February 2023 – Elect Sally Harrell

Sally’s Senate Snapshot 2023 #7

Flash Flood Warning

I wasn’t in the mood this week to listen to Majorie Taylor Greene address the Senate about transgender youth, so I sought solace outside the chamber. Caught up in the moment, I completely forgot the Senate Page Program has been reactivated, so instead of quiet, I was swamped by a flood of people waiting behind the ropes for legislators to come speak with them. They were very glad to see me!

And since the House has not reinstated their Page Program, every single person in the Capitol that day who wanted to speak to a legislator was standing right there outside the Senate chamber. There’s no escaping to higher ground when your job is to be the voice of the people, so I embraced the moment. It was time well spent.

A sign outside the Capitol reads that indoor capacity is limited to 800 people. I stopped to ask the State Troopers at the security desk if they actually count the people. They laughed because they had just been discussing the “800 people” sign, and said they were certain there had already been more like 8,000 people through their security gates.

The dam has broken not just with people, but also with bills. Legislative Counsel, the staff of lawyers who draft bills, has a white board in their office where they record the number of bills they have drafted. It’s now well over 2,000. This means that going forward, despite our slow start, there will be longer floor sessions, lots of committee meetings, and 12-hour days.

Republican Crime Narrative Doesn’t Hold Water

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens visited with the Senate Democratic Caucus this week and contradicted Republican claims of rising crime. Mayor Dickens reported the good news that violent crime — crimes against people, for example rape and aggravated assault — in the City of Atlanta is down 7%.

One initiative helping this positive trend is a program called “Cure Violence” that originated in Chicago and was brought to Atlanta in 2020. In neighborhoods with high gun violence, trusted members of the community disrupt the cycle of violence by helping the community heal after a shooting, or intervening to prevent retaliatory violence. Sometimes these interventions happen in hospitals where gun violence victims are brought and the conflict continues in the emergency room.

Getting Washed Away: Criminal Justice Reform

Senate Republicans passed one of the worst “tough on crime” bills yet this week. Senate Bill 63 requires cash bail for more than 60 crimes, including misdemeanors like criminal trespassing and reckless driving. The vast majority of people arrested for these crimes can’t afford cash bail, so they await trial in jail for days, weeks, or months, often causing them to lose their jobs, parental rights, or even their homes.

Every time we vote on crime bills, I think of former Governor Nathan Deal, who was spotted at the Capitol this week. These bills are unraveling his legacy of criminal justice reform. It was Governor Deal’s Criminal Justice Reform Council that reported that even just spending two or more days in jail before trial increases recidivism by nearly 40%.

A Hemp Bill Almost Floats Past

This week, SB 22, a bill requiring chemical testing of post-market consumable hemp products, was a prime example of what can go wrong with hastily written floor amendments and fast moving parliamentary moves.

An amendment to SB 22 tried to ensure that Delta-8 was included in the list of substances to be tested, along with Delta-9. Delta-8 and Delta-9 are both compounds in cannabis plants that produce the “high.” Delta-8 is considered to have milder effects than Delta-9, but during debate, we learned that a few Senators had tried Delta-8 gummies and found it to be “plenty” potent.

In the middle of voting for SB 22 as amended, Sen. Josh McLaurin (D) asked, “Mr. President, isn’t it true that as amended, this bill now BANS Delta-8?” The bill narrowly passed, but we were suddenly confused about what we had just done. Sen. Kim Jackson (D) moved to reconsider the bill which put it at the bottom of the calendar for the next day. The bill author then moved to table the bill which moved it to the Rules Committee. I expect a more thoughtfully amended bill to be back on the floor soon.

Greater Truck Weights Would Erode Georgia Roads

This week we held elections for the State Transportation Board, which has 14 members — one from each Congressional District (CD). Each member serves a 5-year term and is elected by General Assembly members representing constituents in that CD. This year’s election focused on odd-numbered districts, so in District 7, we elected former state Senator Curt Thompson who will join the Board as a new member.

