Sally’s Senate Snapshot 2023, Special Session #3

The Close of Special Session & What’s Around the Corner

Maps Update

The train rolled into the station with no time to spare as maps were signed by the Governor last Friday — the deadline set by federal Judge Steve Jones. Republicans say their new maps meet the court order because they create the required number of Black districts while protecting their incumbents. But if it was that simple, the order wouldn’t be 516 pages long.

The next stop is Judge Jones’s courtroom for a December 20th hearing. I’m quite certain that during the special session the judge has been paying attention to presentations made in House & Senate Redistricting Committees, floor debates argued by your elected officials, and your comments in the public portal. Even though the battle is now in the courts, every voice matters!

The judge needs to make a determination very quickly as to whether the maps meet the order. If he rules they do not, he will appoint a special master to redraw them. There are several “suggested” maps circulating, created by plaintiffs and the Democrats in the legislature, from which the special master can draw ideas. Time is of the essence because the Secretary of State’s office needs time to prepare for elections, and candidates qualify for their races the second week of March. The train of democracy rolls on!

A Very Special Resolution

Tuesday I had the opportunity to present a very special Privileged Resolution to the Lubin family of Dunwoody. Their 20-year old daughter Rose was murdered in Israel on November 6th while on duty guarding a gate to the Old City of Jerusalem. About a dozen members of the Lubin family were present for the ceremony. It’s clear Rose was a very passionate, empathic and brave young woman, and I was touched to be able to do something to honor her short life. You can watch the video here.

A Baby in the House (again)

Monday I attended a lunch seminar on the issue of maternal mortality. While there, I sat next to a new House member, and learned that she was bringing her 4-month old baby with her to the special session. It warmed my heart to see her doing that, just as I had done 24 years ago following the birth of my first child. The exchange caught the attention of an AJC reporter, who wrote this very nice story.

Getting Ready for 2024

Someone once told me that in an ideal world everyone should take a sabbatical once every seven years. It’s been seven years since I got back into politics, and I’ll admit, it’s been tougher than I expected. Since this year was not an election year, I took full advantage to nurture my mind, body and spirit.

For my mind, I attended several conferences, including the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators and the Georgia Legislative Leadership Institute at UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

For my body, Jay and I went rock climbing in the Colorado Rockies and the Black Hills of South Dakota. (This took quite a bit of prior conditioning and practice at our local climbing gym.)

For my spirit, I visited family in my hometown of Indianapolis and got to attend church services with my mother in the church where I grew up. And I’ve also been nurtured by so many of you at various backyard gatherings throughout the district.

The Dakota Sioux have a tradition of calling their spirits back inside their bodies after a period of play. I love the image of spirits coming out to play! As I prepare for the upcoming session, I find that I am reenergized, not just from the rest I’ve gotten, but from my personal growth.

While out west this summer, I climbed taller climbs than I have ever climbed — in fact, I climbed over 100 feet — right to the end of our 60-meter rope! And believe it or not, I am afraid of heights.

During the course of the last seven years of politics, I have found myself outside my comfort zone. Climbing has taught me that by practicing in my “risk zone” I can transform fear into comfort. As my body learns that the person holding my rope will catch me if I fall, my zone of comfort enlarges.

The same is true in politics. This growth will be with me next session, as I work within an increasingly polarized system. I will look for those moments of commonality — those cracks in the polarization — to find power in the crevices.

Elections follow very quickly after the session is over, and I must be ready. Thank you to everyone who has made a recurring donation — you help keep the campaign lights on to cover ongoing expenses. If you would like to support my 2024 campaign, please do it now. (Actblue) I cannot accept contributions after session begins on January 8th. I would very much like to keep on climbing, continuing the work that I have begun.

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2023 in Pictures

Here’s me near the top of my 110 foot climb. That’s the equivalent of a twelve story building!

 

This route is called the Trail of Teeth — lots of crystals sticking out of the rock to use as footholds on the way up!

 

I was climbing on rocks that formed from volcanic magma 1.7 billion years ago! Deep in the earth the magma cooled slowly, allowing large crystals to form.

 

Embedded in this rock I discovered black tourmaline, which is supposed to fend off negativity. I’ll be taking some with me to the Capitol next session!

 

Took some time to look at this big carving. Climbed routes on the backside later that day

 

Standing outside the State Capitol of Indiana while attending conferences. Indianapolis is where I grew up.

 

In Athens, Georgia, where I attended the Legislative Leadership Institute.

 

I got to attend church with my mom in Indianapolis at the church where I grew up.

 

I attended lots of backyard gatherings across the district this summer.

