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On March 19 I was one of the speakers for DeKalb Press Conference on Election Laws: "In the midst of a pandemic, we had safe and secure elections and had a record turnout. These election restriction bills are a false narrative to disenfranchised Georgians. These bills are aimed at slowing down the ability for African Americans and working families to vote. Reducing days and hours for early voting, removing the ability to drive by a drop box and drop your ballot in, making elections board pick between eliminating Sunday or Saturday early voting.
I would like to make a point about provisional ballots. People who vote provisionally are people who work 2 and 3 jobs, who have a lot on their plate, and tend to be our black and brown community members. In the last election, 10,000 people voted out of precinct. Perhaps they went to an early voting precinct, and didn’t know that their day of precinct was different. Thanks to the laws we passed after 2018, we had time to cure the ballots, to ensure those provisional ballots, for the races where they were eligible were counted. The bill sponsor says we shouldn’t count provisional ballots, because their votes just for their district wouldn’t count. But we all know they don’t want provisional ballots to count, because those votes for statewide races can make a huge difference in statewide races.
I hope good policy and cooler heads will prevail. That the majority party leadership will listen to the will of the people and preserve access to the ballot box for ALL Georgians! We must Protect the Right to Vote!"
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2021 Legislative Session is Over - Thank Goodness!
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We have thankfully finished this challenging pandemic legislative session. Sweeping and controversial voting changes - Jim Crow in a Suit and Tie - passed in response to the false narrative, lies of voter fraud and GOP losses of the Presidency and Two US Senate seats, will restrict voters and created a tense mood and sucked the energy away from other legislation. Due to COVID-19 precautions, our physical separation and reduced contact between majority and minority party colleagues has further strained relationships. Legislators have basically been working non-stop from the start of the 2020 session, on-line during the suspended session, running a primary campaign, participating in Black Lives Matter and peaceful protest during the summer, helping people get their benefits from Dept. of Labor, providing and publicizing COVID resources, then volunteering for national presidential elections, researching and preparing new legislation, followed by two senate runoffs, and then right back to the 2021 session, so many of us are exhausted. I am thankful we didn’t have a suspended session, which there were rumors of through January, if our COVID rates were high. I look forward to returning to community in person events as our vaccination rates improve.
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Thank you to those who participated in our March 27 Town Hall!
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Thank you to those who participated in the March 27 Town Hall with Senator Davenport and Dr. Mark Rosenberg. You can click the photo to listen to the recording. The passcode for the recording is: =8Tg@9fS. Start the Town Hall at the 15 minute marker.
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I stand in support of Georgia State Representative Park Cannon, who was unjustly arrested for exercising her first amendment rights by knocking on the door of the Governor as he signed SB 202, a bill that limits the right to vote. I strongly condemn her treatment and the charges filed against her, which demonstrate a racialized double standard when compared against the insurrection in the U.S. Capitol and militia demonstrations in state capitols across the country.
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Is SB 202 "Jim Crow in a Suit and Tie" or Sweeping Voter Changes?
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Is SB 202 “Jim Crow in a suit and tie” or “sweeping voting changes? It is true that the tremendous activism and push back made this 98 page bill less harmful than it was at the beginning - THANK YOU ACTIVISTS! - but when you read all of the bill and understand the impact of the details, we learn that it largely focuses on intimidation and election administration power, disproportionately affects minority and poor voters, and creates processes to disrupt local control and certification. We have fought to expand the right to vote for all Georgians, to remove barriers, and this bill takes us in the wrong direction. I am especially concerned about the changes that will affect participation right before the election, like drop boxes not being available the 4 days before an election, and provisional ballots not being allowed for 10 of the 12 voting hours on election day. And now we have the call for boycott of corporations and the moving of the MLB All Star game. I support the efforts to persuade business leaders to lend their voices against voter suppression. The consequences of our state’s action will continue to reverberate.
The action now moves to the courts. Here Are All The Lawsuits Challenging Georgia's New Voting Law.
Wins:
- Early vote and weekend voting maintained in general election
- No fault absentee by mail preserved
- Automatic voter registration preserved
- Drop boxes preserved, but they must be inside, business hours only, only 1 per 100,000 voters,
- Allows vote tabulation to begin in advance, third Monday before Election Day
- Signature match repealed
As a Reminder, here’s what’s bad:
- Shortened absentee ballot request period
- Shortened absentee application return deadline
- Banned out of precinct voting - “provisional ballots”- except for 5-7pm on Election Day
- Additional ID requirements for voting by mail: required submission of a photocopy of ID for those without state ID/Driver’s License
- Date of birth requirement on absentee ballots
- Outlaws private funding for elections administration (no State Farm Arena)
- Truncated runoff period
- Encouragement of mass voter challenge “caging”, with sanctions for counties in noncompliance
- Elections boards takeovers at the state and local level
- Bans mobile voting except under limited emergency circumstances
- New restrictions on polling location hours extensions
- Giving water/snacks by hand to voters in line criminalized
- New misdemeanors related to voter privacy, third party apps
If you like details, my favorite three articles addressing the impact of the law, going section by section and line by line, are:
And here, are some of my other favorite readings on this topic:
PodCasts: And of course, I highly recommend both Political Rewind with Bill Nigut and Political Breakfast with Dennis Hayes, where guests from both parties engage in civil political discussion over the issues.
