Georgia’s Health is on my Mind

Come share a cup of coffee in person at my next Coffee Chat with Sally. We’ll be in Dunwoody at the Georgetown Starbucks at 10 am on Saturday, February 23. It’s just a casual conversation about whatever’s on your mind. Bring your friends and neighbors. We’ll also soon be announcing our State Senate 40 Town Hall Meetings coordinated with your State House Representative.

Yellow Card

My yellow values card will guide my decisions during my time in the Senate

With the pace of bills to vote on picking up now, I placed on my chamber desk my Yellow Values Card that I originally wrote when I served in the House of Representatives. Many of you heard me talk about these values during my campaign. And, this week I gave a Values Card to each of my fellow newly-elected Democrats in the House and Senate.

A Impending Healthcare Earthquake

Last week I said, controversy is coming . . . well, it’s here and it’s healthcare.

The healthcare debate revolves around two intertwined issues:

  • Georgia Republicans’ unwillingness to accept Federal Medicaid expansion.
  • The proposed elimination of Georgia’s Certificate of Need (CON) program,

Both can impact Georgia’s healthcare delivery system for many years to come, and the current trajectory will leave more people without healthcare.

Womens Caucus

Chairing a very crowded and lively Legislative Women’s Caucus meeting on Maternal and Infant Mortality

The Healthcare Crisis: The GOP introduced two bills — SB106 and SB74/HB198. The first, dubbed “The Patients First Act,” is the Governor’s proposal to explore very limited Medicaid expansion options. The second is a plan to eliminate Georgia’s Certificate of Need (CON) program which protects our hospitals and helps ensure access to care for all Georgians (see this article for good background on the CON debate). The first bill doesn’t go far enough to cover all Georgians that need healthcare while the second eliminates regulations that protect Georgia’s hospitals from going bankrupt and protects patients from predatory practices. Without fully expanding Medicaid, it’s irresponsible to eliminate the CON program when our hospitals are already struggling.

Moms and Babies Reveal Georgia’s Ill-Health: Georgia ranks among the states with the highest maternal and infant mortality rates. Representatives from the Georgia Department of Health spoke to about 75 people at this week’s Legislative Women’s Caucus, a group I co-chair. We learned that many moms die from complications that occur weeks after giving birth, when Medicaid benefits run out. These are not easy issues to tackle, but I am grateful that Georgia has a Maternal Mortality Review Board that looks at every single death to determine trends and recommend solutions.

Environmental, Financial and Community Health

Coal Ash Storage: The House & Senate Natural Resources & Environment Committees held a joint session this week to hear presentations on the issue of coal ash and what’s being done to prevent spills and protect against coal ash storage failures. I was very happy to see Tina Wilkerson, a constituent who has championed clean energy as a leader of Solarize Dunwoody, at the meeting. Coal Ash storage is a huge issue for Georgia. As long time lobbyist Neill Herring says of current storage inadequacies, “It’s like putting poison in a cardboard box and saying the cardboard is safe.”

GSU Students

Great to meet Georgia State students visiting the Capitol who gave my Campus Carry Repeal bill a thumbs up.

College Loan Defaults and Professional Licenses: The Higher Education Committee discussed SB92, a bill that prohibits all state boards that issue professional licenses from refusing, suspending, or revoking the license of anyone who defaults on their student loans. It simply doesn’t make sense to take away someone’s livelihood when they have loans to repay.

Speaking Out on Gun Safety: On the first anniversary of the tragic shooting at Majority Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, several colleagues and I spoke from the Senate well about the importance of taking action on gun safety. The Public Safety Committee, chaired by Senator John Albers, is considering a school safety bill, but it’s disingenuous to talk about school safety without considering common sense gun laws. Until we pass gun reform, we’ll still have tragedies like Parkland. If gun safety is important to you, call both Senator Albers (404) 463-8055 and Lt. Governor Duncan (404-656-5030) and demand hearings on the gun safety bills.

Building Healthy Relationships with the Board of Regents: At a reception this week, I met the Chancellor and members of the Board of Regents that oversees the University System of Georgia. The governor appoints Board members to serve a voluntary seven year term. The Board has 19 members, five of whom are appointed from the state-at-large, and one from each of the state’s 14 congressional districts. The Board then elects its chancellor to lead the body. Building these relationships is important for my work on Higher Education.

