Bills Are Flying

Well, some bills are flying.

Number of Republican Bills on Senate Floor: 69

Number of Democratic Bills on Senate Floor:  0

Crossover Day is this Thursday, the deadline by which bills have to pass one chamber to get to the other. Under pressure to make this do or die deadline, legislators were seen running this week from one Committee room to another, with their bills flying behind them.

Flying Blind

Bills weren’t the only thing flying. The Senate rules seemed to have flown out the window this week as well. For instance, Committee agendas are supposed to be publicly posted at least 24 hours in advance of Committee meetings. But this week, meeting agendas were published late, and bills did not show up until just before the meetings.

Here are some of the bills that Republicans tried to fly under the radar:

Penalties Land on School Librarians

In the Senate Education and Youth Committee, Republicans approved SB 154, a bill that imposes criminal penalties on public school librarians for having “inappropriate materials” in their school libraries. The bill author claims to be protecting minors from sexually explicit content, but as we’ve seen in schools around the country, this is often the first step in banning content that might make students feel “uncomfortable,” such as the history of American slavery, or even the Holocaust.

School Recess Gains Altitude

My Recess bill that gives kids unstructured playtime regardless of whether physical education is on their schedule for the day, SB 432, was on the same agenda as SB 154 in both a Subcommittee and the full Committee. The debate on SB 154 took so long in the Subcommittee that the experts I invited to testify only had two minutes to speak. How do you sum up decades of research in two minutes?  At least I was able to break the tension in the full Committee by starting my presentation with, “This bill has nothing to do with sex.” SB 432 sailed through both Committees with flying colors.

The Hawks Swoop in

The other day on my way out of the Capitol, I noticed a hawk with the moonlight behind it sitting in a tree. It reminded me of the system that was created when the Republicans took over in the early 2000s. They appointed members of their Caucus to swoop into Committee meetings at the last minute whenever they needed votes. They literally called  these men “the Hawks.”

Senate Hawks descended on the Government Oversight Committee this week to vote for SB 390, a bill that prohibits local libraries from purchasing materials from the American Library Association (ALA) and no longer requires library directors to be ALA accredited. When Democrats challenged the Republican non-Committee members that showed up to vote, the Chairman showed us a letter from the Lt. Governor appointing them to the Committee.

Chaplains in Schools Take Off

The Government Oversight Committee also considered SB 379, a bill to allow chaplains to provide support and guidance to students, much like they do in the military and for firefighters. The original bill allowed chaplains to be hired in lieu of school counselors, but a Committee substitute changed that to say that they were to be in addition to school counselors.

I had my hand up the entire meeting, but the Committee Chairman never called on me. Had I been called on, I was prepared to point out that schools should be required to obtain parental consent before a child meets with a chaplain. SB 379 is a step toward introducing religion — primarily Christianity — in public schools. The bill passed along party lines.

Ending Automatic Registration Flies In the Face of Logic

In the Senate Ethics Committee, Republicans approved SB 221, a bill that among other things, eliminates automatic registration. The meeting featured testimony from an election denier and fake elector who claimed that automatic registration creates duplicate registrations. Yet, the Secretary of State’s office says that automatic voter registration is the best way to ensure accurate voting records and verify citizenship. Ending automatic registration is nothing more than a blatant attempt to keep young people, who trend Democratic, off the voter rolls.

This bill also makes voter challenges easier by allowing unreliable change of address data to be used in voting challenges. This session, I filed SB 321, a bill to strengthen the burden of proof for voting challenges, but I’ve been unable to get a hearing.

Religious Freedom Takes Another Test Flight

A religious freedom bill, SB 180, appeared in the Senate Judiciary Committee late this week. Bill supporters claim it’s needed to protect citizens’ rights to practice their religion without government intrusion. But we know these laws can be used as a license to discriminate against members of the LGBTQ+ community and prohibit members of the Jewish community from adopting children from Christian organizations.

