Action item: Call (404-656-1776) or write Governor Kemp to let him know we need a technical college next to the Doraville MARTA station in North Dekalb. I have once again secured $4 million in the Senate budget to purchase the land for an expansion of Georgia Piedmont Technical College, but the Governor has the power to line-item veto budget items for 40 days following the legislative session. Your voice matters!

Uncharted Territory

Whenever I see my friend Rep. Doug Stoner in the hallways of the Capitol, I flash him a little sneer and say, “It’s your fault.” Doug knows he talked me into running for the State Senate — telling me that in comparison to the House, the Senate is more collegial and bi-partisan. While I believe that describes the Georgia Senate’s terrain-of-the-past, my time in the Senate has been a bit more difficult to navigate. And this year, the GOP leadership steered things even more off-course.

Throwing Out the Rule Book

Parliamentary Procedure: Similar to how a captain listens to his crew to promote cooperation, parliamentary procedure (aka “Robert’s Rules of Order,” or in the case of legislative bodies, “Mason’s Manual”) allows for decision making that reflects the majority, while still allowing space for the voice of the minority. The official Senate Rules are based on this model, and quite frankly in today’s partisan environment, following these Rules is what keeps us from clobbering each other! So it worries that this year, the Rules were not taken seriously.

Germaneness: For example, Senate Rule 7-1.2 on “Germaneness” clearly states that you can’t attach an amendment to a bill of a different subject matter. Senators can challenge an amendment on the grounds of germaneness, and the Rules state that the President must rule on whether the amendment is germane or not. 

HB 374 was originally a bill outlining a new procedure for municipalities de-annexing land. By Sine Die, it was amended to include the language from SB 145, a bill preempting cities from banning gas leaf blowers. When Democrats challenged the leaf blower amendment on the grounds of germaneness, Lt. Governor Jones dispensed with the usual formalities and refused to make the call. Instead, he simply said every Senator is free to vote however they wish. His aloofness seemed Trumpesque.

A Trail of Crumbs Leading to Nowhere

No Supermajority: Though the GOP has the majority in the Georgia legislature, there are times when they need the help of Democrats. One example is with constitutional amendments, which require a 2/3rd vote (⅔ requires 37 votes, and there are only 33 Senate Republicans). This allows Democrats an opportunity to ask for something in return for their support. But this session I noticed that the offers made by the GOP leadership were things Democrats didn’t even want, and when we did ask for what we wanted, we didn’t get it.

Sports Betting Deals: For example, the Lt. Governor didn’t have the votes from his own caucus to pass sports betting, which he very much wanted. Early in the session many Democrats did support it. However, as the transgender treatment ban (SB 140) began moving through the process, the Democratic Caucus warned the Lt. Governor that we would withhold our votes for sports betting if he allowed SB 140 to come to the floor for a vote. The Lt. Governor told us he would not make deals with SB 140.

The Republican agenda of sports betting and bills targeting trans teenagers are not kitchen table issues. Georgians would be much better off with a Democratic agenda that focuses on policies that actually help Georgians, such as quality public education, healthcare for all, and sustainable energy policies.

Voting My Values Keeps Me on Solid Ground

Speaking of sports betting, my “no” vote each time it came up turned out to be my most valuable asset this session. At my core, I believe taxes should fund basic government services rather than revenue produced by harmful industries such as gambling.

Those “no” votes protected me from Republican pressure tactics to change my vote. I’ve always voted my values and so far they’ve never steered me in the wrong direction.

A Surprise Detour: Scripted Debate

This year, the floor debate that followed the budget presentation turned into a surprise performance focused on a controversial measure to cut $66 million from the University System of Georgia’s (USG) budget. 

University Funding: Since I serve on the Senate Higher Ed Committee, I have learned the ins-and-outs of university funding. So it surprised me when my colleagues who don’t have this background began asking very detailed questions.

But soon after another Senator told me, “This “debate” is scripted,” and showed me a long document with copies of handwritten questions for Senators to ask the Appropriations Chair. Each question was designed to drive home the point that schools were actually flush with money. The questions also obfuscated the real purpose of the cuts — to punish Wellstar Health Systems while they negotiated taking over Augusta University’s hospitals. Wellstar opposed the Lt. Governor’s bill to eliminate hospital regulations in rural Georgia, a measure that stood to benefit the Lt. Governor’s family. Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Chair told the AJC, “The House does not play politics with the budget.”

I sometimes see scripted debate in committee hearings, but I have never seen it used to such an extent on the floor. Despite the scripted show, a $66 million cut is a significant blow to our university system. State higher education funding remains well under what it was 15 years ago. Many Georgia colleges and universities have had declining enrollment in recent years, and since the state higher ed funding formula is based on credit hours taught, lower enrollment also means less tuition AND less state funding. This is not good for Georgia.

