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Greetings! I hope you are enjoying your summer! In this issue:
- Literacy Council Appointment
- Medicaid Redetermination Deadline
- Abortion - One Year after Roe vs Wade overturned
- Guns- Advocacy for Pediatric Safe Gun Storage Act
- DeKalb Ethics Appointments
- State Grants for Parks
- State Grants for Public Safety
In the Community:
- GA Climate Conference
- Tour of New Life Community Alliance
- Southern Region Education Board Conference
- DeKalb Juvenile Justice Council “Summer Celebration”
- Georgia Environmental Justice and Climate Protection Conference
- Regulate Guns Not Women/Climate Action Now
- Georgia Advocacy Office for People with Disabilities
- GDOT Meeting on Briarcliff
- Dawn Drive Community Day
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Literacy is Foundational for Learning
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I am honored to have been appointed by Speaker Jon Burns to the Georgia Literacy Council, which was created by Senate Bill 211.
Information about the Literacy Council:
- 30 members include appointments by Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker including: Literacy and education specialists, local and state board of education members, local superintendents, librarians, and dyslexia specialists are included in appointments
- Council will be attached to Governor’s Office of Student Achievement
- “Literacy Coach” will be staff of GOSA and shall work with Council and Alliance of Education Agency Heads on literacy improvements
- Requires the Alliance of Education Agency Heads to work with the Council on literacy improvements
- Council sunsets December 31, 2026
- Work with Ga DOE and State Board of Education to implement the requirements of HB 538
- Review literacy needs and make recommendations for legislation and appropriations
- Review other states’ best practices
- Make recommendations for literacy improvements among minority, ESOL, low income and dyslexic students
- Provide a report by Oct. 31 each year to the SBOE on monitoring statute and effectiveness of statewide literacy policies
- Make recommendations on new and existing teacher training relating to evidence-based literacy instruction
- Review community-based literacy programs and make recommendations for improvements
- Work with the State Board of Education, in consultation with GOSA and Georgia Department of Education, to establish the state’s literacy metrics (also in HB 538)
Opinion: Avoid math rollout’s miscalculations when rewriting literacy model
Georgia Leaders get serious about literacy
We will meet briefly virtually on July 19, and our first in-person meeting will be August 7 in Statesboro. I will keep you informed!
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Update Your Medicaid Contact Information and Check Your Redetermination Deadline
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Medicaid redetermination has started. Individual dates are available in Gateway.
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Redetermination has begun. Based on changes in federal law, this is the process that the State of Georgia must complete over the next 14 months to make sure current Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids® members are still eligible for coverage.
During redetermination, the State of Georgia will collect and verify member information, including contact and income details as well as other requested information and documents that will be used to determine your eligibility.
Not everyone will go through this process at the same time. In fact, it will take about 14 months to reach everyone.
Visit gateway.ga.gov to view your redetermination date and to update your contact information today so you can stay informed about the status of your coverage.
Need help? Visit your local Division of Family & Children Services office for support. To find the location and business hours for your local office, visit: dfcs.georgia.gov/locations
If you need help reading this information or communicating with us, call 1-877-GADHS-GO (1-877-423-4746). Our services, including interpreters, are free. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or have difficulty speaking, you can call us at the number above by dialing 711 (Georgia Relay.)
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Regulate Guns Not Women - Status of Abortion and Guns in Georgia
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Thank you to those who were able to attend our June 15 Regulate Guns Not Women/Climate Action Now Conversation. I have more yard signs - email me if you want one!
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June 26 marked the 1 year anniversary of the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, overturning 50 years of protections for women’s reproductive rights. It is frustrating to live in Georgia, where we are living under the 6 weeks abortion ban, before most women even know they are pregnant. I am thankful for the Biden-Harris administration taking action where they can.
