Parent Press Week 11 of the 2024 Legislative Session

This last week has been an emotional roller coaster at the Capitol.  I am using all of my intellectual energy and years of legislative experience to stay calm in the face of sudden targeted attacks on our criminal justice system, our schools and educators, and our basic civil rights.

 I, and my team, are working around the clock reviewing legislation that is coming to committee and to the floor. At this time in the Session, reconstituted "Christmas tree" bills that combine many, sometimes unrelated, bills into one bill pop up.  At the same time, we are getting ready to campaign full-time as soon as the session is over, because I have a primary election to win on May 21, 2024!  Early voting starts on April 29.

Disappointment After Hope - No Medicaid Expansion This Year

At the start of the week, Democrats were hopeful that we might be able to push Medicaid expansion through with the help of a few Republicans who do support it.  The deal was that we would eliminate Certificate of Need (CON) regulations required since the 1970s to build new healthcare facilities, if Medicaid expansion were bundled in. This is what North Carolina did in 2023 with bipartisan action. 

Our hopes were scuttled on Thursday in a Senate Committee on Regulated Industries and Utilities hearing where an additional Republican senator was appointed as an Ex-Officio member to pack votes for political purposes.  We picked up 2 Republican votes to move a substitute of HB 1077 forward, but it wasn't enough and the bill failed on a 7-7 vote.  However, this is the first time a hearing on full Medicaid expansion was held, and some Republicans are now on record voting for it. 

Democrats in Georgia have fought for Medicaid expansion for 14 years, and we will keep at it until our Republican friends get out of their own way. We could’ve helped hundreds of thousands of people and gotten billions in funding, but Republicans continue playing politics with people’s lives.

 Get the full scoop by clicking on the images below.

Meanwhile, HB 1339. which will eliminate many CON regulations, though not the most important, passed the House on a near party-line vote and is on its way to the Governor who will, I expect, sign it.  Who benefits?  While the hope is that eliminating these regulations could help some facilities open in rural Georgia, it could cause others to struggle more, with a higher level of uninsured patients. This is why we need to expand Medicaid, so hospitals do not have these huge uncompensated costs (and, of course, so Georgians can get the health care they need).   Without Medicaid expansion, and increasing Medicaid reimbursements, hospitals that serve un and under-insured patients will still struggle to stay open. 

The political intrigue surrounding a hospital that the Lieutenant Governor's family business would like to build continues. 

 School Vouchers Cross the Finish Line

While there are a few who have voted with Republicans on school vouchers, Democrats oppose any effort to defund public education without offering real alternatives to too many kids in Georgia.  SB 233 passed the House with help from one Democrat and came back to the Senate last week for a final vote.  

I spoke again to voice my unwavering opposition to this bill.  The House significantly narrowed it -- most importantly, by capping expenditures at 1% of the state budget and adding a ten-year sunset-- but I remained opposed because I am committed to ensuring children are able to reach their full potential by ensuring that every child gets a quality education.  This bill lacks the accountability that public schools have to meet on student performance, on purpose, leaves open the potential for various kinds of fraud, and will not do anything to help struggling public schools.  I have not in the past and will not support school vouchers.

Happiness - A Good Housing Bill

HB 404, which would offer some protections to tenants in Georgia,  passed the Senate with bipartisan support.  While this bill does not go far enough to fix the many problems renters in Georgia deal with every day, it's a step in the right direction.  With may landlords in the legislature, this bill is a hard-fought win.

The AJC helped bring attention to the issue of habitability in its Dangerous Dwellings series, and I hope we can continue to build on the progress we've made in the next session.