Parent Press Week 11 of the 2025 Legislative Session

With just 5 days remaining in the Legislative Session, the race is on for the Republican majority to get more of what it wants.

Kemp Wins - Business Wins - Regular Georgians Lose

Governor Kemp has been insisting on "tort reform" since 2022, threatening to call legislators back for a special session and primary any legislator who opposes him (sound familiar?).

I questioned this legislation during the hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, have gone on the record with my concerns, and I have written about SB 68 in previous newsletters. Other states have passed tort reform promising lower insurance rates, which have mostly not materialized.  A couple of years ago, Florida passed similar legislation promising lower insurance premiums only to find out that a study showed the insurance companies were using affiliated companies to hide profits and show false losses. The Florida legislature is now conducting an inquiry. But even Florida passed some new insurance regulations and consumer protections when they passed tort reform, while these have never been allowed to be a part of the conversation here in Georgia. The Republican majority in Georgia was well warned, but Governor Kemp put all of his political capital (and threats of huge spending against noncompliant Republicans) on the line to force the bill through. It worked, passing the House after minor amendments -- most notably carving sex trafficking victims out of the bill -- with no votes to spare. 

One concession, if you can call it that, is that the House passed a study committee that will look into whether there are insurance industry abuses here in Georgia. I will be watching that committee carefully.  It has potential, but actually passing anything at the State Capitol over the objections of insurance companies is very difficult.  The consumer reforms and the tort reform should have gone together and now it is too late to get them to cooperate since the business community already got what it wanted.  

In the final vote on the Senate floor last week, I offered an amendment to mitigate the danger of limiting the access of certain victims to the courthouse when they are harmed or injured at a business. While advocates fighting sex trafficking were able to get their amendment to protect victims' rights to sue businesses that turn a blind eye or fail to maintain safe premises, SB 68 does not allow the same for other victims of violent crimes. I offered an amendment to expand the carveout for sex trafficking victims to any sex crime victim, children, and the elderly and I gave graphic stories from real victims on the Senate floor. But the horror victims have experienced on the premises of Georgia's businesses fell on deaf ears.

The Democratic Caucus gave a press conference after the bill passed. Leader Harold Jones and I explained how SB 68 closes the courtroom doors on many Georgians who will be less safe when frequenting businesses in our state. In the US we have employed lawsuits as a quasi-regulatory tool to incentivize businesses to keep their premises safe -- like it or not. And, businesses should be required to maintain safe facilities for their employees and their customers. Removing lawsuits as an incentive to keep business premises safe without any other method being added can have problematic consequences for society. You can hear a selection of my remarks HERE.

The bill will not solve the problem of frivolous lawsuits, and it does nothing to make insurance rates come down (ostensibly the reason for the bill). I am also skeptical that more doctors will be willing to provide healthcare, particularly in rural areas, just because the probability of being sued may decrease (leading to lower insurance rates, is the hope). There are many well-publicized and unaddressed reasons for Georgia's shortage of doctors and healthcare workers. SB 68 won't fix it. It's a big power and wealth transfer from average citizens to the elites. 

Tax Breaks For The Rich

Kemp and the Republican majority have made tax cuts and rebates a priority this session, in spite of the looming reality of federal budget reductions that will impact our state.

HB 111 (cuts the Georgia state tax rate to 5.19%) and HB 112 (provides for a one-time tax rebate) offer little to nothing for Georgia's families while delivering to the top tier of Georgians who don't really need the handout. Click to hear how I explained this to my colleagues , though they see things differently. As I said in the well, HB 111 "is a finger in the eye of everyone who struggles to afford gas, eggs and rent. When you make $2 million a year, you’re probably not worried about $3,000.” You can read the media report at the Georgia Recorder and Rough Draft.

On The Menu Before Sine Die

Much of the work in the Georgia Legislation happens in the run-up to Sine Die and this year will be no different. First and foremost, we must pass the state budget to allocate your tax dollars. For information and analysis on the budget, I recommend going to the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute to read their reports.

At this point in the session, we have to particularly watch out for Frankenstein Bills while also looking for opportunities to amend bills - even bad ones - to mitigate the negative impact or try to get a policy that we want passed. For example, I am taking a hard look at HB 268, the 65 page school safety bill, to see what amendments I might offer to improve the bill to make Georgia's students, teachers and school staff safer.

Don't Tune Out - Tune In

Your elected officials are speaking out and up on a wide range of issues . I know your time is limited, but I hope you're tuned in.

I was pleased to have the opportunity to be invited to speak on Political Breakfast, WABE's radio program and podcast with Lisa Rayam, Theron Johnson and Brian Robinson. Listen to my interview HERE and stay tuned always to be informed.

Town Hall Turnout

We had a terrific turnout for the town hall on March 18 at McNair Middle School. We discussed a broad range of issues and had time for many questions thanks to the expertise of Kenyatta Mitchell who moderated the event for us. Nearly 100 people attended in person or on Zoom. Stay tune for a post session town hall in April or May.

Just For Fun 

If you've ever come down to the Capitol, you know that legislators tend to dress sharp. Sometimes it feels as though you've gone back in time. I enjoy fashion and am not ashamed to say it. I am happy to be nominated once again by the AJC's Maya Prabhu in her competition for Georgia's Best Dressed Lawmakers. And, I hope I can count on your support to win!