Sine Die! Those are the words that signify the end of the legislative session. We heard them earlier than expected on Friday night – although not as early as the Senate did. While Sine Die is usually full of controversial bills, it was surprisingly quiet this year. Instead, we faced a barrage of Republican-backed culture war bills on Wednesday, which ended up being one of the worst days many of us had seen at the State House. We don’t yet know a full list of what passed both chambers in the same format, so keep an eye out for more emails from me with a final list of what is heading to the Governor’s desk for signature.
Votes This Week
SB 1: I was incredibly disappointed to see SB 1, a version of the anti-trans sports ban that the House passed earlier this session. While I am glad that this version removed bathroom bans, I am still disappointed to see bills that bully children to further the GOP’s culture war instead of serving the people of Georgia. The bill also creates unnecessary litigation for our already overburdened schools. I voted no, but this bill passed.
SB 82: This bill works to ensure all public charter school applications receive fair consideration and also incentivizes school boards to approve worthy charters. I voted yes and this bill passed.
SB 93: Georgia Early Literacy Act. This is a Democratic bill similar to one the House passed earlier this session, which will increase resources for teaching literacy and remove the usage of the outdated three-cuing method. I voted yes and this bill passed the House unanimously.
SB 121: This bill increases the minimum insurance coverage required under a motor vehicle liability policy for an individual convicted of driving under the influence. I voted yes and this bill passed.
SB 151; Creates the Joint Development Authority of North Fulton Municipalities. This bill needlessly divides Fulton County. I voted no, but this bill passed.
SB 212: This bill bans political campaigns from collecting student data. While it claims to protect students from campaigns that are acting fraudulently, it puts restrictions on any groups that engage politically with students. Fraudulently collecting students’ data is already illegal. This bill claims to solve a problem that does not exist, and I am concerned that it will limit student political activity. I voted against and spoke against this bill, but it passed.
SB 100: Known as Andee’s Law, this bill allows adoptees to obtain copies of their original birth certificate once they turn 18. This gives adoptees the same rights non-adoptees already have. I voted yes and this bill passed.
SB 173: This bill allows attorneys to file notices of uncontested motions, which will help courts move matters more quickly. I voted yes and this bill passed unanimously.
SB 17: Inspired by a safety device used to save lives during the shooting at Apalachee High School, this bill mandates that schools implement a mobile panic alert system. These systems will help coordinate multiple emergency services in case of an emergency. I voted yes and this bill passed unanimously.
SB 132: This bill builds on our work to enact criminal justice reform to help those with mental incapacities. This allows for a hearing to determine whether an individual’s mental capacity to stand trial should be evaluated and ensures that this process will move more quickly, so those who should not stand trial are not waiting in jail for long periods of time. I voted yes and this bill passed.
SB 244: This is another example of Republicans’ extremist attempts at seeking revenge on President Trump’s behalf. If a defendant files a successful motion to dismiss a prosecutor from their case and their case is subsequently dismissed, this bill will allow the defendant to request that their legal fees be paid for by the county where the case was filed. This bill was designed specifically to make the taxpayers of Fulton County pay for President Trump’s legal fees after DA Fani Willis was dismissed from the case. This is pure political retribution that will hurt Fulton. There is a good part of this bill that will help provide compensation to victims of wrongful conviction, but I am incredibly disappointed that Republicans would only pass this much-needed measure by attaching it to this type of partisan warfare. I voted no, but this bill passed and heads to Governor Kemp’s desk.
SB 259: This bill gives parents the right to ask for a second medical opinion when a physician suspects child abuse. Stopping this type of abuse is extremely important, and so is ensuring that families are not traumatized and needlessly separated in cases of medical conditions that can be mistaken for abuse. I voted yes and this bill passed both chambers unanimously.
SB 291: This bill will create special license plates that say “America First” on them. This is an unprecedented move to put a partisan political slogan on a license plate – particularly given this phrase’s history as a slogan for the KKK and Nazi-sympathizer groups in the 1930s. I voted no, but this bill passed.
SB 36: Also known as RFRA, this is the so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Act that I’ve been working to amend for the last few weeks. Despite a bipartisan effort to amend it to prohibit discrimination, these amendments failed. I spoke against this bill and voted against it, but it passed and has already been signed by the Governor.
SB 255: This bill codifies a process by which the General Assembly can conduct investigations. This is another part of Republicans’ revenge tour. It was blatantly designed to go after D.A. Fani Willis. It provides no requirements to remove partisanship or even for the results of an investigation to be reported to the public. I voted no and spoke against this bill, but it passed.
SB 12: This is one bill I can report good news on. There was a last-minute effort to change this bill to expand restriction of what records the public could access for state agencies when they communicate with legislators. This proposal was very concerning, but thanks to our work in the Rules committee, we were able to remove this portion of the bill. It passed as a clean bill that clarifies the process for records requests, and I voted yes.
HR 347: Finally, a bill that actually helps girls’ sports! This resolution encourages schools to establish flag football programs for girls. I voted yes and this resolution passed the House unanimously.
SB 204: This is an example of what we call a Zombie Bill. While it started out as a Democratic bill on criminal justice reform, all of the original language was removed. Instead, it became an extremist Republican’s bill that will punish cities that passed safe storage gun laws – even though the House had passed a bill encouraging safe storage of firearms earlier this year. I spoke against this bill and voted against it, but it passed.
Page Shoutouts
I was joined by two pages for Sine Die, Clinton Goode and Ashley Evans! Clinton is a sophomore at Pace Academy. And I was thrilled to have my daughter Ashley by my side for the final day of Session. They were both troopers through such a long day.
Post-Sine Die Town Hall
Want to get a more in-depth look at everything that happened this Session? Join myself and Sen. Sonya Halpern on April 15th for a post-Sine Die discussion and final update on what made it through.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/qYLu70uwQG2lFFl4rJd8sw
Friends Keep Friends Informed
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409-D, Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Thank you for allowing me to continue to serve you,
