---
title: SR 990. FSGS Awareness Day; recognize June 9, 2026
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sr990
cite_as: SR 990, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr990
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr990.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr990/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74218
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.
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next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr991.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 94
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr990.md?full=1
bill_number: SR 990
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:
  - John Albers
  - Brian Strickland
  - Jason T. Dickerson
  - Chuck Payne
  - Russ Goodman
  - Shawn Still
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR990/2025
upstream_id: 2135927
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - kidney disease awareness
  - FSGS
  - public health
  - health disparities
  - state capitol recognition
---

# SR 990. FSGS Awareness Day; recognize June 9, 2026

## Text

Senate Resolution 990
By: Senators Albers of the 56th, Strickland of the 42nd, Dickerson of the 21st, Payne of the
54th, Goodman of the 8th and others
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing June 9, 2026, as FSGS Awareness Day at the state capitol; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS, approximately 1 in 7 American adults have chronic kidney disease, and the
third leading cause of chronic kidney disease is glomerulonephritis, often caused by rare
kidney diseases such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS); and
WHEREAS, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis is a condition referring to the scarring in the
kidneys, often leading to a difficult journey that can in many cases result in kidney failure,
requiring dialysis, transplant, and often cycles of remissions and relapse; and
WHEREAS, 50 percent of patients with FSGS require dialysis or a kidney transplant within
5–10 years of their diagnosis; and
WHEREAS, FSGS is a severe disease because it often progresses rapidly to kidney failure
and even for patients with primary FSGS who receive a kidney transplant, FSGS can recur
in their transplanted kidney up to 50 percent of the time; and
WHEREAS, FSGS can be diagnosed at any age, but is most commonly diagnosed in adults
rather than in children and most prevalent in adults over 45 years old; and
WHEREAS, FSGS is a burden on our healthcare system, with a 2019 study estimating that
FSGS costs Medicaid, Medicare, and private health insurance about $2 billion annually in
direct medical costs, not including indirect and quality of life costs; and
WHEREAS, according to the RaDaR Database, rare kidney diseases like FSGS make up just
5-10 percent of chronic kidney disease patients but account for approximately 30 percent of
kidney failures; and
WHEREAS, many patients face delays in being diagnosed with FSGS, due both to the
difficulty of the rare disease diagnostic odyssey averaging 5-7 years and challenges in
accessing nephrology care that specializes in rare kidney diseases as there is currently a
shortage in the United States; and
WHEREAS, FSGS disproportionately impacts minority populations, including African
Americans, often occurring at a rate 4–5 times higher than white Americans; and
WHEREAS, because of certain variants of the APOL1 gene that significantly increase the
risk of developing FSGS and other kidney diseases, and these high-risk variants are found
almost exclusively in individuals of African ancestry, FSGS contributes to the
disproportionate burden of kidney disease in Black communities; and
WHEREAS, FSGS is a significant burden not just to the health and lives of patients and their
families, but also incurs great challenges for the healthcare system and healthcare financing
of Georgia; and
WHEREAS, there is new hope for patients with FSGS, with clinical trials underway for
products that may delay progression of FSGS and the onset of kidney disease, including the
potential for FDA approved therapies in the near future, and significant progress being made
by scientists, regulators, patient groups, and industry through the PARASOL Project to
validate proteinuria as an indicator of improvement in patients; and
WHEREAS, patients, families, advocacy organizations like NephCure, healthcare providers,
industry, and researchers are working tirelessly to raise awareness, promote early detection,
and develop new innovative therapies for FSGS and other rare kidney disease patients living
in Georgia; and
WHEREAS, FSGS Awareness Day is designated to raise awareness of FSGS, provide
support and inspiration to patients and families struggling with the disease, and to promote
the efforts needed for better diagnosis and access to future treatments that can transform the
course of the disease.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body
recognize June 9, 2026, as FSGS Awareness Day at the state capitol.
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 June 9, 2026, as FSGS Awareness Day at the state capitol, drawing attention to a rare kidney disease that disproportionately affects African Americans.

### Plain-language summary

This resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally recognizes June 9, 2026, as FSGS Awareness Day at the state capitol, honoring efforts to raise awareness of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a rare kidney disease that scars the kidneys and often leads to dialysis or transplant.
The resolution lays out the case for the designation: FSGS contributes heavily to chronic kidney disease and kidney failure, disproportionately affects African Americans due to certain gene variants, costs an estimated $2 billion a year in direct medical costs nationally, and often takes years to diagnose. It directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available to the public and press, but creates no funding, program, or legal requirement.

### What it does

- Formally recognizes June 9, 2026, as FSGS Awareness Day at the Georgia state capitol.
- Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.
- Creates no new law, funding, program, or enforcement mechanism; it is a symbolic statement by the Senate.

### Who it affects

People living with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and their families, kidney disease advocacy groups such as NephCure, nephrologists and other healthcare providers in Georgia, and African American communities, who the resolution notes face disproportionately higher rates of the disease.

### Why it matters

While the resolution changes no law or funding, it gives official state recognition to FSGS, which can help advocacy groups raise public awareness, encourage earlier diagnosis, and highlight disparities affecting African American patients with the disease in Georgia.

### Key provisions

- The resolution's whereas clauses describe FSGS as a leading cause of chronic kidney disease, often requiring dialysis or transplant within 5-10 years of diagnosis.
- It notes FSGS disproportionately affects African Americans, occurring 4-5 times more often than in white Americans, linked to certain APOL1 gene variants.
- The resolving clause designates June 9, 2026, as FSGS Awareness Day at the state capitol.
- A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available for distribution to the public and press.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-03-19)
- Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-03-19)
- Sponsors: John Albers, Brian Strickland, Jason T. Dickerson, Chuck Payne, Russ Goodman, Shawn Still
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74218

> The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr990.md?full=1