--- title: HR 1476. National Immunization Awareness Month; August; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1476 cite_as: HR 1476, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1476 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1476.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1476/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73660 date: 2026-03-03 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/hr1475.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1477.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 132 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1476.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1476 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-25 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Sharon Cooper - Lynn Smith - Michelle Au - Teddy Reese text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1476/2025 upstream_id: 2124858 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - vaccination - public health - immunization awareness - measles outbreaks --- # HR 1476. National Immunization Awareness Month; August; recognize ## Text House Resolution 1476 By: Representatives Cooper of the 45th, Smith of the 70th, Au of the 50th, and Reese of the 140th A RESOLUTION Recognizing August as National Immunization Awareness Month; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, vaccination is proven to be a safe, invaluable tool to proactively safeguard public health and prevent the devastating effects of vaccine-preventable diseases; and WHEREAS, vaccination has averted over 154 million deaths globally since 1974, of which 146 million were among children younger than 5 years of age; and WHEREAS, vaccination reduces morbidity and mortality by eradicating vaccine- preventable diseases, such as smallpox, and reduces the incidence of infections like meningitis, measles, polio, and rubella; and WHEREAS, timely meningococcal vaccination in children and young adults helps protect against the debilitating effects of meningococcal disease, including death, and has led to a significant decrease in incidence; and WHEREAS, in 2025, declining measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination rates contributed to 49 measles outbreaks in the United States, with over 2,200 confirmed cases, the highest in over three decades; and WHEREAS, ongoing measles outbreaks entering 2026 risk the loss of measles elimination status in the United States, which has been in place since 2000; and WHEREAS, an analysis of costs associated with invasive meningococcal disease outbreaks found that the average cost per outbreak containment strategy was almost $440,000, $299,641 and $579,851 for small and large containment strategies, respectively; and WHEREAS, among the approximately 117 million children born during 1994-2023 in the United States, vaccination averted 508 million lifetime cases of illness, 32 million hospitalizations, and 1.1 million deaths, resulting in estimated savings of $540 billion in direct medical costs and $2.7 trillion in societal costs; and WHEREAS, public health analyses suggest that skipping or delaying the hepatitis B birth dose could result in thousands of preventable hepatitis B infections and hundreds of millions in avoidable healthcare costs in the United States; and WHEREAS, vaccination for four common diseases in older adults, including shingles, is estimated to prevent 64 million cases and $185 billion in treatment costs over the next 30 years in the United States; and WHEREAS, while vaccinating children provides substantial health and economic benefit, vaccinating adults is also important, many childhood vaccines provide life-long protection, however, immunity can decrease over a person’s lifetime, and some vaccine-preventable diseases can be more severe in adults; and WHEREAS, there continues to be disease burden in adults, especially in those with comorbidities, advanced age, or immunocompromising conditions, warranting timely vaccination – especially against viruses that change frequently, such as influenza; and WHEREAS, for example, vaccination against shingles for high-risk adults aged 19 and older, as well as all adults aged 50 and older, has proven highly effective in preventing the infection and its transmission, offering protection for several years after immunization; and WHEREAS, for example, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination in older adults is an effective preventive measure that reduces the likelihood of hospitalization and critical illness due to RSV infection; and WHEREAS, while rare side effects may occur in some individuals, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintain a robust, transparent vaccine safety reporting system, including the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS); and WHEREAS, nonetheless, vaccines remain a safe and effective tool critical to safeguarding public health and protecting the citizens of our great state. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize August as National Immunization Awareness Month and promote vaccination as a highly effective and safe public health measure while continuing to be transparent about potential side effects associated with some vaccines. 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 would recognize August as National Immunization Awareness Month, encouraging vaccination as a public health measure while acknowledging the need for transparency about vaccine side effects. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any Georgia law. It is a symbolic statement from the House of Representatives recognizing August as National Immunization Awareness Month. The bill's preamble cites statistics on vaccination's role in reducing diseases like measles, meningitis, and shingles, along with cost savings from reduced illness and hospitalization. The resolution formally states that the House recognizes the month and promotes vaccination as an effective and safe public health tool, while also committing to transparency about possible side effects. It directs the Clerk of the House to make copies available to the public and press, but it creates no new requirements, funding, or penalties. ### What it does - Formally recognizes August as National Immunization Awareness Month through a House resolution. - States the House's position that vaccination is an effective and safe public health measure. - Commits to acknowledging potential side effects associated with some vaccines alongside promoting vaccination. - Directs the Clerk of the House to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### Who it affects This resolution mainly affects the House of Representatives itself and its Clerk, who must prepare copies for distribution. It does not impose obligations on schools, health departments, doctors, or the general public, since it creates no legal requirements. ### Why it matters Because this is a resolution rather than a law, it does not change vaccination requirements, funding, or policy in Georgia. Its main effect is a public statement from the legislature encouraging vaccination and expressing support for continued transparency about vaccine safety data. ### Key provisions - The lengthy 'whereas' preamble cites statistics on vaccination's health and economic benefits, including cost savings and disease prevention data. - The resolved clause recognizes August as National Immunization Awareness Month and promotes vaccination while emphasizing transparency about side effects. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to make copies of the resolution available to the public and the press. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-02-25) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-03) - Sponsors: Sharon Cooper, Lynn Smith, Michelle Au, Teddy Reese - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73660 > The history, votes, and amendments (132 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1476.md?full=1