One issue on the Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) radar is increasing truck loads. GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurray briefed the Democratic Senate Caucus about SB 165 and HD 189, companion bills that increase truck weights allowed on Georgia roads to 90,000 lbs as a potential solution to our supply chain issues.

The problem is that Georgia’s roads and bridges aren’t built to withstand those loads. It could turn 20-year pavement into 12-year pavement and cost the state billions of dollars to strengthen our roads and bridges. Federal law limits trucks to 80,000 lbs, so heavier trucks wouldn’t be able to use the interstates which could mean more truck traffic on state and local roads. Later in the week, I heard that the House bill may ultimately be amended to limit greater truck weights to certain industries and products. Stay tuned for updates on this “weighty” issue.

Wading through Transgender Issues

This week I invited Dr. Ren Massey, former President of the Georgia Psychological Association and expert on transgender issues, to speak to the Democratic Senate Caucus. A transgender man himself, Dr. Massey helped write the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Adolescent Transgender Care.

WPATH recommends a family-centered approach to transgender care for minors, as well as comprehensive assessments and treatment of concurrent mental health issues before prescribing hormones and surgery. They recommend giving kids time to explore their gender issues before permanent changes are made, without going so far as banning hormones and surgery for minors outright. The challenge in Georgia is that we don’t yet have the infrastructure of trained professionals necessary to meet the growing demands.

This week, Republicans voted out of committee SB 140, a bill to ban non-reversible hormones and surgery for transgender minors.

Get Ready for the Deluge

The flood of bills will become a deluge as we get closer to Crossover Day (March 6), and at this point, it appears that it’s mostly bad bills moving downstream toward the Senate floor.

According to Representatives Karen Lupton, Long Tran, Shea Roberts and Scott Holcomb, things look a bit better in the House. At the end of a long week, your North DeKalb legislative team braved torrents of rain (Rep. Tran came in soaked), and held our first in-person Town Hall since the beginning of the pandemic. It was particularly fun to listen to the freshman legislators tell stories about what it’s like for them to learn on-the-job. Their enthusiasm is uplifting!

Thank you for being committed readers of my “Senate Snapshot.” The State Legislature impacts so many aspects of Georgian’s daily lives, like access to healthcare, the quality of public education, the conditions of our jails and prisons, the response of public health, gun laws and the safety of our communities. If you enjoy reading these updates, please share them with your friends and encourage them to sign up at sallyharrell.org.

See you next week!

Sign outside the main security entrance of the Georgia State Capitol reads that maximum occupancy is 800. State Troopers told me this week the reality is more like 8,000

Your legislative team in North DeKalb braved the rain Thursday night to bring you the first post-pandemic Town Hall in Chamblee. From left to right. Reps. Scott Holcomb, Karen Lupton, Sen. Sally Harrell, Reps. Shea Roberts and Long Tran

My office-mate Sen. Tonya Anderson has been busy decorating our office suite. I love seeing the neon sign every day when I enter the office. It says, “Don’t Quit.”

February 26, 2023/by Sally Harrell

Sally’s Senate Snapshot 2023 #6

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Mustering the Troops

North DeKalb Legislative Town Hall: Join me, Senator Sally Harrell, and Dekalb House Reps Scott Holcomb, Karen Lupton, Shea Roberts and Long Tran, Thursday, February 23rd, 7 pm in the Arrow Creek Room oat 4445 Buford HIghway in Chamblee. Register here.

Indivisible Marching Buddies Legislative Update: If you need a virtual option, you can register and attend a Legislative Update featuring me and Scott Holcomb’s Chief-of-Staff Ann Abromowitz, at 7pm, Wednesday, February 22nd.

Read on to find out why you need to know what’s going on and what you can do!

Putting on the Combat Boots

Legislative Day 20: It’s the halfway point in the trenches of the 40-day legislative session. The political terrain is getting rough, so it’s time to bring out the combat boots. There’s hope that the new House leadership may neutralize these threats, but that’s uncharted territory. In the meantime, we have to suit up for the battles ahead.

