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. - Creates no new law, funding, program, or legal obligation for any state agency, business, or individual. ### Who it affects Members of the Georgia House of Representatives who might join the proposed caucus, and indirectly the life sciences industry, including biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and agricultural biotechnology companies, universities, and academic medical centers that might interact with the caucus. ### Why it matters If a caucus forms, it would give legislators a regular venue for briefings and site visits with life sciences industry representatives, which could shape future legislation on workforce development, research funding, or industry regulation, though this resolution itself makes no policy changes. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe the life sciences sector's economic role in Georgia, spanning biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, and agricultural biotechnology. - The resolved clause states that House members encourage the creation of a life sciences caucus in the Georgia House of Representatives. - A further resolved clause authorizes the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-02-25) - Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-03-18) - Sponsors: Karen Mathiak, Matt Dubnik, John LaHood, Bill Yearta, Brad Thomas, Ron Stephens - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73642 > The history, votes, and amendments (189 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1474.md?full=1