Greetings!  We have finished Legislative Day 37, and are sprinting to the end, Sine Die, which will be this Monday, April 4.  This is where the real shenanigans happen, with bills being stripped and new language inserted and presented with no preview before a meeting, and with politicking going on to have bills heard in the other chamber. We are primarily hearing Senate bills now in the House.  There are also many farewell speeches this year - I estimate there will be around 40 colleagues not returning to the House.   

Pray for Ukraine

As Putin’s horrible unprovoked war against Ukraine enters its 34th day,  we continue to pray for Ukraine.  I share with you a Prayer for Ukraine  from the Executive Director of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.  

The Georgia General Assembly stands with Ukraine and has unanimously passed two bipartisan pieces of legislation - HR 920 condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, noting that the State of Georgia has undertaken to divest all investment in Russia, and calling for the United States Congress and the President to continue to take prudent actions to resolve the war, and SB 562, prohibiting companies owned or operated by Russia to bid on or submit a proposal for a state contract.  You can read more here Lawmakers vote for Georgia to join growing condemnation of Russia

Thank you for March 24 Town Hall!  

Good News First - House Literacy Instruction Study Committee Passes

And then the Bad News: People will be able to Carry a Gun without a Permit

HB 1358 allows people to carry handguns,  openly or concealed, in public places without a weapons carry license or criminal history check,  dismantling Georgia’s system of responsible gun ownership. I voted no.  

Georgia’s weapons carry license helps ensure that only responsible gun owners can carry  handguns in public. Permitless carry legislation like HB 1358 removes this safeguard. 

• No criminal history check: Under Georgia law, people with some dangerous histories are  prohibited from carrying handguns in public. To obtain a permit, a person is required to pass  a criminal history check.1 Permitless carry legislation removes the requirement that people  pass a background check before carrying a handgun in public. 
• Over 5,000 permit applications denied in 2020: Proponents of the bill claim that only law abiding citizens apply for permits so what’s the point of the permitting process? They are wrong. Though counties are not required to report details on denials of permits, in 2020 we know that over 5000 permit applications were denied, mostly for criminal convictions and mental health problems.  These denials likely saved untold numbers of lives. HB 1358 erases this safeguard.
• Red flags: Under current Georgia law, local authorities may know that a person has a “red  flag” in his history—like a history of domestic violence or serious mental health issues which  might pose a threat to oneself or others—and can deny him a permit to carry a handgun in  public. Permitless carry strips Georgia’s judges of this authority and eliminates an  important public safety tool. 
•  College campuses: Under current Georgia law, a person needs to have a weapons carry  license to carry a concealed handgun on a public college campus. HB 1358 removes  this requirement, putting Georgia in the extreme minority of states that require colleges to allow  people to carry concealed handguns without a permit. Campus life is rife with risk factors  that make the presence of more guns potentially dangerous: 

New Voting Bill is "Security Theater"

HB 1464 - Despite ramming through a 98 page bill to allegedly “fix” our elections last year, Georgia Republicans have broken their promise of no new election bills and returned with another 40 pages of unfunded mandates and county burdens that will further hamstring our elections.

The changes in election law being proposed in HB 1464 create greater burdens on our county election officials with no real improvement in process or procedure. Instead, this bill represents an appeasement for members of the public who are still arguing over the “Big Lie.” 

• Application requirements for donations discourages small in-kind donors from proceeding with their donation attempt, and restricts large counties from receiving critical funding that is needed to cover the ever-increasing costs of conducting elections.
• The chain of custody requirements that are proposed for absentee ballots will severely slow down election administrators as they process and scan these ballots while creating costly and needless requirements that make no sense and do not improve security.
• Allowing any member of the public to access physical ballots, without requiring cause, opens the state to endless conspiracy theorists further undermining confidence in our elections. 
• Criminalizing poll watchers is not a solution to threats against poll workers–debunking false conspiracy theories is.
• Granting the Georgia Bureau of Investigation original jurisdiction to investigate claims of election fraud, when the Secretary of State and the State Election Board have both the authority and the experience to undertake these investigations, will intimidate election workers and hamper efforts to recruit desperately needed polling staff.