Governor Nathan Deal vetoed a religious freedom bill in 2016 after the business community voiced strong opposition and we hadn’t seen another one since. There’s now a resurgence of these bills across the country, with supporters emboldened by an extreme Supreme Court.

The Amended Budget Comes in for a Landing

Late in the week, the Senate approved HB 915, the amended FY 23/24 budget, also known as “the little budget.” The bill increases the state’s current budget by $5 billion to include bonuses already paid to state employees, road projects (funded from general funds instead of the gas tax), and new dental and medical schools. The increase will help pay down state debt including $500 million in a state employee pension benefits fund. The Senate and the House agreed on 95% of the bill, but it will now go to an Appropriations Conference Committee to work through the differences.

Clubhouse Atlanta: This year, I submitted a funding request for Clubhouse Atlanta, a mental health non-profit in Dunwoody that provides recovery care to people struggling with chronic mental illness. Clubhouse Atlanta is based on a model that subscribes to a set of 37 specific standards. It’s been proven to provide significant benefits to both the individual member and the community by providing a place for members to come to terms with their illness, make sense of the world, and build self-confidence.

This week, I invited Clubhouse Atlanta’s founder Susie Kyle and Executive Director Denise Brodsky to meet with Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Kevin Tanner to discuss how Clubhouse Atlanta could help meet the needs of the department to keep people out of crisis and out of the hospitals.

What’s Next

This coming week will be long, ending with Crossover Day on Thursday Feb 29th. All of the controversial bills that passed Committee this week will most likely end up on the Senate floor. The good news is that I’ll have two bills — SB 198, the Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Innovation Commission, and SB 432, the Recess Bill — to potentially move on Crossover day, a very strong position for a member of the minority party.

Donna’s Law: Sen. Elena Parent and I are partnering on SB522, which seeks to create a voluntary “no-sell” gun registry for people who experience suicidal ideations, so they can take self-protective action. This Wednesday, Feb. 28th the bill will have a hearing in the Senate Public Safety Committee, and we will hold a press conference at 3pm. We’d love to see you there!

Sine Die: March 28th. I hear the bills arriving from the House aren’t quite as bad as the bills the Senate has launched. May the House consider some of the Senate’s bad bills dead on arrival. 🙏🏻

Using a Megaphone

Being political means taking a risk and using your voice to communicate a shared vision based on values. For me, using the Senate to amplify my voice has been a journey of growth!

New Video Launch: I’ll be honest, I’d much rather write a newsletter than record a video. But young people take in their content through “reels” and it’s important to reach this audience. So I have challenged myself to “step out of my comfort zone” to create regular video content. This week we launched “What’s It To You?” a video series aimed at teaching young people why state government matters.

So much goes into making just one video — finding the right setting, lighting, wardrobe, makeup, script writing, filming and editing. Two of my neighbors, Mria Dangerfield and Stephanie Bogle have been instrumental in helping me. Our first video did well on Instagram and generated some interesting comments – people are hungry to tell politicians what they think!

If you haven’t already, please follow me on Instagram (@sallyharrellga) and share my videos and encourage others to do the same!

Voicing Objections to Last Minute Voting Machine Changes

Banning Barcodes, SB 189: This week, the debate about ballot barcodes came full circle. In 2019, when we debated the new voting machine bill, I introduced an amendment in committee to eliminate the barcode, arguing the public can’t read barcodes to verify their vote is correctly recorded. When the Republicans all voted down my amendment, I warned them this would come back to bite them.

I was more than happy to remind them of that when I delivered the Minority Report against SB 189 this week. The time to eliminate barcodes was then. I agree with our Secretary of State that there is no time to make this change with a presidential election around the corner.

Calling the Question: When debate on SB 189 began after lunch, the Republicans weren’t in their seats, so one of my Democratic colleagues moved to “call the question,” which brought the bill to an immediate vote. But obviously a group text went out, because Republicans streamed into the chamber like ants while the Lt. Governor stalled. Republicans passed the bill with 29 votes – the bare minimum needed to pass a bill.

