The 2024 legislative session is over! We completed the twelfth and final week of the legislative session last week, with Sine Die last Thursday. I will be sending an email in the next several days with a full list of what made it across both chambers before the town hall. So make sure you are on the lookout for that and registered to join us on Tuesday, April 9th!
Post-Session Town Hall Next Week!
We will be having our last town hall of the 2024 Legislative Session on Tuesday, April 9th at 7pm. State Senator Sonya Halpern and I will bring you the latest news from the Gold Dome post-session and answer any of your questions. You can register here.
Retirements
We had a couple more retirements in the House, Representative Gloria Frazier and Minority Leader James Beverly. This means a lot of changes in the House await us next year!
Minority Leader James Beverly has decided to retire from the Georgia House and is not running for re-election, but he will maintain his duties as Minority Leader until November.
Representative Gloria Frazier has also decided to retire. I will miss her smiling face so much. She has been a rock for our Caucus and a mentor to me.
AJC’s “Politically Georgia” appearance
I recorded with AJC’s “Politically Georgia” podcast last Tuesday where I discussed some of the legislative priorities for 2024, the last week of session, and what the future possibly holds.
You can read the article and listen to the podcast here. My remarks begin at 25:25 in the podcast clip.
House Study Committee on Semesters versus Quarters
I co-sponsored a House Resolution HR1384 for a study committee on assessing the semester and quarter systems at USG and TCSG institutions that was adopted on Thursday. You can watch my remarks below.
Stopping Bad Bills
We were thankfully able to stop all the anti-trans bills that were introduced this session from passing both chambers. This is a huge win for families who are able to keep control over medical decisions alongside medical professionals! We were also able to stop SB69 that Republicans introduced to erect a statue of Justice Clarence Thomas at the Georgia Capitol.
Sports Betting will have to wait.
But there is still good news!
As I predicted, the sports betting legislation did not make it through this year, but on the bright side, my reserves release language that has been traveling with all sports betting and other gaming legislation for the last four years DID receive final passage on Tuesday as part of another bill! This language will force spending of the excess lottery reserves over time—10% of the excess each year. This means approximately $120million over the next year alone! This is a huge win for Pre-K and I am thrilled to of been a part of this victory!
Wrongful Conviction Panel Dies
Despite our best efforts, the wrongful conviction panel legislation, HB364, died in the Senate committee after passing in the House. This bill would establish a panel to consider compensation decisions rather than forcing those exonerated to find a representative to sponsor an individual resolution. We need to do what is right for those who have been wronged by the state. I hope to be more successful with this next year.
Speaking up against unfunded mandates and burden for our elections boards
SB189 is an unnecessary bill that puts more burden on our local elections with new unfunded mandates, and attempts to fix an issue that is not there. This bill would allow for more mass voter challenges and could disqualify more voters. We come back every year with a new election bill, without giving any time to see if they are working in the name of having “the most secure elections”. These bills do not make us secure but instead chip away at the confidence in our elections. You can watch my remarks on this bill below.
Special Visitors at the Capitol
I had a very special page on Sine Die, my daughter Ashley! Ashley has been to the Capitol many times over the years, but this was her first time as an official page. She did a great job!
I was also very happy to have Max Collie as a page on Thursday. Max is in sixth grade at Westminster School and seems destined for a career in politics. Thanks for your help Max!
Not only did I have the pleasure of having my daughter with me most of the day but I had the rest of my family join me on the evening of Sine Die.
