The Parent Press: Week 4 of the 2021 Legislative Session
The fourth week of the Legislative Session brought several important developments. The Senate voted on and passed the amended budget for 2021, which will fund the government through June 1.
I have introduced several pieces of legislation which I'm excited about, including a bill that would establish an independent redistricting commission, an earned income tax credit bill, a bill to ensure that guns are stored outside the reach of children, a bill to expand early voting, and more.
Republicans introduced and held hearings on several bills of their own, including a particularly troubling school voucher bill which I strongly oppose.
Unfortunately, Senate Republicans also introduced additional bills attacking the voting process this week. I'll include an updated list below, summarizing the bills that have been introduced so far.
The Ongoing Assault on Democracy
How to Fight Back!
Legislation Status: Committee hearings will take place for several bills on Tuesday, February 16th, in the Ethics Subcommittees A and B at 7 AM. If there is video, you will be able to find it next to the committees here: https://www.legis.ga.gov/schedule/senate
Actions to Take: if you want to take action to stop these bills, you can make your voice heard by contacting members of the Ethics Committee by phone or email and expressing your opposition to the package of restrictive voting bills. Max Burns (R) is the chairman of the Ethics Committee. Here are the other Republican members of the committee:
Dean Burke — Vice Chairman
Butch Miller — Member**
Mike Dugan — Member**
Jason Anavitarte — Member
Steve Gooch — Member
Bo Hatchett — Member
Randy Robertson — Member
Brian Strickland — Member
** Butch Miller is the President Pro Tempore of the Senate & Mike Dugan is the Majority Leader. It would be especially helpful to contact their offices to voice your concerns, because they are in positions of power in the Senate!
Budget Updates
On Thursday, the Senate passed the final version of the FY2021 Amended Budget – or, the budget that will fund the government through July 1. There were several changes in the final version, which improved upon the budget originally proposed by the governor.
An additional $1000 for all state employees making less than $80,000/year
Money for a chief medical officer, deputy commissioner and a chief data officer
$18 million to modernize and replace the computer system used to track immunizations statewide (GRITS), which wasn't designed for a pandemic
$15 million more to combat AIDS/HIV and provide necessary medications to low-income people
$19 million for nursing homes
The budget will also restore 60% of the cuts to public education funding, adding an additional $567 million to K-12 schools. This does not change the reality that Georgia hasn't adequately funded its public schools in decades. Even if we fully restored the money cut from schools last year, we would be spending less per student than most states in the country. That being said, restoring a portion of public education funding is preferable to the alternative.
Even if the Legislature restored the entirety of the 10% budget cuts enacted last year (which it didn't), we would not be spending enough on healthcare, education or social programs, and it shows. We must continue to push the Republican leadership to provide additional support for our most vulnerable citizens, and to take important steps to better protect and provide for all Georgians – including expanding Medicaid.
My Legislative Priorities
I have introduced a number of bills this session, several of which I'm particularly enthusiastic about!
Firstly, as a long-time opponent of partisan redistricting, I introduced several bills to reform the redistricting process and prevent gerrymandering. One of these bills is a constitutional amendment calling for the creation of an independent redistricting commission, which experts agree is the best solution. I urge all of you to join me and continue to advocate for fair districts. We are joined in this fight by many local and national organizations who share our commitment to creating a more just and democratic system of representation.
I will also be introducing legislation that would provide strict transparency standards around the redistricting process so that the public is informed and engaged next week.
Earlier this session, I introduced SB 38, a bill which would create a permanent absentee voter list that every Georgia voter could sign up for. Under current law, most Georgia voters are required to apply for an absentee ballot for each election in any given cycle, which is confusing and time-consuming for voters, and adds significant costs to county election offices. I also filed a bill that would allow for Early Voting on the Saturday and Sunday prior to Election Day, which would expand voter access.
I've filed several other pieces of legislation, which I'm equally excited about! I filed a bill that would institute penalties for adults who store their weapons unsafely, or in a manner that allows minors to gain access to them and do harm to themselves or others. I am also supporting bills that would reduce plastic waste, permit cities and counties to try out ranked choice voting, forbid evictions that were caused by COVID-19 to be used to deny rental contracts to families in the future, expand Medicaid, raise the minimum wage...the list goes on!
SB 47: Private School Vouchers
This week, Republicans moved ahead, again, with a bill that would expand the use of private school vouchers – taking advantage of this moment of uncertainty and crisis to promote their long-standing agenda. SB 47 is similar to a bill that was introduced last year, which seeks to expand voucher access to students with Section 504 plans and/or a wide range of conditions, based on a doctor's diagnosis. This will allow parents to move their students to private schools, partially paid for by the state.
I am strongly opposed to the use of voucher programs, and the COVID-19 pandemic has not changed my position. Because the facts around school vouchers have not changed: private school vouchers undermine our public schools by diverting desperately needed resources away from public education, in order to fund the education of the select few students whose families can afford to pay the extra costs of private schooling. Private school vouchers do not adequately serve low-income students because the cost of tuition and fees at schools that accept vouchers generally exceeds the amount of the voucher, making voucher schools unaffordable for most low-income families. Taxpayer money should not be used to provide extra privileges to a select group of children.
Medicaid Expansion & the Healthcare Exchange
The Biden-Harris administration has announced its plan to reopen the healthcare exchange for those who have no health insurance. The special enrollment period to get a plan through the Affordable Care Act begins on Monday, February 15th and will run through May 15th. This decision is welcome news for many Americans and Georgians, and if you don't have health insurance, I urge you to head to the exchange (healthcare.gov) on Monday and start the steps to enroll.
Another recent development is around Medicaid expansion. As you know, Georgia's leaders have resisted expanding Medicaid for over 8 years – despite the fact that the federal government would cover 95% of the cost. However, U.S. House Democrats are trying to entice Georgia and other holdout states to change course, by offering them millions, or even billions, in federal cash, as a part of the House's $1.9 trillion stimulus plan. Under this plan, if states expanded Medicaid, the federal government would provide them with additional money for the patients they are already covering – not just those that are newly enrolled. Georgia stands to gain approximately $1.9 billion under this plan, and I can only hope that my colleagues see the wisdom in taking this offer, and in the process, providing hundreds of thousands of Georgians with sorely needed healthcare coverage.
COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Updates
This dashboard is updated with real-time vaccination information each day. Save this link, and you'll be able to follow Georgia's daily progress: https://datastudio.google.com/u/0/reporting/d848d61a-e99e-4961-b040-02b43edc5bb5/page/ptmtB
We are still in phase 1A+ of the vaccine rollout. I will keep you updated on the status of each phase, and let you know when the process is open to other groups.
Georgia Department of Health Vaccine Hotline: (888) 357-0169 – this number is for questions about the vaccine only! They will not be able to help you schedule appointments.
COVID-19 Vaccine Locator Tool: https://dph.georgia.gov/locations/covid-vaccination-site