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Greetings! We are halfway through the session! This has been an intensive session for me, where I spent time researching and meeting with stakeholders, about several key topics and bills, playing both defense on bills of concern and offense trying to line up supporters I am working on! Thankfully, it has not yet been a highly partisan session on the House side. Today is the first day I voted against a bill in committee. The Capitol is alive with advocates and it is wonderful to welcome visitors back in full swing to “The People’s House.”
In this issue:
Thank you for Town Halls
Amended 2023 Budget - Big Question Remains
Housing
Safety
What I’m working on
At the Capitol
In the Community
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Thank you for those who participated in my two February Town Halls!
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Thank you to those who attended our townhall with Senator Parent and Representative Oliver at Glenn Memorial Church! And thank you to the church for their hospitality in providing a BBQ dinner before the meeting!
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Thank you to those who attended our Feb 11 Town Hall at the South DeKalb Senior Center, and to our Special Guests Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and MARTA Board member Rod Frierson.
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On Feb 2 we moved towards our one constitutional requirement of adopting a balanced budget, by passing the $32.5 billion midyear House version of the Amended Fiscal Year 2023 State Budget, which runs through June 30th. This includes a one-time homeowner property tax break of 18%, on average a little under $500, and $60,000 one time safety grants for all public schools. The budget amendments reflect about a $2.36 billion or 7.8% spending increase. The Senate is reviewing it now. The House is now focusing on our version of the FY 2024 State Budget by holding various appropriation meetings.
The big question I referred to in my last newsletter is still out there - how much, if any, of the undesignated $3 billion surplus will be allocated?
You can read the 2023 amended budget highlights HERE and House passes beefed-up mid-year budget with a $1B property tax break | Georgia Public Broadcasting. And I always appreciate the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute’s research on the budget.
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We started the session talking a lot about housing, but there hasn’t been much concrete action until yesterday, when thankfully the bipartisan Safe at Home Act dropped, which seeks to boost tenant rights. It is a good start and I hope it will be strengthened. For example, under the bill landlords would have to give tenants who are late on rent three days to make payment before an eviction is filed in court, and we would like seven days. Read more HERE. There are many other excellent renter protection bills sponsored by all Democrats so they likely won’t get a hearing. I am waiting to see the Home Ownership package bill that Rep Dale Washburn has been working on. And I, along with several others, have been talking with the powers that be about the potential of using the Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless in the 2024 budget to make loans and grants for both supportive housing for persons with chronic behavioral health needs and for affordable housing.
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At the Gun Safety press conference on Monday, Ellen Gadberry, our church's art activist leader, read aloud the names of the 64 Georgians who died from gun violence in December 2022, 10 of whom were 17 and younger. She is reading from letters that were sent to twelve legislators who have sponsored gun legislation, which included the names and faces of these 64 Georgians, who died from a bullet shot from the barrel of a gun.
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One of the themes for the session is “Safety”. This can mean many things to many people, just like the theme of Freedom. Anyway, here is a snapshot of three Safety stories.
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Guns. The number one cause of death for our children is death by a firearm. It is maddening that in our state Capitol we can’t make the connection between easy access to guns and our violent society. How can we keep our children safe? By implementing common sense gun safety laws, like securing our guns safely, so they can’t get to them. On Monday I supported my Democratic colleagues Rep Dr. Michelle Au, Rep Mary Margaret Oliver, and Senator Elena Parent at their press conference on gun safety legislation.
Georgia Democratic Lawmakers push bills to reduce gun violence
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Yesterday in our Public Safety Meeting, we passed The Safe Schools Act. My colleague and Governor’s Floor Leader Rep Will Wade is carrying this bill, and since it is the Governor’s bill, there can be no friendly amendments - it has to be a clean bill. Which disappointed me, because I had reviewed the bill with The Georgia Conflict Center, and I had a few minor friendly amendments, and colleagues prepared to support them, that clarified the intent of the bill to intervene and support youth who are at risk of gang involvement. Moreover, the discussion was limited and rushed, as we spent 45 minutes on testimony for another bill, The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. We heard from three passionate student and teacher advocates concerned about the bill, and asking for the prohibition of unannounced intruder alerts. But we ran out of time to hear from the teacher and school groups that were in support of the bill (and that also supported my few minor amendments). Regarding the intruder alerts, the school system can decide if they are announced or unannounced.
So perhaps you can understand my frustration that today, in our Education committee, we spent a full 45 minutes discussing HB 32, which is about making sure we have instant replay for high school championship football games, and that was our only bill. I wish the Safe Schools Act had been given that kind of attention, in the Education committee.
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Truck Weights - Yesterday at our Democratic Caucus meeting, we heard from GDOT on the Truck Weights bill. Bill that would increase truck weights on Georgia roads clears first hurdle
I love our forestry and agriculture businesses, but after hearing about the impact these increased weights would have on our county and state roads and bridges, I will not be able to support this bill if it comes to a floor vote. GDOT had a map with red dots of all the bridges that would be posted unsafe for these heavy trucks, and the map of Georgia was covered in them. AND these heavy trucks are NOT allowed on federal highways. So if this bill passes they will be in our neighborhoods! I live in a residential neighborhood with two state routes.
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What I've been working on:
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I have been working on several bills and resolutions, none of which have a number yet. The next two weeks before Cross Over on March 6 will be crazy.
- Evidence Based Literacy Instruction Certification
- Burial Purchaser Protection Act
- Alert for kidnapped or endangered adult
- Disclosure requirements for Wholesale buyers and sellers of residential real estate
- DeKalb Senior Tax Exemptions
- Vogtle Venture Cost (resolution)
- Washington DC Statehood (resolution)
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Rep Shea Roberts, Rep Kim Schofield and I show off our green bandannas, which is a symbol of the international abortion rights movement, after our Reproductive Freedom press conference. Green, the color of nature, was chosen because it signifies life!
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I was honored to speak with the Georgia School Superintendent's Teacher Advisory Council, which is made up of Georgia School Districts' Teachers of the Year. Here I am celebrating these amazing teachers! I listened to their stories about teacher burnout , caring for students in poverty and foster care, their need for protected planning time, and more counselors, both for students and also for themselves. I will do everything I can to support our teachers.
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Thank you to these smart and talented youth, Kennedi and Mason, from the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition, who helped me review the education budget and the School Safety Act. We ended out not being able to make the friendly amendments we hoped for, but I value the time and conversation strategizing about these issues.
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I enjoyed connecting with Ms. Keisha Hobbs from Clarkston and her son, at the Georgia Early Childhood and Education luncheon "Strolling Thunder". We need to do all we can to support young mothers, like expanding the CAPS program for childcare, and not paying taxes on diapers.
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Watch Out World! These Girl Scouts are taking over!
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Thank you to Jennifer Lee and the advocates from Asian Americans Advancing Justice who met with me regarding legislation involving immigration and discrimination.
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Thank you to my friend and neighbor Marshall Orson, for his decade of service as our DeKalb School Board representative, and his amazing wife Peggy!
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I was so glad to see Henrietta Georgia, Druid Hills HS Athletic Director, at the party celebrating Marshall's service! Ms. George and I go way back to my Druid Hills High School Athletic Association days!
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That's all for now! I hope you have a wonderful President's Day weekend! I am meeting David down on the coast, in Darien, and staying at a lovely home on the marsh and going to Sapelo. I'll return rested and invigorated for the next big push to Cross Over, which is Monday, March 6th! It is my honor and privilege to serve - please let me know if I can be of service!
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Representative Becky Evans
Georgia's 89th House District, DeKalb County
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