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A Year Without Roe v. Wade: Biden-Harris Administration Highlights Commitment to Defending Reproductive Rights & Executive Order on Strengthening Access to Contraception
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One year ago, the Supreme Court eliminated a constitutional right that it had previously recognized, overturning nearly fifty years of precedent. Today, more than 23 million women of reproductive age—one in three—live in one of the 18 states with an abortion ban currently in effect. In the last year, women have been denied essential medical care to preserve their health and even save their lives. They have been turned away from emergency rooms, forced to delay care, and made to travel hundreds of miles and across state lines for needed medical care. Despite this devastating impact on women’s health, Republican elected officials continue to advance these bans at both the state and national level.
President Biden and Vice President Harris stand with the majority of Americans who believe the right to choose is fundamental—and who have made their voices heard at every opportunity since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. As the President has made clear since the day of the Dobbs decision, the only way to ensure women in every state have access to abortion is for Congress to pass a law restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade.
While we continue to call on Congress to restore these protections, the Administration has taken executive action to protect access across the full spectrum of reproductive health care. In the wake of Dobbs, the President issued two Executive Orders directing a comprehensive slate of actions to protect access to reproductive health care services, including abortion. And today, the President is issuing a third Executive Order focused on strengthening access to affordable, high-quality contraception, a critical aspect of reproductive health care. The Administration remains fully committed to implementing these Executive Orders and advancing access to reproductive health care through the leadership of the interagency Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access, co-chaired by the White House Gender Policy Council and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
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Pediatric Health Safe Storage Act Advocacy!
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On March 16, the Public Safety Committee heard testimony on the Pediatric Health Gun Storage Act. There are so many excellent speakers - our renowned public health expert Dr. Mark Rosenberg is one of them. We are asking that the bill be recommitted, heard, and voted on in the Public Health committee. See more information below.
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Gun Violence is the leading cause of death for children and teens in our country. Georgia has the 8th largest rate of gun homicides and gun assaults in our country. It is frustrating to live in a state where our leadership says that public safety is their number one priority for our government, yet we refuse to keep the public safe by reducing easy access to guns, and passing safe gun ownership laws. But we can never stop fighting and making our case!
As I have mentioned in previous newsletters, we did hear one gun safety bill this session, after crossover, the Pediatric Safe Gun Ownership Law, sponsored by Rep Michelle Au. Listen to the full hearing, with amazing testimony, and a glimpse of the Gun Owners of America attack on the Republican chair who agreed to hear the bill HERE.
- For my take on the Georgia Legislature, Guns 101, and Resources, click HERE
- For Representative Dr. Au’s Advocacy toolkit for the Pediatric Health Safe Gun Storage bill, click HERE. I encourage you to please read and take action! Thank you!
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DeKalb Legislative Delegation Appoints New Ethics Board Members
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Exciting Community Grants for Public Parks and Public Safety!
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Thanks to the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), passed by President Biden and a Democratic congress, without ANY Republican Congressional support, there have been many Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds made available, which has allowed Georgia to provide transformational investments across the state. These ARPA grant funds in Georgia are administered by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, (OPB).
On May 18, Governor Kemp announced the latest Community Grants - Improving Neighborhood Outcomes in Disproportionately Impacted Neighborhoods. - 142 projects totaling $225 million for public parks! I am pleased that over $28 million will be for projects in DeKalb and Atlanta, and over $4,200,000 will be for projects in HD 89 - Renovation of NH Scott Park Pool in Candler/McAfee neighborhood, and improvements to Ebster Park in Decatur.
On June 8, Governor Kemp announced $88 million in Public Safety and Community Violence Reduction Awards, and I am pleased that in DeKalb, over $12 million was awarded to several different projects, including $1,650,000 to DeKalb County Schools to install touchless security in all high schools, $646,400 to DeKalb County Government, for Personal Care and Medical Transport Project, and $1,650,000 to Ga Piedmont Technical College for integration of advanced technology and equipment into emergency response tactics.
For a list of all the active grants from ARPA funding, click HERE. I am grateful for our President Biden and Democratic congress for passing ARPA, to Governor Kemp for accepting the funds, to local governments and organizations for applying for the grants, and to OPB administrators for helping choose the grant awards. Congratulations to all!
