At the Capitol
On January 11th, the Georgia House of Representatives convened for the 2021 Session. There’s nothing like governing during a pandemic and in the shadow of an attempted insurrection! While I am always happy to see my colleagues again, the mood was also a little somber as we are still under strict COVID protocol, and the events of January 6th at the US Capitol in Washington overshadowed our gathering.
Additional safety procedures have been implemented at the State Capitol to allow us to meet in-person during the next several months, such as a bi-weekly asymptomatic COVID-19 testing program for House members and staff, as well as guidelines for social distancing and wearing masks. As we did this summer, we continue to be spread out across the chamber, the gallery, and room 341 at the Capitol - I am up in the gallery. Those of us in the gallery and Room 341 do have poll pads for voting, so we do not have to vote by roll call, like we did this summer.
The pandemic is with us every moment of the day. Visitors have limited access and doing the people’s business has become more difficult and impersonal - at least for now, until we get this pandemic under control. We cannot have legislative aides or interns on-site and the page program is suspended.
I was proud and honored to be sworn in as your State Representative for House District 83 for a second term. The most important business of the House this week was to elect the House leadership. Speaker David Ralston (7th district) was re-elected as speaker of the House of Representatives. Representative Jan Jones (47th) was re-elected speaker pro tempore. We also re-elected William Reilly as the clerk of the House of Representatives, Pat Hinote as doorkeeper of the House of Representatives, and Betsy Theroux as House messenger for the 2021-2022 term.
The first week was filled with mainly procedural business, short sessions and caucus meetings. First bills have been filed and, as expected, we already have many election bills in the pipeline, giving an idea of what will dominate the discussions at the Capitol this session.
|
|
|
|
Taking the Oath to Protect the Constitution of Georgia - The 180 Representatives were sworn in in groups of 45 members at a time to provide physical distancing. I invited David but he declined, which I totally understood. Many members did not have any family with them this time. A contrast to two years ago, when David and Carly, Matthew and Ben joined me!
|
|
State of the State Address
The legislative week ended with Governor Kemp’s state of the state address to the joint assembly on Thursday. While the Governor acknowledged that the pandemic put a big burden on the state, he defended his efforts to fight it and said little to soothe the worries of our overburdened healthcare systems or in regards to the choppy roll out of the COVID vaccination in the state. Our biggest applause was for our healthcare workers who are putting their lives on the line every day to save our citizens.
The Governor highlighted some of his budget recommendations for the Amended Fiscal Year 20/21 and Fiscal Year 2022 budgets. After a $2.6 billion budget cut last year, Georgia’s revenue turned out to be better than expected, and thus the Gov. recommendations do not include any new budget cuts for our state agencies and departments, as well as no new furloughs or layoffs for state employees. That is a better situation than many other states. However, before we start cheering any ease on our state budget constraints, let’s be realistic. We cut almost a billion from public education this summer, and the Governor’s plan does not fully restore these cuts. The state is expecting a decline in revenue when tax returns will be due this spring and without raising additional funding, public education and other state programs and services will still fall below adequate levels - and many Georgian’s will continue to be left behind.
Here are some excerpts from different news organizations:
Atlanta Journal Constitution: In his own words: Governor’s comments today on state of education in Georgia
The state was proactive and aggressive in easing the overwhelming challenges that faced teachers and administrators last year, including allocating $30 million to help ensure student connectivity, slashing the requirements on testing, allocating $19 million to support childcare for working parents, and providing over 8.3 million units of PPE to school systems across our state. But the daunting task of teaching Georgia’s next generation in the midst of COVID-19 has been anything but easy.
Read the full article here.
|
WSB: Gov. Brian Kemp calls for teacher bonuses, more support for educators
More money could be coming for Georgia educators.
Governor Brian Kemp wants to give teachers and school employees, a $1,000 bonus for their work during the pandemic. He made the announcement during his State of the State address on Thursday.
