No Man is an Island
I’ve been thinking about the word “constituent” lately. The word comes from two Latin roots that when combined mean “to establish together.” By the 17th century, the word evolved to mean someone who appoints a representative, leading to its modern usage referring to a voter. Simultaneously, the word also evolved to mean “a part of a whole.” As John Donne wrote, “No man is an island; Entire of itself; Every man is a piece of the continent; A part of the main.”
Taxes Are Part of a Whole
Thinking about constituents as “a part of the main” gave me a framework for this week’s Senate floor fight over taxes. But first, let me tell you what happened in the Senate this week:
Senate Republican Income Tax Cut Bills: Late last Friday, after most legislators had gone home, Republicans filed SB 476, which proposes to cut income taxes by dramatically raising the standard deductions, while also proposing cuts to tax credits. They also filed SB 477, which proposes to accelerate the reduction of the current state income-tax rate, eventually phasing it out entirely.
The bills were pushed through the Senate Finance Committee early this week, leaving very little time for lawmakers, staff, or the media to analyze the bills and get information out to the public. At the conclusion of a 70-minute Committee meeting, both bills passed with no time for public comment.
There were also no fiscal notes for these bills—the basic financial analysis required by Senate rules to show the impact on the state budget. Senators were told to “trust” that cuts to tax credits would offset roughly $6-9 billion in lost revenue (they won’t).
By Thursday, the bills were on the Senate floor, where debate lasted nearly six hours before the bills passed along party lines. Because the state Constitution requires tax bills to originate in the House, we ultimately voted on House bills that had been stripped and replaced with the Senate language—another procedural maneuver to skirt the rules for a quick political win.
Taxes & Affordability: Affordability has definitely become a buzz-word at the State Capitol this year. But the problem with pushing tax cuts as an affordability solution is that this does nothing to make high cost necessities more affordable for people, like healthcare and housing. Tax cuts are more like coupons you use at the grocery store — they help you keep a little more money in your pocket, but they do nothing to address systemic issues like food insecurity and hunger. Republicans are pushing a narrative that every “man is an island”; Democrats view taxes through a narrative that every person has a responsibility to contribute to the whole, because we are “part of the main.”
Constituent Conversations: Where the Real Work Happens
While the debate inside the chamber focused on gaining votes and grabbing headlines, conversations with constituents at the ropes outside the chamber reminded me why this work matters and how important it is that we stay focused on solving real-life problems.
• Surprise Ambulance Bills
A constituent from Dunwoody contacted me after being transported just three miles by ambulance during a medical emergency and later receiving a $2,500 bill his insurance didn’t cover. Ambulance services are run by for-profit companies that stay out of insurance networks so they can set their own prices, leaving patients with little choice but to pay the bill that arrives later. That’s why it mattered that the Senate Health & Human Services Committee took up SB 462, a bipartisan bill aimed at capping excessive out-of-network ambulance charges. It’s not a perfect fix, but it could have cut my constituent’s ambulance bill in half.
• A Medically Fragile Foster Baby
I also spoke with a foster parent caring for a premature infant with serious medical needs. They’ve already spent tens of thousands of their own money, paying for nursing support out-of-pocket because services weren’t approved by the state. I’m using this case to dig deeper into systemic gaps in foster care and to learn more about what could help families like theirs.
• Immigrant Families Plead for Help
The most heart-wrenching conversation of the week was with a group of immigrant constituents at the ropes, including Latino mothers and a young boy named Miguel. They were there as part of a larger Immigrant Advocacy Day at the Capitol. They spoke about fear of family separation, their children missing school, and the daily stress of uncertainty. Miguel told me he was scared his mother would be taken away, and that his family could be sent to the wrong country. I listened to their stories and promised to keep fighting for them. I also told them that we’re working with community partners and volunteers to provide practical day-to-day support where we can.
Filling Holes, But Falling Short
What’s Happening in the House: One bright spot this week: the House passed the amended 2026 budget, the mid-year adjustment to our current budget. It includes funding to help fill the $85 million shortfall in our foster care system and additional resources to expand mental health services. These investments will help avoid severe cuts for foster care services and begin to reduce the waiting list of roughly 800 Georgians who need crisis mental health care.
But at a time when families are struggling with rising premiums and medical bills, the budget stopped short of doing anything to help Georgians afford healthcare. We cannot seriously address the affordability crisis without addressing healthcare costs.
If you want to learn more about the House’s bipartisan bills on housing affordability, please see the DeKalb Dem’s weekly newsletter, “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” written by Dunwoody resident Micahel Greenwald.
Fighting Big Tech
Keeping Kids Safe Online: Last fall, I co-chaired the Senate Study Committee on Protecting Georgia’s Children Online, and this session I’m working with fellow committee members to roll out several bills based on our recommendations.
My signature bill, SB 495, regulates the addictive design features built into many social media and gaming platforms used by minors.
Earlier this session, I worked with a Republican colleague—a father of four—who was interested in this issue. He had a bill to ban social media for kids scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Children and Families Committee but agreed that regulating addictive design was a better approach. He offered to substitute my bill into his so it could receive a hearing.
But just before the meeting, the Lieutenant Governor’s office replaced my 21-page proposal with a three-page substitute full of loopholes that would have made it largely ineffective.
Even so, my bill was discussed in Committee, which helped educate the members about addictive design. I’ve now sponsored SB 495 on my own with 40 co-signers, including 25 Republicans, demonstrating very strong bipartisan support. Moving forward, I’ll work with my Senate colleague and the Lt. Governor’s office to come to a consensus on a version of SB 495 we can all support.
What’s Next
Due to President’s Day, it’s another four-day week at the Capitol. We’re in session Tuesday through Friday. Those extra days off help me recharge and suit up for another week of battle in the State Senate.