Doing Reconnaissance on Committees

Committee Assignments: This session, the new Senate top brass relieved me of some of my prior Committee duties, reassigning me to Committees that hear fewer bills. Sidelining certain Senators is an all too common tactic. Two members of the Senate Democratic Leadership were removed from the powerful Rules committee — the committee that decides which bills move on to the Senate floor for a vote. Now Senate Rules is only 17% Democratic, which, along with more right-wing Committee Chairs, leaves the gates unguarded and wide open for lots of bad bills. Democratic bills from both the House & Senate will hit a bottleneck in the Senate when there are more bills than motions available from Democratic Rules Committee members who make motions to move bills forward.

My team and I are using the time not spent in Committee to scout out the status of the most problematic bills so we can better plot our defensive strategy. It’s too bad I’m no longer on the Senate Ethics Committee. I would have made a strong ally on a new Republican bill to do away with barcodes on ballots, something I fought hard for when we considered a new voting system for the state four years ago.

Honoring False Heroes: Clarence Thomas and Kelly Loeffler

Tuesday was a tough day on the Senate floor as we battled highly partisan bills. Democrats were outgunned on SB 69, a bill to erect a statue of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a native of the coastal town of Pin Point, Georgia, on Capitol grounds. We fought this bill last year, so once again, my colleagues argued that the People’s House is no place for statues of polarizing figures like Justice Thomas whose rulings have undermined civil and women’s rights. Last year’s bill never came up for a vote in the House, but we don’t know if we can count on that again.

Senate Republicans also passed SR 65 honoring former US Senator Kelly Loeffler and her partisan voting group, Greater Georgia, that explicitly registers Conservative voters. It’s one thing to recognize the service of a former elected official, but another to honor partisan aims.

Heavy Casualties in Healthcare

The fight for greater healthcare access took another hit this week as the Senate passed SB 65, the Governor’s bill to replace the federal healthcare.gov insurance marketplace with a Georgia state insurance market, GeorgiaAccess.gov. Unlike healthcare.gov, the new Georgia Access website does not compare insurance options, making it harder to know which plan is best and forcing consumers to call multiple brokers individually. Brokers can then sell plans that give them more profit, and consumers fewer benefits.

This week, we received reports that Grady Hospital is at full capacity and Piedmont Hospital is taking its overflow, all of which is a direct result of the closure of Wellstar’s Atlanta Medical Center and the state not fully expanding Medicaid.

Navigating a Minefield: Gang Bills

The Governor’s tough on crime and gang-related bills have been a mixed bag. Democrats presented a united front against mandatory minimum sentencing bills, which we know only increases our prison population with non-violent offenders and disproportionately affects people of color. But some of the bills have good stipulations. It’s been hard to decide how to vote.

This week brought both kinds of bills. SB 44, a mandatory minimum bill to increase penalties for gang recruitment, passed mainly along party lines. But SB 12, an “omnibus” gang bill had several provisions that Democrats support like prohibiting those convicted of domestic violence from possessing a firearm and increasing penalties for those that abuse disabled adults. Most of the Democratic Caucus, including me, voted yes on that bill, but some opposed.

Gaining Ground for the Disabilities Community

The highlight of my week was coming together with colleagues on both sides of the aisle for a press conference on “Wages and Waivers”. It was an incredible show of support for an issue that was barely getting any attention from lawmakers and state leaders just a few years ago.

It’s been 25 years since the US Supreme Court ruled that institutionalizing adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities (IDD) violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Since then, Georgia has struggled to provide the infrastructure that allows Georgians with IDD to live, work and play in their own homes and communities. At the press conference, I announced SB 198, my bill to create an IDD Innovation Commission that will bring together stakeholders and subject matter experts to delve into these complex issues.

SB 198 has strong bipartisan support. The bill must pass the Health & Human Services Committee during the next two weeks in order to become law this year. Please email and call members of the Senate HHS Committee and urge them to support SB 198.