Announcements

Page

Noah Manning was the first of three young Senate pages from my district this week.

Citizen engagement is critical for a healthy democracy. Be loud. Your involvement can influence which bills get hearings and which bills are left untouched. Spread the word. Call and email Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, House Speaker David Ralston, and your state representatives. We all need to hear from you, so we can report which issues are important to our constituents. Share your stories. Write letters to the editor in your local papers. Also, all legislative committee meetings are open to the public and if you are able, I encourage you to attend one that may be of interest you.

This coming week will a big opportunity to engage on two other very important issues. Redistricting Reform advocates will be at the Capitol on Tuesday to lobby for a bill to create an independent bipartisan redistricting commission. And on Wednesday, hundreds of concerned parents and students with Moms Demand Action GA will be there to advocate for common sense gun safety, including the Campus Carry Repeal. I plan to be with both groups and I hope to see you there.

Let the Real Work Begin

The first ten days of the session have been packed with ritual, rule-setting, and resolutions. So far, only a handful of bills have made it through Committee and onto the House and Senate floor for votes. But that’s all about to change this coming week. The official session schedule has been set, with Crossover Day scheduled for March 7th. Crossover Day is the last day for bills to get a floor vote before “crossing over” to the other chamber. That means it’s crunch time. The last day of session, known as Sine Die, is April 2.

Expect the controversy to begin.

That’s where you can play a critical role. Please do not underestimate the power or your own voice! Now is the time to call, email, and/or send postcards. Honestly, getting as few as ten phone messages or postcards about a single issue can put an issue on a legislator’s radar. Now is the time to Be Loud!

Here’s What We’re Working On

Speaking from well about #RepealCampusCarry

#RepealCampusCarry This week, I experienced two “firsts” when I filed my first Senate bill since returning to the General Assembly, and took my first personal point of privilege to speak from the Senate well (podium) about why we shouldn’t allow guns on college campuses. The bill was assigned to the Public Safety Committee, chaired by Senator John Albers who represents Senate district 56, which primarily covers Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Milton, and Roswell in north Fulton County. Senator Albers now holds the power to decide whether or not SB50 will get a public hearing and vote.

Here are three important ways you can help advance this bill:

  • Share my well speech to spread the word on social media using the hashtag #RepealCampusCarry. This will help create awareness of the bill and get the issue back into the public debate.
  • Call, email, and/or organize postcard parties to encourage Senator Albers to hold a public hearing and vote on SB50. It is especially important that he hear directly from his constituents. If you are a constituent, please include your address on all correspondence (including phone calls).
  • Attend the Moms Demand Action Advocacy Day on February 20 where the Campus Carry repeal will be one of their top priorities. This will be an opportunity to encourage lawmakers in person to support the repeal. Sen. Harrell will be speaking!

ERA Needs Your Help:  I was so proud to support the bipartisan bill to make Georgia the 38th state to ratify the ERA. But that bill is now in jeopardy as my colleagues across the aisle have been lobbied by energized and highly organized vocal opposition groups that believe the ERA will allow women to equate male birth control options like vasectomies to abortions and argue that women should have equal access. This week Senator Matt Brass removed his signature from the bill, stating that he can’t take the risk that passing ERA might result in increased abortions. Senator Renee Unterman, the Republican co-sponsor of the bill, has been working hard behind the scenes to make sure that the Republicans who signed the bill hold strong, arguing that being pro-life doesn’t mean you can’t be pro-ERA. But these lawmakers very much need to hear from constituents that support the ERA. Please reach out to thank Senators Kirkpatrick, Albers, Martin, Beach, Jones, and Hufstetler for their courage in signing the bill. You can also call the Lt. Governor’s office at (404) 656-5030 to state your support of the Senate Resolution 66.

Voting for the DeKalb Ethics Commission

DeKalb Senate Delegation: Under the leadership of chairman Senator Emanuel Jones, the DeKalb Senate Delegation passed two important local bills. The first was to re-establish the DeKalb Ethics Commission, which had been ruled unconstitutional. This new bill fixes that problem and doesn’t require another referendum since it simply revises the law already approved by the voters. Another bill, SB53, addresses an issue that was uncovered when the City of Atlanta annexed a part of DeKalb that had a high tax base, but only a few DeKalb students. DeKalb lost a significant amount of revenue while maintaining the same number of students, which adversely impacts the DeKalb school system. The Senate passed SB53 to prevent this from happening in the future.

