Sally’s Senate Snapshot 2022 #3

What is Courage?

Each morning the Senate is in session, we stand together to say the Pledge of Allegiance. We then make a ritualistic turn to the right, face the Georgia flag, and say the Georgia Pledge of Allegiance. In doing so, we reference the Georgia state motto: wisdom, justice and moderation. The three pillars on the Georgia flag symbolize the three branches of government, so we are asking for wisdom for the legislature, justice for the judicial branch, and moderation for the executive branch.

Last year, a group of Republican legislators filed SB 152, which seeks to add the word “courage” to the Georgia pledge. Last year the bill passed the Senate (I voted no), and fortunately, it’s not getting much traction in the House.

Each morning when we say the Georgia Pledge, a group of Republicans now tack the word courage to the end anyway. It makes me wonder, what is their obsession with courage?

As they stand maskless in a giant petri dish of germs, I get the feeling “courage” to them means not feeling afraid in the presence of danger. While that might be what courage looks like on the battlefield, it’s not what courage looks like to me in everyday life. Courage is the ability to be open to your vulnerabilities, which then opens you up to the possibility of transformational change, not only in your own life, but in the lives of others. I witnessed this kind of courage this week. More about that a little later . . . 

 

De-Escalating through Firearm Training

On Monday I filed SB 344, which requires anyone who chooses to possess a firearm to complete firearm safety training, and sets requirements for safe storage. Last year, I successfully worked to gain some Republican support for firearm training, but sadly, this support vanished when the Governor announced his intent to push for permitless carry.

To me, this requirement just makes sense. It reminds me of what I was taught in high school — that rights come with responsibilities. So I say, if you exercise your right to have a firearm, you should responsibly earn your merit badge on firearm safety. It’s as simple as that.

 

Finding their Voices and Speaking Out 

For years, district lines have been gerrymandered in Gwinnett county to retain Republican power in every level of government. But growth in diverse populations in Gwinnett has flipped Republican seats to Democrat — even before redrawing the lines. All five Gwinnett County Commission positions are now represented by people of color, as are three out of five Gwinnett School Board positions. 

Now Republicans want to change the rules to get some of their seats back. Your actions helped to tamp down this issue last November during Special Session, but it has reared its ugly head again.

Since November, the people of Gwinnett have spoken — through meetings, surveys, townhalls, and votes.  The Gwinnett legislative delegation has finalized their redistricting plan, overwhelmingly approving new maps with minimal changes to school board and county commission districts.

There is a special process for passing local legislation, which all other counties in the state are utilizing for local redistricting. But Gwinnett Republicans in the House are usurping that process, allowing Republicans from outside of Gwinnett to hold the fate of the county commission and school board districts in their hands. In the Senate, the sole Gwinnett Republican senator wants to unilaterally change Gwinnett school board elections from partisan to non-partisan.

On Tuesday morning, I stood with the Gwinnett delegation in a press conference to bring public attention to this now ugly battle for the future of Gwinnett local government. 

You can help by calling or emailing the elected leaders listed below (scroll all the way down). Tell them to let the Gwinnett Delegation decide their own fate by using Local Legislation to pass new maps. Also, tell them the people of Gwinnett should decide  through a ballot referendum whether their School Board elections are partisan or non-partisan.

 

The Courage to Tell your Story

In a year when for political reasons it’s difficult to pass meaningful legislation, and for economic reasons money is plentiful, Georgia’s legislative budget process provides perhaps the best opportunity to bring meaningful impact to the lives of Georgians.

Last year I filed SB 208, which proposes a plan that calls for the Dept. of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities to eliminate over the next five years the decades long Disabilities Medicaid waiver waiting list. We’ve named the initiative “Fully Fund in Five.”

Since Georgia’s constitution requires the budget to begin in the House, I teamed up this week with constituent Philip Woody to meet with the Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Sub-Committee on Human Resources. 

Philip told me his heartbreaking story of how his son’s intellectual development came to an abrupt stop following what seemed like a typical toddler bump on the head. He spoke to the Chairwoman of the struggles he faced as a father to secure a trust fund large enough to provide for his son’s entire life, and how his own mental health challenges have from time to time made this task more difficult. Philip’s son recently received his Medicaid waiver, but Philip continues to fight for the 7000 other families still waiting for their names to creep up the list. 

It took real courage for Philip to share that story of his own vulnerability, and he does not intend to stop fighting until the waiting list is gone. And neither will I. We’ve got each other’s backs on this issue.

