--- title: SR 975. March of Dimes; commend; March of Dimes March for Change; recognize March 10, 2026 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr975 cite_as: SR 975, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr975 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr975.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr975/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74178 date: 2026-03-19 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/sr974.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr976.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr975.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 975 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-19 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Sally Harrell - Ben Watson - Gail Davenport - Kay Kirkpatrick - Drew Echols - Nan Orrock text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR975/2025 upstream_id: 2135885 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - maternal health - infant mortality - preterm birth - public health awareness - March of Dimes --- # SR 975. March of Dimes; commend; March of Dimes March for Change; recognize March 10, 2026 ## Text Senate Resolution 975 By: Senators Harrell of the 40th, Watson of the 1st, Davenport of the 17th, Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Echols of the 49th and others A RESOLUTION Commending the March of Dimes and recognizing March 10, 2026, as March of Dimes March for Change at the state capitol; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the March of Dimes Foundation is a pioneer in improving the health of infants and women of childbearing age by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant and maternal mortality; and WHEREAS, founded in 1938 to fight polio, the March of Dimes funded the development of two vaccines that virtually eliminated the crippling disease, and in 1958, after having achieved its initial mission, the organization shifted its attention from polio to the prevention of preterm birth, the greatest contributing factor to newborns dying within their first month of life; and WHEREAS, over 14,907 preterm births occurred in Georgia in 2024, a figure which represents one in every nine babies born in this state; and WHEREAS, of the maternal deaths reviewed from 2020 to 2022, 141 deaths were determined to be pregnancy-related, and 87 percent of those pregnancy-related deaths were deemed preventable; and WHEREAS, volunteers and staff of the March of Dimes will be at the capitol on March 10, 2026, to raise awareness among legislators about the serious consequences of preterm birth and infant and maternal mortality as well as to advocate for policies to address these significant public health challenges. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body commend the efforts of the March of Dimes and its selfless volunteers for their past, present, and future work on behalf of mothers and babies in this state, throughout the nation, and around the world and recognize March 10, 2026, as March of Dimes March for Change at the state capitol. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the March of Dimes in Georgia. ## 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 commends the March of Dimes and recognizes March 10, 2026 as March of Dimes March for Change at the state capitol. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution passed by the Georgia Senate. It does not change any Georgia law. Instead, it praises the March of Dimes Foundation for its work preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant and maternal mortality, tracing the organization's history from fighting polio in 1938 to its later focus on preterm birth. The resolution cites Georgia-specific statistics, including that more than 14,907 preterm births occurred in the state in 2024 and that 141 maternal deaths from 2020 to 2022 were pregnancy-related, 87 percent of which were deemed preventable. It formally recognizes March 10, 2026 as March of Dimes March for Change at the capitol, when volunteers and staff plan to meet with legislators, and directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide a copy of the resolution to the March of Dimes in Georgia. ### What it does - Formally commends the March of Dimes Foundation for its work on infant and maternal health in Georgia and beyond. - Designates March 10, 2026 as March of Dimes March for Change at the state capitol. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute a copy of the resolution to the March of Dimes in Georgia. - Cites Georgia statistics on preterm births and pregnancy-related maternal deaths as context for the recognition. ### Who it affects The March of Dimes Foundation and its Georgia volunteers and staff, who are honored by the resolution and will visit the capitol on the designated day. It has no direct legal effect on other Georgians, agencies, or businesses. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal force or funding, but it gives the March of Dimes an official platform to raise legislator awareness about preterm birth and maternal mortality in Georgia, potentially informing future public health policy discussions. ### Key provisions - The resolution recites the March of Dimes' history since 1938 and its shift in focus from polio to preterm birth in 1958. - It states that over 14,907 preterm births occurred in Georgia in 2024, about one in nine babies born in the state. - It notes that of maternal deaths reviewed from 2020 to 2022, 141 were pregnancy-related and 87 percent of those were deemed preventable. - The resolving clause commends the March of Dimes and designates March 10, 2026 as March of Dimes March for Change at the capitol. - A further clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide a copy of the resolution to the March of Dimes in Georgia. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-19) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-03-19) - Sponsors: Sally Harrell, Ben Watson, Gail Davenport, Kay Kirkpatrick, Drew Echols, Nan Orrock - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74178 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr975.md?full=1