The Parent Press: Week 8 of the 2021 Legislative Session
Greetings!
Last week was a busy and troubling week. Monday, March 8 was Crossover Day – the day by which legislation has to clear at least one chamber in order to become law this year – at the Georgia Legislature. Senate Republicans passed their omnibus voter suppression bill (SB 241), which will restrict voter access and deny Georgians their rights, on a 29-20 party line vote. Four Republican Senators and the Lieutenant Governor boycotted the vote. There were no votes to spare; if the Republicans had lost one more vote, they would not have met the threshold (29 votes) for a bill to pass.
While most of the news out of Crossover Day was bad news, Democrats in the House and Senate were able to pass several positive pieces of legislation as well. Other news includes Governor Kemp's decision to expand the categories eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine to include Georgians over the age of 55 as well as those with high-risk conditions, the federal funds that Georgia will receive as a part of the American Rescue Plan and more!
Crossover Day 2021: Recap
Attacking Voting Rights
Crossover Day was the last day for Senate Republicans to pass their unpopular voter suppression legislation. Unfortunately, despite unified and fierce opposition from Democrats (and some Republicans, though their opposition wasn't as fierce), Republican leadership forced through a destructive omnibus voter suppression bill, SB 241. This legislation would do everything from end no-excuse absentee voting, limit voting days and hours, and ban the use of mobile poll sites.
Other voting bills that passed the Senate on Monday are SB 72, SB 74, SB 202 and SB 62.
SB 67, SB 89, SB 184 and SB 188 passed the Senate before Crossover Day.
I Will Not Back Down from the Fight to Protect the Vote
Last Monday, Republicans in the Senate faced a choice: were they willing to risk their own power, or that of their party, in order to preserve and defend our democracy?
When they voted "yes" on SB 241, they told us their answer — no. The foundation for each and every one of the restrictive voting bills that have been introduced this session was a lie. As elected officials, we have a responsibility to be faithful to our constituents and tell them the truth about the status of democracy in Georgia. This who do not should be held accountable. I was quoted in a front-page story on Georgia voter suppression bills in The Washington Post - read it here.
If the House passes these bills, and the Governor signs them into law, regular citizens, regardless of their party, will lose their power and their voice. To choose to disenfranchise Georgians of all political stripes, and take away the ease and efficiency of participating in the democratic process, is fundamentally immoral.
The only way to gain and retain power is to win people over with the power of your ideas. I know that there are thousands of Georgians whose political spirit has been awakened by disgust at this modern day effort to suppress and restrict access to the vote. Ultimately, it will be those Georgians who will defeat this legislation.
Click the image below to watch me deliver my speech against SB 241 on the Senate floor!
Other "Bad" Bills that Passed on Crossover Day
HB 290 is legislation that would require hospitals to allow visitation, even during infectious disease outbreaks. The bill does not take into consideration federal regulations as it pertains to ensuring the safety of patients.
HB 517 provides more transparency for a voucher program that hides $100M annually, but allows individuals and corporations to deduct more of their taxes to be funneled to private schools.
"Good" Bills that Passed on Crossover Day
SB 97: This legislation would permit state HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) to award out-of-state tuition differential waivers to students who would not be eligible for in-state tuition for up to 4% of the student body.
SB 106: This legislation would add wraparound services to the multi-tiered system of support provided to Pre-K through 8th Grade students prior to expulsion or suspension from school for more than five consecutive or cumulative days during a school year.
SB 90: This legislation would create the Georgia Commission on African American History and Culture to promote Black history in Georgia.
SB 253: This legislation would require notice of polling place relocations seven days before and on the day of the first election. Each notice would state the location it was moved from and would direct electors to the new location.
HB 479 repeals the antiquated citizen's arrest law and prohibits individuals from detaining and arresting other individuals.
HB 255 would allow victims of sexual assault to keep track of evidence in their cases as it moves through the criminal justice system, from collection, to receipt, storage and analysis.
HB 231 would extend domestic violence protective orders to individuals in dating relationships.
Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan
Last week, the U.S. Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, which Joe Biden signed into law. The pandemic and the associated economic crisis have had a severe impact on Georgia, and the need for action is clear.
Since the pandemic began, more than 1 million Georgians have been infected with COVID-19 and almost 18,000 of our fellow citizens - friends, neighbors and loved ones - have died. Hundreds of thousands of people are still out of work and desperate for help. More than 900,000 adults in our state – 14% of the adult population in total – report not having enough food to eat. Over 400,000 of these adults have children and report that their children also do not have enough to eat. children in their household do not have enough to eat. 23% of renters have fallen behind on rent, and cannot figure out how to catch up. An estimated 40% of all adults statewide are having trouble covering normal household expenses.
President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will provide Georgia with:
$5.073 billion in state fiscal relief
$3.559 billion in local fiscal relief
More than $4.345 billion in relief for K-12 schools
Economic impact payments of up to $1,400 per person (above the $600 per
person provided in December) for more than 6,255,700 adults and 2,919,400 children. This is 88% of all adults in the state and 88% of all children in the state.