Finally, the process by which this legislation was pushed is deeply flawed. As seems to be a pattern here, this bill  was rushed through committee with too little time to evaluate the impact of the changes being proposed. A substitute version that transformed a four-page bill into a 40-page bill arrived hours before the committee met to hear it. This method of revising our election laws breeds the very distrust that the committee purports to be attempting to ameliorate.

Senate:  Thankfully many county election officials testified in the Senate and we will see if there are any changes:  Election officials criticize 'security theater' of Georgia voting bill

Banning of School Mask Mandates and Vaccine 'Passports':

As Memory of the Epidemic Fades,  the Right of the Individual Prevails 

“The Great Forgetting”

Banning of School Mask Mandates
SB 514  prohibits any public school board or governing board from making or enforcing any rule that requires students to wear face masks/coverings on any property owned and operated by a local school system unless the rule provides that parents can opt their child(ren) out of the requirement. In order to opt out, there is no requirement to provide a reason and no student shall suffer any consequences as a result.

I believe that local school systems should set the rules they believe will be best to keep their students, faculty and families safe. We have all learned during the pandemic that there was substantial learning loss during the year of on-line learning, and we want to keep our schools open.  Wearing masks helps keep schools open.  Children thankfully seem to get mild COVID cases but they can bring it home - I am particularly concerned about families with immunocompromised family members.   I voted no.  Read more here:  Georgia House passes bill barring schools from enforcing mask mandates and Georgia Lawmakers Close In On Ban To Prevent Schools From Requiring Masks | The 74
 

Banning of Vaccine 'Passport':
SB 345 prohibits any government agency in the state from mandating proof of COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of providing service, access to any facility, issuing any license, or other authorization, or performing any duty. The bill provides for an exception in the event that this prohibition would violate regulations of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or federal contracting terms. The bill will stand repealed by operation of law on June 30, 2023.

This bill marks the first time that Georgia has banned any vaccine from being required for school participation.  I believe that it is a fundamental right of the government to protect citizens, and local and state agencies should have the right to mandate an FDA approved vaccine.  I voted no.  
Georgia push on COVID rules aims at vaccines, school masks – WABE
Is banning school mask mandates and vaccine 'passports' premature, or justified? - Georgia Recorder

Bill Changes Way that Books are Banned in Schools

School Board Transparency Bill

SB 588 requires all local boards of election to provide public comment periods during monthly meetings.

• The comment periods must be included in published agendas, and the board may not require members of the public to sign up more than 24 hours prior to the regular monthly meeting.
• School board chairs have the discretion to limit the length of time each person may speak, as well as the number of individuals speaking for or against a specific issue.
• The time and dates of regular meetings must be published both in the local organ as well as on the school board's website.
• Regular school board meetings must be public, and audio and video recordings must be allowed by members of the public.
• By October 2022, local boards of education must adopt rules of conduct for public meetings, and the rules must include provisions for removal of members of the public.
• The bill is explicit that members of the public may only be removed from school board meetings for actual disruption of proceedings.
• The bill also makes it clear, however, that nothing in the language may limit the authority of law enforcement.

Most of these requirements already existed in Georgia law, including the requirement for public comment periods, which are included in the agenda, and prohibiting a board from requiring a member of the public to give notice more than 24 hours in advance of their intention to speak publicly. I voted yes.  Read more here: Georgia House passes school board transparency bill  

Gambling Passes House Economic Development Committee

Around and About the Capitol! 

Crossover Day at the People's House!

Georgia WIN List - Thankful to be a 2022 Endorsed Candidate Along with these other Amazing Women! 

In the Community

Obama Portraits at the High Museum on March 19th!

Breakfast with Becky: Listening Session & Legislative Update at Picadilly on March 26 - Thank you to those who attended!  

There are so many more bills I could write about, but not enough time.  Please listen to the news, read the paper and your emails from advocacy groups, follow me on social media, and I will catch up with you from "the other side" - after Sine Die and a rest!  
Please let me know if I can be of service to you.  It is my honor and privilege to be our State Representative. I hope you are enjoying this wonderful Spring weather!  

Sincerely,