Scouting the Terrain

There are lots of bad bills lurking ahead — bills on religious liberty, banning homeless camps, eliminating cashless bail, tougher penalties on crime, state preemptions of local housing ordinances, transgender treatment bans, limiting class discussion on sex & gender, elimination of hospital regulations (certificate of need or CON), punishing District Attorneys using prosecutorial discretion, and limiting access to the courts (tort reform) — just to name a few (Whew)!

The Road Ahead

If these bills pass the Senate before Crossover Day, we’ll have another chance to shoot them down in the House. Please keep watch, read and share this Snapshot around, especially when we call on you to take action!

February 19, 2023/by Sally Harrell

Sally’s Senate Snapshot 2023 #5

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A week of Fits and Starts

This week the legislature felt like a car engine that wouldn’t quite turn over. Bills were moving at a good little clip, then sputtered to a stop. On Tuesday while debating a couple of bills, a security alarm went off. We started to evacuate, but the Sergeant-at-Arms said it was a false alarm so we got back to work.

Banning Vaccines: SB 1 proposes to permanently ban state and local governments from requiring proof of COVID vaccines, making it so schools can’t require COVID vaccines like they do for other diseases. I tried to appeal to my Republican colleagues by arguing for local control, but the bill passed along party lines.

Mandatory Minimums: SB 36 creates mandatory minimum sentences for pimping and pandering. Mandatory minimums tend to tie judges hands from taking into account unique aspects of each case when sentencing. Also, research indicates mandatory minimums tend to politically target certain offenses and groups of people, and they do little to deter crime. Georgia already has the 4th highest incarceration rate in the country. I expect more mandatory minimum bills with the Governor’s “tough on crime” package.

Putting the Brakes on Hate

Even before the week started, I got news that constituents in my district found hateful anti-Semitic fliers in their driveways. Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler and I both received bipartisan applause Monday for our speeches denouncing this anti-Semitic act.

The same morning, we honored World War II veteran Louis Graziano on his 100th birthday. Graziano is the last remaining witness to Germany’s surrender to the Allies at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Reims, France. The presentation made me think of my Uncle Jim, who was captured by the Germans at the Battle of the Bulge on his first day of combat. So many sacrifices were made to defeat the Nazis. It takes all of us standing together to fight off the same kind of hate today.

Ambulances Stuck in Neutral

On my way to a lunchtime Dekalb Delegation meeting, I observed several other crowded County Delegation meetings overflowing into the hallways. It struck me how insufficient everything is at the Capitol. We have such a short amount of time to do our work, and not nearly enough staff or space. We do our best to get the work done.

One of the issues we discussed at our DeKalb Delegation meeting is slow ambulance response times. I’ve heard stories of people dying while waiting for an ambulance, or being told they should drive themselves to the hospital — a result of for-profit healthcare. Citizens expect an ambulance to show up when they have an emergency. It’s a basic responsibility of government.

The Road to Passport Renewal

Do you ever wonder why you pay a $35 passport processing fee and where that money goes?

County Clerks are required to charge the fee by Federal law. Fifty years ago, before counties provided municipal services, Clerks did not draw a salary from the county, so the $35 paid them for their time and attention. But now in some counties, the Clerk is compensated with both a salary and the money collected from the fees. SB 19 proposes that the fee revenue be used to fund the county’s general fund and the Clerk’s office instead of being used to compensate the Clerk directly.

This is something that should have been ended long ago.

Steering for Clean Energy

Wednesday was the busiest day at the Capitol yet. I could barely cross the street to get to the Capitol because a Varsity food truck was feeding crowds of people. Both staircases were blocked with people posing for group photos. And the “rope line” outside the Chamber, now fully functional for the first time since the pandemic, was packed with people waiting to speak to legislators.