Last Minute Law Writing Takes Us in the Wrong Direction

Around 10 pm, another surprise arrived on our desks. It was HB 196, a bill that combined a medical cannabis bill and a hemp bill into one. The House had completely rewritten the medical cannabis portion from a bill the Senate passed just days before. We were given only minutes to read the new 54-page bill before it was called up for a vote.  

Medical Cannabis: This session, lawmakers have been working to fix the state’s deeply flawed process for issuing production and distribution licenses for medical cannabis products. The Georgia Medical Cannabis Commission, originally established for this purpose, has been slow and unwilling to be transparent, causing many to question its decision-making. It’s now facing litigation from a number of producers who applied for licenses. The Senate’s bill would make the Cannabis Commission subject to open records. The new House bill abolished the Commission and gave all of the licensing responsibility to the state Agricultural Commissioner, handing him both enormous power and pressure. 

The Republicans waged a lengthy debate amongst themselves over this last minute re-write, with many objecting to such drastic changes that were never vetted through the Senate Committee process. It was interesting to watch our colleagues across the aisle object to those same tactics. Ultimately the Senate disagreed with the House version and time ran out for any further action.

Bipartisan Collaborative Policy-Making Gets Lost in the Shuffle

Study Committees: By Sine Die, the Senate approves a list of Senate Study Committees that work over the interim to dive more deeply into complex issues. During the past few years, I have been very successful in using Study Committees to negotiate bi-partisan solutions such as lowering the cost of higher education, and improving services for those living with disabilities. Normally, the Lt. Governor chooses at least a dozen Study Committees for the final list, but this year we were stunned to see only about half that number on the final list. 

Particularly disappointing was the omission of a Study Committee on ambulance response times, as well as gun safety. The new Lt. Governor does not seem to see the value in bringing together legislators, citizens, and subject matter experts in developing quality legislation and policy to benefit Georgia citizens.

On the Horizon

We’re now halfway through a two-year term, so all bills that didn’t pass this year remain alive for next year. This gives us a clear roadmap for the work ahead.

Bills that Passed This Year:

• Prosecutorial oversight bill (SB 92), 
• The transgender treatment ban bill (SB 140)
• Ban on private elections funding (SB 222) 

Bills that didn’t make the Sine Die deadline, but remain alive for next year:

• Private school vouchers (SB 233)
• Sports Betting (several)
• Cash bail expansion (SB 63)
• Tenant protections bill (HB 404) 
• Anti-Semitism bill (HB 144)
• Mental health bill (HB 520)
• The Car Booting Ban (SB 247)  

Thank You for the Privilege to Serve

I’m looking forward to catching up on some quality sleep after working very long days. I also look forward to improving my diet. Toward the end of the session, I could stretch one boxed lunch into three meals — ½ sandwich for lunch, ½ sandwich for dinner, and a cookie for breakfast, saving the potato chips for my kids.

I know it’s hard to believe, but I love this work and am always grateful for the privilege to serve my district and the state of Georgia. 

Stay Tuned:

Rep. Karen Lupton and I will host a Town hall Meeting in Brookhaven within the next couple of weeks. Please look for an announcement of the date in your in-box!

Chamber Theatrics

Late this week, the curtain came down on Legislative Day 35, which means there are only five more Legislative Days until Day 40 — Sine Die.

At this point, the Senate and House have begun their traditional backstage brawl — fighting over how many Senate bills the House has passed, and how many House bills the Senate has passed. Right now, the House is way behind. 

Here are the details: At curtain call this week, the Lt. Governor announced that the Senate has passed 62 House bills, but the House has only passed 15 Senate bills. Not to be upstaged by the House, the Senate Rules Chair announced, “Our Rules Committee meeting today will be very short.” The Rules Committee chooses which bills get a vote on the Senate floor.

Until the House gets its show on the road and passes more Senate bills, House bills must wait in the wings. 

A Backstage Tour

So much of our legislative work takes place behind the scenes in hallway conversations, office visits, and floor huddles. Such is the case with my attempts to create an Innovation Commission for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), an official recommendation made by my bi-partisan Study Committee last year.

Act I: SB 198 Gets Left on the Cutting Room Floor

This session I filed SB 198 to create a 22-member, 5-subcommittee Innovation Commission made up of experts to address the complex issues impacting adults living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I succeeded in getting colleagues from both sides of the aisle to sign the bill. In other words, I did everything right.

