The Agony of Defeat
Just before this year’s legislative session began, a good friend shared with me a Richard Reich blog outlining a state-by-state approach to eliminating the impacts of Citizens United. The post explained how states have the sole authority to define the parameters of corporate powers. Reich says that states can actually pass laws to put an end to the influence of corporate money in politics. He says this wouldn’t actually overturn Citizens United, but it would negate the consequences of it. Montanans have already taken the lead this year with a 2026 constitutional ballot initiative that seeks to stop corporations from engaging in election or ballot-issued activity.
Wouldn’t that be grand to actually stop corporate money from influencing our elections? I’m ready to start the conversation in Georgia. And I know a few Republicans who are so frustrated right now, they might just be ready to sign on.
Invisible Opponents
As Democrats, we tend to focus almost exclusively on Trump and the Republican Party as being our political enemy. But the most powerful force shaping what happens under the Gold Dome today isn’t even elected.
Reich says that the amount of dark money in elections has grown from $144 million in 2008 to $4.21 billion in 2024. And that’s not including the dark money that influences the legislative process through corporate lobbyists, which I have felt this year, as my initiatives have been hijacked by big money.
Also throwing a curve ball in Georgia are Leadership PACs, created by statute in 2021 — political funds controlled by top state leaders who can accept donations with no caps, even while down-ballot candidates have fundraising caps designed to prevent undue influence. Until earlier this week, when a federal judge ordered Burt Jones to stop raising money through his Lt. Governor Leadership PAC, Jones was accepting contributions while deciding which bills moved through the Senate.
Team Online Safety Benched by Big Tech
This year Republicans and Democrats were mostly on the same team when it came to online safety for kids. Several strong bipartisan bills were filed, and for a while it looked like protecting kids online might actually win.
Then on Tuesday a Republican colleague quietly warned me that most of these bills wouldn’t move — and that became clear in the Senate Children and Families Committee.
“Daddy, can you take my iPad away from me? I’m trying to take my eyes off, but I can’t.”
I opened my presentation on SB 495 with this anecdote from the book The Anxious Generation. Even author Jonathan Haidt’s then 6 year old daughter knew that our devices are too addictive to resist.
SB 495, entitled the Age-Appropriate Design Code, addresses that problem by prohibiting addictive design features used to determine algorithmic feeds — as well as features like infinite scroll and push notifications for minors. For adults, the bill requires that these features be turned off by default, requiring users to opt-in — a change that could help all of us spend less time glued to our screens.
Pediatrician Angela Flanagan of the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics testified that addictive design features are linked to sleep disruption, anxiety, depression, and other harms for kids, and that safety-by-default should be the standard.
The testimony was strong — but the bill never got a vote.
Leadership Controls the Plays
Imagine training for years for an event, only to be replaced at the last minute by someone who never trained, but was recruited to the team as the key player.
That’s how I felt when SB 540 — a last minute bill from the Senate Majority Leader — became the only online safety bill voted out of the Children and Families Committee.
SB 540 looks good on the surface. It requires disclosures and guardrails for AI companion chatbots for minors. But it’s filled with vague language and exemptions for social media platforms — details you might miss unless you know the issue well. An identical bill was filed in Colorado on the same day, a clear sign it came from the Tech industry.
When the Chair announced it was the final meeting before Crossover Day, it became obvious leadership had decided SB 540 would be the only online safety bill to move forward — making it look like something constructive was done, while leaving the real problems untouched.
Later, when I commiserated with a Republican colleague about how our bills went down, he said, “Someone should look into the money.”
Advancing with a Penalty
SB 278 — my bill to fortify corn-based foods with folic acid to prevent spina bifida in Latino babies — finally got its moment on the field.
All session long I worked to convince the Senate Agriculture Chair to move the bill forward without giving Frito-Lay a special exemption for snack foods. I even flew in experts from Mission Foods — a company that already fortifies its corn products — to show that it works in the real world.
But with Crossover Day approaching, the Chair made the final call: the only way to get a vote was to include a snack-food exemption for Frito-Lay.
