--- title: SR 659. Profound Autism Day; recognize March 17, 2026 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr659 cite_as: SR 659, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr659 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr659.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr659/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72622 date: 2026-02-02 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/sr658.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr660.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr659.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 659 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-02 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Kim Jackson - Tonya Anderson - RaShaun Kemp - Nan Orrock - Kenya Wicks - Sonya Halpern - Bo Hatchett - Sheikh Rahman - Randal Mangham - Nabilah Islam Parkes - Ed Harbison text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR659/2025 upstream_id: 2102337 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - autism awareness - disability support - Georgia Senate resolutions - special observance days --- # SR 659. Profound Autism Day; recognize March 17, 2026 ## Text Senate Resolution 659 By: Senators Jackson of the 41st, Anderson of the 43rd, Kemp of the 38th, Orrock of the 36th, Wicks of the 34th and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing March 17, 2026, as Profound Autism Day; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, profound autism is is a term intended to provide clarification about the autistic people who require 24/7 care from an adult caregiver throughout their lives; and WHEREAS, people with profound autism can have a severe intellectual disability or have minimal or no language, and are frequently excluded from research and support programs because of their unique needs; and WHEREAS, in April 2023, the Centers for Disease Control released its first prevalence study on profound autism, concluding that 1 in 4 children, age 8, with autism, in the United States, have profound autism; and WHEREAS, compared to children with non-profound autism, children with profound autism were more likely to be female, from racial and ethnic minority groups, of low socioeconomic status, born pre-term or with low birth weight, have self-injurious behaviors, have seizure disorders, and have lower adaptive scores; and WHEREAS, there are many people with profound autism in the state of Georgia, and our inclusion, support, and specific consideration of their unique challenges is critical. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize March 17, 2026, as Profound Autism Day. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate 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 Senate resolution designates March 17, 2026, as Profound Autism Day, recognizing people with profound autism and their caregivers across the state. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia Senate recognizes March 17, 2026, as Profound Autism Day. It explains that profound autism describes autistic people who need round-the-clock care from an adult caregiver throughout their lives, often because of severe intellectual disability or minimal to no language ability. The resolution cites a 2023 Centers for Disease Control study finding that about 1 in 4 eight-year-olds with autism in the United States have profound autism, and notes differences in who is affected, including higher rates among girls, racial and ethnic minority groups, and children born pre-term or with low birth weight. It states that many Georgians have profound autism and calls their inclusion and support critical. The Senate directs its Secretary to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### What it does - Formally recognizes March 17, 2026, as Profound Autism Day in the Georgia Senate. - States findings from a 2023 CDC study that roughly 1 in 4 eight-year-olds with autism have profound autism. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies of the resolution available to the public and press. - Does not create any new funding, program, or legal requirement; it is a symbolic recognition only. ### Who it affects People with profound autism and their families and caregivers in Georgia, as well as disability advocacy and support organizations that work with this community. The resolution itself does not impose duties on any government agency beyond distributing copies of the text. ### Why it matters The resolution raises public awareness of profound autism, a subset of autism involving severe support needs, but it does not change Georgia law, create funding, or establish new programs. Its practical effect is limited to official recognition and distribution of the text to the public and press. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses define profound autism and cite a 2023 CDC prevalence study finding 1 in 4 eight-year-olds with autism have profound autism. - The resolving clause has the Senate recognize March 17, 2026, as Profound Autism Day. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-02) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-02-02) - Sponsors: Kim Jackson, Tonya Anderson, RaShaun Kemp, Nan Orrock, Kenya Wicks, Sonya Halpern, Bo Hatchett, Sheikh Rahman, Randal Mangham, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Ed Harbison - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72622 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr659.md?full=1