V.P Kamala Harris Visit: Midday I escaped to see Vice President Harris at Georgia Tech, who moderated a conversation about climate change. President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act made historic investments in clean energy (https://www.whitehouse.gov/cleanenergy), including tax credits for solar power and electric vehicles. Georgia is doing our part too, with a number of electric vehicle and solar energy companies setting up shop here.

Fueling International Friendship

Long days followed by evening events are commonplace during the legislative session.

Last week, as Co-Chair of the Georgia-Japan Caucus, we presented the new Consul General of Japan, Mio Maeda, with a resolution recognizing the 49th anniversary of the Japanese Consulate in Atlanta. Georgia has a strong economic relationship with Japan, including $8 billion in trade and more than 660 Japan affiliated offices in the state. This week, we attended a dinner at the Japanese Consulate with Japanese dignitaries and business leaders to further strengthen that relationship. I made a short presentation about the role the Japan Caucus plays in strengthening the ties between Georgia and Japan.

Charged-Up on GPB’s Lawmakers

A second evening event this week.

Finally, at the very end of a long week, I headed to the GPB Studio to film Thursday night’s episode of “Lawmakers,” covering what happened on Legislative Day 16. Unfortunately, a couple of bills banning transgender treatment of minors were dropped that same afternoon. Many of you know that my youngest (adult) child identifies as transgender, so it’s an emotional subject for me. Fortunately, my co-presenter, Maya Prabhu of the AJC, covered the transgender bills and I covered my work on the disabilities service crisis. Here’s the recording (my part starts at 17:40) https://www.gpb.org/television/show/lawmakers/season/53/lawmakers-day-16-020923.

Jump-Start to Next Week and Beyond

“Waivers and Wages” Press Conference & Rally: Thursday, 2/16, 1 pm on the South Stairs of the GA Capitol (indoors). Please join me and other Disabilities Advocates as we rally for Medicaid “Waivers” and increased “Wages” for caregivers. The Rally will celebrate the progress we’ve made, while urging the legislature to finish the job.

Legislative Town Hall with Dekalb Legislators:

Thursday, 2/23, Chamblee City Hall, 7:00 pm. Join me with Representatives Long Tran, Shea Roberts, and Karen Lupton for an update on the current legislative session. A virtual option may be available. Registration details coming soon.

Since the Senate has only voted on a handful of bills, we’ll pay the price during the next few weeks with very long days at Crossover (March 6th) and Sine Die (March 29th).

February 12, 2023/by Sally Harrell

Sally’s Senate Snapshot 2023 #4

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Back to School Edition

Getting enough sleep during the legislative session can be tough. Even when I’m sleeping, I dream about what happened the day before. This week I had the classic “I forgot to go to class” dream, which made me realize that lately, the legislature has been feeling more like school than a policy making session.

Instead of passing lots of bills (the Senate finally voted our first bill out of the chamber this week), I’ve spent hours in Committee meetings listening to lectures.

Lecture Hall on Literacy

This week and next, two Senate Committees (1) Education & Youth and (2) Higher Education, are meeting together to learn about issues that impact kids across the continuum. This week focused on literacy.

3rd Grade Reading Proficiency: We learned that only 25-30% of Georgia students can read proficiently by the end of third grade and children that can’t are four times more likely to drop out of high school. Of course, this was not news to me. More than twenty years ago, I remember being told the same thing when Governor Roy Barnes mandated smaller class sizes. Those didn’t last long, due to a decade of Republican budget cuts.

Evidence-Based Curriculum: University System of Georgia (USG) Chancellor Sonny Perdue told us that our universities are not adequately preparing future teachers to teach reading. A USG survey found that across the university system, at least 44 different programs are used to prepare teachers to teach reading. Once teachers enter the workforce, they are expected to teach “boxed curricula” programs purchased by their local school districts. The same study found that at least 65 different reading programs are used to teach reading at elementary schools across the state. These programs are not only inconsistent — most are not evidence-based.

Doing My Homework on School Facilities

Behind the scenes, I’ve been digging into the issue of aging school facilities. How do we ensure school building safety, and does the state have a role in holding school systems accountable?

