Bomb Threat at the State Capitol

Yesterday six State Capitol buildings, including Georgia, received bomb threats. Although building searches determined the email messages were hoaxes, the threat is real.

Since Christmas, several of my colleagues in the Senate have been “swatted,” which means someone called the police reporting a horrible crime, giving an elected official’s home address. Police in swat gear then show up ready to take action. One of my colleagues who has a young child was swatted — her family had to exit their home with their hands up.

2024 is going to be a hellacious year for politics and Georgia will be in the center of it. I am ready to serve, but I need your help.

A few days after Christmas, federal district court Judge Jones ruled that the Republican redistricting maps drawn during the November special legislative session meet the demands of his order. These maps target several Democratic leaders and change the borders of many Democratic districts. Not only do I need YOUR help, but several of my colleagues need MY help.

Now is the time to stand up and take charge!

The 2024 Georgia General Assembly begins Monday, January 8th, and I cannot accept contributions while in session, so please consider making a re-election donation to my campaign NOW. By the time session ends in early April, we will be just weeks away from the primary elections.

Thank you for all your support through the years. I am strong, committed, and ready to act to protect our schools, your reproductive freedom, your voting rights and your safety. We are all in this together!

Donate before Jan 8 at: https://actblue.com/donate/sd40

Redistricting Redux 2023: Week One

The halls of the Georgia Capitol may be decked with boughs of holly, but the atmosphere of the Special Redistricting Session has not been merry.

TL;DR A federal judge ruled in late October that Georgia’s 2021 maps violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act by diluting Black voters (see last week’s Snapshot for background details). Now the legislature has until December 8th to fix the problem.

Once the maps are signed into law, federal judge Steve Jones will decide if his Order has been met. Should he rule that any of the new maps violate his Order, a “special master” will redraw the maps outside of the legislative process. Time is of the essence because candidates qualify to run in the 2024 elections this coming March.

In the meantime, Republicans took their case to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. A decision by the Appeals Court probably won’t occur until after the 2024 elections.

Putting Up a Fight

Democrats do not have the votes to stop these maps, so clearly our battleground is in the courts. But what we say and do legislatively is a matter of public record that the court can  consider in their findings. For this reason, both the Senate & House Democrats have filed bills with their own maps and members of your Senate Democratic Caucus wrote speeches at lightning speed and delivered them on the Senate floor Friday afternoon.  Watch the video of my speech by clicking the link at the bottom of this email.

An Accelerated Timeline

Senate & House Rules have been temporarily changed to shorten the amount of time needed to pass bills. And since Republican maps were not released until this week, hearings are being held with little or no notice. At this point, I predict that the U.S. House map will be on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday for its first vote, and the State House & Senate maps must both pass the other chamber. The last step to becoming law is the Governor’s signature.

Here’s What You Can Do

Go to the public portal to record your comments! (see link here) Take a moment to read other people’s comments and get a feel for what people across Georgia are saying, then post your own thoughts. Make it as personal as you can. Here’s some suggested language to use as a starting point.

“I’m a resident of DeKalb/Gwinnett County. I am extremely concerned about the severe disruption that the state legislative maps proposed by both the House and Senate Republicans will cause in my county [and my district if you live in a district that’s been disrupted by the GOP map]. DeKalb/Gwinnett County was NOT identified as an area of concern by Judge Jones. These are unnecessary changes that do not benefit Black voters, and do a grave disservice to DeKalb/Gwinnett County voters.”

“I am in favor of the Democratic maps proposed by the Senate and House Democrats because they more directly address the Voting Rights Act violations identified by the court, benefit more Black voters in Georgia, and minimize disruption to voters like me who live outside of the areas the courts identified.”

Map Details

U.S. House Map: The 2021 map reduced Democratic Congressional districts by one, despite significant growth in Black population. The new proposed map holds Democratic seats to 5, creating a majority-Black district on the west side of Atlanta in Fulton, Cobb, Douglas and Fayette counties. Charles Bullock, a highly respected UGA political science professor said Georgia legislators appear to be going “down the Alabama path.”

State Senate Map: Republican leadership protected all their own incumbents by adding Black voters to two majority-white Democratic districts to make them majority-Black. But just to create confusion, they strategically switched around district numbers. Black districts were sliced and diced and given new numbers, and thus called new Black districts (when they really weren’t), and majority-white districts were given numbers that used to be majority-Black districts and visa versa. Confused? So was I. For various reasons, I think it is very possible the Senate maps will be redrawn by a court appointed special master.

State House Map: Of all three maps, the State House map appears to mostly comply with the court order. However, House Republicans took advantage of opening the maps and targeted several highly talented Democrats by drawing them into districts with each other. This includes Reps. Sam Park and Greg Kennard of Gwinnett county, Reps. Saira Draper and Becky Evans of DeKalb county and Reps. Teri Anulewicz and Doug Stoner of Cobb county.

Other Happenings

New Staff: With only one thing on the agenda, you would think time would move slowly, but nothing is ever slow at the Georgia Capitol. I’ve been meeting with various Caucus Executive Committees to plan for the upcoming session and I also began training a new administrative assistant this week! Last month I said goodbye to Keridan Ogletree, who has been with me for five years, and this week I welcomed Peachtree Corners resident Kathlene Dorking. I look forward to introducing her further in the coming weeks.

Privileged Resolutions: During Special Sessions, the legislature cannot bring up any bills that are outside the agenda set by the Governor. However, Privileged Resolutions, used for honoring or offering condolences, can be considered.

Sadly, Republicans are using Privileged Resolutions to push controversial votes that they can use against Democrats in the 2024 elections. The Resolutions seem harmless on the surface, but embedded in them are typically a few sentences of controversial language that make me grimace. These non-binding resolutions were tricky votes for me this week, but I tried my best to stick to my values. If you have questions, please let me know.

That’s a lot to happen in three days! I’m sure next week will be just as busy.

Action Needed! To continue receiving your Snapshot in your in-box, please make sure you are reading it with images turned on. If you don’t see the photos in my posts, then Substack doesn’t know you are reading it, and they might drop you from my list!

Sally’s speech about the senate map:

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.