Narrowing the Vote Gap

This year I’ve noticed Republicans frequently having only the minimum 29 votes to pass their bills. While Democrats aren’t yet the majority, we’ve narrowed the gap significantly. Republicans have to be careful to stay close to their seats because they don’t have votes to spare. This is progress! Your work is making a difference.

A Visit from a Republican Chairman Speaks Volumes

It’s not often that a member of the majority party visits with the Democratic Caucus. This week a Republican Chairman, knowing he needs our votes, came to tell us about a Constitutional Amendment Resolution he’s sponsoring. Constitutional amendments require a 2/3rd vote for passage. This gives us leverage for negotiations for things that we want.

The Disabilities Community Gets Loud Again

Wednesday began with a press conference for the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities Advocacy Day. Our message was “Getting the Job Done.”

Later, I used my voice in the Senate well to encourage my colleagues to keep an eye out for our disability advocates. When I was called out to the rope line myself, an advocate saw me and said, “We don’t need to talk to you. You’re driving the train!”

Senate Democrats Sound Off on Gun Holiday and Anti-Union Bills

Tax Holiday for Guns: Our floor debates have been stronger and more substantive this year, thanks to the quality speeches of Senate Democrats. This week, we debated SB 344, a 5-day tax holiday for gun sales. One Democratic Senator argued that more Georgians would benefit from a tax holiday on diapers and formula, menstrual products, and school supplies like we used to have in Georgia. Once again, the voices of women legislators colored the debate on the Senate floor!

The Governor’s Anti-Union Bill: On Thursday, we had an hours-long debate on SB 362, Governor Kemp’s bill to prohibit companies that take state incentives from voluntarily recognizing new labor unions. Democrats argued that this bill preempts the National Labor Relations Act that protects labor and business’ rights to choose one of two options to recognize unions — a voluntary recognition process or a secret ballot process — and will ultimately waste taxpayer dollars in court challenges.

Several Democrats shared their personal positive experiences with unions and how they were responsible for good wages, benefits, and employee protections. Overall, unions are becoming more popular. A 2023 Gallup poll found that 67% of Americans approve of labor unions. Younger people are recognizing the importance of unions. My oldest child lost a job for trying to start a union and my younger child participated in a picket line for professors at his university the same day we debated SB 362.

Calling Out Government Overreach

The Marxist & Lesbian American Library Association: In the Government Oversight Committee, we heard testimony on SB 390, a bill that would prohibit local libraries from purchasing materials from the American Library Association (ALA) and no longer require library directors be ALA accredited. The ALA recently became a lightning rod for the right because they don’t approve of its director.

SB 390 came from the author’s experience in his community with a librarian who applied for an ALA grant that included a request for LGBTQ books. When the Senator spoke with the librarian and expressed his concern about the material, she was evidently unapologetic.

I told the bill author about my own personal experience finding “advanced” books in the young adult section of our library before I thought my kids were ready. But all I needed was a helpful resource like the website “Common Sense Media” that rates books, websites and games, to help parents understand what is age-appropriate. The solution to this problem could be as simple as putting up posters directing parents to this helpful resource instead of trying to institute a statewide overreaction to what should be a local and parental decision.

How to Make Your Voices Heard

Lately, it feels like the avenues for making your voice heard at the Capitol are getting more difficult. Email is largely ineffective, Republican bills are pushed through fast, and committee chairs aren’t allowing many hearings.

But we cannot be deterred. The best way to “Be Loud” these days is to show up to the rope lines and call out legislators to discuss an issue you’re passionate about. Grab a buddy and make a day of it.

You can also join one of the many Lobby Days held by advocacy organizations. They start in the morning, train you on the issue and how to speak to legislators. Find an organization that fits with your area of interest and register for their event.

There are lots of upcoming Lobby Days this month:

• Georgia Reproductive Justice Advocacy Day by SisterSong, Planned Parenthood SE, and others. Thursday, February 15th. Register here.
• Georgia ERA Day, by the ERA Coalition. Wednesday, February 21, Register here.
• Moms Demand Action for Gunsense Advocacy Day, February 21, Register here.
• Medicaid Coverage Expansion Day, Cover Georgia, Monday, February 26, Register here.

