The Parent Press: Week 5 of the 2021 Legislative Session
The 2021 Legislative Session has been ramping up this week.
The fight to protect access to the vote remains the dominant issue at the Capitol. This week, Senate Republicans added more anti-voter bills to their ever-growing list. The Ethics Committee held several hearings on these controversial and problematic bills, including the bill to end no-excuse absentee voting. However, Republicans decided to deliberately prevent the public from actively engaging with the legislative process – or holding their elected officials accountable – by holding these hearings at 7 AM and refusing to livestream the event, despite suggesting otherwise.
In the House, Republicans introduced an omnibus voter suppression bill, which would dramatically limit voter access and election efficiency and ease.
The Ongoing Assault on Democracy
I'll continue to provide you with an updated list of the voting-related bills each week, summarizing the bills that have been introduced so far. Several bills that have been introduced are almost identical. We don't know yet which version of these bills will move forward, so I included all of them. These copycat bills are grouped by color coding.
We Must Demand Transparency
Controversy and conspiratorial fantasies of voter fraud have gripped Georgia, and the country, since November. Numerous bills regarding voting — including a baseless bill to end no-excuse absentee voting – have been filed. Today at 7 AM, several of these anti-democratic bills were presented in a subcommittee hearing for the first time.
I had spoken with many constituents and advocates beforehand, all of whom planned to tune in to the hearing to watch their government discuss these bills, which have the potential to affect millions of Georgians.
When I went to the legislative website this morning at 7 AM to watch the livestream, I realized there was no livestream – no way for myself or other Georgians to see what their own government was up to.
People were confused and angry that their elected representatives chose to conduct the business of the people behind a wall of secrecy – a wall they chose to build. The hearing easily could have been livestreamed. Other committees and subcommittees in that room are regularly livestreamed, so that the public has the ability to safely monitor the process during a pandemic.
I was particularly shocked because last week, I specifically asked if subcommittees were livestreamed. The answer I was given was, “Yes.” I wanted to confirm this information, so I reached out to the Senate Press AND the office of the Ethics Committee Chairman and asked them if today’s hearing would be livestreamed. My office followed up several times, yet I was not given the courtesy of a response by either office.
This is unacceptable. We are still in the middle of a pandemic. Most people aren’t willing to risk their safety to watch a committee hearing – especially if it’s at 7 AM! Senate Republicans are clearly trying to hide their actions from the public — the very people that elected them, and who they answer to. We are doing the people's work and they are entitled to see what we are up to next time.
Watch me call out the unacceptable behavior of my Republican colleagues on the Senate floor!
HB 531: the Omnibus Voter Suppression Bill
On Friday, the House held a hearing on HB 531, an omnibus of anti-voter legislation. If this bill were to be signed into law, the consequences on voters across Georgia would be devastating. Here are a few of the changes it proposes:
It would ban county election offices from receiving outside funding to run elections, potentially limiting the efficiency and functionality of elections in large, underfunded counties
It would require voters to provide a photocopy of their GA driver's license or state ID
It would prevent government/elections offices from sending absentee ballot applications to voters
Drop boxes would only be allowed at early voting locations, and they would only be open to voters during early voting hours, i.e. they would close when the polls closed each day.
It would prevent counties from adding weekend early voting hours, and mandate a 9 AM to 5 PM schedule for early voting, which would hurt voters who don't have job flexibility, as well as large metro counties generally.
The bill is 48 pages and includes a host of additional restrictions. I am strongly opposed to this bill, along with my fellow Democrats in the Senate and the House.
How to Fight Back
Legislation Status: As I mentioned, Ethics subcommittees met this week and held hearings on several bills – SB 67, SB 71, SB 89 and SB 93, to name a few.
SB 67, 89, SB 184 and SB 188 then received hearings in front of the Ethics Committee on Thursday.
Next week, the Ethics Committee will meet on Monday and Tuesday at 4:45, on Wednesday at 2:15, and on Thursday at 7 AM. If the schedule changes and subcommittee meetings are added as well, you should be able to find the updated information on the Senate website: https://www.legis.ga.gov/schedule/senate?page=1. The committees will be livestreamed, and we hope that, after the pushback Republicans received last week, any subcommittee meetings will be posted online as well.
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!
Additional News from Under the Gold Dome!
This week, I introduced a bill that would prevent delivery apps from price-gouging small restaurants, which hurts their competitiveness and their ability to stay afloat during a pandemic that has already wreaked havoc upon the restaurant industry.
On Thursday, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill, SB 46, which would permit emergency medical technicians and cardiac technicians to administer vaccines under the order of a physician during a public health emergency. Moreover, it would no longer require providers to check the vaccine registry during a public health emergency, removing one of many bureaucratic hurdles that have slowed down the vaccination effort. Lastly, under this legislation, Georgians would not be allowed to opt out of the registry for COVID-19 vaccines.
The Transparency Act: Reforming Redistricting
This week, I introduced the Transparency Act (SB 186), with the support of the ACLU of Georgia and All on the Line. Read the press release below.
Repealing the Citizen’s Arrest Law
Last February, Ahmaud Arbery was murdered. His killers were initially able to hide behind Georgia's archaic citizen's arrest law. This law allowed citizens to act as judge, jury and executioners. This is unacceptable. Last week, Gov. Kemp held a press conference and discussed a legislative proposal to repeal our citizen's arrest law.
Currently, the law allows any citizen who believes they have witnessed a crime to arrest the suspect if the offense is committed in their presence or within their immediate knowledge. The proposed change, HB 479, still allows certain individuals, such as employees at a business, security officers and private investigators, to detain anyone they believe has committed a crime. It would require anyone who has detained someone to call the police within an hour, and if the police don't arrive, the detainee would have to be released.
This bill is not perfect. However, as a bipartisan effort, which involved the collaboration of activists, legislators and dedicated citizens, these reforms would still represent a step forward for Georgia and a step towards justice for Ahmaud Arbery.
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://experience.arcgis.com/experience/3d8eea39f5c1443db1743a4cb8948a9c/
Below is information on where to get vaccinated, if you qualify, and how to sign up!
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