 

Finding Solace is a Sea of Madness

I found this week at the Capitol to be stressful, and my colleagues seemed to agree. As this session serves as a prelude to primary elections, Republicans are beginning to push their wedge issues —  designed to both rile up their base and trap Democrats into votes that can be easily misrepresented on fear-based campaign literature. It’s a little like walking through a minefield.

By Tuesday afternoon, I was really feeling the stress. At home, taking a few minutes out to play the piano really calms my brain. I had recently heard that Sen. Kim Jackson of DeKalb county has a piano in her office, so I texted her, telling her I wanted to come play. “Anytime,” she texted back, so I went and played for a while. A few minutes later, a state trooper came by and said he had a complaint about noise. He was joking, and began to tell me stories about his mom who played piano. Since then, several people have told me they enjoyed hearing some live music at the Capitol.

 

Looking Ahead

Speaking of mental health, the Speaker of the House announced major legislation to address mental health needs in Georgia. I’m looking forward to learning more about the proposal as it makes its way to the Senate.

Next week the crazy will continue as we’ll be in session Tuesday through Thursday. 

 

 

Legislative Call List regarding Gwinnett District Lines

You can help by calling or emailing the elected leaders listed below. Tell them to let the Gwinnett Delegation decide their own fate by using Local Legislation to pass new maps. Also, tell them the people of Gwinnett should decide  through a ballot referendum whether their School Board elections are partisan or non-partisan.

Gov Brian Kemp

404-656-1776

To email his office, go to https://gov.georgia.gov and find the constituent services tab

 

Speaker David Ralston– Speaker of the House

404-656-5020

david.ralston@house.ga.gov

 

Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan

404-656-5030

Geoff.Duncan@ltgov.ga.gov

 

Rep. Darlene Taylor– Chair of Gov Affairs (where the bills are now assigned)

404-656-7857

darlene.taylor@house.ga.gov

 

Rep. Bonnie Rich

404-656-5024

bonnie.rich@house.ga.gov

 

Rep. Chuck Efstration

404-656-5125

chuck.efstration@house.ga.gov

 

Rep. Tom Kirby

404-656-0178

tom.kirby@house.ga.gov

 

Rep. Timothy Barr

404-656-0213

timothy.barr@house.ga.gov

 

Sen. Lee Anderson – Chair of State & Local Governmental Operations

404-656-5114

lee.anderson@senate.ga.gov

 

Sen. Clint Dixon

404-656-7454

clint.dixon@senate.ga.gov

 

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Sally’s Senate Snapshot 2022 #2

A Little Inside Baseball: The Georgia Budget

The sole constitutional requirement of the Georgia legislature is to pass a balanced, annual budget. This translates into two bills, both of which must originate in the State House. The “little budget” amends and updates the current fiscal year budget that ends June 30, 2022. The “big” 2023 budget funds the government for next year, beginning July 1, 2022. The budget process doesn’t draw many spectators from the public, but it is the single-most important thing we do. 

“Budget Week,” traditionally begins right after the MLK holiday and lasts for three days during which the Governor, the State Economist, and all State Department Heads present their budgets to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. These hearings offer important insight into how each department works, or doesn’t, for our state. 

After running down to the Capitol on Tuesday to take my COVID test which was thankfully negative after last week’s exposure, I watched the hearings from home to avoid Omicron which was starting to spread among the administrative staff, including my own assistant, Keridan. Thankfully Keridan has remained symptom-free and will return to the office this week.

 

A Great Day to Play Ball

The Governor’s budget is based on revenue estimates established by our state economist. During his presentation, Governor Kemp joked that while we always estimate conservatively, we’ve never been this conservative. Last year, thanks to a booming economy and federal pandemic relief, our state economist underestimated our state revenue by $4 billion. Normally, there’s not much discretionary funding after mandatory spending on schools, Medicaid, etc. This year, we have an unprecedented $4 billion fund — every Governor’s dream.

The report from State Economist Dr. Jeffrey Dorfman was equally optimistic. He believes the odds of a recession are very low, but there will be some economic slowing as our economy returns to a more normal pace. Pandemic disruptions like labor shortages, supply chain issues, and inflation should normalize over the next year. 

 

Behind in the Count: The Governor’s Proposal

The Governor’s proposed budget offered lots of seemingly good news with state employee pay raises, increased education and public safety spending, and long overdue cost of living increases for state retirees. But much of it simply makes up for decades of deep Republican austerity and budget cuts. During his first years in office, the Governor slashed the budget by 10% and even with record revenues this year he told department heads to keep their budgets flat. The Governor proudly announced that Georgia has fewer state employees now than in 2008, yet department heads revealed how shortage of staff has taken a heavy toll on their ability to serve Georgians. 