A Dialogue that has been missing this session:
I have a story to share. The legislature passed SB 202 on Day 38, Thursday, March 25. On Monday, March 29, Day 39, we had a break, and I was in the ante room, and saw one of my former majority party seat mates at his desk. This is a person who went with me to the ICE detention center in Ocilla Georgia in 2019 and who in prior sessions we would have good back and forth discussions, but I have seen him only in passing this session.
I walked up to him and asked, in a conversational tone, “Will your constituents be happy with SB 202?” and we proceeded to debate, in a civil manner, the pros and cons of the bill, and the optics of the bill signing and the arrest of Rep Park Cannon by Georgia State Patrol. Another minority party colleague walked up, and another majority party colleague joined us, then Rep MM Oliver joined us, and we actually had a real conversation.
The majority party colleagues talked about the dilemma that Republicans face in the wake of Trump. I finally got the courage to ask him why, if he acknowledges the devastation the Big Lie had on Georgia, and depressing majority party turnout in the Senate runoff especially, WHY did he and his colleague sign the Texas Attorney General lawsuit that would have overturned the Georgia election - including HIS election? I had laid awake at night in December, wondering if I should call him - I could not reconcile the man I knew a little with this harmful action - but I never did. And he and his colleague (who also signed) said basically it was that OR call for a special session of the Georgia General Assembly. They are terrified of a primary challenger - the pressure from their voters was immense. Legislators did receive thousands of angry emails in November and December, but since they were not my voters I was not responsive. And the former seat mate did say that he had regrets - if he could have looked to the future, to the culmination of the insurrection, he would not have signed the petition.
I tell you this story because you not only hired me to fight, but you also hired me to listen, develop relationships and persuade others to pass legislation that improves the lives of Georgians, and I feel it helps to humanize the majority party members we do not understand.
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On Day 39 I presented during the Minority Report against SB 47, Expanding the School Voucher - Special Needs Scholarship, which seeks to expand a state program that uses taxpayer dollars to fund private school tuition. The bill regrettably passed with the minimum of 91 votes, NOT along strictly partisan lines. Here is a good article -to learn more: Georgia House votes to expand school voucher program
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On March 23, Education Chairman Matt Dubnik and I hosted members of the Science for Georgia Reading Awareness Program at the Capitol. From L to R: me, Karolina Klinker, Read Out and Read; Amy Sharma, Sci4GA, Louis Kiphan, Sci4GA, Randy Gorod, Sci4GA, and Chairman Dubnik. 15 minutes of reading every day can change a child's life! Click on the link below if you would like to contribute!
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Science for Georgia works to connect science to the general public. This is accomplished by establishing best practices and inflection points where scientific evidence can have a significant affect for change. Reading at grade-level by 3rd is one such inflection point. It’s the greatest indicator of high school graduation, regardless of parental education level or socioeconomic status. To accomplish reading to learn by 3rd grade, children must have a foundation in reading skills when entering kindergarten. Read Aloud suggests that children should be read to for at least 15 minutes per day starting at age 6 months to promote kindergarten reading readiness.
Reading 15 minutes a day can change the course of a child’s life. That is a major inflection point.
Unfortunately, in Georgia, 37% of 4th graders are reading below the National average for reading achievement.
The passing of the resolutions highlighting Georgia Reading Awareness Month is step one in a three-part plan to amplify reading and raise awareness of this important, but low-cost, way to positively impact the future for Georgia children.
Secondly, the partnership has put together a resource directory that includes e-books, tips & tricks, and fun ways to include reading in your life. https://sci4ga.com/knowledge-base/reading-resource-directory/
Finally, the partnership is working to donate 1000 books to Reach Out and Read GA and Fulton County Library System to get books into the hands of Georgia children. Reach Out and Read distributes books to kids at physician’s offices during well-child check-ups and pediatricians talk to parents about the importance of reading. These books are being purchased through Atlanta Black-owned bookstores, the Bookworm and Nubian https://scienceforgeorgia.org/ga-reading-month-book-drive/. Next year, we will encourage people to purchase books and place them in collection bins; however, due to Covid-19, all books can be purchased via direct suppliers.
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Fiscal Year 2022 Budget - HB 81
FISCAL YEAR 2022 STATE BUDGET HOUSE BILL 81 – CONFERENCE COMMITTEE HIGHLIGHTS
The Fiscal Year 2022 budget is set by a revenue estimate of $27.2 billion, an increase of $1.34 billion, or 5.2%, over the FY 2021 original budget. Since the original FY 2021 budget was passed in June of 2020, the state’s fiscal position has substantially improved. Nearly 90% of the new revenue for FY 2022 is programmed to be spent within education and health and human services agencies. The General Assembly supports the governor’s recommendation to restore 60% of the reductions made to K-12 education funding in the FY 2021 budget and further improves on the FY 2022 budget by providing an infusion of funds for expanded mental health core and crisis intervention services; rate increases for health and human service providers; access to healthcare; and salary increases for critical positions. Highlights of the House version of HB 81 are here.
