Congestion around the Capitol
In January of 2000, I was serving my first term as a Georgia State Representative. I had also just become a new mother. Prior to the start of session, I received a phone call from Speaker of the House Tom Murphy. “What are you planning to do with that baby during session?” he asked. I took a deep breath and calmly told him I would need to bring my baby with me because he was only a few weeks old — too young for daycare. He told me other legislators had issues with that. I calmly asked him what the issues were. He said, “Well, quite frankly, it’s germs.”
Nasal congestion: The Capitol is a germy place. It seems like everywhere I turned this week, someone had the sniffles. Very few people take COVID tests anymore (though some did and they tested positive). There are almost no masks. I figure at some point it’s going to get me, but I’m grateful it hasn’t yet.
Crossover congestion: The legislative process is congested too, with bills piling up in Committees as legislators push to get their bills to the Senate floor for a vote by the Crossover deadline, which is this Thursday. Crossover Day is the last day for a bill to pass one chamber and still get to the other chamber to possibly become law this year. Committee meetings start at 7am and go late into the evening, superseding any dinner plans and evening events on legislators’ calendars. This week I missed making remarks on behalf of the Georgia-Japan Caucus, which I co-chair, for the birthday celebration of Emperor Naruhito at the residence of our Consulate General of Japan, Mio Maeda.
Democratic Bills Face Gridlock
For 21 days, Republican leadership blocked Democratic bills in an attempt to strong-arm votes for the Governor’s controversial Tort Reform bill, SB 68. Now, with that fight in the rearview, a few Democratic bills began moving through the Committee process this week.
According to The Current, almost a quarter of the votes cast by legislators in a given year are cast on two days — Crossover and Sine Die. This causes Committee logjams prior to these two days.
This week, I tried to get “Donna’s Law” heard in Committee — a bill that allows people with mental health challenges to voluntarily sign up for a “do not sell” firearms registry. Despite having gained a good deal of Republican support, I was told that the Committee was “already full.”
Voter Challenges — Nothing to Sneeze At
Legislative terms are two years long, and it often takes an entire year to craft strong policy and have the right conversations to pave the way forward.
Georgia law allows citizens to challenge other citizens’ voter registration. This is designed for situations where the challenger has personal knowledge that leads to the questioning of the validity of someone’s registration. But since 2020, certain national organizations have challenged thousands of registrations by analyzing inaccurate on-line databases. There is no burden of proof for the person filing a challenge. These baseless challenges clog up the works for our election boards.
This week, I brought the DeKalb Elections Board Chair to meet with the Senate Ethics Chairman (who oversees election laws) to discuss a bill I filed last year to raise the burden of proof for voter challenges. In large counties like DeKalb, mass voter challenges bog down elections staff, and slow real administration. Our conversation was encouraging, and I plan to work more on this issue moving forward.
Bumper-to-Bumper Bills
A few bills that hit the Senate floor this week:
• The Georgia “DOGE” Bill: (But Not Really) SB 28: While Republicans claim that this is a government efficiency bill, in reality, it creates another level of bureaucracy on already underfunded and understaffed state agencies. It allows Senate leadership to request small business analysis for any legislation, requires economic impact analyses for rules that may cost more than $1 million to implement and forces agencies to review rules every four years, including holding two public hearings. Without more resources, agencies will struggle to meet this demand.
• The “Skinny Budget”: (Midyear Amended Budget, $40.5B): Two hurricanes, one tornado, three torrential rain events and a 40-day drought in-between wreaked havoc in South and East Georgia in 2024. The midyear budget includes $700M in relief for the agriculture industry, infrastructure repairs, and direct aid for home repairs. It also boosts funding for our embattled Corrections System, adding a new correction facility, 300 correctional officers, and new training resources.
• Tort Reform part 2 (SB 69): Unlike last week’s partisan fight over SB 68, the Senate unanimously passed SB 69, placing guardrails on third-party lawsuit financing to prevent foreign and bad-faith actors from exploiting litigation.
Bills to Watch
Here are a few major bills that have come through Committees this week:
• Behavioral Health Commission Renewal (SB 233): With the Governor in no mood to approve any new Commissions, I compromised and pushed for an Intellectual & Developmental Disability sub-committee under the already existing Behavioral Health Commission that’s up for renewal this year. With looming Medicaid cuts, this subcommittee is more critical than ever. This bill is on its way to the House.
• Anti-DEI Bill (SB 120): A heartbreaking Higher Education hearing brought students and professors to testify against SB 120, a bill that would ban diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in public and post secondary schools. All spoke so eloquently about how DEI programs help boost confidence and their chance of success, while no one spoke in favor of the bill. I had hoped it would stall in Committee, but a vote is now set for 7 AM Monday. A GOP bill will be presented that defines DEI very broadly, and will result in the termination of special “clubs” and even degree majors. Even the Spanish Club could be cut!
• Religious Freedom (SB 36): Republicans are again pushing a so-called “religious liberty” bill that could open the door to discrimination. Senate Democrats call it the Hateful Heart Bill. Instead, we’ve introduced a comprehensive civil rights bill to ensure equal treatment for all. With Trump back in office and 2026 statewide elections around the corner, there’s a real chance that SB 36 could pass this year.
Take ACTION!!!
Once bills get passed out of Committee, it’s up to the Rules Committee and the Lt. Governor’s office to decide what comes to the Senate floor for a vote.
We tend to focus on the Committee process to stop bad bills, but through the years the Committee process has become less deliberative. At the same time, the Lt. Governor’s office has become more powerful. Unlike the Speaker of the House, the Lt. Governor is not elected by the Senate body — he is elected by the people of the state. Therefore, it is imperative that voters engage with his office. I don’t think this currently happens much, but you can change that!
There are two ways to contact the Lt. Governor’s office. Either fill out an online form or call 404-656-3050 and leave a message. Select from the list below of good and bad bills that are likely to come up on Crossover Day to personalize your message.
Make some noise!
Bad Bills Coming to the Senate Floor
- SB 120: Removes DEI programs from post-secondary institutions (see above)
- SB 36: Religious Freedom that will lead to discrimination (see above)
- SB 30: Bans the use of puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoric youth
- SB 185: Bans treatment for gender dysphoria for prisoners
- SB 74: Criminalized librarians for allowing harmful materials to youth (harmful materials not defined)
- SB 163: Allows citizens to sue local governments that implement gun regulations
- SB 175: Bans ranked choice voting
- SB 177: Anti-protest bill
- SB 244: Award of attorneys fees & litigation costs when a person successfully disqualifies a prosecuting attorney
- SB 291: America First license plate
Good Bills Coming to the Senate Floor
- SB 34: Make data centers pay their fair share of utility costs
- SB 94: Consumer utility counsel to represent all consumers before the Public Service Commission on Georgia Power rate hikes
(on the above two bills, 34 & 94, also contact GOP Senators if you live in a Republican district)
- SB 89: Child Tax Credit
- SB 170 (Dem bill): Creates an Inter-agency Council Homelessness to streamline services and interventions.
- SB 126: Helps high school dropouts earn diplomas
- SB 119: Helps rural Georgians purchase mobile homes at chapter rates
- SB 182 (Dem bill): Creates a Georgia Music Office
- SB 147 (Dem bill): Helps released inmates find work
- SB 109 (Dem bill): Guarantees active duty service members get life insurance payouts for non-combat related deaths
WABE has a good resource with more details about some of these bills.
Around the Corner
This will be a busy week. The road ahead is still packed, but we’re pushing forward—one fight at a time.