It wasn’t the outcome I wanted, but after vigorous questioning the bill passed unanimously.
We’re still in the game, and I’ll work to improve the bill in the House. SB 278 moves on to the Rules Committee next week. The Lt. Governor gets to decide if he’ll call it up for a vote before the end of Crossover Day.
Shut Out at the Starting Line
This week at the ropes I met a group of home health workers who support seniors and people with disabilities in their homes.
A few years ago I passed a law requiring the state to study market wages for Medicaid funded health workers, which led to about $120 million in new funding for wages. The healthcare workers at the ropes told me the money still isn’t reaching them.
They did exactly what citizens should do — worked with legislators to draft a bill requiring transparency about where the funding is going.
But the Senate Health and Human Services Committee never took up the bill and even canceled a meeting before Crossover Day.
It’s another example of leadership deciding which bills move, and shaping the process around their own priorities, instead of allowing the people’s ideas to be vetted through committees. Too often, the people’s voices never make it onto the field.
Iced Before the Final Heat
SB 34, authored by a Rome Republican, aimed to make sure massive data centers pay the full cost of the power infrastructure they need, rather than shifting costs onto Georgia families and businesses.
After sitting in committee for a year, the bill finally got a hearing — but key protections were stripped out. Instead of protecting ratepayers, it focused mainly on service contracts.
The sponsor tried to fight back by lining up a floor amendment to restore the original protections, with about a dozen Republicans joining all Democrats in support. But in a surprise move, Senate leadership adjourned early without ever calling up SB 34.
Even Majority Party lawmakers can lose when monied interests like Georgia Power step onto the field.
What’s Next and Calls to Action
With monied interests shaping decisions at the Capitol, the ultimate power DOES rest with the people.
Protect Public Schools: This week the Senate DeKalb Delegation met with members of the DeKalb School Board to discuss House Republican proposals to eliminate property taxes and replace them with an optional HOST sales tax.
DeKalb Schools estimate that even with a HOST tax, the district would lose $100–$125 million a year, forcing major cuts to jobs, benefits, and school services.
HR 1114 and HB 1116 are expected on the House floor next week. Call Speaker Jon Burns’ office at (404) 656-5020 and tell him these bills would seriously harm DeKalb schools.
Speak Out Against Voter Suppression: Republicans are scrambling to fix a law they previously passed banning the use of QR codes in scanning ballots. Their new bill, SB 568, goes far beyond that fix and would make it harder to vote in larger counties.
Instead of allowing countywide early voting, voters would be assigned a specific location. The bill would also shift voter challenges from counties to the State Elections Board, forcing voters to travel to defend their eligibility.
The bill will be heard on Monday, March 2, 11:00 AM in the Coverdell Legislative Office Bldg., Room 307
We need a strong turnout. Let’s pack the room to speak out against SB 568.
Join Us for Crossover Day: Crossover Day is March 6. The DeKalb Democrats are hosting a Pack the Capitol event to support Democrats’ efforts to make Georgia more affordable. You don’t have to live in DeKalb to attend!
What’s Next: The Final Countdown
Next week is the final stretch before Crossover Day — the do-or-die moment of the session for bills to pass their chamber of origin. We’ll be in committee meetings Monday and Thursday, with floor sessions the rest of the week. Because this is the second year of the two-year session, it’s game over for any bill that doesn’t pass at least one chamber (unless they get attached to another bill as an amendment).
Next week is also candidate qualifying, when anyone running for office this year must come to the Capitol and officially file their paperwork to be on the ballot. I’ll be qualifying once again to serve as the 40th district’s State Senator.
This year has been tough — but I’m still up to the challenge and making real change, even in this difficult environment.
Video of the Week
Thursday was Reproductive Rights Day at the Capitol, so I took a Point of Personal Privilege to educate my Senate colleagues about some serious unintended consequences of Georgia’s abortion ban for women who want their pregnancies. I shared real stories of Georgia women who had life threatening health emergencies because they could not get timely care.