Bill
HR 857
H.R. 857 honors the Morehouse School of Medicine PA Program for educational excellence, diverse workforce goals, and expanding access to care in underserved communities.
Status and procedural history
- Bill type: House Resolution (honorific)
- Introduced: January 31, 2025
- Committee referral: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (01/31/2025)
- Calendar/actions: Placed on Congratulatory & Memorial Resolutions Calendar; read and adopted by the House (nonrecord vote) on June 1, 2025; reported enrolled.
- Sponsors/cosponsors: Primary sponsors include Veronica Escobar, Park Cannon, Tanya Miller, Billy Mitchell, Inga Willis; additional cosponsors include Al Green, Sylvester Turner, Greg Casar, Keith Self, Vicente Gonzalez, Lizzie Fletcher, Julie Johnson, Henry Cuellar, Jasmine Crockett, Marc A. Veasey, and others.
Purpose and intent
- H.R. 857 is an honorary resolution that formally commends the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) Physician Assistant (PA) Program for its educational achievements, community impact, and role in expanding access to health care, particularly in underserved urban and rural communities.
Key provisions and findings (substantive content)
- Recognizes that the MSM PA Program is a health professional graduate program created in response to growing health care needs in Georgia and beyond.
- Notes that the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC‑PA) has granted the program “Accreditation‑Continued,” indicating compliance with ARC‑PA standards.
- Highlights program goals and attributes: fostering workforce diversity; enhancing access to care in underserved areas; providing a rigorous graduate medical curriculum; promoting civic engagement, ethical leadership, global social responsibility; and advancing health equity and health justice.
- Lists the program’s stated values: Integrity, Wisdom, Knowledge, Excellence, Innovation, Service, Compassion, Leadership, and Professionalism.
- Officially commends the program for its “outstanding contributions” and extends best wishes for continued success.
- Directs the Clerk of the House to prepare and make available an appropriate copy of the resolution for distribution to the Morehouse School of Medicine PA Program.
Who is affected / likely impact
- Directly affected: Morehouse School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program, its students, faculty, alumni, and affiliated communities.
- Practical impact: purely honorary and ceremonial — the resolution does not appropriate funds, change accreditation status, or create legal obligations. Its primary effects are symbolic: public recognition, potential enhancement of program visibility and reputation, and increased political acknowledgement that may support future outreach, partnerships, or recruitment.
Notable procedural/administrative details and an inconsistency in provided text
- The resolution was adopted by the House and reported enrolled on June 1, 2025.
- The materials provided to summarize contained an unrelated 1-paragraph text that renames a U.S. Postal Service facility (the “Enedina Sanchez Cordero Post Office Building”). That post‑office naming language appears to be from a different measure and is not part of the Morehouse School of Medicine commending resolution as described elsewhere in the document. Readers should consult the enrolled resolution text or official House records to confirm final language.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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