The Parent Press: Updates from a Contentious and Fast-Paced Legislative Session
The Georgia General Assembly’s legislative session resumed on Monday, June 15th. We have a lot of work to do, especially regarding the budget and the hate crimes bill, and only a few days left to do it. The 2020 Legislative Session is scheduled to Sine Die Friday June 26th at midnight. It’s going to be a busy but incredibly important few days, and there’s no time to waste!
In honor of Juneteenth, I signed on to SB 519, a Resolution to make June 19, Juneteenth, a state holiday in the state of Georgia.
Surprise Billing Legislation Passed
Elected officials in Georgia were able to come together for the common good last week to pass HB 888 in the Senate with a unanimous vote. This bill, officially called the Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act, is now on its way to Governor Kemp’s desk. This bill is a great step forward for our healthcare system, as it aims to ensure that no person in an emergency situation receives a surprise bill should they be unknowingly treated by out-of-network doctors. Too many people suffer exorbitant financial costs if they are treated by a doctor not associated with their health insurance company and are often not aware of just how expensive an operation can be until after they have received it. No one should have to choose between their savings and their health.
HB 888 requires that patients pay no more than their deductible, copay, or other in-network payment level determined by their plan. Although this bill does allow healthcare providers to request additional payment, the patient will no longer be on the hook for doing so. Negotiations over payment will be solely restricted to healthcare providers and health insurance organizations. This has been a top priority for Governor Kemp, and I expect he will sign it into law as soon as possible given the current healthcare crisis in which we find ourselves. A bill this important cannot be allowed to wait.
HB 545 Came Back to Rear Its Ugly Head
As I shared several months ago, I was happy that HB 545 - the “Right to Farm” bill - was tabled earlier this year due to the lack of support, but was concerned that it could resurrect, which unfortunately has happened. Last Thursday, the bill passed 29-21 in the Senate without my vote. The effects of the bill were somewhat mitigated with amendments -- it won’t be as easy for big farms to drastically change operations after 2 years in business, create a nuisance, and claim they are protected by the statute - but it still has many unacceptable provisions. One of the worst is that no one living more than 5 miles from the site can file a lawsuit. This is nonsensical for toxins that have sullied water or polluted the air, and ensures that it will be much more difficult for some of the environmental organizations to be plaintiffs. The changes highlighted in this bill do not protect small farmers. In fact, many generational Georgia farmers opposed this bill. Instead, the bill would help large agricultural operations that have harmful environmental effects at the expense of these smaller farmers. I was quoted in this AJC article stating that the EPA doesn’t have enough resources to address all the environmental complaints from farms. This was in response to the claim that lawsuits are not needed, that the EPA and EPD can handle it all. Ha! The game is to defund those and/or stock them with anti-environmental people and then claim they are all that is needed to protect the environment.
I received a number of emails in opposition to HB 545 and was glad to stand by the will of my constituents and vote “no.” Since the bill will now go back to the House, please continue reaching out to Representatives in hopes of them killing this bill. We mobilized to stop this bill earlier and I am hoping with your voices you can stop this bill in the House.
Hate Crimes Bill Update
In the last few weeks, it seemed like we had never been closer to passing a meaningful hate crimes bill in the General Assembly. Statewide support for HB 426 was strong and uncompromising, largely thanks to the great number of individuals and organizations who took it upon themselves to become activists for this important cause. Passing this legislation has always been an urgent priority for many of Georgia’s minority communities, but now there is a greater need to pass it than ever before. Ahmaud Arbery and so many others through the years deserve this justice.
Unfortunately, Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan and some other Republicans added amendments to this legislation designed specifically to make “first responders” a protected class -- anyone who is or ever has been a police officer, firefighter, or EMTs. It goes without saying how problematic this change is. For one, our priority right now is to the specific groups, especially in the Black community, who are facing an unacceptable miscarriage of justice. We can and should address issues of first responders separately, but attempting to equate injustices between the two groups is a false equivalency. Second, adding an occupation as a protected class to this list is insulting. Race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation are characteristics out of one’s control. The jobs we choose to accept, however, are not. Mixing the two together is highly problematic and disrespectful to the groups that have suffered historical discrimination.
Therefore I, along with fellow Senator Harold V. Jones II, fought immensely hard at the Judiciary Committee’s hearing last Friday to strip out the first responded language. We pushed for the Committee to adopt the unamended HB 426 that has already been passed by the House, which does exactly what the people of our state have been pleading for since these tragedies occured. Sadly, despite our strong efforts, the amended hate crimes provision passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 5-3, with all the Democrats voting against it. The negotiations are continuing, however, and I still have hopes we will be able to pass a bi-partisan hate crimes bill in the next few days.