While there was a collective sigh of relief for having more revenue, many state agency heads were candid about their challenges attracting and retaining good employees due to low employee pay. Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black told a story about a strong, well-trained 4-year employee who left Georgia to take the same job in Iowa for almost double the pay. GBI Director Vic Reynolds spoke at length about his struggle to attract and retain Medical Examiners for the state. Even with a $5,000 pay increase, Georgia will have a hard time attracting employees in a competitive labor market.

 

The Pandemic Throws Georgia some Curve Balls 

COVID related shifts and disruptions were evident in several presentations. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger reported record increases in corporation filings and professional license applications, demonstrating how Georgians are re-evaluating and shifting career paths. Our judicial system is struggling to dig out of COVID-related disruptions and backlogs. Presiding Justice Michael Boggs gave one example of a metro court circuit that never had more than 400 state court cases pending prior to the pandemic. As of November 2021, it had more than 1,800 pending — a 450% increase. The GBI has similar increases in crime lab backlogs and autopsy demands. 

Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson reported interesting shifts in tourism. While our metro-based tourism and convention business suffered, destinations outside of Atlanta, like our state parks, Helen, and coastal Georgia had some of their best years during the pandemic. There is hope that this trend will continue. Once tourists experience one terrific destination, they’re more likely to try another, bringing an economic boost to our smaller cities and counties. 

 

Foul Balls

Technology is a double-edged sword in government. Until the pandemic, being “in the room” during budget hearings was an important way to signal to the Appropriations Chairs that you’re paying attention and engaged. Technology served that purpose for me this year as I watched remotely and texted some questions directly to Senate Appropriations Chair Blake Tillery during the hearings. Unfortunately, lobbyists and other luminaries often have that same direct line to elected officials during committee meetings, giving them unfair access that the general public does not get.

Questions posed at the hearings by some Republican Committee members hinted at the controversial issues we’ll be battling this session. Education Superintendent Richard Woods, Acting University Chancellor Teresa MacCartney, and Technical College Commissioner Greg Dozier all fielded pointed questions about our education curriculum. One Republican legislator asked, “Can you confirm that the state doesn’t use taxpayer dollars to encourage teachers or their children to be taught that certain characteristics inherently designate them as being privileged or oppressed?” Superintendent Woods explained new transparency rules passed by the State Education Board that will require local school systems to post information on curriculum, student records, and district budgets on a soon to be developed dashboard. Commissioner Dozier replied, “I’ve never been asked that question before!”

 

Timing and Teamwork for the Win

During her presentation, Acting University Chancellor Theresa MacCartney gave Senate Higher Education Chairman Tippins and me a wonderful shout out for our work together on my University Fees Study Committee. Our committee report ultimately recommended that the Special Institutional Fee, a temporary fee to make up for lost government funding during the Great Recession, be eliminated. A member of the Office of Planning and Budget had attended our meetings and brought the recommendation back to the Governor for consideration, and funding to eliminate the fee was included in the Governor’s proposed budget.

When I saw Governor Kemp at a Martin Luther King event last week, I thanked him for including our recommendation in his budget and he said, “I’m tired of paying it!”  It’s often the personal pain points of people in power that help move the needle on certain issues.

 

Planning Our Next Play 

Budget week provides those of us not on the appropriations committees with some time to do some early session planning. I met with fellow Working Families and Women’s Legislative Caucus leaders to outline our agendas. The Gwinnett delegation met to continue our redistricting work for county commission and school districts. At this time, there are no plans to change the number of districts and we are cautiously optimistic this will hold. But we must be prepared for anything given prior attempts by Gwinnett Republicans to take these efforts out of the delegation’s hands.

I also met with disability community advocates and staff from Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities to develop a multi-pronged strategy to tackle the most disappointing part of Governor Kemp’s proposed budget. The number of Medicaid waivers offered to people with developmental disabilities each year remains unchanged. In a strong budget year, we have a moral obligation to help these families that carry enormous financial and emotional burdens. This is the year to take substantial steps toward eliminating the decades-long waiting list for these families. 

 

This week, we’ll be back in regular session while more detailed budget hearings continue in House appropriations subcommittee meetings.

Georgia Budget Process

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Sally’s Senate Snapshot 2022 #1

Fasten your Seatbelts . . .

The first action-packed week of the 2022 Georgia Legislative session felt like taking off in a supersonic jet plane. With every legislator up for re-election this year, many are eager to arrive at our final destination, Sine Die, so they can continue along their campaign paths. It promises to be a wild ride as Republican leaders facing primary opposition are seeking attention-grabbing headlines. Sadly, during a time when Georgia residents need our attention the most, election year antics will drive much of the session’s narrative, producing more rhetoric than results.

