--- title: SR 815. Georgia Hearing Day; recognize February 23, 2026 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr815 cite_as: SR 815, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr815 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr815.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr815/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73388 date: 2026-02-19 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/sr814.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr816.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr815.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 815 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-19 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Carden Summers - Clint Dixon - Gail Davenport - Sonya Halpern - Tonya Anderson - Donzella James - Matt Brass - Bo Hatchett - Randal Mangham - Michael Rhett - Ricky Williams - Lee Anderson - David Lucas - Nikki Merritt - Nabilah Islam Parkes - Kenya Wicks - RaShaun Kemp text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR815/2025 upstream_id: 2119535 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - hearing loss awareness - public health - Georgia Senate resolution - hearing health care --- # SR 815. Georgia Hearing Day; recognize February 23, 2026 ## Text Senate Resolution 815 By: Senators Summers of the 13th, Dixon of the 45th, Davenport of the 17th, Halpern of the 39th, Anderson of the 43rd and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing February 23, 2026, as Georgia Hearing Day at the state capitol; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, hearing plays a critical role in communication and personal relationships, overall health outcomes, psychological well-being, and safety; and WHEREAS, hearing loss has been tied to cognitive decline, dementia, falls, depression, and isolation. It can be a symptom of an underlying medical condition, including, but not limited to, infections, tumors, otosclerosis, and Meniere's disease and is typically irreversible; and WHEREAS, a study conducted by the Better Hearing Institute concluded that untreated hearing loss has significant income ramifications, including negatively impacting household income by up to $12,000 annually and costing $122 billion in lost earning in the United States; and WHEREAS, noise-induced hearing loss is a preventable and significant, through often unrecognized, health problem among United States adults, and is a growing problem with adolescents due to overamplification of personal listening devices; and WHEREAS, according to the National Institutes of Deafness and Other Communications Disorders (NIDCD), more than 37 million American adults (15 percent) report some trouble hearing, and approximately 28.2 million American adults could benefit from using hearing aids; and WHEREAS, according to the NIDCD, fewer than 30 percent of adults aged 70 and older and 16 percent of adults aged 20 to 69 who experience hearing loss and who could benefit from hearing aids have ever used them; and WHEREAS, the Georgia Society of Hearing Professionals, a chapter of the International Hearing Society, is composed of hearing health care professionals, including hearing aid specialists and audiologists, who are trained and specialize in the identification and assessment of hearing loss, rehabilitation through the use of hearing aids and related devices, and counseling; and WHEREAS, Georgia Hearing Day, founded by the Georgia Society of Hearing Professionals, aims to raise awareness of how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and to promote ear and hearing care across the world. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize February 23, 2026, as Georgia Hearing Day at the state capitol to encourage the citizens of Georgia to protect their hearing and seek the services of a licensed hearing health care professional, such as a hearing aid specialist, audiologist, or otolaryngologist, for regular hearing checks. 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 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 recognizes February 23, 2026, as Georgia Hearing Day at the state capitol, honoring efforts to raise awareness about hearing loss prevention and care. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally recognizes February 23, 2026, as Georgia Hearing Day, an observance started by the Georgia Society of Hearing Professionals to raise awareness about preventing deafness and hearing loss and to promote ear and hearing care. The resolution cites statistics on hearing loss, including its links to cognitive decline, dementia, falls, depression, and isolation, and its economic impact on households and the national economy. It encourages Georgians to protect their hearing and to see licensed hearing health care professionals, such as hearing aid specialists, audiologists, or otolaryngologists, for regular checkups. The Secretary of the Senate is directed to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### What it does - Formally designates February 23, 2026, as Georgia Hearing Day at the state capitol. - Encourages Georgia citizens to protect their hearing and get regular checkups from licensed hearing professionals. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. - Creates no new legal requirements, funding, or penalties; it is a symbolic recognition rather than a change to Georgia law. ### Who it affects The resolution mainly affects the Georgia Society of Hearing Professionals and its members, including hearing aid specialists and audiologists, whose awareness campaign it recognizes. It also speaks broadly to Georgia residents, particularly those with or at risk of hearing loss. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no legal force, it gives an official platform to public awareness efforts about hearing loss, a condition linked to cognitive decline and reduced income, and may encourage more Georgians to seek hearing checkups from licensed professionals. ### Key provisions - Recognizes February 23, 2026, as Georgia Hearing Day at the state capitol. - Encourages citizens to seek regular hearing checks from a hearing aid specialist, audiologist, or otolaryngologist. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies of the resolution available to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-19) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-02-19) - Sponsors: Carden Summers, Clint Dixon, Gail Davenport, Sonya Halpern, Tonya Anderson, Donzella James, Matt Brass, Bo Hatchett, Randal Mangham, Michael Rhett, Ricky Williams, Lee Anderson, David Lucas, Nikki Merritt, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Kenya Wicks, RaShaun Kemp - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73388 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr815.md?full=1