This week saw many more bills come to the floor of the House for a vote. We will be off on Monday for President’s Day, but as we approach Crossover Day, we can expect to see the number of votes increasing. Keep following my newsletter to stay informed on all of the biggest news from beneath the Gold Dome.
Votes This Week
After passing the Amended Budget last week, the House has been hearing and voting on bills consistently.
HB 81: This bill removes barriers to licensure for school psychologists, addressing the serious shortage of mental health professionals in schools. I voted yes.
HB 105: This bill increases the financial compensation given to the families of public school employees killed at work. While we voted unanimously to pass this bill, my colleagues Rep. Bryce Berry and Rep. Mekyah McQueen, both teachers, gave powerful speeches on the need to address the reason we need this bill: gun violence in our schools. I stand with them in remaining committed to not only addressing the impacts of these tragedies but working to prevent them from ever happening in the first place. I encourage you to watch their statements by clicking the links included in their names above. I voted yes.
HB 137: This is a long-needed update increasing the value of public works project contracts. The bill would increase the contract value amount from $100,000 or less to $250,000 or less for certain contracts that are exempt from specified contracting and bidding requirements. I voted yes.
HB 199: This bill is a follow up to some good work we did last year to protect the privacy and safety of judges by removing any publicly available personal details about them and their spouses from publicly available government sources. I voted yes.
HB 216: The Richard H. Smith Georgia CHIPS Advancement in Research and Economic Development Act, which will support education and training for jobs in the semiconductor industry in Georgia. This legislation honors the late former Rules Chairman and long-time Representative from Columbus, Richard Smith. I voted yes.
HB 36: While it eventually passed the House, I rose this week to speak against HB 36. This bill would expand the list of professionals who can give expert testimony to recommend that a person be placed in a guardianship or conservatorship. I agree with proponents of this bill that we need more medical professionals who are authorized to aid in this petition process, but we must ensure those professionals have the expertise relevant to the specific situation at hand. The vast majority of states do not have the expansive list that HB 36 proposes and those that do have specific language ensuring that the professional must have expertise specific to the ailments at issue in each particular case. If we expand our list, I feel we must do the same. Removing someone’s personal freedom is a very serious step. I hope my colleagues in the Senate will add that language. I voted no to register my concerns, but I do hope the bill ultimately passes, but only with the limiting language. The author has promised to work to add such language in the Senate. You can watch my remarks by clicking the video below.
Nominate a Servant Leader in Our Community
Each year the Georgia Women’s Legislative Caucus honors women throughout Georgia through the Nikki T. Randall Servant Leader Awards. The awards recognize those who have selflessly given to others through community service. I’ll be selecting an honoree for our district, and I need your help! Please nominate the wonderful women around us. Send name and a brief description of the person’s community service efforts to Rachel at [email protected]. I need to make the selection this week so please send nominations by Monday February 17th (sorry for the short turn around!). Previous recipients from District 57 include Linda Brenner, Jane Rawlings, and Lisa Cannon Taylor. Recipients will be honored during the Yellow Rose Ceremony in March.
Legislative Town Hall
Our next Legislative Town Hall will take place on March 12 from 7-8:30. I’ll be joined by Sen. Sonya Halpern to discuss all of updates we’ll have after Crossover Day. A registration link will be sent out soon!
Highlighting Our Pages
This week, I was thrilled to be joined by another wonderful page. Greer Hanlon is a freshman at the Howard School. She runs cross country and track and field. Her endurance came in handy as she had her second trip to the Capitol to page with me!
Standing Up for Women
President Trump won the Election and he gets to set policy because of that, but we cannot pretend he is something he is not. On Tuesday, one of my Republican colleagues stood on the floor of the House to celebrate President Trump as “protector of women” for his signing of an executive order banning trans girls from playing sports. In response, I stood with my colleagues on Wednesday to remind the House what President Trump’s true record is on protecting women. Watch Rep. Ann Allen Westbrook read his own words from the Access Hollywood tapes here.
Raising Awareness for Lupus
On Thursday, I joined many of my fellow Representatives in wearing purple to raise awareness for Lupus.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours – and especially to my valentines, Andrew, Ashley, and Jack.
Friends Keep Friends Informed
Thank you for staying involved! Now it’s time to bring your friends along with you. You can invite someone to subscribe to this newsletter via our website. You can get in-depth information on current bills, committee meetings, and watch livestreams of session at https://www.legis.ga.gov/.
Your questions, concerns, and needs are important to me. Please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. You can follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more updates. All of my constituents are welcome to visit my office at the Capitol. We encourage you to stop by!
My office is located at:
18 Capitol Square, SW
409-D, Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Thank you for allowing me to continue to serve you,
