LYNN'S LIST
LYNN’S LIST FOR MARCH 15, 2021
All the advocacy this week is State.
Fair and Representative Elections
State
Two bad voting omnibus bills crossed over. HB 531, the House omnibus voting bill passed, purely on partisan lines. It is in the Senate for consideration. The Senate’s own omnibus voter suppression bill, SB 241, crossed over to the House, along with numerous stand alone voter suppression bills. Here is a list of those bills if you are interested in reading about each.
But, it's not over yet. If you wish to participate further, write and call those in power to voice your concerns about these bills. We won’t be giving you a script for this. Use your own words, especially if you have a relevant personal experience. For House members, request a no vote on SB241 and the numerous stand alone voter suppression bills that crossed over from the Senate. For Senate members, request a no vote on HB531. For Lt. Gov Duncan, ask him to make his voice heard and stand up for Georgians and their voting rights. ASK WHERE IS THE FISCAL NOTE FOR THESE BILLS? All these bills have a financial impact on counties. Ask the following.
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Why denying grants to help pay bills is a bad thing?
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Why should it be against the law to deny food or water to voters in line?
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Why decreased access to drop boxes will help confidence in election security.
Mention that the new bill would have excluded Governor Kemp’s absentee ballot because it came in too late. Then remind them that the bills disenfranchise voters of both parties especially seniors who may no longer drive or may not have a copy machine.
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House Speaker David Ralston david.ralston@house.ga.gov (404) 656-5020
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House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones jan.jones@house.ga.gov (404) 656-5072
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House Majority Leader Jon Burns jon.burns@house.ga.gov (404)656-5052
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Rep. Barry Fleming, Chair, House Special Committee on Election Integrity barry.fleming@house.ga.gov (404) 656-5105
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Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan geoff.Duncan@ltgov.ga.gov (404) 656-5030
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Senator Butch Miller President Pro-Tempore butch.miller@senate.ga.gov (404) 656-6578
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Senator Mike Dugan Senate Majority Leader mike.dugan@senate.ga.gov (404) 656-7872
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Sen. Max Burns, Chair, Senate Ethics Committee max.burns@senate.ga.gov (404) 656-7586
The following companies have donated large sums of money in support of Georgia's voter suppression. Their contact emails are included. Again, no script is provided so please use your own words. Please let them know you want them to support democracy and not voter suppression. In your email or phone call, make sure you talk about the following travesties.
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Although Georgia is the best state for business, what does voter suppression say about employees rights?
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How will Georgia attract new businesses if we are known for voter suppression?
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How will you tell your employees that they cannot vote by mail or vote on a weekend?
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How will you face your employees when you have supported elected officials who are supposed to protect voting rights, but instead are writing anti-democratic voter suppression bills?
1. Delta:
Ed Bastian, CEO
404-715-6653
edward.bastian@delta.com
2. Delta
Glen Hauenstein, President
404-715-1601
glen.w.hauenstein@delta.com
3. Home Depot:
Craig Menear, Chairman and CEO
770-384-2930
Craig_Menear@homedepot.com
4. Southern Company
Thomas A. Fanning, Chairman, CEO, and President
770-384-2930
tfanning@southernco.com
4. AFLAC
Dan Amos, Chairman and CEO
706-323-3431
damos@aflac.com
5. AFLAC
Teresa White, President
twhite@aflac.com
(no number available)
6. Coca Cola
James Robert B. Quincey, Chairman and CEO
404-676-2121
jquincey@cocacola.com
7. UPS
Carol B Tome
404-828-6000
ctome@ups.com
Protection of the Environment
State
The Trust fund Honesty Bill, HB511, passed the House unanimously. This bill formally dedicates the fees collected to certain trust funds, like the hazardous waste and solid waste trust funds. This dedication will end the misdirection of large percentages of these fees into the state’s general fund and will give the state the confidence and resources to plan and carry out the remediation of legacy hazardous sites and provide consistent funds for local governments to address scrap tire dumps and problems arising at local solid waste handling facilities.
Contact your Senator with the suggested script: My name is ---- and I am your constituent from -----. Please support HB 511 to restore honesty in government and dedicate full funding to these important environmental trust funds. Let's get the cleanups we pay for!
Access to Affordable Healthcare
State
Good news! Express Lane Eligibility, HB 163, cleared both chambers and as soon as the bill gets federal approval, an estimated 60,000 Medicaid-eligible children who receive food stamps would also be enrolled in the joint state-federal health program.
Quality Public Education
State
Early in the legislative session, we advocated for HB120, but a similar bill, SB97, crossed over and is now awaiting a vote in the House. The bill allows universities to award out-of-state tuition waivers to students who cannot be classified as in-state, i.e. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA students.
Contact your Representative with the suggested script: My name is ---- and I am your constituent from -----. Please vote Yes on SB97, allowing DACA students to qualify for in-state tuition.
There are 86 weeks until the 2022 midterm elections. As always, it’s a marathon and not a sprint.
The link to your legislators is here. We now have a state office for Senator Ossoff which is listed below, so update your address book. The list is still incomplete. We don’t have the Atlanta office contact information for Senator Warnock yet.
Senator Jon Ossoff
3280 Peachtree Rd. NE
Suite 2640
Atlanta, GA 30305
Phone: 470-786-7800
Fax: 404-949-0912
Stay safe and wear your mask.
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