Today, I urge you to reach out to Lieutenant Governor Duncan (contact him here) and to the following Republican members of the State Senate to urge the rejection of any alterations to HB 426, a strong and necessary piece of legislation:
President Pro Tempore Butch Miller (butch.miller@senate.ga.gov), 404-656-6578
Majority Leader Mike Dugan (mike.dugan@senate.ga.gov), 404-656-7872
Senator P. K. Martin IV (p.k.martin@senate.ga.gov), 404-463-6598
Senator Kay Kirkpatrick (kay.kirkpatrick@senate.ga.gov), 404-656-3932
Senator John Albers (john.albers@senate.ga.gov), 404-463-8055
House Sponsor Representative Chuck Efstration (chuck.efstration@house.ga.gov), 404-656-5105
We have come too far in this debate to allow it to be slowed down now! And if the Republicans choose to move forward with this ridiculous police-protecting bill disguised as a hate crimes provision, then I look forward to watching them attempt to explain their votes on this terrible piece of legislation to their constituents come November.
New Bills on Elections & Voting
Earlier in the year, I wrote about a bill (SB 409) that I introduced which would make it significantly easier for ordinary Georgians to receive an absentee ballot to vote by mail. If this pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that voting by mail is the safest and most effective way to ensure that everyone can continue to participate in our democratic processes no matter the situation. The primaries two weeks ago saw record turnout, something of which we should all be supportive. SB 409 in particular would create a permanent absentee voter list so that when an individual requests an absentee ballot once they can continue to receive one for each coming election without having to request one over and over. Given Georgia’s terrible record with in-person voting recently, absentee voting is looking increasingly like the direction our state should be moving in. SB 409 has bipartisan sponsorship, and there has never been a better time to enact it into law.
On top of that bill, I have introduced two others to reform our electoral processes. One of these is SB 521, designed to make it easier to staff polling locations. Under current law, to work at a polling place one must be a resident of or employee for the county in which they are attempting to volunteer. In municipal elections, this regulation is even more stringent, requiring any poll worker to be a resident of or employee for the municipality in which they volunteer. We’ve seen so many staffing shortages recently that we can’t afford to be so picky with who can work at polling stations. If you are a Georgia citizen 16 years of age or older, you should be able to volunteer at any polling place across the state where additional support is needed.
My other bill is SB 524, which would be a major step forward for our voting system. Currently voters can only cast their ballots at the specific precinct they are registered to vote at. SB 524 loosens that restriction by allowing voters to cast their ballots at any precinct within the county they are registered to vote in. Assigned precincts are not always the most convenient, especially for those attempting to vote in the evenings after work. This bill would make it so that no matter where you are in your home county, you can cast your ballot. Take a look at what else I had to say about voting and elections this week here.
Budget Woes
I voted no on the state budget, HB 793, which passed the Senate Friday morning along party lines. While I understand the need for budget cuts, this bill reduces spending for areas that I value, including more than a $1 billion cut from education and millions from health care. As I mentioned in past newsletters, Republicans were quick to cut from areas without exploring other sources of revenue like closing tax loopholes or raising our lowest-in-the-nation tobacco tax. In order to best figure out how to deal with the current economy and our budget, we have to look at all the options which I feel we did not do for this bill. This is one of the reasons why I voted “no.”
I am disappointed that the budget passed the Senate and will now head to a conference committee with a few appointed members in the Senate and the House. I recommend contacting the Appropriations Chairs, Representative Terry England and Senator Tillery. In addition, if you want to read more about the changes to the budget and what it includes check here.
Nursing Home Bill Passed
The Senate voted unanimously for the bi-partisan bill HB 987 which increases protection of the eldery in personal care homes and assisted living communities. The measures in the bill include specific training requirements and policies for staff of personal care homes and assisted living communities. In addition, an increase in the daily fines to $2,000 per day for violations and $5,000 if the violation caused a death or a serious injury. I have always supported increasing the safety of nursing homes and making sure they are held to the highest standards. It was really refreshing to see this bill pass and know that the legislature is working together to do something right.
I recently mentioned the Georgia Justice Act, the Senate Democratic Caucus' legislative package about policing reforms, and if you would like to know more about each of the individual bills encompassed therein, I encourage you to take a look here.
Stay safe, stay well, and please stay home if you can.
Thank you for the honor of serving as your State Senator!