 

Sally’s Speech opposing the new Senate Map

 

Privileged Resolution for Rose Lubin

 

Another Baby in the House

https://www.ajc.com/politics/opinion-progress-at-the-state-house-one-baby-at-a-time/FF5SPCYFFZC2DDJLENXY7WV4OY/

The Original Baby in the House, January 2000

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Sally’s Senate Snapshot 2023, Special Session #2

Redistricting Redux 2023: Week One

The halls of the Georgia Capitol may be decked with boughs of holly, but the atmosphere of the Special Redistricting Session has not been merry.

TL;DR A federal judge ruled in late October that Georgia’s 2021 maps violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act by diluting Black voters (see last week’s Snapshot for background details). Now the legislature has until December 8th to fix the problem.

Once the maps are signed into law, federal judge Steve Jones will decide if his Order has been met. Should he rule that any of the new maps violate his Order, a “special master” will redraw the maps outside of the legislative process. Time is of the essence because candidates qualify to run in the 2024 elections this coming March.

In the meantime, Republicans took their case to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. A decision by the Appeals Court probably won’t occur until after the 2024 elections.

Putting Up a Fight

Democrats do not have the votes to stop these maps, so clearly our battleground is in the courts. But what we say and do legislatively is a matter of public record that the court can  consider in their findings. For this reason, both the Senate & House Democrats have filed bills with their own maps and members of your Senate Democratic Caucus wrote speeches at lightning speed and delivered them on the Senate floor Friday afternoon.  Watch the video of my speech by clicking the link at the bottom of this email.

 

An Accelerated Timeline

Senate & House Rules have been temporarily changed to shorten the amount of time needed to pass bills. And since Republican maps were not released until this week, hearings are being held with little or no notice. At this point, I predict that the U.S. House map will be on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday for its first vote, and the State House & Senate maps must both pass the other chamber. The last step to becoming law is the Governor’s signature.

Here’s What You Can Do

Go to the public portal to record your comments! (see link here) Take a moment to read other people’s comments and get a feel for what people across Georgia are saying, then post your own thoughts. Make it as personal as you can. Here’s some suggested language to use as a starting point.

“I’m a resident of DeKalb/Gwinnett County. I am extremely concerned about the severe disruption that the state legislative maps proposed by both the House and Senate Republicans will cause in my county [and my district if you live in a district that’s been disrupted by the GOP map]. DeKalb/Gwinnett County was NOT identified as an area of concern by Judge Jones. These are unnecessary changes that do not benefit Black voters, and do a grave disservice to DeKalb/Gwinnett County voters.”

“I am in favor of the Democratic maps proposed by the Senate and House Democrats because they more directly address the Voting Rights Act violations identified by the court, benefit more Black voters in Georgia, and minimize disruption to voters like me who live outside of the areas the courts identified.”

Map Details

U.S. House Map: The 2021 map reduced Democratic Congressional districts by one, despite significant growth in Black population. The new proposed map holds Democratic seats to 5, creating a majority-Black district on the west side of Atlanta in Fulton, Cobb, Douglas and Fayette counties. Charles Bullock, a highly respected UGA political science professor said Georgia legislators appear to be going “down the Alabama path.”

State Senate Map: Republican leadership protected all their own incumbents by adding Black voters to two majority-white Democratic districts to make them majority-Black. But just to create confusion, they strategically switched around district numbers. Black districts were sliced and diced and given new numbers, and thus called new Black districts (when they really weren’t), and majority-white districts were given numbers that used to be majority-Black districts and visa versa. Confused? So was I. For various reasons, I think it is very possible the Senate maps will be redrawn by a court appointed special master.

State House Map: Of all three maps, the State House map appears to mostly comply with the court order. However, House Republicans took advantage of opening the maps and targeted several highly talented Democrats by drawing them into districts with each other. This includes Reps. Sam Park and Greg Kennard of Gwinnett county, Reps. Saira Draper and Becky Evans of DeKalb county and Reps. Teri Anulewicz and Doug Stoner of Cobb county.

Other Happenings

New Staff: With only one thing on the agenda, you would think time would move slowly, but nothing is ever slow at the Georgia Capitol. I’ve been meeting with various Caucus Executive Committees to plan for the upcoming session and I also began training a new administrative assistant this week! Last month I said goodbye to Keridan Ogletree, who has been with me for five years, and this week I welcomed Peachtree Corners resident Kathlene Dorking. I look forward to introducing her further in the coming weeks.

Privileged Resolutions: During Special Sessions, the legislature cannot bring up any bills that are outside the agenda set by the Governor. However, Privileged Resolutions, used for honoring or offering condolences, can be considered.

Sadly, Republicans are using Privileged Resolutions to push controversial votes that they can use against Democrats in the 2024 elections. The Resolutions seem harmless on the surface, but embedded in them are typically a few sentences of controversial language that make me grimace. These non-binding resolutions were tricky votes for me this week, but I tried my best to stick to my values. If you have questions, please let me know.

That’s a lot to happen in three days! I’m sure next week will be just as busy.

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Sally’s speech about the senate map:

 

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