If you have ideas about how to use your voice to influence what happens at the Gold Dome, please “reply” to this Snapshot email and share! I’m always looking for ways voters and advocates can influence the process!

Finally, tune in to Georgia Public Broadcasting to see me on “Lawmakers” this Monday night, Feb. 12th, at 7pm.

Politics Under the Gold Dome are Heating Up

Republicans and Medicaid Expansion – Is There a Spark of Interest?

There’s been some talk recently about a handful of Republicans in the Georgia House who’ve voiced support for expanding Medicaid. And indeed, the Speaker of the House, Jon Burns, actually brought up the subject in his speech at “Eggs & Issues.” But he only referenced the need to collect data.

If the Speaker needs data, we have plenty of it!

Still recovering from COVID Monday morning, I joined my Senate Democratic colleagues via Zoom for a presentation by the non-profit “Georgians for a Healthy Future” on prospects for expanding Medicaid in Georgia. North Carolina passed Medicaid expansion last year, partly by compromising on Certificate of Need policies, a system dating back to the 1970s that regulates supply and demand in healthcare. There has been much debate recently in Georgia about our Certificate of Need (CON) policies. Surprisingly, we were told Monday morning that Medicaid expansion does more to protect rural hospitals than CON regulations, where the data is mixed.

So if there’s room for compromise, we need to start looking at what kind of Medicaid model could pass in Georgia. The Governor’s “Pathways to Coverage” program, which is a small Medicaid expansion, has only enrolled a tiny fraction of Georgia’s low-income uninsured (2,350 out of 434,000). Because this small program does not draw down Federal dollars at the rate of full Medicaid expansion, Pathways costs Georgia, per person, five times what full Medicaid expansion would cost.

“The best plan is the plan that can get passed by this legislature,” said Laura Colbert, Executive Director of Georgians for a Healthy Future. She then went on to present the Arkansas private option model, where Medicaid premiums are used to pay for private market plans. There are some advantages to this plan in Georgia, the main one being that it gets around Georgia’s abysmally low Medicaid reimbursement rates, which could improve access to care.

While I think there is hope on the horizon for Medicaid expansion in Georgia, I don’t think we’ll get it this year, because, “it’s an election year.”

The Senate Gives Our Election System Third Degree Burns 

I hear a lot of talk in the hallways about it being an election year. What this means in our Republican controlled legislature is that bills coming to the floor serve as a prelude to the battles that will be fought in Republican primaries. And sadly, these primaries have moved from battles of the far-right, to battles of bizarre conspiracy. By the end of the week, we saw this in full force in the bills that came to the floor.

Using their majority vote, Republicans appointed an election denier to the State Elections Board (SR 443), voted to remove the Secretary of State from the State Election Board (SB 358) and voted to ban ranked choice voting statewide, at all levels of government, except for overseas voting (SB 355).

Republicans also voted to create a special investigations committee to investigate Fani Willis (SR 465), which stated that verifying the truths of allegations about her romantic relationship with the special district attorney will “cast doubt as to the validity of the charges her office has brought in regard to the 2020 Presidential election.” But the low point came when our Lt. Governor prematurely cut off debate, silencing Democrats who had speeches planned. Debate is an essential part of any deliberative body, which is critical to a democracy.

Gun Safety, Mental Health & Reproductive Freedom – Putting Out Fires

On a more positive note, civic engagement is really up at the Capitol! I had the pleasure of attending three press conferences this week. The first was on Reproductive Freedom, where I explained to the press how the abortion ban law is impacting Georgia’s ability to train new ob-gyns. Because doctors-in-training can’t practice life saving procedures that involve abortion, I explained how when doctors choose not to train here due to our laws, they don’t end up practicing here either. Access to ob-gyns across the state will worsen. This caught the attention of WABE, where my explanation was aired. It’s a bit of an out-of-body feeling when I’m driving along the road listening to the news, and I hear my own voice. It’s like, “Oh, yeah, she has a point!”