Additional relief of up to $1,600 per child through the Child Tax Credit to the families of 2,274,000 children, lifting 171,000 children out of poverty
Additional relief of up to nearly $1,000 through the Earned Income Tax Credit to 572,000 childless workers, including many in frontline jobs
Marketplace health insurance premiums that are $1,406 lower per month for a 60-year old couple earning $75,000 per year
Additional Medicaid match that means Georgia will receive between $1.4 and $2 billion dollars if we finally expand Medicaid, covering 470,000 Georgians and paying the state's share of Medicaid for NINE years
Allowing expansion of postpartum Medicaid coverage for up to 12 months (Georgia right now is at 6 months)
We are still in the midst of a crisis. Our state leaders have refused to lead, and Georgians have suffered because of it. I am thrilled that the federal government, under the American Rescue Plan, will be providing Georgia and its families with the help they desperately need.
The House of Representatives has also sent the Senate $430 million in new tax breaks to consider. It will be interesting to watch what happens with that legislation, because the American Rescue Plan prohibits the use of the federal funds for state tax breaks. Georgia could be docked federal money if these bills pass. Meanwhile, Gov. Kemp needs to update Georgia's revenue estimates so that the legislature can have input into how the first 50% of the federal money will be used. Stay tuned to find out if that happens. Priorities for me: Expanding Medicaid; expanding Medicaid for 12 months to postpartum mothers (this has been a goal of both parties for several years now as we have had the highest maternal mortality rate in the country recently); filling the hundreds of millions of dollars in education funding cuts that still exist in the proposed budget; funding broadband expansion in rural Georgia.
COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Updates
On Wednesday, Governor Kemp announced expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccinations. On March 15, vaccination criteria will expand to include Georgians aged 55 and older and individuals with disabilities and certain medical conditions.
Beginning Monday, the following populations will be eligible for COVID vaccination in Georgia:
Adults aged 55 and over
Individuals with disabilities
Individuals aged 16 years and older with certain medical conditions that increase their risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Note: Pfizer is the only COVID vaccine currently approved for children aged 16 and older. Conditions include:
Asthma
Cancer
Cerebrovascular Disease
Chronic Kidney Disease
COPD
Cystic Fibrosis
Diabetes
Hypertension
Heart Conditions
Immunocompromised State
Liver Disease
Neurologic Conditions
Overweight and Obesity
Pregnancy
Pulmonary Fibrosis
Sickle Cell Disease
Thalassemia
DeKalb Legislation Updates
On Thursday, I filed two pieces of legislation which will impact the residents of DeKalb county. The first bill, SB 292, would extend a senior tax break and is likely to pass early next week. The other bill, SB 293, would be a compromise on annexation.
Homestead Exemption / Senior Tax Break
SB 292 was approved by the CSD (City Schools of Decatur) Board in December. It is intended to replace an existing unlimited tax break, called a homestead tax exemption, for all seniors 65 and older that went into effect in 2016 and will sunset in 2021. That exemption was expected to cost the school district an additional $1.2 million per year; however, it ended up costing more. And, while the Decatur School Board hoped it would slow enrollment increases by encouraging seniors to stay in their homes, it has yet to produce that effect.
A committee formed by the CSD's Board suggested that we create two separate exemptions with different requirements based on age, in order to preserve as much tax relief as possible for economically vulnerable seniors without placing an undue financial burden on schools.
The updated legislation provides an exemption on $200,000 of assessed home value ($400,000 of appraised value) for seniors aged 65-69 if their income is at or below 80% of the adjusted median income for the Atlanta area. That income figure is $52,980 for a two-person household. Seniors aged 70 and above will also receive the same exemption on $200,000 of assessed home value ($400,000 of appraised value), but without an income cap.
In order to go into effect in 2022, SB 292 must be passed by the Georgia Legislature and then approved by voters in November 2021.
Annexation Bill
SB 293 is intended to solve disputes over school district boundaries when annexations occur. In 2019, Gov. Kemp vetoed SB 53, which would’ve made school annexations separate from municipal ones, meaning they would need to be approved in a separate referendum.
During the summer, DeKalb County Schools and City Schools of Decatur came together and reached a compromise, which included Decatur agreeing to a 12-month moratorium on annexations. This bill provides that any future annexations will lead to a change in school boundaries, but if commercial entities are annexed into Decatur from DeKalb, DeKalb will keep commercial revenues (minus the cost to Decatur of educating any additional children coming to the schools through the annexation). It also sets up a process to handle determining a just compensation for a school building owned by DeKalb County in the event that a building is annexed in the future. Right now, state law provides for no payment. This legislation could change some in the House, but I applaud the school systems for working together to craft a compromise that they both can live with, which is ultimately good for the children of our county.