College Affordability: In the Higher Education committee meeting, we discussed new ways to make college more affordable, including an income-sharing agreement bill brought forth by Senator Sheikh Rahman. This bill needs more work, but I was pleased Chairman Tippins gave Sen. Rahman, a freshman Democratic Senator, a chance to present his bill. I sit next to Sen. Tippins in the chamber, so I bend his ear a lot about the escalating price of college.

Working to Stay Connected

Despite being in session all five days this week, I still found time to visit with people in the district!

Boy Scout Troop 15

— Thank you to Boy Scout Troop #15 for inviting me to visit (my son earned the rank of Life Scout in this troop). The boys and I had a lively discussion about how a bill becomes a law using mandatory recess, a bill that I worked on when I served in the House, as an example. The bill got enthusiastic support from the Scouts! The next day, I was thrilled to welcome the Girl Scouts visiting the Capitol. I led my daughter’s Girl Scout troop for eight years.

 

Girl Scouts at the Capitol

— At a new legislator’s breakfast hosted by the Georgia Supreme Court, I was honored to meet Presiding Justice David Nahmias, a Dunwoody constituent who does wonderful work on the Committee on Justice for Children to assess and improve the foster care system, adoption laws, and the juvenile justice system. It was also great to reconnect with Justice Michael Boggs, with whom I served in the House of Representatives.

— I participated on a legislative panel at a breakfast hosted by Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies where I was Executive Director before my time in the GA House. We discussed maternal and infant mortality in Georgia, the most critical issue facing mothers and babies today. Medicaid expansion, which would put an insurance card in people’s pockets and save troubled rural hospitals, is one obvious solution.

— The Dekalb Democrats invited Senator Elena Parent and me to their February meeting to update them on my Campus Carry repeal bill, SB50, and her Redistricting Reform bill, SR52, that would establish an independent redistricting commission much like California has that would be responsible for drawing district lines in a highly transparent process instead of allowing lawmakers to draw them to their own advantage behind closed doors. Voting rights and gun safety are two areas where Georgia’s Democrats can lead, so I was happy to have time to focus on these issues.

Coffee Chat in Peachtree Corners

— I held my first in-district Coffee Chat to spend some casual quality time with constituents in Peachtree Corners. We had a very energetic and engaged group who was eager to hear what’s happening at the Capitol and asked lots of great questions. We’ll be hosting a series of these Chats around the district, the next one being at 10 am on February 23rd at the Georgetown Starbucks in Dunwoody. We will soon be announcing other Chats in Chamblee, Brookhaven, and Doraville.

— Sunday evening I’ll spend time with the Dunwoody Homeowners Association to hear more about a Georgia Department of Transportation project at the top end Perimeter that has caused great concern among residents in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs.

As always, my ears are open to you. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at my Senate office.

The Nation’s Eyes are on Atlanta!

With Super Bowl weekend approaching, legislative leadership on both sides of the aisle want to ensure positive press — so rumor has it that the filing of controversial bills has been put off until after Super Bowl weekend. Note: Keep this in mind next week and and be ready to play defense!

Also, the Georgia General Assembly adjourned early this week because legislators can’t afford Super Bowl hotel rates on their $173 per-diem. We were only in session for two days this week since Tuesday was a (non) snow day. Even though we have been working for three weeks, we have only used seven of our 40 legislative days.

For a change, women were the beneficiaries of a positive spotlight!

ERA Supporters

Proud to stand with my colleagues to announce our effort to make Georgia the 38th state to ratify the ERA

The Georgia Senate made headlines when we introduced a bill to make Georgia the 38th state to ratify the ERA! I was proud to sign the Senate bill this week and stand with my colleagues as we made our press announcement.

Many people are surprised to learn that the ERA is still not a part of our Constitution. While Congress passed the ERA in 1972, 38 states are required to ratify a Constitutional amendment. Should Georgia become that 38th state, there will still be some work needed to lift the 1982 deadline that was imposed by Congress. There is a bill in Congress to eliminate the deadline, or the deadline could be challenged in court. The GA Senate now has enough signatures to pass the ratification bill if it comes to the floor, so it is now up to our House leaders to determine if Georgia will make history.