We can absolutely do more to put people first, such as expanding Medicaid. It is a problem of stubbornness. You know I am a big fan of Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, so I am sharing https://gbpi.org/sine-die-2021-lawmakers-can-do-more-to-put-people-first/
The 2022 Budget was brought before us late in the evening on Sine Die, and passed 148-21. I voted Yes for the 2022 Budget, despite the refusal to expand Medicaid, because of the restoration of funds to Education, new funding for Public Health and mental health, and pay raises to help retain employees in agencies that have suffered from high turnover. Read more here
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I have written to you several times about the epidemic of gun violence and how discouraging it is that we can't get Safe Gun Ownership bills considered in the General Assembly.
Earlier this session I spoke against HB 218, Expansion of Concealed Carry Reciprocity, which passed in the House. The Senate version expanded the gun powers more broadly during a state of emergency. I was prepared to speak against the bill on Sine Die, but miraculously, the Speaker did not call the bill. The bill sponsor went up to him at least 5 times in the last few hours. I am glad Speaker Ralston had the insight to know how terrible this legislation is, especially in light of our recent murders of eight Georgians, six of whom were Asian American.
I am proud to be a co-sponsor for HB 788 - above you see me signing the bill. This legislation that requires a 5 day waiting period before buying a gun. It can't be heard if it isn't filed, right? Hope springs eternal.
I will be speaking on a Gun Safety panel with Young Democrats of Georgia this weekend.
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Highlights of good legislation we passed:
Healthy Environment - HB 511 - Would direct certain fees (hazardous waste, solid waste, etc.) toward their original intended purpose. (like environmental clean-up.)
Healthy Families - HB 163 - When submit Medicaid Waiver, child auto enrolls in SNAP benefits
Strong Workforce - SB 107 - Waives tuition and fees for current and former foster youth
Thriving Families - HB 146 - Extends 3 weeks paid parental leave to state employees
A Fair Legal System - SB 105 - Streamlines the process for those who qualify for early term of probation AND of course, HB 479, Repealing Citizen's Arrest, which I have written about extensively in earlier newsletters. Here is a good article.
Welcoming Environment for Immigrants - HR 11 - Identify and remove barriers to full economic participation by immigrants and refugees
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Nikki T. Randall Servant Leader Award
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Dr. Maryam Muhammad is an inspiration to me. The evening of March 16 I was honored to present to her the 2021 Nikki T Randall Servant Leader Award for our 83rd district. Dr. Muhammad has served our community on the front lines as a peace officer, volunteer, first responder, and adjunct professor all while pursuing her doctorate in public health and raising her family. Thank you to all in Law Enforcement who keep our communities safe. And thank you to DuWayne Howe, owner of Huskey's Kitchen, for hosting us.
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I am proud to be Secretary of the Women's Caucus. The officers gathered for a photo the morning of the virtual Nikki T. Randall Servant Leader Breakfast. From L to R: Rep Teri Anulewicz, Rep Rhonda Burnough, Rep Kim Alexander, Senator Sally Harrell, me, and Rep Sheila Jones.
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On March 19 I received my COVID vaccination through Walgreens at St. Philip AME Church. I was emotional as I received this life giving vaccine. My second shot is this Friday, April 9.
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16 and Older Are Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccination! Get Thee Your Shot!
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COVID 19 continues to infect our community. DeKalb County has a substantial spread of COVID-19. You can see an excellent map of where the spread is in DeKalb from the CDC here.
The good news is that people 16 and over are eligible for a vaccine - so please get your shot! And use your influence to get those you love to get their shots too!
HERE is a link if you need to get tested.
Find a Georgia vaccine distributor HERE.
The GEMA mass vaccination sites allow patients to enroll HERE.
Large hospital systems that received vaccines are also scheduling appointments. Many large hospitals are vaccinating their patients, including Emory, Wellstar, and Piedmont.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution has an interactive dashboard for COVID-19 in our state; you can view that HERE.
If you have any questions about COVID-19 and the vaccine only (not for scheduling appointments), call 888-357-0169.
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On March 26, I gathered with many colleagues to honor the lives of the 876 DeKalb residents and 16,749 Georgia residents who have died from COVID-19 with a White Flag Ceremony. We pray for healing and comfort for the families they left behind. Thank you to Rep. Sandra Scott for initiating this ceremony.
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Thanks for reading this newsletter to the end! I hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy. I know it is tempting for us to drop our guard with the beautiful spring weather and with more and more of us getting vaccinated, but please continue to follow CDC guidelines - wash your hands, wear your mask, and practice physical distancing. We will get through this together!
Please let me know if I can be of service to you. It is my honor and privilege to serve as your state representative. Please let me know if you would like me to speak to a neighborhood group or church or community group.
Sincerely,
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Representative Becky Evans
Georgia's 83rd House District, DeKalb County
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