HR1473: HR1473 House Study Committee on Lupus; create

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can cause severe pain, fatigue, and organ damage, and it often makes steady employment difficult. This resolution responds to concerns that people with lupus face long delays and high denial rates when applying for Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income, partly because the disease is hard to document. The resolution creates the House Study Committee on Lupus, made up of four House members from the House Committee on Health and three non legislative members: the commissioner of public health or a designee, a representative of the Georgia Council on Lupus Education and Awareness, and a representative of the Georgia Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America. The Speaker of the House appoints all members and names the chairperson. The committee will study lupus-related issues and can recommend legislation. It must file any report before it is abolished on December 1, 2026, and legislative members get standard expense allowances funded through the House of Representatives budget.

• Creates the House Study Committee on Lupus, composed of seven members appointed by the Speaker of the House.
• Requires four legislative members to come from the House Committee on Health and adds three nonlegislative members with public health or lupus advocacy expertise.
• Directs the committee to study issues related to lupus, including disability benefits access, and recommend legislation if needed.
• Sets allowances for legislative members under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8 and expense reimbursement rules for state officials, employees, and other members.
• Requires any approved report to be filed with the Clerk of the House before the committee is abolished.
• Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2026.

Georgians living with lupus, House members appointed to the House Committee on Health, the commissioner of public health, and representatives of the Georgia Council on Lupus Education and Awareness and the Georgia Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America, who would serve on the new study committee.

If lupus patients face slow or difficult disability benefit approvals, a legislative study committee could surface specific problems and propose fixes, though the resolution itself creates no new benefits or rules; it only sets up a group to study the issue and report by the end of 2026.

• Paragraph (1) creates the House Study Committee on Lupus.
• Paragraph (2) sets committee membership at seven: four House Committee on Health members and three nonlegislative experts, with the Speaker naming the chairperson.
• Paragraph (3) charges the committee with studying lupus-related issues and recommending action or legislation.
• Paragraph (4) lets the chairperson call meetings as needed to carry out the committee's work.
• Paragraph (5) sets member allowances, capping paid allowance days at five unless additional days are authorized, funded through House of Representatives appropriations.
• Paragraph (6) requires any adopted report to be approved by majority vote and filed with the Clerk of the House before abolishment.
• Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2026.

1. 2026-03-27House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
2. 2026-03-03House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-26House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-25House Hopper (House)

• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)Primary sponsor
• Lee Hawkins (R, HD-027)
• Chris Erwin (R, HD-032)
• Sandra Scott (D, HD-076)
• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)

• lupus
• disability benefits
• public health
• legislative study committee
• chronic illness