Cities, Counties, and Cigars

Having nine cities and three counties in my Senate District can be both blessing and a challenge. On the one hand, it gives me a “birds eye view” of what’s happening in all of those cities and counties and an opportunity to identify common themes and challenges and share ideas and best practices among local leaders. But it also means I have many meetings to attend!

This week, I continued to connect with local leaders, focused on countywide business while still supporting big picture issues. Here’s a “snapshot” of what I worked on:

Community Meeting

Gwinnett County Police said it was a first — to have a both a State Representative and a State Senator attend a Crime-Free Multi-Housing community meeting. Thanks to Charles Levinson and the Barrington Hills Apartment Community, Peachtree Corners, for inviting both Rep. Beth Moore and myself!

Visiting with City Officials: During the session, lots of local and state advocacy groups come to visit the Capitol and many times offer a casual breakfast or lunch so that legislators can stop by and say hello in between chamber sessions and committee meetings. This week, I visited with the DeKalb members of the Georgia Municipal Association during lunch, which allowed me to reconnect with mayors, city council members, and city managers that I had previously met, and talk with others that I hadn’t yet met. The box lunch they provided ultimately fed me and my staff member Amy Swygert, and I still took home leftovers and fed my daughter! Thank you, DeKalb Municipal Association!

Taking Care of County Business: Many of Georgia’s larger, urban counties organize into official House and Senate delegations and meet regularly to discuss and pass local legislation. This week, I met with both the DeKalb and Gwinnett caucuses and was honored to be elected Vice Chair of the DeKalb County Senate Caucus.

Being “One of the Boys”: Making progress for women sometimes requires becoming one of the boys because it can be a great way to build bonds with colleagues. This week, I accepted an invitation to join the “Cigar Caucus,” even though I don’t smoke. Fortunately, newly elected Rep. Matthew Wilson attended too, so I was in good company! I remember cigars being a big part of the General Assembly culture from when I served before. House Speaker Tom Murphy, the longest serving House Speaker in United States history, with whom I had the honor to serve, often had an unlit cigar in his mouth (it was not legal to actually smoke in the chamber). At the Cigar Caucus I shared a picture from 1999 of all the female Representatives sharing an unlit cigar with the Speaker for his birthday.

New Bills are Starting to Fly

Senator Tonya Anderson, My office suite mate, and I congratulate newly-elected Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Senator Nikema Williams.

Each week, I will have opportunities to sign several bills on issues big and small. I can’t mention them all in my weekly update, but you can always find legislation that I’ve signed here: “Member Legislation: Sally Harrell“.

Medicaid Expansion: Healthcare is still the most critical issue facing Georgians. Ben Watson, Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, wrote an article proposing a Medicaid “waiver” program similar to Indiana’s program. I was born and raised in Indiana, so I took a look at what they are up to. What I found were some unique program components that set up access obstacles that have resulted in decreased utilization. That’s why I went ahead and signed SB 36, a Democratic bill to fully expand Medicaid, which is the only way to put an insurance card in the pocket of 500,000 Georgians and keep our rural hospitals open.

Redistricting Reform: I signed SR 52, a Constitutional amendment to reform the way we draw Congressional and legislative district lines in Georgia by creating a nonpartisan, independent redistricting commission like ones already in place in about a dozen other states. These Commissions remove the impossible ethical dilemma lawmakers face in drawing their own district lines. Preserving voters’ rights to choose their own elected officials instead of the other way around is critical to preserving democracy. In November, voters in Michigan, Colorado and Missouri overwhelmingly passed ballot initiatives to create independent redistricting commissions. States with independent redistricting commissions have been shown to produce much more competitive elections.

Moms Matter: During my time in the House, I became a new mom just prior to my second session, and ended up needing to breastfeed my son while on the job. While I’m glad this led to a law to protect women who breastfeed in public, I would have very much welcomed a lactation room that many workplaces now provide. Unfortunately, the Capitol still does not have such a room, so I was happy to co-sign SB 4, sponsored by Sen. Jen Jordan, to finally create an official lactation room at the Capitol for nursing mothers. I remember fighting for two years just to have a diaper changing table installed in the Capitol!