I also joined a very well attended press conference on Mental Health, as well as one on Gun Safety organized by Georgia Majority for Gun Safety. The ability of these groups to organize citizens, unite voices and create a narrative in the press is impressive!

A Very Difficult Vote: HB 30

The week I faced the most difficult vote of all of my time in the legislature. HB 30 is the bill that attaches the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) examples of antisemitism to Georgia’s discrimination and hate crime laws.

On the surface, it seems like it should be a simple vote. I stand against antisemitism, so I should vote yes. Yet it was not simple.

The war in Gaza brought out additional voices from people I represent. They told me that codifying the IHRA examples makes them feel fearful about speaking out against the war. Some of them have family and friends in Gaza and the level of death and destruction they have experienced is unimaginable.

On the other hand, antisemitic threats have increased and my Jewish constituents want more protection. Many of them also have family in Israel and are feeling grief and pain at losses incurred in the October 7th attack.

Inclusivity is one of my core values, and I have a responsibility to listen. This pushed me to carefully study the IHRA examples myself and I found some of the examples troubling, particularly the one about critiquing the behavior of the Israeli government. So I consulted an attorney, and was told that using the IHRA examples to determine intent depends on prosecutors and law enforcement acting in reasonable ways. This gave me pause, because in this day and age we don’t always get reasonableness where we should.

Codifying specific examples of hate into Georgia law has not been done before and I’m uncertain how it will play out. I don’t know if HB 30 will help or if it will cause further harm. It brings up questions of whether other groups should also codify examples, which groups those might be, or whether or not examples should even be codified. There are those that want to outlaw criticism and protest of our own government. Does this law provide a blueprint for them?

So with HB 30, I found myself in a situation with more questions than answers, and whether I voted up or down, I knew I would be hurting people I care about and want to protect. Abstaining was the only way I could recognize all the voices of my diverse district.

I remain committed to standing against damaging and hateful behavior. And I will always look deeply to find the voices of vulnerable people.

HB30 https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/63524

IHRA https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism

Not for the Faint of Heart

High Alert

Security was on the minds of those who entered the Georgia Capitol Monday morning for the 2024 legislative session. Greeted at the door by a State Trooper, Sen. Josh McLaurin and I were asked to walk through the metal detectors, despite flashing our “Senator” badges which would normally get us waved through. I wondered how this new protocol would be received, since I have long suspected some legislators bypass the “no guns in the Capitol” rule. But alas, this new Trooper had misunderstood his instructions — no metal detectors for the electeds.

Mid-week, Capitol Security briefed us on what to do in case of a bomb threat. We’ve been briefed about shootings before, but never bombs.

Several Senators made speeches during our opening session to acknowledge that things have gone too far. I felt a glimmer of hope that we might turn down the divisiveness — at least for the sake of our own safety. I am making my own efforts to approach my colleagues, even those with whom I disagree strongly, in a way that honors our common humanness.

The legislature is one the few places where people of different views come together to debate what divides us. It is up to us to set the example of how to do that with civility.

Armed with Love and Support

Thanks to everyone who gave so generously to my re-election campaign.  Each and every donation uplifted my spirits, giving me the courage to face these uncertain times with confidence and hope. If you didn’t get a chance to make a donation, you can do so after the session is over. The end of session, Sine Die, is scheduled for March 28th.

A Glimpse of the Battles Ahead

The first week of session is full of collegiality and anticipation. The President pro tempore of the Senate, who happens to be named John F. Kennedy (he’s a Republican) invited us to lunch at the Capital City Club, where he treated us to an elegant lunch as well as stories from former President pro-tems.

Eggs & Issues: Mid-week I got up super early and headed down to the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Eggs and Issues Breakfast, held for the first time at the Mercedes Benz Stadium. 2,600 attendees sat around tables that literally filled the field. Next year I need to remember to wear flat shoes. Heals and artificial turf don’t go well together.

