--- title: HR 857. Morehouse School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr857 cite_as: HR 857, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr857 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr857.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr857/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71867 date: 2025-03-28 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/hr856.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr858.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr857.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 857 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-28 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Park Cannon - Inga Willis - Tanya Miller - Billy Mitchell text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR857/2025 upstream_id: 2016628 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Morehouse School of Medicine - physician assistants - medical education - health care workforce --- # HR 857. Morehouse School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program; commend ## Text 25 LC 112 3438 House Resolution 857 By: Representatives Cannon of the 58th, Willis of the 55th, Miller of the 62nd, and Mitchell of the 88th A RESOLUTION Commending the Morehouse School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program; and for other1 purposes.2 WHEREAS, the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) Physician Assistant (PA) Program3 is one of the health professional graduate programs at MSM, developed in response to rising4 health care needs across Georgia and beyond; and5 WHEREAS, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant6 Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Morehouse School of7 Medicine Physician Assistant Program, which is conferred when a currently accredited8 program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards; and9 WHEREAS, the program fosters workforce diversity and enhances a ccess to care in10 underserved rural and urban communities across Georgia; and11 WHEREAS, the Morehouse School of Medicine Physician Assistant P rogram provides a12 rigorous graduate medical curriculum that empowers students to prioritize and improve13 community health outcomes through civic engagement, ethical leadership, and global social14 responsibility; and15 H. R. 857 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3438 WHEREAS, the mission of the program is to lead the creation and advancement of health16 equity and achieve health justice by educating and equipping future physician assistants for17 academic, personal, and professional success, ensuring they become lifelong learners who18 provide compassionate, high-quality, patient-centered care to meet the primary health care19 needs of the urban and rural underserved populations in Georgia and the nation; and20 WHEREAS, the values of the Morehouse School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program21 are Integrity, Wisdom, Knowledge, Excellence, Innovation, Servi ce, Compassion,22 Leadership, and Professionalism.23 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that24 the members of this body commend the Morehouse School of Medicine Physician Assistant25 Program for its many outstanding contributions on behalf of the citizens of the State of26 Georgia and beyond as well as extend best wishes for continued success.27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized28 and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the29 Morehouse School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program.30 H. R. 857 - 2 - ## 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 formally commends the Morehouse School of Medicine's Physician Assistant Program for its accreditation and contributions to health care access across the state. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any Georgia law. It is a ceremonial statement from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizing the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) Physician Assistant Program for maintaining its accreditation and for training physician assistants who serve underserved communities in Georgia. The resolution notes that the national accrediting body for physician assistant programs, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, has granted the program continued accreditation. It also describes the program's mission of promoting health equity and lists its stated values. The House resolves to commend the program and directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to the program as a keepsake. ### What it does - Commends the Morehouse School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program for its accreditation and its work expanding health care access in Georgia. - States the House's recognition of the program's continued accreditation status from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to the program. - Extends the House's best wishes for the program's continued success, without creating any new legal requirement or funding. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the Morehouse School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program and its faculty and students. It has no binding effect on other schools, agencies, or the general public since it creates no legal obligations. ### Why it matters Because this is a commendation rather than a law, it does not change funding, licensing, or health care policy in Georgia. Its practical effect is symbolic: public recognition from the state legislature for the program's accreditation and community health work. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe the program's accreditation status and its mission to expand health care access in underserved rural and urban parts of Georgia. - The resolving clause has the House of Representatives formally commend the program for its contributions and wish it continued success. - A further resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to the Morehouse School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-28) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-03-28) - Sponsors: Park Cannon, Inga Willis, Tanya Miller, Billy Mitchell - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71867 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr857.md?full=1