Announcements

Last week, I mentioned the Senate Page Program which is a wonderful way to get your kids involved in state government. You can fill out the application on the Senate Page Program website and then send it to my assistant, Anna Boggs. Her email address is Anna.Boggs@senate.ga.gov. Please note that her this is her correct email address. We had a slight typo in our last update.

Thank you to everyone that volunteered to help us with Local News and Events and Photography! We will be in touch shortly with more specifics.

Recess Doesn’t Mean Break Time

The Appropriations Committee Room, where legislators have been deciding state budgets for over 100 years.

This week the legislature was in recess, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t working! Georgia’s Constitution limits the length of the legislative session to 40 days, which isn’t really long enough, so we take “breaks” to concentrate on committee work. Even though I’ve been working for two weeks, we’ve only used four Legislative Days!

The legislature uses the week of the MLK holiday to present an overview of the Governor’s proposed budget. This week I attended these budget hearings. During my previous service in the House of Representatives, I served on the Appropriations Committee, so I know the huge impact the budget has on the priorities and values of our State.

The budget hearings are an opportunity for Heads of Departments to showcase their accomplishments and briefly outline their priorities. As with any committee, the hard work of moving money around to redefine priorities happens in Committees throughout the session, and this process has only just begun.

Constituents Matter Most

Joining with my House colleagues to provide a legislative update to the Roswell group Needles in a Haystack. Don’t we look more like the haystack now than the needle?

This week I met with constituents around the district. I did a lot of this during the campaign, but now, as a Senator, I represent everyone. It’s important to make sure all voices are heard.

Here’s a “snapshot” of who I have been meeting with and what I took away.

The Waiting List for Disabilities Services: Families are struggling with the Medicaid waiver process to access critical services for their adults and children with developmental disabilities. Advocating for people with disabilities has always been a priority of mine. Georgia is 45th in the nation in funding to support people with disabilities, so there’s a lot of work to be done. I have already visited with numerous parents who have children with disabilities. Medicaid Waivers allow for in-home support, but for decades there have been long waiting lists (now called “Planning Lists”). At the budget hearings, the Department of Community Health acknowledged that applying for services should be easier for families, and listed as one of their priorities “Continuous Process Improvement.” What I am hearing from parents is that applications are extremely cumbersome, so I will work with the Department to help them achieve this goal.

Visiting with constituents who were writing postcards advocating for redistricting reform.

Technical Education in Georgia: Several constituents have asked me to ensure that more Georgians have access to Technical Schools. Did you know that Georgia has 22 Technical Schools, and that 17 high-need diploma programs are free under Hope Grants? This is a step in the right direction, but I’m concerned about the shifting of costs from tuition to “fees” which aren’t covered by the Hope Grant. On a positive note, this week I had the opportunity to sign a letter of support for the construction of an additional technical school in south DeKalb county. I will continue to work on these and other issues through my service on the Senate Higher Education Committee

Dekalb County legislators meeting with the Emory LaVista Parent Council and the Peachtree Gateway Council on Schools

K-12 Education in Georgia: Finally, I spent time with several local school councils. It is clear to me that our schools are suffering from budget cuts – billions of dollars of lost revenue over the last decade. School overcrowding, stagnant teacher and support staff pay, and lost revenue from private school vouchers, tax abatements and annexations are all creating pressures to serve more students with less money. Georgia has failed year after year to update its school funding formula, and until we do that and begin to pay back over a decade of under-funding, we cannot responsibly say we have “fully funded” our public schools.

Celebrating MLK in Lynwood Park, Brookhaven

I began the week honoring MLK Day with members of the historic Lynwood Park community in Brookhaven. Lynwood Park is a historically African-American community that has undergone dramatic changes in recent years due to gentrification and changing demographics in the area. I was so moved by the wonderful memories current and former residents shared and their deep connection to Lynwood despite these changes. It reminded me that economic progress can be a double-edged sword for communities like Lynwood that stand to lose a part of themselves as neighborhoods grow and evolve. Addressing income inequality and supporting policies that promote housing affordability remain a top priority.

Announcements

— As we continue to get my Senate office up and running, we’ve realized how much work it is to cover a district that’s three times larger than the House District I represented. I’ve heard from several supporters that they’d like to help, so this week we identified a couple of new volunteer roles, including helping us keep up with local news and events in your area (more details and sign up here) and serving as a volunteer photographer (details and sign up here). We’d love to have you join the team.