This event is particularly exciting because it gives the first sneak peak at the priorities of the Governor, the Lt. Governor and the Speaker of the House. Sometimes if you read between the lines, you can pick up on what tensions might arise during session, and who might run for what political office.

State of the State: On Thursday Senate members formally processed to the House Chamber to hear the Governor’s State of the State address. I found it to be a mixed bag. On the one hand, it was full of government bashing, anti-union rhetoric and support for for-profit schools and healthcare. But on the other hand, I heard him commit to pay raises for state employees, teachers and retirees, and historic levels of funding for mental health and caretakers.

Immediately following the Governor’s State of the State speech he released his proposed budget, which I am just beginning to study. Next week will focus exclusively on budget hearings, when Commissioners and Department heads make their pitches to the Appropriations Committees prior to the legislature taking up the budget.

A Word about the Surplus: I don’t really like this word because it makes it sound like we collected more money than we need. Nothing could be further from the truth. Since Georgia is required to have a balanced budget each year, the Governor is tasked with estimating how much revenue will come in. Governor Kemp has been lowballing the revenue estimate which means when the revenue comes in higher, he calls that a surplus.

Fighting Fires Already

The second year of a two-year session gets right to business. Bills that didn’t pass last year stay alive and can be acted on this year, but if they don’t pass this year they die.

Two bills found their way to the Senate floor this week.

Gwinnett County Cityhood: On Wednesday, the Gwinnett delegation was handed a bill creating the City of Mulberry. On Friday, the bill came to the floor for a vote, but with the signature of only one Republican Senator. The Gwinnett delegation, which has a Democratic majority, had been bypassed. Following a quick study of the rules, we appealed to the Secretary of the Senate, who agreed that the bill had been improperly moved out of Committee. By Friday, the Republican Senator who signed the bill was appointed Chair of the Committee by the Lt. Governor. Something doesn’t smell quite right.

Sports Betting: The other bill that came to the Senate floor this week was Sports Betting. Talk about priorities! In all fairness, the author of the bill said he brought it forward quickly so that we could get it over with. It didn’t work — we didn’t take a vote this week.

Re-Charging in the District

Spending time in the district helps recharge my batteries. On Thursday, I attended Brookhaven’s historic swearing-in ceremony of its first Asian American mayor, John Park, and its first Latino Councilmember, Michael Diaz, creating the most diverse city council in North DeKalb. This was the result of a deliberate effort by the city and specifically Councilman John Funny, who worked to engage more citizens of color in city government.

Friday night, I attended Temple Emanuel’s Georgia Legislature and Judiciary Welcome Shabbat and then the Georgia Legislative Update breakfast at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Dunwoody on Saturday morning. The spiritual nurturing was much appreciated!

Meet the Team

I couldn’t do what I do without a strong team beside me. This year we have some new team members who will help me serve you.

• Amy Swygert, who has been with me since I began in the Senate in 2019, is back again. I’ve changed her title once again to “Chief of Staff” since we’ve staffed up since the pandemic! Amy helps keep track of my legislative agenda, works with legislative counsel to research and draft legislation, manages my communications, and more.

• I was thrilled to hire Gwinnett county resident Kathlene Dorking this fall as my new administrative assistant. Kathlene also works for Senator Sheik Rahman. Kathlene will be helping with constituent services, scheduling, and keeping up with phone calls and emails.

• Lillian Hanson, a public policy major at Georgia Tech from my district (the younger sister of one of my former Girl Scouts), will be working with us as a part-time intern. Lillian’s interested in criminal justice reform and I have a growing interest in providing better access to educational opportunities for incarcerated people, so she will be tracking relevant legislation and helping me build out a network of experts and advocates in that arena.

If you would like to follow along with “Budget Week” next week, you can tune in to all the budget hearings via the state’s livestream. It’s a great way to learn about how our state government works and all the challenges our state leaders face.