“And today, I’m proud to announce that, working closely with State School Superintendent Richard Woods, the state will provide additional support to school system re-opening efforts, equating to a one-time supplement of $1,000 per teacher and other employees,” Kemp said.
Also in the address, Kemp said there will be no tax increases or additional budget cuts.
Kemp also wants to restore more than half of the cuts made to K-12 education last year.
“Yes, we still have challenges ahead, a virus to beat, and economy to rebuild and restore, but my fellow Georgians, the state of the state is resilient, and we will endure,” Kemp said.
Read the full article here.
|
11 Alive: Georgia Gov. Kemp's State of State address remains upbeat
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp painted an upbeat verbal portrait of the state on Thursday while acknowledging the challenges of the pandemic in his annual "State of the State" speech to the Georgia General Assembly.
"The State of the State is resilient, and we will endure," Kemp said to applause, avoiding superlatives often used by other governors while talking up successes.
Kemp started his speech with a moment of silence for the 10,000-plus people who have died from COVID-19 in Georgia. Kemp didn’t mention Georgia’s challenges getting vaccines distributed – the state has lagged behind much of the nation -- but instead highlighted that 283,000 Georgians have gotten inoculated.
"There are 283,000 reasons for hope and optimism. We will get through this. We will get there, together," Kemp said.
Read the full article here.
|
CBS Atlanta: Gov. Kemp Message In Georgia State Of The State Address: “Put 2020 In The Rear View”
Governor Brian Kemp’s 2021 State of the State Address at the Georgia House of Representatives came after a tumultuous year, as he reflected on 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One year ago, I had no idea what we would experience in 2020,” Kemp said. “When I stood at this rostrum on January 16th, 2020, I didn’t know that a deadly, global pandemic was on the horizon. We didn’t know that businesses would be shuttered, unemployment would skyrocket, and opportunity would slow under the weight of COVID-19.”
Kemp also discussed the recent distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. “Thanks to the efforts of Operation Warp Speed, we have a miracle of modern science that is quickly being administered,” he said.
He also recounted the protests and civil unrest. “In addition to the pandemic, our country faced another crisis throughout the summer and early fall of 2020. In the tragic deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, the entire nation witnessed injustice with our own eyes. I was proud to support the peaceful protests that drew the world’s attention to these terrible acts, and those voices demanded change to protect the lives of every Georgian regardless of race, creed, or political preference.”
Read the full article here.
|
|
|
Budget Hearings January 19-21
Next week is budget week at the Capitol, where the Joint House and Senate Appropriations Committee will begin reviewing the Governor’s budget proposals and hear from departments. The Budget is a moral document, and reflects the values of our state. It is the only legislation we are constitutionally required to pass.
You can view the schedule here and a link to the on-line budget report is here. You may watch the live stream of the Budget Hearings here and in the event that you cannot participate live, video archives of the meetings can be found here. All members are being encouraged to participate from home and not come to the Capitol next week, due both to COVID and security precautions during the Inauguration Week. I turn to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute for research and guidance, and they publish an excellent Budget Primer if you want to learn more.
We will return to the Capitol for legislative day 5 on Tuesday, January 26.
|
|
DeKalb Delegation
Thank you to those who attended our two pre-session DeKalb Delegation Town Halls on January 9th and 12th. The last order of business this week was a brief organizational meeting for the DeKalb Delegation. For the 2021/22 General Assembly, we unanimously elected the following members as our officers: Karla Drenner, HD 85, Chair; Doreen Carter, HD 92, Vice Chair; yours truly, Becky Evans, HD 83, as Secretary; and Viola Davis, HD 87, Treasurer. If you want to view any of these meetings, you can find a recording of the meetings here. I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to improve the lives of all DeKalb residents!
|
|
COVID-19 Update and Vaccination Information
The number of new COVID19 infections and deaths is surging rapidly in Georgia, and the Center for Disease Control fears that a far more contagious variant of the virus could become a predominant strain by March. GA hospitals report that ICU beds are at capacity with about 50 percent of patients having COVID19. The situation is dire. For the first time, daily deaths of the virus spiked to approximately 150 per day.
