---
title: HR 17. Veterans who were victims of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War; commend
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr17
cite_as: HR 17, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr17
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr17.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr17/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69358
date: 2025-01-14
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/hr16.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr18.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 131
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr17.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 17
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2025-01-14
last_action: House Read and Adopted
sponsors:
  - Shaw Blackmon
  - Bethany Ballard
  - Josh Bonner
  - Al Williams
  - Bill Hitchens
  - Anissa Jones
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR17/2025
upstream_id: 1919091
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - veterans
  - Agent Orange
  - Vietnam War
  - military honors
---

# HR 17. Veterans who were victims of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War; commend

## Text

House Resolution 17
By: Representatives Blackmon of the 146th, Ballard of the 147th, Bonner of the 73rd, Williams
of the 168th, Hitchens of the 161st, and others
A RESOLUTION
Honoring and recognizing the veterans who were victims of Agent Orange during the
Vietnam War.
WHEREAS, our nation was conceived by individuals who were willing to sacrifice their
personal safety to ensure our individual and collective freedom, and the State of Georgia is
especially proud to be the home of so many valiant men and women who have performed
above and beyond the call of duty; and
WHEREAS, more than 228,000 men and women from Georgia served in the Vietnam War,
of which 1,584 were killed in action and 8,534 were wounded; and
WHEREAS, approximately 234,000 Vietnam veterans currently reside in Georgia; and
WHEREAS, the citizens of the United States have, throughout the years, been called upon
to take up arms against the enemies of this great nation, risking their lives and leaving their
loved ones behind to honorably safeguard the freedoms and liberties guaranteed to all
Americans and vanquishing those who threaten our way of life; and
WHEREAS, more than eight million citizens of this country honorably served during the
Vietnam War, during which time the chemical Agent Orange was widely used in Vietnam
by the United States Armed Forces as part of Operation Ranch Hand, the herbicidal warfare
program, between 1961 and 1971; and
WHEREAS, nearly 20 million gallons of the orange powder were sprayed over the land
from helicopters or low-flying aircraft, destroying vegetation and crops in order to deprive
enemy guerrillas of food and cover for their activities, which exposed 2.6 million American
soldiers to the herbicide and defoliant chemical; and
WHEREAS, Agent Orange is a dioxin and cancer-causing chemical that enters the body
through physical contact or ingestion and moves into the human cell nucleus, where it attacks
the genes and causes a number of serious illnesses, including leukemia, lymphoma,
myeloma, ischemic heart disease, soft tissue sarcoma, amyloidosis, diabetes, and cancers of
the throat, prostate, lung, and colon; and
WHEREAS, Agent Orange also causes genetic damage, and in some cases, the children and
grandchildren of veterans exposed to Agent Orange have been born with spina bifida and
other abnormalities; and
WHEREAS, today, approximately 800,000 Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange are
alive, and approximately 300 deaths occur among them every day; and
WHEREAS, while fallen comrades are memorialized on The Wall at the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in Washington, D.C., the veterans who are victims of Agent Orange are not
recognized as fatalities of the Vietnam War; and
WHEREAS, it is most appropriate that we should honor these veterans to the full extent of
our ability, as they have made untold and innumerable sacrifices to preserve the liberties we
enjoy today and that our progeny will hopefully continue to cherish for generations to come.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that
the members of this body honor and recognize the veterans who were victims of Agent
Orange during the Vietnam War for their courageous service to our nation as some of
America's most heroic citizens.
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.

## 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 honors Vietnam War veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange, recognizing their service and the health toll the chemical has taken on them.

### Plain-language summary

This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives honors veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. It cites statistics about Georgia's Vietnam veterans, describes how Agent Orange was used during Operation Ranch Hand between 1961 and 1971, and details the serious illnesses and genetic harm the chemical has caused to veterans and their descendants.
The resolution does not create any new law, funding, or program. It formally states that the House of Representatives honors and recognizes these veterans for their service and directs the Clerk of the House to make copies of the resolution available to the public.

### What it does

- Formally states that the Georgia House of Representatives honors and recognizes Vietnam veterans who were victims of Agent Orange exposure.
- Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare copies of the resolution for public distribution.
- Does not establish any new benefit, funding, agency action, or change to Georgia law.

### Who it affects

Vietnam War veterans living in Georgia who were exposed to Agent Orange, an estimated 800,000 nationally, along with their families, since the resolution notes the chemical has also caused health effects in veterans' children and grandchildren.

### Why it matters

The resolution carries symbolic weight rather than legal or financial effect. It offers formal state recognition to a group of veterans the text says has not been counted among Vietnam War fatalities despite ongoing deaths linked to Agent Orange exposure.

### Key provisions

- The whereas clauses describe the history of Agent Orange use during Operation Ranch Hand from 1961 to 1971 and its health effects on veterans and their descendants.
- The resolved clause states the House of Representatives honors and recognizes veterans who were victims of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
- A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to make copies of the resolution available to the public.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2025-01-14)
- Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-01-14)
- Sponsors: Shaw Blackmon, Bethany Ballard, Josh Bonner, Al Williams, Bill Hitchens, Anissa Jones
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69358

> The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr17.md?full=1