Prior to Crossover Day, I officially requested the Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee to allow a vote on the bill in his Committee. Several days passed without the bill being put on the agenda. So I met with the Chairman in his office. I spoke with him on the Senate floor. I texted him a final plea. He wouldn’t budge. It only takes one powerful person to cancel a show at the Georgia General Assembly.

Ironically, this week I noticed that HB 545, an Agricultural Commission for Citrus Fruit, was moving right along through the Committee process. It’s looking like citrus fruit will get a Commission, but not Georgians with IDD. Citrus Farms in Georgia: 70. Georgians with IDD: 226,000.

Act II: Find a “Vehicle” Bill that is Moving

Not to be deterred, the Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities Commissioner and I came up with an alternative plan to include my language in HB 520, a major mental health bill moving through the process. As a compromise move, my amendment would create a smaller 8-member IDD Task Force under the already active Behavioral Health Commission. 

I got support for this compromise language from both the Senate & House sponsors of HB 520, as well as lead advocates working on the bill.  I worked with the Commissioner on the amendment language.

Midweek, we began hearing that the Health & Human Services Committee was trying to shorten HB 520, not lengthen it. The Senate sponsor of HB 520 agreed to help me push the amendment and at the end of the week, I caught sight of him huddling with the Senate Subcommittee Chair, and the Lt. Governor’s Policy Director. The next day I was asked by the Lt. Governor’s office to consider accepting a “compromise of a compromise”, giving one IDD caretaker a position on the original Behavioral Health Commission. In other words, no working IDD Taskforce of experts. I emphatically said, “no.”

I have a Plan “B” for my amendment, or maybe it’s plan “C.” I’ve lost count. Stay tuned for Act III.

A Senate Prop: Appropriation Letters

It’s a tradition of the Senate that there can be no Senate adds to the budget unless a Senator submits a letter with a specific ask to the Appropriations Chair. This week I easily collected 26 signatures for Medicaid Home & Community Based Support waivers for people living with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, with at least half of the signatures from Republican colleagues. Two years ago, I was only able to collect about eight signatures — a real sign of the progress we’ve made. 

I also turned in a letter requesting $4 million to purchase land for a new Piedmont Technical College campus in Doraville. This letter had to be signed by all the members of the Dekalb Senate Delegation plus a couple of Senators from the surrounding region. This same monetary request was vetoed by Governor Kemp last year. But this year, we have a specific piece of land being held for us right next to the Doraville MARTA station, so the Governor has no excuse for a veto.

The Plot Thickens on The Transgender Treatment Ban

Early in the week during an impromptu hallway plea, House Chairwoman Sharon Cooper told me she had orders to let SB 140, the transgender treatment ban, out of her Committee. The next day it passed out along party lines. Throughout the week, I visited Speaker Burnes’ office to see if I could get an appointment to make my case against SB 140 directly to him. I finally got word that he would meet with me this coming Monday but the very next morning, I was disheartened to learn that SB 140 was fast-tracked through the House Rules Committee for a floor vote last Thursday.

So many people are hurting over this issue and I spent several evening hours throughout the week talking with groups and constituents. The bill will likely be back on the Senate floor on Monday. Two Republican Committee Chairs in the Senate are doctors and they do not support the change that was made in the House to criminalize doctors, so it remains to be seen what will happen next.

Your Role: Be Loud

Georgia Equality, an organization that supports LGBTQ+ persons, is asking for one last push to Republican Senators, Lt. Governor Jones, and Governor Kemp against SB 140. If you would like, you can join Georgia Equality at the Capitol on Monday, March 20th. Or click on the link to see what else you can do. It’s time to be loud, because I can assure you, the other side is at the Capitol with their high-paid lobbyists making sure they get their votes.

It’s a Numbers Game

Sometimes numbers stick in my brain and sometimes they don’t.

This year alone, legislators have filed 955 Bills and 662 Resolutions. So if you bring a bill to my attention just by its number, I’m going to say, “Tell me what the bill does.”

After Crossover Day this Monday, some bills that don’t make it will actually change numbers as they get attached to other bills to help them cross the finish line. The numbers are a moving target.

Here are some other numbers that did stick in my brain this week.

33 R, 23 D: The Senate Partisan Divide
29: “Yes” Votes Needed to Pass a Bill in the Senate
37: “Yes” Votes needed to pass a Constitutional Amendment in the Senate

Calculated Moves

It takes a two-thirds vote in each chamber to pass a Constitutional amendment, which means the Republicans cannot pass certain ballot initiatives without some help from across the aisle. This is an important negotiation power for the Minority Party.

This came into play this week when the “Local Consent Calendar” came up for its daily vote. Local bills impacting cities and counties are placed on the Calendar by local delegations. They are usually non-controversial and therefore voted on all together.