 

Prepare for Take Off

My work picked up speed before the session officially started as I joined Virtual Town Halls and met with numerous local constituent groups. Local governance bills will demand the attention of legislators early in the session as we complete the redistricting work we started during the November Special Session, this time redrawing county commission and school board maps. Since December, elected officials in Gwinnett County have been hard at work engaging local communities in this process. Thanks to all your phone calls, letters, and emails, I am hopeful that Gwinnett’s school board and county commission districts will reflect the voices of the majority of Gwinnett County residents.

I’m so grateful for the overwhelming support my campaign received in the last couple of weeks. It gave me the fuel I needed going into session. We’re now in a strong position to build momentum for my re-election and to support other candidates running for office. I got an extra pick-me-up on the eve of session when I answered a call from a Washington DC phone number. It turned out to be the White House inviting me to attend President Biden and Vice President Harris’ upcoming voting rights speech in Atlanta! 

 

Attention: Air Traffic Control

With lots of legislators traveling to my hometown of Indianapolis for the UGA Championship game on Monday, we gaveled in and out quickly, passing the required resolutions to notify the Governor and House of Representatives that we are back in business. No bills were passed the rest of the week, but a number were read and assigned to committees. 

We were reminded how important this first step of the legislative process is when Lt. Governor Duncan surprised everyone and assigned the controversial Buckhead Cityhood bill to the all-Democratic Urban Affairs Committee, where it is sure to die. With one simple committee assignment, the Lt. Governor, who is not running for re-election, proved he’s no lame duck by reminding us how powerful his role remains and how pivotal committees are to passing bills. While there remains a Buckhead City bill in the House, this move by the Lt. Governor indicates the House bill will have a difficult time making it through the Senate.

 

Omicron: Impending Flight Diversions

While the House is continuing its mask and COVID testing mandates that have been in place throughout the pandemic, amid the Omicron surge Senate Republican leaders chose to make them voluntary. So far, I’ve seen only two Republican Senators have been willing to wear masks, both of whom are healthcare workers. 

I tried to stay safe by opting out of large events and watching the Governor’s annual State of the State address remotely from the Senate floor instead of the crowded House chamber. But it’s impossible to avoid my unmasked colleagues. By the end of the week, at least three of them tested positive for COVID, one of them sat next to me during an Ethics Committee meeting, and ironically also joined me in the Senate chamber for the State of the State address where he let out an enormous unmasked sneeze. He tested positive that same day.

 

Setting our Sights on Voting Rights

I was thankful we were in recess on Tuesday to allow legislators to travel back from Indianapolis, because it coincided with the President and Vice President’s visit to Atlanta. There were a lot of logistical challenges getting to the event, including a last-minute request to provide proof of a 24-hour negative COVID test that sent all of the invited legislators scrambling. 

But it was worth it to see the President and Vice President express strong support for changing Senate filibuster rules to pass federal voting rights legislation. These bills outlaw partisan gerrymandering, make Election Day a national holiday, and expand access to the ballot.  Watch their speeches on YouTube at https://youtu.be/9vhghEaehdg

After the speech, the President stayed for pictures and I unexpectedly found myself with 30 seconds to say anything I wanted directly to the President of the United States. I told him that I was on the committee that passed all the bad voting bills and that I would keep fighting, but we need his help. Except I was giddy and a bit tongue tied when I said it!

Bright and early Thursday morning, I found myself back in that same Senate Ethics Committee facing another bad voting bill. This time we considered a resolution to enshrine an already existing law that bans non-Georgia citizens from voting in our elections into our state Constitution. This is a no-win, unnecessary “gotcha” bill filed only to appease the Republican base and allow Republicans to accuse Democrats of being in favor of allowing non-citizens to vote. This resolution must get two-thirds vote in both chambers, so it has no hope of ultimately passing because Democrats have won so many seats the past five years that Republicans no longer have a supermajority in either chamber.

 

Fueling the State Budget

Passing the state’s budget is the most important action the legislature takes each year, and this year and unlike previous years the coffers are flush with state revenue, plus millions in federal pandemic relief dollars. Now is the time to reverse the austerity cuts and neglect of the last decade. It is clear from evaluating the Governor’s proposed budget what he does and doesn’t value.

The Governor revealed his budget priorities in his State of the State address. We heard good news about state employee and teacher pay raises, a long-overdue cost of living increase for state retirees, and investments in education. 