— The Senate page program is a terrific one-day opportunity to help kids, ages 12 to 17, experience our state legislature first-hand. To learn more, visit the Senate page program web page and if interested, follow the instructions for how to apply. Send the application to my assistant, Anna Boggs at Anna.Boggs@senate.ga.gov, and she’ll get it to the Senate page office. They will take it from there.

Next week, we are back in session Monday through Wednesday and then off again for the Super Bowl weekend to help alleviate traffic downtown.

Please stay in touch.

–Sally

This weekend, I was honored to attend several observances of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and legacy, including Georgia’s official annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute.

Let Freedom Ring!
Of the many memories and calls to action shared this weekend, I took particular inspiration from Dr. King’s ability to love people even as they exemplify the ugliest sides of humanity.

Dr. King loved with a bravery and fierceness that made no room for hate. And because he loved, it seems to me, he had hope for all of us to be better and do better for each other.

I think of this now as we see partisan politics driving wedges between us. I think of this now as new generations are learning to peacefully demonstrate for change.

We must be mindful that injustice and inequity have never left our communities. They have been there all along, quietly oppressing people of color, people who are poor, people who are new to our country, and other minorities.

For a while, we perhaps became complacent. We saw change, but we, as a society, did not acknowledge how much work is left to be done.

We must expand Medicaid to enable 500,000 more Georgians to access lifesaving healthcare. We must prevent gerrymandering and reform our voting process to make sure every vote counts. We must reform the criminal justice system to prevent unnecessary use of force and racial bias. We must rebuild our public education system to help all of our children get a better chance at fulfilling their potential.

I am not the first and I won’t be the last person to say that we need Dr. King’s legacy now more than ever to help us achieve these changes. We need his wisdom and his commitment to peace.

Most of all, I believe we need his sense of hope.

–Sally

Welcome to “Sally’s Senate Snapshot,” my regular correspondence to keep Senate District 40 constituents up-to-date on what’s happening at the Gold Dome.

Week 1 was one of ceremony and start-up. We elected Senate leaders like the President Pro-Tem who will fill in for the Lt. Governor when he cannot preside over the Senate, all of the newly elected and re-elected Senators were sworn-in, and we attended the Governor’s State of the State address. We also spent time getting my office up and running. When you call my Senate number (404) 463-2260, you’ll speak to my new administrative assistant, Anna Boggs, who also works for Sen. Tonya Anderson. Anna is a veteran Senate staffer, so she will be as helpful to you as she already has been to me.

Between all the pomp & circumstance, we got right to work. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

  • I was honored to be sworn-in to serve the people of Senate District 40 with my husband Jay and sister Anne at my side. It was a momentous moment of shared expectations and hope.
  • The Senate voted on new rules that govern how we operate. Unfortunately, we were given virtually no time to review the rules before the vote, and my colleagues and I had serious concerns about a rule change that puts a 2-year time limit on filing sexual harassment claims against Senators, and a ban against filing complaints once a Senator becomes a candidate. We also had questions about a new rule that limits free speech in and around the Senate chamber. The Democratic Caucus and one Republican Senator asked for more time to review and discuss the rules, but we lost the vote to the majority who approved the new rules.
  • We received our committee assignments. I will serve on the Higher Ed, Ethics, and Natural Resources committees. With two kids about to enter college, I feel the pain of college affordability along with many of you and I hope to find some solutions through the Higher Ed committee. The Ethics committee will consider bills related to a new voting system for Georgia, one of my top priorities. The Natural Resources Committee will allow me to learn more about our environment and how our natural resources impact Georgia’s economy.  
  • Leadership opportunities did not get doled out equally. Women and people of color are underrepresented on committees that consider the most bills and overrepresented on those that only consider a small number of bills. Republican leaders even reduced the powerful Judiciary Committee that considers bills related to our legal system by two seats to prevent two new highly-experienced and decorated female lawyers from participating. I was proud to watch my female colleagues from both sides of the aisle make very strong statements objecting to Republican leaders overlooking their talent and expertise.
  • Speaking of women, I was elected to co-chair the Women’s Caucus, the only bipartisan, cross-chamber caucus in the General Assembly. There are more women serving in the Georgia General Assembly than ever before thanks to women who volunteered and voted in record numbers. We now have a big responsibility to come together to focus on and address the needs of women. We plan to kick off the caucus later this month.
  • We began drafting my first piece of legislation in the Senate —  to repeal the wildly unpopular Campus Carry bill that Governor Deal signed in 2017. Gun safety is one of my top priorities and I continue to hear from teachers and students that they feel less safe with this law in effect. The Capitol is a gun-free environment. Our students and teachers deserve the same sense of security as our lawmakers.
  • I signed on to several bills including SR 18 requiring the Secretary of State to be replaced if he/she qualifies to run for another political office, to prevent the very unethical practice of a Secretary of State overseeing his/her own election. I also signed SB 27 to allow TSA workers to draw unemployment benefits during the federal government shutdown to keep our airports running smoothly and safely during this very difficult and disruptive time for our federal workers and our country.

