--- title: HR 619. Minority Health Month; April 2025; encourage cholesterol screening; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr619 cite_as: HR 619, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr619 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr619.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr619/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71439 date: 2025-03-18 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/hr618.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr620.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr619.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 619 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-18 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Karen Bennett - Carolyn Hugley - Debra Bazemore - Doreen Carter - Kimberly Alexander - Rhonda Taylor text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR619/2025 upstream_id: 2010526 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - minority health - cholesterol screening - cardiovascular disease - public health awareness --- # HR 619. Minority Health Month; April 2025; encourage cholesterol screening; recognize ## Text 25 LC 112 3403 House Resolution 619 By: Representatives Bennett of the 94th, Hugley of the 141st, Bazemore of the 69th, Carter of the 93rd, Alexander of the 66th, and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing April 2025 as Minority Health Month to encourage cholesterol screening; and1 for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, high cholesterol, also called hypercholesterolemia, is the chronic presence of3 high levels of cholesterol in the blood that can lead to cardio vascular disease, and even4 cardiovascular events like heart attacks or strokes; and 5 WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) e stimates that6 cardiovascular disease is arguably the most underappreciated public health crisis of our time,7 and someone in the United States has a heart attack every 40 seconds, yet about 80 percent8 are preventable; and9 WHEREAS, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), or "bad" cholesterol, is an easily10 modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, more than 80 million adults have high11 LDL-C, and lower LDL-C is associated with a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke; and12 WHEREAS, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States among racial and13 ethnic minority populations; and14 H. R. 619 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3403 WHEREAS, cardiovascular disease accounts for more than 22,000 deaths in Georgia a year,15 which is one in three deaths overall; and16 WHEREAS, in 2019, African Americans were 30 percent more likely to die from heart17 disease than non-Hispanic whites, and although African American adults are 30 percent more18 likely to have high blood pressure, they are less likely than non-Hispanic whites to have their19 blood pressure under control; and20 WHEREAS, African American women are nearly 50 percent more likely to have high blood21 pressure, as compared to non-Hispanic white women; and22 WHEREAS, the American Heart Association (AHA) has demonstrated that Hispanic23 Americans are at exceptionally high risk for cardiovascular dis ease and coronary heart24 disease, both of which can lead to a stroke or heart attack; and25 WHEREAS, the AHA indicates that cardiovascular disease dispropo rtionately affects26 minority populations: 52.3 percent of Hispanic males and 42.7 percent of Hispanic females27 over the age of 20 are affected by cardiovascular disease and 60.1 percent of Black males and28 58.8 percent of Black females 20 years of age and older have cardiovascular disease; and29 WHEREAS, the CDC found that one in three deaths in the United S tates is due to heart30 disease and this results in more than $216 billion in healthcare cost; and31 WHEREAS, nearly 60 percent of middle-aged Hispanic adults have high cholesterol, yet32 only half are aware of this, according to a study published in the Journal of the American33 Medical Association; and34 H. R. 619 - 2 - 25 LC 112 3403 WHEREAS, a study published in the American Journal of Preventative Cardiology found35 cholesterol testing, an important preventive measure for reducing the risk of cardiovascular36 disease, declined during the COVID-19 pandemic; and37 WHEREAS, the resources needed to bend the curve in cardiovascular disease exist, yet 7138 percent of hypercholesterolemia patients at high risk of a cardiovascular event never achieve39 recommended LDL-C treatment guideline thresholds; and40 WHEREAS, the LDL-C Action Summit, a consortium of the nation's leading cardiovascular41 stakeholder groups, seeks to cut cardiovascular events in half by 2030; and42 WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Million Hearts program seeks43 to improve access and quality of care to reduce heart disease, stroke, and death; and44 WHEREAS, all are encouraged to know their LDL-C level; and45 WHEREAS, the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority46 Health recognizes April as National Minority Health Month; and47 WHEREAS, the Georgia Department of Health is urged to update the state's cardiovascular48 plan to accelerate quality improvements and measures to achieve improved health outcomes49 for cardiovascular disease patients and develop campaigns to increase cholesterol screening50 during the month of April; and51 WHEREAS, providers are urged to treat all cardiovascular diseas e patients in accordance52 with American College of Cardiology treatment guidelines.53 H. R. 619 - 3 - 25 LC 112 3403 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that54 the members of this body recognize April 2025 as Minority Healt h Month to encourage55 cholesterol screening.56 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized57 and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution avai lable for distribution to the58 public and the press.59 H. R. 619 - 4 - ## 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 recognizes April 2025 as Minority Health Month and encourages cholesterol screening, highlighting cardiovascular disease's disproportionate impact on Black and Hispanic Georgians. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives designates April 2025 as Minority Health Month, focusing on cholesterol screening as a way to prevent heart disease and stroke. It cites statistics from the CDC, the American Heart Association, and other sources showing that cardiovascular disease disproportionately affects African American and Hispanic populations, including higher rates of high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The resolution does not create new law, funding, or requirements. It states that the Georgia Department of Health is urged to update the state's cardiovascular plan and run campaigns to boost cholesterol screening in April, and that health care providers are urged to follow American College of Cardiology treatment guidelines. The House directs its Clerk to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### What it does - Formally recognizes April 2025 as Minority Health Month in Georgia to encourage cholesterol screening. - Urges the Georgia Department of Health to update the state's cardiovascular plan and launch screening campaigns during April. - Urges health care providers to treat cardiovascular disease patients according to American College of Cardiology guidelines. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### Who it affects The resolution speaks to the Georgia Department of Health, health care providers treating cardiovascular disease, and Georgians generally, with particular attention to African American and Hispanic residents who the resolution says face higher rates of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease. ### Why it matters While largely symbolic, the resolution puts the Georgia House on record urging the state health department to update its cardiovascular plan and run screening campaigns, and encourages providers to follow specific treatment guidelines, which could shape public health messaging in April. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses cite CDC, AHA, and academic research on cardiovascular disease rates among Black and Hispanic populations in the United States. - The resolution notes cardiovascular disease causes more than 22,000 deaths in Georgia annually, about one in three deaths overall. - The Georgia Department of Health is urged to update the state's cardiovascular plan and develop April screening campaigns. - Providers are urged to follow American College of Cardiology treatment guidelines for cardiovascular disease patients. - The operative resolving clause formally recognizes April 2025 as Minority Health Month to encourage cholesterol screening. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to make copies available to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-18) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-03-18) - Sponsors: Karen Bennett, Carolyn Hugley, Debra Bazemore, Doreen Carter, Kimberly Alexander, Rhonda Taylor - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71439 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr619.md?full=1