Parent Press Week 7 of the 2025 Legislative Session
On Crossover Day we had more than 50 bills on the Senate floor, though not all made it a vote. The legislative train is now racing down the track, and I want to make sure you are up-to-date on a few things. Stay tuned on an upcoming town hall.
Anti-DEI bill
There was much speculation about whether Republicans would call to the floor an anti-DEI bill, SB 120, on Crossover. We were informed that it would be the final bill of the day at around 9:30 pm, but then there was a motion to adjourn at about 10 pm. The Democratic Caucus had already put forth an amendment, sponsored by Senator McLaurin of the 14th, that would have forced the Republicans to vote up or down on the following exemptions from the anti-DEI scheme: 1) Evolutionary biology is a scientific fact; 2) Slavery was the primary or major contributing cause of the American Civil War; and, 3) The Holocaust occurred.
In short, we had them a bit over a barrel as some Republicans did not want to vote on this amendment and the underlying bill was very poorly drafted and silly anyway. So -- we declared victory!
Gun Safety - Not Giving Up
When SB 163, a silly bill seeking to penalize Savannah for daring to pass an ordinance that fined people who negligently leave weapons in unlocked cars, came up for a vote on Crossover Day, I saw an opportunity. Savannah's ordinance was preempted by state laws which say that local governments have no authority to pass any gun laws. (Of course, I reject the idea that we should curtail action against any local government that attempts to regulate weapons, but that is the law currently.) I offered an amendment to require gun owners to safely store their firearms in the presence of minors - a modified version of my Safe Gun Storage legislation, SB 49.
I took to the well as I have multiple times to exhort that our children's lives and well-being depend on us to act by passing laws to hold adults accountable rather than brush off the gun violence tragedies as "just a terrible accident." You can hear my remarks HERE. My amendment was ultimately gutted by the Republicans and replaced with language stating: "The General Assembly recognizes the importance of securing firearms for lawful purposes." I regard this nod to the need to secure firearms as a small but significant victory. They only did that because some of them wanted political cover to not vote against the safe storage language. Very small progress, but progress nonetheless!
Crossover Miscellaneous
The Senate spent hours on Crossover debating some bills that were essentially intra-Republican fights, including one about medical marijuana opposed by the Faith & Freedom Coalition, a variety of hemp/Delta 9 bills, and a very long debate over a bill accusing the banking industry of debanking gun manufacturers and other conservatives, which failed in spectacular fashion after consideration of 8 amendments. That legislation appeared mostly tied to one member's statewide 2026 primary ambitions, and we spent a ridiculous amount of time on it.
One good bill was SB 259, a bill that allows parents or guardians of children who have been taken into temporary protective custody the right to obtain an independent medical evaluation or pediatric specialty consultation and to have those results considered by the court in hearings. This came about in part due to the ordeal of constituents of mine, who lost custody of their 3 children for several years and were criminally charged with child abuse due to a medical mis-diagnosis. A physician erroneously suspected an issue faced by one of their children was evidence of child abuse and once they were in the proceedings, they were unable to get into evidence the second opinion that revealed the true source of the issue and had to fight the system at huge emotional and financial cost before they were ultimately vindicated. The children were even separated from each other for a year or more. Needless to say, this was devastating.
During their ordeal, I learned that this sort of mis-diagnosis of a medical condition leading to suspicion of child abuse and removal from parents who have done nothing wrong happens more than I had been aware. I am so grateful to the Lopez family for advocating for change so that others don't face the same nightmare they went through.
Republican Attacks on LGBTQ+ Georgians Continue
From the very beginning of the 2025 Legislative Session, the Republican Caucus has been attacking the transgender community with legislation to ban them from participating in school sports and denying them access to medical care. Between the House and Senate, there are 12 bills targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
Republicans are picking on a marginalized minority while refusing to address the issues that a large majority of Georgians are facing, namely access to quality medical care, help with affording quality childcare and a guaranteed livable minimum wage. Probably, these bills are meant to distract from that.
For the last 15 years, I have voted consistently with the LGBTQ+ community with one exception. SB 185 bans using taxpayer funds for convicted criminals incarcerated in Georgia prisons to receive gender-affirming surgeries and in most instances requires them to be weaned off gender-affirming hormones. I wrestled with this legislation on several levels.
Being a strong supporter of equal rights for members of the LGBTQ+ community, I am concerned about the backsliding in political support for the movement that I am seeing in the public. We are in a treacherous moment nationally where we could realistically see gay marriage being re-litigated! With nearly 20 years of political experience, I believe Democrats need to rethink our strategy for securing freedom and security for transgender and all LGBTQ+ people.
I offered an amendment to enable any convicted inmates receiving hormone therapy prior to being incarcerated to continue treatment. The Republican caucus voted down the amendment. Despite my strong disagreement with the hormone part of the bill, I decided to vote “yes” due to the provisions about gender-affirming surgeries. I know some of my constituents feel betrayed by my vote, especially in this moment where the attacks are coming fast and furious from the White House and Republican-controlled legislative bodies across the country.
There are many nuances that went into my decision. It’s counter-intuitive, but my goal is to for the national conversation about transgender rights to shift to a place where the horrid bullying of transgender people is not politically advantageous anymore for the Republicans. I welcome you to reach out to my office if you would like to have a mutually respectful conversation about this topic. I’d be happy to talk about my analysis and perspective, and I would like to hear yours.
SB 36, the Religious Freedom Restoration Bills (RFRA), is dangerous to the LGBTQ+ community and many other groups, especially in a state without a civil rights law. The Senate has passed the bill on party lines. Democrats spoke passionately against the bill. We have been debating this bill since 2016. You can watch my remarks HERE.
Glimmer Of Bipartisanship
Democrats have struggled in the Georgia Senate to get any of our bills heard in committee so they can advance. In a few cases, we are able to move bills forward by getting Republicans to carry our bills from the outset, given how much easier the path is for a bill with a sponsor in the majority caucus. This is the case with my bill to allow funeral directors to offer human organic reduction or composting in addition to cremation and burial. The issue was brought to me by a constituent business, A.S. Turner Funeral Home in Decatur, and after learning about the process, it seemed a good business opportunity as well as an important consumer choice for Georgians who want environmentally friendly end-of-life options. I partnered with Senator Rick Williams, who is a funeral home director himself, and we worked closely together on the legislation before he ultimately took the lead sponsor role. I am so appreciative of Senator Williams! I don't mention enough that there truly are some great people in the Senate Republican Caucus, and Rick is one of them. As of December 2024, 12 states have already legalized this process and others are considering legalizing.
SB 241 passed and will go to the House for a vote on Crossover Day.