We are not in session next week so that we can attend hearings for Governor Kemp’s proposed budget — I’ll update you on that next week. The Governor did highlight certain budget priorities in his State of the State address which I support, such as raises for teachers and state employees, school safety grants, and extra funds for high school mental health counselors. His commitment to Medicaid expansion, however, was lacking details, so I will be paying close attention to the Senate Health Sub-Committee of Appropriations next week.

Our official legislative session will begin again on Monday, January 28th.

The best way I can represent you is to hear from you. Please feel free to contact or come by my office any time. My Senate web page is still under construction, but you can find my email address and office location there. My Senate office phone number is (404) 463-2260.

Yesterday, I picked up my copy of Governor Kemp’s proposed budget. Over the next few days, I’ll study it in more detail. And next week I’ll attend budget hearings to hear State Department Heads testify on behalf of their budget priorities.

My initial reaction is mixed. Thursday, in a joint session of the House & Senate, the Governor gave his “State of the State” speech. He proposed a $3,000 pay increase for teachers and a 2% raise for state employees — which is great, but I didn’t hear anything about updating our 30-year-old funding formula for public schools. Additionally, the Governor proposed $150 million for new voting machines, which would allow Georgia to purchase the most expensive, state-of-the-art voting machines. But it seems our leadership favors a barcode receipt that can’t be read by voters. Hand marked ballots read by scanners can be procured for only $30 million, providing an audit trail for a “real” recount. I support a system that gives voters full confidence. We owe that to Georgia voters, especially after this last election.

I’m also relieved to see $8.4 million proposed for mental health services for our high schools, but we must do more for healthcare overall. Medicaid expansion would provide healthcare to 500,000 more Georgians, primarily funded with Federal dollars that Georgia taxpayers have already sent to Washington.

Finally, school safety is a major concern for everyone. The Governor recognizes this and proposed $30,000 in grant money for each Georgia school to use for school security updates. But our kids and their teachers won’t truly be safe until we address gun reform wholistically, which so many of you told me is a top priority. My Democratic colleagues and I plan to introduce legislation for gun reform, voter rights and Medicaid expansion this session, as well as many other bills aimed at improving the lives of Georgians.

–Sally

Yesterday the Lieutenant Governor and the majority party leaders released the list of Senate committee assignments. Today, the women of the Senate responded.

When asked about why there was so little gender diversity in the committee leadership, Lt. Gov. Duncan claims that they actually have increased the number of women chairs from 2 to 4.

It’s important to note though that there are 27 committees, so even with this doubling of women chairs, we are still only 15% of the total leadership, and three of those four committees see very few bills. These are essentially “fake” committees where they pack Democrats, women, and people of color, to dilute their influence by not letting them do any legislative work. For example, “Special Judiciary”, chaired by a woman, handled just six bills in the last two years, while “Judiciary” handled 135 during that time. Women also chair “Science and Technology” and “Interstate Cooperation”, which handled just seven and three bills each.

Thousands of Georgians voted this past election to bring more diverse and progressive candidates to the State Senate. We are disenfranchising millions of voters when we prevent their legislators from playing a role in how bills that impact their communities are heard.

And that’s something I want to change. I will be serving on the Higher Education, Ethics, and Natural Resources Committees. I promise to do what I can wherever I can to support greater diversity in my committee work, and to look for opportunities to allow others to leverage my roles to stop suppression of progressive voices.