Putting out the Fire: What I’ve learned is that the Georgia Insurance Commissioner’s office inspects schools for fire safety in small, rural school districts, but large metro area school districts use their own Fire Marshal.

Cleaning Up the Lunchroom: County Boards of Health inspect school cafeterias, but not other areas like bathrooms.

Department of Education: I learned that the DOE’s role is to require local districts to submit a five-year facilities plan. But beyond that, nothing gets inspected unless someone complains loud enough.

Bottom line, no one is in charge of inspecting school buildings and there is no real accountability for school districts that fail to maintain their facilities.

Simply put, I don’t think this is adequate, and the government is not doing its job. I will keep pushing.

Touting Technical School Education

You might remember that the Georgia Senate appropriated $4 million in the budget last year to help build an extension of Georgia Piedmont Technical College in north DeKalb, but the Governor vetoed the funds. I’m still working to get this done.

This week I spent two mornings in Doraville addressing technical school education. It’s too early to say, but when conversations among a city, a transit agency, a private developer, and a technical school system start happening, it begins to look like progress! Friday morning, I was able to greet Senator Jon Ossoff, pitching the plan to him and asking for his support. Stay tuned!

Alphabet Soup: Putting the DD back in DBHDD

I know. That’s a lot of letters!

The first “D” stands for Department. The “BH” is Behavioral Health. And finally, the “DD” is for Developmental Disabilities.

Due to the efforts of the late Speaker David Ralston, the legislature has taken huge steps forward ensuring Georgians have access to mental health services. But not as much attention has been paid to the 7,000 individuals living with developmental disabilities who have been on a waiting list for services for years. Last year I sponsored SR 770 which created a Study Committee on these issues. We traveled all over the state, hearing horrific stories of overwhelmed families unable to access services.

This week I met with Georgia DBHDD Commissioner Kevin Tanner. My assignment is to map out the structure for a Developmental Disabilities Commission, much like the Behavioral Health Commission that has generated much needed improvements to Georgia’s mental health system. I give Commissioner Tanner an “A” for effort. He came to our meeting loaded with wise advice.

Confronting Old School Sexism on The ERA

When I first joined the Senate in 2019, I co-sponsored a bill to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). At the time, after Democrats gained control of Congress, there was a renewed push across the county for states that hadn’t yet ratified the ERA to do so. I was hopeful that Georgia could do it and we even had some bipartisan support. But the anti-abortion advocates got wind of the effort and convinced Republicans to vote no because the ERA could give women legal standing to challenge anti-abortion laws. The resolution failed once it got to the Senate floor.

With abortion essentially banned in Georgia, I had renewed hope that we could be successful this year. I filed the resolution this week, but once I started talking to my Republican colleagues who seemed open to it back in 2019, I got lots of excuses. “It’s not needed, everything’s fine,” was a common refrain. Of course women know otherwise. The wage gap, sexual harassment, and violence against women persists in Georgia.

Penmanship & Postcard Advocacy

I know it can be frustrating to continuously hear excuses from lawmakers on issues of equality. This week I met with a group of women from my church who wanted feedback about the most effective way of voicing their concerns to legislators. We decided on old-fashioned postcards and they are now planning to host some postcard writing gatherings. Be sure to read future “Snapshots” to get ideas about what to write legislators about at your own postcard parties! This week you can start with why we still need an Equal Rights Amendment.

Future Assignments & Projects: Thursday night, February 9th, I’ll be on GPB’s Lawmaker Program (that’s on TV, 7pm). Please tune in, or watch online at https://www.gpb.org/television/show/lawmakers!

Next week begins with Legislative Day 13, which means we’re already halfway to Cross-Over Day — the day a bill must pass the Senate to be considered by the House. Bills that don’t make it out by Cross-Over Day can still be considered next year. Sine Die is scheduled for March 29th. Spring Break is on its way!

February 5, 2023/by Sally Harrell