SR813: SR813 Department of Public Health; to conduct a study on the relationship between sudden unexpected deaths of infants and children and the administration of vaccinations; urge

This resolution does not change Georgia law. It urges the Department of Public Health to conduct a study examining the relationship between sudden unexpected deaths of infants and children, ages two and under, and vaccinations they received. The resolution points to Georgia's relatively high infant mortality rate as a reason for the request. The study would analyze the state's immunization records, drawing on the GRITS Immunization Information System (Georgia's vaccine record database), for children who died suddenly and without explanation, using data from 2013 to the present. The report would include each child's age at death, full immunization history, and how close their last vaccination was to their death. It calls for collaboration with other agencies and experts, and would be submitted to the Senate by February 1, 2027. The resolution also says the department may decline to do the study unless lawmakers provide funding for it.

• Urges, rather than requires by law, the Department of Public Health to study any link between vaccinations and sudden unexpected infant and child deaths (ages two and under).
• Directs that the study analyze anonymous immunization records in the GRITS Immunization Information System, Georgia's vaccine record database, covering 2013 to present.
• Requires the resulting report to list each child's age at death, full immunization history, and timing between their last vaccination and death.
• Calls on the department to work with other state and federal agencies and medical experts to ensure scientific rigor.
• Sets a February 1, 2027 deadline for submitting the written report to the Senate.
• States the department may decline to conduct the study unless the General Assembly appropriates (provides) enough state funding to cover its cost.

The Department of Public Health, which would conduct the study; the Georgia Senate, which would receive the report; and indirectly, families of infants and children in Georgia, since the study focuses on immunization records of children age two and under who died suddenly and unexpectedly.

If funded and carried out, the study could produce a state-level analysis of immunization records tied to unexplained infant and child deaths, which could shape future public health policy or public understanding of infant mortality in Georgia. Because it is a resolution, it carries no legal requirement or guaranteed funding.

• The resolving clauses urge the Department of Public Health to study the relationship between vaccinations and sudden unexpected deaths of infants and children ages two and under.
• The study must include an analysis of the state's immunization records in the context of these deaths and be submitted as a written report to the Senate by February 1, 2027.
• The report must contain anonymous data from the GRITS Immunization Information System covering children who died suddenly and without explanation.
• Data must span from the 2013 calendar year to the present.
• The report must include each child's age at death, full immunization history, and the timing of their last immunization relative to death.
• The department is directed to collaborate with relevant state and federal agencies and medical and public health experts.
• The resolution allows the department to decline the study unless the General Assembly appropriates sufficient funding to cover its cost.
• The Secretary of the Senate is directed to distribute copies of the resolution to Department of Public Health leadership.

1. 2026-02-19Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-02-18Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)Primary sponsor
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)

• infant mortality
• vaccines
• public health research
• Department of Public Health
• immunization records