–Sally

Did you hear what happened in the Georgia Senate today?

One of the first things the new State Senate does is vote on the rules of procedure we must follow. Sometimes there are changes or additions. But whatever we change becomes a critical part of how we do the business of the people.

This year, Republican leadership suggested amendments to our rules and procedures, but didn’t give the minority party enough time to actually read them.

As our friends and family watched from the floor and the galleries, a historic day turned contentious.

The Republican majority leader wanted these rules changes to be “engrossed” – that is, to be voted on without the opportunity for modification during debate. The President Pro-Tem of the Senate issued a 5-minute recess during which time State Senators on both sides of the aisle had to scramble to read over a dozen pages of legal text as fast as possible and find any possible problems.

As Minority Leader Steve Henson said, “This isn’t the kind of thing you read and consider in the amount of time it takes to get a Diet Coke.”

One Republican State Senator called the lack of information “unprecedented.” Legislators requested at least the night to review them and vote on them the next day.

But the vote was held. The new rules were adopted 33 to 22 – along party lines.

What was in those changes? Why was this standard procedure no longer so “standard?” Some of the new rules provided more leeway for leadership to call the Capitol police if they felt someone peaceably objecting was too much of a distraction.

Another rule forces sexual harassment and other ethics complaints against Senators to be filed within two years (there had previously been no statute of limitations on such complaints).

Another changed the way committee assignments are made, and another changed “crossover day”. Some changes were small, some were big. None of them were seen by the Democratic senators before this morning.

This is just day one.

We must be vigilant. We must stand together. We must show our leaders that we are not going to stand silent while they abuse their power.

Tomorrow, we continue the fight to live up to our state motto: “Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation.”

–Sally

Sally Harrell’s Senate Campaign Video Highlights Newborn Hearing Screenings
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: press@sallyharrell.org

Chamblee, Ga. (Sept. 22, 2018) – September is Newborn Screening Awareness Month. In recognition, Georgia Senate District 40 Candidate and former State Rep. Sally Harrell has released two videos (https://youtu.be/bmjXyDJwunE and https://youtu.be/c0BbCEV897s) highlighting the importance of newborn hearing screenings and their effect on Georgia families.

Today, we take newborn health screenings for granted, but when Rep. Harrell took office in 1999, only 37 percent of Georgia hospitals were screening newborns for hearing. The former executive director of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies knew that had to change. With backing from pediatricians, she sponsored House Bill 717 to set up standards for statewide screenings.

Speaking from the well for the first time, Rep. Harrell told her colleagues, “Former Gov. Zell Miller grabbed the nation’s attention when he announced that every newborn would receive a classical music CD to stimulate early brain development. Unfortunately, we don’t know which infants can actually hear the music.”

She explained that if hearing loss is not detected before a newborn is discharged from the hospital, diagnosis is often delayed until the child is 2½ years of age. “Because language skills are highly developed by this age,” she said, “the window of opportunity for early intervention is lost. For some children, early diagnosis is the difference between speech and no speech.”

HB 717 passed unanimously and was a great success. Georgia soon reached its goal of screening 95 percent of newborns for hearing. Since then, thousands of Georgia families have benefited.

Carianne Muse, the mother of two children who are deaf, recently reached out to thank Harrell for her efforts and told her how important her legislation had been. Her second daughter, Ella, was born in 2009 with profound hearing loss. Early diagnosis gave her parents options for early intervention. Today, thanks to early treatment, Ella speaks without missing a beat, performs well in school, and plays guitar. “My favorite sound is a bird chirping,” she said.

“(HB717) made a huge impact on my family and many others,” her mother said. “The best thing was having an early diagnosis. Getting the diagnosis, we could get on a fast path to success. We’re incredibly grateful. I don’t think we would be where we are without this legislation.”

Harrell noted the danger if parents don’t take negative test results seriously. Failure to get early treatment can result in loss of both speech and learning ability for a child. “But if you take care of this early, you can have good outcomes,” she said.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done to make sure kids don’t fall through the cracks,” Harrell said, “I’m ready to go back to the Capitol and get that work done.”

For more information on Sally Harrell’s campaign for Georgia State Senate District 40, visit SallyHarrell.org.

###