The Parent Press: "Crossover Day" is March 12th!
It's been a busy few days here at the State Capitol! The days have gotten longer as we move toward “Crossover Day” on March 12. (For those that don't know, “Crossover Day” is the deadline for bills to have "crossed over" from one chamber to another for consideration for final passage this session.) Here's a taste of the big bills and issues we've been focused on at the State Senate.
Redistricting Transparency
On Friday, I held a press conference with the ACLU, Fair Districts GA, Advancing Justice, Common Cause, Rep. Matthew Wilson and the Coalition for the People's Agenda about an important bill I introduced this week, SB 491. This bill would create more accountability and public transparency with regard to the congressional and legislative redistricting process that will occur post-Census in 2021. Currently, the public does not have nearly enough say in Georgia’s redistricting process, which must occur every 10 years. When they’re not in the eye of the public, legislators feel empowered to draw egregious districts and make backroom deals benefitting themselves and their buddies.
Many of you know that for a number of years I have been the author of legislation that would let Georgia voters decide to implement an independent commission for redistricting. I've had hearings on this legislation in the past, but as we get closer to the time when we will need to redistrict, the interest my Republican colleagues have had in talking about the issue has dried up.
So, with help from the ACLU of Georgia, this week I introduced the “Transparency Act” to propose additional positive changes to our redistricting process. First, the Transparency Act requires there to be at least two public hearings in each of Georgia’s judicial districts. This not only shines a light on the process and brings private discussions into public view, but it also ensures citizens are able to attend these meetings and ask questions of the lawmakers themselves. Additionally, the bill requires each of these hearings to be made available for live viewing and archived on the Georgia General Assembly’s website within 48 hours after being held. It also mandates that all communications on the topic of redistricting between any involved party are released to the public. Transparency is the bare minimum of what we should expect from our elected officials, especially with regard to the polarizing process of redistricting. I hope you’ll support my efforts to open up government processes so that all of Georgia’s citizens have a voice in this process.
Gun Bills
SB 224 passed out of the Judiciary Committee on Monday. This terrible piece of legislation creates all kinds of openings to have more guns in public. It goes so far that it changes the definition of the word “courthouse” under Georgia law just for the purpose of making it easier to bring your firearms inside one. As if that isn’t enough, it requires the state to seize and auction any unclaimed firearms found by law enforcement to bidders. And, in the event a municipality does not auction these firearms away within 12 months, any citizen of the state may sue that municipality. It even allows for brandishing of a firearm.
I was so bothered by the Judiciary committee passing this bill, late in the evening no less, that I went to the well to speak against it the next morning. Please watch my remarks here. You can also read the AJC's coverage of this bill here.
Both SB 357, which is designed to permit guns in places of worship (including religious schools), and SB 224 are on track to be voted on sometime this week. I staunchly believe that this kind of excessive approach to gun ownership does nothing but make our communities less safe. Would you feel more comfortable if you were surrounded by guns in your place of worship? If the thought of such recklessness frustrates you as much as it frustrates me, I urge you to consider reaching out to any Republican member of the Senate Rules Committee. A list of senators can be found here. All but Senators Henson, Butler, Harold Jones, and Tate are Republicans.
A bill to allow concealed carry without a permit, HB 1126, was recently filed. This legislation is similar to a bill that has been around for a couple of years, but this one is more concerning because it has been introduced by an influential member of the House, Kevin Tanner, who typically works hard on serious pieces of legislation and has the trust and backing of Speaker Ralston. Rep. Tanner is now making a run for Congress, and perhaps this bill is just designed to help him in his primary, but one can never be sure.
A Month of Remembrance
A week and a half ago, I took to the Senate floor in the spirit of Black History Month and delivered a speech honoring Dorothy Lee Bolden, an influential civil and labor rights leader in Georgia. As I mentioned in my speech, I am always grateful when members from both sides of the aisle stop their bickering and come together to honor influential African Americans in Georgia’s history. This year, I decided I wanted to draw attention to Ms. Bolden, an important but overlooked woman who helped push Georgia forward at a time when the state did everything in its power to hold her back. In her advocacy, she championed the working class and led a movement to educate black workers about their political rights. You can watch this video of my speech to hear more about her inspirational story and her ability to help people fight for what they deserve.
New Voting Changes
Some voting rights advocates are raising concerns about new legislation from the Secretary of State's office, SB 436. The primary concern that I have heard from voter protection advocates is that the legislation would permit splitting large precincts between primary and general elections. The rationale given is to cut down on wait times, a worthy goal, but changing voters' precincts in between the primary and the projected huge turnout for the November election could cause a lot of voter confusion and suppress the number of people able to vote.
DeKalb Ethics Legislation
A committee of the House DeKalb delegation has been holding meetings to try to get to agreement to have another go at legislation fixing the DeKalb Ethics Board's appointment process. Rep. Viola Davis is the chair and there are several proposals that have been introduced. Please thank Rep. Davis for her hard work. She's an important leader in this conversation.
Other Senate Tidbits
One piece of legislation I introduced recently, SB 353, had a bill hearing this week in the Senate Finance Committee. This bill reinstates tax credits Georgia once had for individuals who choose to drive low-emission vehicles. If we want to prevent an energy crisis in the future, the time to encourage sustainability is now.
SB 400, regarding data collection for our dual enrollment program, officially passed the Education and Youth Committee this week. I introduced it to help make our dual enrollment program more effective as HB 444, the legislation that caps the number of college credits a high school student can earn at 30, is on its way to the Governor's desk. I opposed HB 444 due to a lack of data to help guide the General Assembly's decision-making process as to the cuts, and SB 400 helps solve that problem by requiring the Georgia Student Finance Commission to provide annual data on the dual enrollment program. My bill also works to increase dual enrollment participation for underrepresented students. If you’d like, you can contact the Rules Committee members and encourage them to put SB 400 on the Senate floor for a vote next week.
I remain hopeful that SB 409, my bill that allows you to receive absentee ballots without having to continuously apply each election cycle, will find support in the Senate Government Oversight Committee. We have a Republican co-sponsor, Senator Burt Jones, and I remain optimistic more will come aboard this effort. With all the many elections we have coming up, this legislation is more important than ever!
As always -- thank you for the opportunity to represent you in the State Senate! It is a great honor.