ATLANTA – State Representative Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville), Chairman of the House Health Committee, applauds the final passage of Senate Bill 72, The Hope for Georgia Patients Act, which would create new treatment options for children with rare diseases and cancer patients and allow those patients with a life-threatening disease to try individualized treatments that would otherwise not be available.
“The Hope for Georgia Patients Act is another example of how the Georgia legislature is leading the way in helping ordinary people in concrete ways,” said Chairman Hawkins. “This bill cuts through federal red tape that is blocking patients from getting lifesaving care in their communities. With this legislation in place, Georgia residents can work with their own doctor and their own hospital to get the treatments they need, surrounded by the love and support of their family and friends.”
Sponsored in the Senate by State Senator Matt Brass (R-Newnan) and carried in the House by Chairman Hawkins, SB 72 would provide legal and ethical protections so that patients and doctors can use individualized treatments customized for each person. These treatments would be safer and cause fewer side effects because they are uniquely tailored to a person’s DNA. Such treatments are not widely available in the United States because the FDA does not have a system in place for approving treatments that only serve small patient populations.
“I want to thank Speaker Jon Burns and my fellow House members for supporting SB 72,” added Chairman Hawkins. “I also want to thank Rich DeAugustinis of the Myositis Association and Kristin Connor of Cure Childhood Cancer for their support, as well as State Senator Matt Brass for working hard in the Senate to get this passed. Georgia lawmakers are making government run better, cutting red tape and helping people in our communities. I am proud to be a part of that.”
There are many examples of rare diseases that The Hope for Georgia Patients Act would help address. These would include: L-CMD, a rare form of muscular dystrophy; Barth Syndrome; Fabry Disease and Batten Disease. About 30 million Americans suffer from rare diseases for which there are no treatments or cures and half of those are children. European doctors and healthcare providers are also successfully using individualized drugs and therapies to treat various forms of cancer, ranging from breast cancer to prostate cancer. Under The Hope for Georgia Patients Act, these treatments could be made available to Georgia residents.
SB 72 now heads to the governor’s desk and awaits his decision to sign or veto.
The full text of SB 72 may be found here.
Representative Lee Hawkins represents the citizens of District 27, which includes portions of Hall and Lumpkin counties. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 and currently serves as Chairman of the Health Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health, Banks & Banking, Human Relations & Aging, Insurance, Regulated Industries and Rules committees, as well as the Special Committee on Healthcare. He also serves as an Ex-Officio member of the Public and Community Health Committee.
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