In addition, Georgia struggles to administer the COVID19 vaccine and is under pressure to vaccinate faster. I hope many of you were able to attend the helpful DeKalb COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall, hosted by Commissioner Lorraine Cochran Johnson on January 14, featuring Dr. Carlos del Rio, Emory School of Medicine & Grady Healthcare, Dr. Christa-Marie Singleton, Center for Disease Control, Dr. Sandra Ford, DeKalb Board of Health, and Dr. Marcus Griffith, Kaiser Permanente. They provided a very clear picture of where we are and urged patience as the vaccines rolled out. Here is a good article summarizing the meeting. The three challenges we are facing right now are limited vaccine allocation, logistical difficulties in deploying the vaccines we have, and vaccine hesitancy in communities. You can find the full conversation here.
DeKalb County experienced difficulties with its scheduling system that lead to scheduling issues. They are working on getting this resolved as quickly as possible. Please follow DeKalb County Covid updates HERE, and read Frequently Asked Questions for DeKalb Vaccine here.
For more information on how to access vaccinations in DeKalb County, Publix, Kroger, and Ingles pharmacies, please review the DeKalb Vaccine Information here .
Volunteers needed!
We need to speed up vaccine distribution and you do not need to be a clinician to volunteer. The medical reserve corp is looking for volunteers to help roll out COVID19 vaccines. Find out more HERE.
|
|
Schools - In-person or virtual?
For my readers with school age children or who are faculty and staff, I know you have faced an incredible burden deciding between in-person or virtual. Some students in City of Decatur schools are returning to in-person learning this week, and plans are still on for Atlanta Public School students to have opportunity to return to in person January 25th, while DeKalb decided to delay returning to in person amid COVID 19 surge. I have said it before and I want to emphasize that I think our school board members have the hardest elected position jobs, because their decisions directly and personally affect thousands of lives. My heart goes out to all families, faculties and staff, and I hope and pray all goes well for those families and faculty who are making this transition.
|
|
Communications
The House recently launched its new public House website, www.legis.ga.gov/house, where you can track our progress throughout the session. It features a new intuitive layout with a number of tools for you to stay up-to-date on what’s going on at the Capitol, such as archived committee meetings and an easy to use legislative search function.
Please reach out to me with any questions and concerns you may have about any legislation. Please also contact me if I may have the privilege of honoring, with a Resolution, an important community leader or organization upon a special occasion.
The Session is 40 days, and it goes quickly. I will send out newsletters every week or two, but I to follow what is going on more real-time, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and I am working on being better with Twitter (although I am usually re-tweeting!).
I look forward to future opportunities to connect with you during this formative time for our state. To review past newsletters and communications, please visit Becky Evans - News. Please call my Capitol office at 404-656-0109, or reach me via email at becky.evans@house.ga.gov.
|
|
|
Today is Martin Luther King Day. I have happy memories of working with many of you, and DeKalb Habitat for Humanity a year ago, helping to repair the home of Joe Anne Willis. I look forward to a time where we can return to safely serve our fellow citizens in need!
|
|
A Toast to our New President
This Wednesday, January 20, I invite you to join me virtually, along with a few neighbors, in a brief street-side Facebook Live toast, mid day, as we celebrate Joe Biden's inauguration as our 46th President and Kamala Harris as our Vice President!
For all of us, please stay vigilant and wear our masks, practice physical distancing, and stay home if possible! Please be safe! We are all in this together!
As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative. I ask for your prayers for wisdom and discernment, and I also ask that you hold me accountable. I will, with God's help, work to improve the lives of DeKalb's and Georgia's hardworking families.
|
|
Representative Becky Evans
Georgia's 83rd House District, DeKalb County
|
|
|
|