But this week the “Calendar” contained a bill to allow Ware County to change its Elections Board from a bipartisan board chosen by the political parties to one appointed by the all Republican County Commission — a partisan power grab enacted through local bills about a dozen times last term. Democrats wanted to go on record opposing this, but by voting against the entire Calendar, we would also inadvertently kill a Constitutional Amendment Resolution authored by the powerful Rules Chair (requiring a 2/3rd vote).

Since the Rules Chair has the power to block bills from coming to the Senate floor, it’s never a good idea to make him mad, especially right before Crossover Day. But only a local legislator has the ability to pull out a bill from the Local Consent Calendar to be voted on separately. So we explained the dilemma to the Rules Chair, who convinced a Senator from Ware County to pull out the Elections Board bill to be voted on separately. Problem solved. Democrats got their opposition vote recorded and the Rules Chairman got his Constitutional Amendment.

Republican Votes Don’t Add Up

In the Senate, it takes 29 votes to pass a bill, which keeps the 33 Senate Republicans close to their seats. If just five of their members aren’t there to vote, or they join Democrats in dissent, the bill fails. Democrats also now have an unlikely ally in a Republican freshman Senator who came from the House and is proudly against anything that restricts freedom from government interference and infamous for voting “no” on almost everything. That sometimes gives Democrats an additional opposition vote.

During an 11 hour marathon on the Senate floor Thursday, Republicans failed three times to get to that magic 29 votes. It’s unusual for bills to fail on the floor. The following bills failed:

SB 114: City of Buckhead referendum
SB 196: Making seat belt evidence admissible in car wreck cases
SB 57: Sports and horse betting without a statewide referendum

Three Cheers for Unanimous Votes

This year it’s been unusual to see a vote count of 56-0 on the Senate floor. But this week it happened three times in one day. Each time, everyone broke out in applause. In a parliamentary inquiry, the Senate Majority Leader joked, “Should we have the Secretary of the Senate check the machines?” The Lt. Governor retorted, “Who says we can’t work together?”

The bills we agreed on all had to do with child welfare — respite care for foster parents, access to mental health services prior to parental termination, and allowing children to testify in parental termination cases without being under oath.

“Don’t Say Gay” Bill Gets Deep-Sixed

Sometimes certain bill numbers do become memorable. This year, SB 88 became known as Georgia’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which banned discussion of LGBTQ issues in school without parental consent.

This week, the Education and Youth Committee heard a very different Committee substitute that required local school boards to create policies to address gender identity and private schools and camps to notify parents when gender identity issues were to be discussed. Senators and constituents who were initially in favor of SB 88 suddenly changed their minds once they heard the bill attempted to regulate private schools and camps. The bill was ultimately tabled.

Republicans Zero In on Elections. Again.

SB 222, a bill to prohibit county and municipal governments from taking third-party donations to help fund elections, also came up during the marathon Thursday session. In my opposition speech, I reminded my colleagues that in the four years I sat on the Ethics Committee where we required County Elections departments to purchase expensive new voting equipment with HB 316, and created onerous requirements for Elections staff with SB 202, there were exactly zero fiscal notes attached to those bills and zero dollars appropriated to help cover these unfunded mandates. Sadly, the bill passed with a party line vote of 33-23.

We’ve been keeping track of SB 221, another bad Elections bill that would completely eliminate ballot drop boxes, make it easier for voter registrations to be challenged, and add more unnecessary steps for elections staff to “protect against fraud.” The Secretary of State’s office warned that as written, SB 221 could violate the National Voter Registration Act, but the bill was voted out of Committee. Thankfully, it looks like SB 221 never made it out of the Senate Rules Committee, which means there’s zero chance we’ll be voting on it on Crossover Day.

Crossover Day Math

Monday is Legislative Day 28, also known as Crossover Day. It’s the deadline for bills to pass at least one chamber in order to cross over to the other chamber for passage this year.

I counted how many bills and resolutions we have voted on in the Senate during the first 27 Legislative days: 11 Resolutions and 67 Bills. The calendar for Crossover day includes 74 bills. That means that on Monday, the Senate will consider just about as many bills as we have considered so far during the entire session. The Senate should take a time-management course.

We celebrate our wins when bad bills get tabled, or don’t make it to the floor in time for a vote. But the game is not over until we adjourn Sine Die. And then there’s next year. I’m still in the game.

On the other hand, this is what it looks like when Republicans join Democrats to take down a bad bill. This is how the City of Buckhead went down.

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!

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!

It was a privilege to speak at Mental Health Awareness Day at the Capitol. Over 1,000 people from across Georgia in support of “The Year of the Peer” as we address Behavioral Health policy.