I hope that all of you are still staying home as much as possible and staying safe. I bought my family masks from a local craftswoman and just bought some masks that are good for exercising in. As a reminder, bars, night clubs, live-performance venues, and government-run pools are still closed. They are to remain closed through May 13th unless the Governor extends the deadline via a new executive order. Additionally, the shelter-in-place order still applies for those Georgians who are over 65 and “medically fragile” through June 12th. Another reminder: Augusta University has two testing sites in DeKalb at the Decatur Armory, 3736 Durham Park Road, Decatur, 30032 and at House of Hope Atlanta, 4650 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur, GA 30034.

There’s a lot of uncertainty about the current state of affairs in Georgia when it comes to COVID-19. Despite Governor Kemp’s assurances that the data supports his decision to allow close contact businesses to reopen and Georgia’s Shelter-in-Place to lapse, the ever changing data released by DPH does not support that.

As you may have seen on my Facebook or Twitter, I disagree with Governor Kemp’s decision to reopen businesses (more detail on his order below) and think it’s too soon. Apparently Trump, Fauci, and Lindsey Graham do too. We saw 86 deaths from COVID-19 from Sunday night to Monday night, which is the most Georgia DPH has recorded within a 24-hour period.

I hope that you are taking time - time to move, breathe, see the good, and find some joy - for yourself each day. I know the news can be overwhelming right now and that it isn’t easy juggling back-to-back Zoom calls, Google hangouts, Microsoft teams, and such for your family and yourself. You may find you have less space and time than you used to, or you may think you have so much time that the days tick by unbearably slow. We are all working together to do our part. I appreciate all of you who have been sheltering in place for weeks now.

The fight against COVID-19 is driving most of us a little batty. Being stuck at home and trying to manage my active children with their schedules much more wide-open than several weeks ago is not something I would choose. But it's not time to let up.

We continue to learn new information about COVID-19, although unlike our Governor I was aware of asymptomatic transmission earlier than two days ago. I would like to share some information and resources at the federal and state level. I encourage constituents to follow the shelter in place order by staying home unless you are part of the state’s “critical infrastructure'' or are engaging in outdoor exercise or an essential activity like grocery shopping.

While we continue learning new information about COVID-19, I wanted to share some steps our state and local governments are taking in order to prevent the spreading of the virus. I encourage constituents to do their part by staying home unless an outing is essential.

While we are constantly learning new information about COVID-19, I wanted to share some resources and information my office has received that may be useful during this time. I know many Georgians have legitimate fears and concerns as we cope with the virus and all of the changes it has wrought in our lives. Georgia is taking measurable steps to ensure that Georgians feel safe. We can all do our part in helping stop the spread by following the CDC’s guidelines, and our community will work through this together. Access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including masks and gloves, and testing capabilities are increasing daily in Georgia.

The Coronavirus has hit Georgia, and yesterday the Speaker of the House and Lieutenant Governor suspended the 2020 Legislative Session until further notice. We did finish Crossover Day. We will need to reconvene before June 30 to pass the 2020 - 2021 budget, but right now I don't know if we will resume the Session or just look at the budget. Like everyone else, our state government wants to keep people safe until the Coronavirus danger passes. I'll also apparently be homeschooling my children during this time, so be patient with me regarding responses to emails, etc. now that I am homeschooling and my interns from Emory have had to move out of their dorms and return to their hometowns!

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.

The General Assembly is back in full force and the pace is picking up.  Read on for updates about some of the bills being considered. 

The General Assembly resumed meeting on Tuesday, February 18 and now the pace is fast and furious. Read on for updates about some of the legislation being considered. But first... Save the Date for my next Town Hall, which includes a demonstration of Georgia's new voting machines (you all know I thought these were a bad purchase due to their cost and their use of barcodes to scan voters' choices in, among other things, but they are here and we have to learn how to use them).

The third week of the 2020 Legislative Session is behind us, and the General Assembly is taking an unexpected break this week to focus on hashing out the state budget. Read on for more details.

The second week of the 2020 Legislative Session is behind us.  I hope you are making plans to attend my Town Hall next week where I will give you all of the details! Read on for summations of some of what the Senate has been working on.

The first week of the 2020 Legislative Session is behind us.  This week, legislators hear testimony from the Governor, State Economist and department heads as to what their budget proposals and needs are.  The budget remains the most pressing issue of this legislative session, as we cope with a shortfall over $300 million and new spending priorities (and proposed cuts) laid out by the Governor in the budget he submitted to the legislature at the end of last week.  Read below for more details.

The 2020 Session of the Georgia General Assembly kicked off today.  While some think this could be a short Session (as legislators want to get back to their districts and campaign), I guarantee that it will be eventful.  Read on to learn more about some of the issues I expect we will be discussing these next few months!