The Parent Press: CROSSOVER DAY Update
Yesterday was Crossover Day at the Georgia Legislature. Crossover Day is the day by which legislation has to clear at least one chamber in order to become law this year. This year, the focus of Crossover Day was on the right to vote – or, on the GOP's effort to take that right away, by making it harder for regular people to vote. Senate Republicans passed several pieces of legislation, including the omnibus voter suppression bill (SB 241), that will restrict access and deny voters their rights. However, several good pieces of legislation – including a repeal of the citizen's arrest statute, transparency for victims of sexual assault and protections for victims of domestic violence in the House, as well as reforms benefitting HBCUs, the creation of a Commission on African American History and Culture and services for struggling public school students in the Senate – passed, and have the potential to become law.
Crossover Day 2021: Voting Legislation
The Assault Against Democracy
Monday was the last day for Senate Republicans to pass their unpopular and anti-voter legislation. Unfortunately, despite unified and fierce opposition in both the Senate and the House, Republican leadership forced through several of their most destructive bills – most notably, SB 241, the omnibus voter suppression bill which 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.
SB 241 Passes the Senate
On Monday, the Senate passed SB 241 on a party line vote after 3+ hours of powerful and heartfelt speeches from myself and my colleagues. The bill passed 29-20. 4 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.
Limits the ability of the State Election Board and the Secretary of State to enter into certain consent agreements
Ends no-excuse absentee voting and limit mail voting to election workers, disabled individuals and their caretakers, voters over 65, etc.
Bans the use of mobile voting buses, such as those that were used in Fulton County to mitigate lines
Requires voter ID for absentee voting
Prohibits early in-person voting at non-government owned buildings
Requires a court order to extend voting hours, such as when a precinct opens late
Allows the Secretary of State to audit mail ballots either statewide or to target individual counties
Allows the House or Senate Judiciary Committees to overrule emergency election rules issued during a public health emergency
Allows the State Elections Board to recommend a board of elections be removed and replaced with members of their choosing
I Will Not Back Down from the Fight to Protect the Vote
Yesterday, 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 is a lie. The bills on the floor yesterday are the product of the Big Lie, which was seeded, nourished and repeated by the former President Donald Trump: that he, not President Joe Biden, was the true winner of the 2020 election.
If some voters have lost faith, it is because of the ongoing, organized campaign of misinformation and falsehoods about our electoral system. And this loss of faith is itself a symptom of a deeper affliction: the current tendency of the members of the two parties to not just disagree but to inhabit entirely separate realities. It is here that the partisan divide grows into discord, and even violence, and threatens the very survival of our democracy.
Disagreement is both acceptable and healthy in a democratic society. Citizens and elected officials alike can and should propose different solutions to our problems, but we must operate within a shared framework. We must agree that democracy matters, that self-determination matters and that basic principle — "one person, one vote" — matters.
Voters see through transparent attempts to cling to power through suppressive and anti-democratic means and it makes them that much more determined to vote. Voting is about self-determination. Republicans may try to quell the human spirit, but it will not work. They will not be able to stop the human drive for self-determination. 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 right now 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!
Crossover Day 2021: Senate Legislation
"Bad" Bill Updates
Bad Bills that DID Pass the Senate
SB 226: This legislation would prohibit schools from providing obscene material lacking in literary, artistic, political, or scientific merit to minors. It would require schools to implement a process to handle complaints by parents that object to materials in the school library that could be based on a model policy to be created by DOE.
Bad Bills that Did NOT Pass the Senate
SB 266 — an anti-transgender bill
SB 214 — a bill expanding gun powers and limiting public health protections
SB 171 — an unconstitutional and dangerous bill that would limit 1st amendment rights and authorize harm to protestors
**SB 102, a bill which would restrict local governments' ability to dictate their environmental policies, didn't pass the Senate, but we're concerned about HB 150, a similar bill which did pass the House. HB 150 received a hearing in a Senate committee today, and it could come up for a vote on the Senate floor soon.
"Good" Bills that Passed the Senate!
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. Wraparound services would provide academic, social, and behavioral support for both the student and their family.
SB 90: This legislation would create the Georgia Commission on African American History and Culture to promote Black history in Georgia.
SB 10: This legislation would prohibit promoting and gambling on unapproved street racing. Promoting a race would be a high and aggravated misdemeanor. Gambling on a race would be a misdemeanor and a fine of at least $250. Fines and points on your license would increase upon 2nd and 3rd offenses.
We want to give law enforcement more tools to combat street racing, but we don't want to be too punitive, and we're hoping to strike a balance with this bill.
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. At least one notice at the previous polling place would need to be a minimum of four feet by four feet in size.
Crossover Day 2021: Updates from the House
"Bad" Bill Updates
"Bad" Bills that DID Pass the House
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.
"Bad" Bills that Did NOT Pass the House
HB 60 is legislation that would divert public education funding towards private school vouchers.
"Good" Bills that Passed the House!
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.