The Governor also proposed a $1.6 billion dollar tax cut, stating, “I believe that when government takes in more money than it needs, surplus funds should be sent back.”

But the state has not taken in more money than it needs. For example, his budget proposes to fund only 100 more NOW/COMP Medicaid waivers when there are more than 7,000 individuals on a decades-long waiting list. Last year, I filed SB 208 that outlines a plan to eliminate this waiting list by fully funding the NOW/COMP waivers over 5 years. We’ve got more work to do to push SB 208 and get the full funding we need. 

I was pleased to learn this week that the Governor intends to support the primary recommendations of my University Fees Study Committee, created last year when I passed SR300. In the work we did between sessions, we discovered that for more than a decade, Georgia students and families have been paying hundreds of dollars every semester for a “Special Institutional Fee”  — a fee that was supposed to be a temporary charge created as a result of revenue declines following the Great Recession of 2008. Also as a result of our recommendations, the Governor announced that he will completely eliminate the fee, adding $230 million to the funding formula that subsidizes state universities, translating to a $200-$550 per semester savings for all Georgia students, the largest cost savings in decades. It’s no small feat for a legislator of the minority party to succeed in raising an issue that makes it into a majority-party Governor’s list of priorities! 

 

Meet the Cockpit Crew

Most people don’t realize that state legislators do not get resources to hire staff like members of Congress do. We share administrative staff with other legislators and rely on the generosity of dedicated volunteers in our district to support our work.

My team continues to be small and mighty this session, but we work overtime to try to meet the needs of the district. Amy Swygert joins me again as my Communications Director and right-hand woman. You can reach her at amy@sallyharrell.org. Keridan Ogletree continues to serve as my administrative assistant and constituent relations manager. Her email is Keridan.Ogletree@senate.ga.gov, or you can call my office at (404) 463-2260.

 

Looking ahead: Next week is budget week at the State Capitol. Watching the budget hearings and presentation of State Department Heads is a great way to learn about how state government works. You can access the schedule and streaming at https://www.legis.ga.gov/. 

In Memoriam: Yesterday many of us heard of the tragic death of MARTA CEO Jeff Parker. My heart goes out to Jeff’s family and friends. We often never know of each other’s inner struggle, which is why I will always advocate for increased access to mental healthcare. 

 

Links

 

Photos:

 

 

 

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Our Democracy is Worth Fighting For!

We will not quit!

2022 is an election year. And with it comes the rush to pass extreme, far-right bills as Republican candidates push to come out on top in Republican primaries. As one of my constituents said to me, “Sally, Republicans are making it easier to carry and harder to vote.” I am ready to push back on that agenda with policies that make our communities safer and friendlier.

Instead of “guns everywhere,” let’s provide gun safety training for anyone who chooses to carry a firearm — a bill I intend to file on the Day One of Georgia’s 2022 Legislative Session. While Republicans toss real people’s ballots in the trash because someone showed up at the wrong polling place, I’ll push SB 314, my bill that allows election day voters to vote at any polling place in their county — just like voters already do during the early voting period.

To amplify this message, I need your financial help. It’s been a tough year filled with violence, bad voting bills and gerrymandered maps — all designed to wear us down and minimize our voices, but I will not quit! Due to redistricting, I have some new neighborhoods I need to reach out to, and that takes money. Also, we have new candidates that need my assistance. 

All donations must be made this weekend, as once the 2022 Legislative Session starts on Monday, January 10th, Georgia law makes it illegal for me to accept political contributions until the close of the 40-day session toward the end of March. Primary elections follow close behind on May 24th.

It’s time to “be loud” again starting Monday, January 10th, when Georgia’s 2022 Legislative Session begins. Our democracy is worth fighting for. And I will not quit!

 

P.S. Attention DeKalb County residents!

The DeKalb County House & Senate Delegations will host two DeKalb Delegation Pre-Session Virtual Town Halls, to listen to constituents’ questions and legislative priorities for the Legislative Session, which begins Monday, January 10th, 2022.  

Registration is Required. 

Register for Saturday, January 8th, 2022 at 9:30am 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkceippj0tGNAhhmJ7Ybm2a04ZMYh_9Chy

Register for Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 7:00pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0tceugrj0jHd1TFiAQ0d7-CYMh7DCJyBG

Submit Questions and Feedback: To help us prepare, please submit your questions and feedback about legislative priorities here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lRxdDhwYKp1GZ_JR0hXrlHPBtgCHbXzuqP_6bo-HKV4 

We also plan to also take questions and feedback from the audience as time allows.

 

 

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