Rep. Tangie Herring Introduces “You Are Not Alone Awareness Act,” Applauds Subcommittee Passage

ATLANTA - State Representative Tangie Herring (D-Macon) recently introduced House Bill 1045, the "You Are Not Alone Awareness Act." Today, Rep. Herring presented the bill before the House Education Subcommittee on Policy and Innovation, where it was favorably reported by committee substitute, and it has now been sent to the full House Education Committee for consideration.

"The You Are Not Alone Awareness Act is a bipartisan effort to protect Georgia's most precious resource, our children." said Rep. Herring. "This bill is deeply personal to me and as a veteran teacher myself, I have seen the various levels of need every day in the classroom. I know that for students in a crisis, every second counts. We are witnessing silent struggles where our young people navigate unprecedented pressure, and for far too many the weight is becoming very heavy to bear. We have a moral obligation to ensure we are addressing this for our children before the struggle becomes a tragedy. I am grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their support of this much-needed legislation, and I look forward to continuing our work to see this bill signed into law."

HB 1045 would require any local school system or public school that issues student identification badges to students in grades six through 12 to include the following message on badges issued on or after July 1, 2026: "9-8-8-You are not alone. Anyone experiencing a suicidal crisis, emotional distress or challenges with substance abuse should call or text 9-8-8. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year."

The full text of HB 1045 may be found here.

Representative Tangie Herring represents the citizens of District 145, which includes portions of Bibb and Monroe counties. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2024 and currently serves on the Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Code Revision, Economic Development & Tourism and Urban Affairs committees.

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