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Georgia Climate Conference in Athens, GA
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The Georgia Climate Conference in Athens was a wonderful learning opportunity for me. Our state governmental leadership is quiet about climate change, but good things are happening. At the top L I am with Mandy Mahoney, who has just been appointed to work at a high level in the Dept of Energy and Crystal Jackson from the ARC, after a session on climate federal funding for Georgia; top R with Kim Reeves, the new Agnes Scott Director of Sustainability, who was my daughter Carly's TA in Athens when she helped initiate the first composting in her dorm - and now they do it all over campus!. Bottom R is UGA's rooftop garden, and bottom L is one of many creative and helpful summary boards of a session on Urban Climate Challenges.
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Tour of New Life Community Alliance
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New Life Community Alliance is an amazing, one stop resource for our vulnerable neighbors in need, providing food, clothing, counseling, GED classes, haircuts, and so much more. I regret I don't have my notes for all of the wonderful people I met the day I toured, but at the top L I am with Debra Edelson, the CEO of NLCA, and Michael Bryant, COO of NLCA.
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Southern Region Education Board Conference
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Top photo, with Stevie Lawrence and Ansley Abraham, of the Southern Region Education Board, which just celebrated their 75th anniversary. Dr Abraham runs the Doctoral Scholars program, which Georgia has benefitted greatly from - many doctoral students at Georgia universities are SREB scholars. Bottom left I am with Rep Alan Baker of Alabama, who was awarded the Jack Hill Champion of Education award. Jack Hill was a highly respected Georgia legislator who died right before I came in office. And on the bottom R, I am with Rep Matthew Gambill, Governor Kemp and his wife Marty, and Senator Freddie Sims. Governor Kemp will be the Chairman of SREB this year.
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DeKalb Juvenile Justice Council - Summer Celebration!
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We had a wonderful turnout and results from our 3rd annual Summer Celebration, raising funds for the DeKalb Juvenile Justice Council. Top L: Joe Collums, Jeremy Cormier, our emcee!, Dr. Sharnell Myles, Cassandra DanFodio, and Tracy Lettsome. Top R, 2023 Maggie Lawson Scholarship awardee Xion Tillman, with Ms. Lettsome and DeKalb JJC Chair Pastor William Flippin, and the 2022 Scholarship awardee, Arian Williams - who contributed $200 that night!; bottom L, Rayen Bouchema and his parents - Rayen is a graduate of the CAP program - DeKalb's Juvenile Court Commitment Alternative program. And on the bottom R, two of our outstanding probation officers - I regret I don't have their names. THANK YOU to all who supported - and if you want to give, click HERE.
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Georgia Advocacy Office - Protecting and Advocating for People with Disabilities
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What a blessing to meet Angal Sahgal, founder of Chai Ho Teas, at the Georgia Advocacy Office - they protect and advocate for people with disabilities in Georgia. Their office is in downtown Decatur!
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I was happy to see Gail Harding again at the Eastlake Neighbor in Need Gala - Gail was one of my children's preschool teachers almost 30 years ago!
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A Summer lunch on my back porch with my "Kitchen cabinet" - my advisors and helpers!
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Environmental Justice and Climate Protection Conference
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I loved being able to WALK to this conference, at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory, and listening and learning from excellent academic, research and environmental justice advocacy organizations. On the right I am with Jennette Gayer of Environment Georgia and Andrea Young Jones, Government Policy Director of GA WAND.
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Community Day on Dawn Drive!
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So happy to be with Dawn Drive residents on their community day - we want to work with Commissioner Terry and Johnson, and Parks Director Ellis, to clear out the Dawn Drive ravine for neighborhood greenspace , and connect a trail with NH Scott Park!
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GDOT Meeting about Briarcliff between Ponce and Clifton
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Commissioner Long-Spears and I were glad to get an update from GDOT on the Briarcliff Bridge project near Sage Hill - it is coming very soon! And we got an update on proposed pedestrian crossings on Briarcliff. DeKalb County will need to do sidewalks on Briarcliff - Commissioner Long Spears made a note of that for SPLOST II.
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It is my honor and privilege to serve as our state representative. THANK YOU to all those who have supported me. Please let me know if I can be of service to you.
I hope you have a wonderful rest of your summer!
Sincerely,
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Representative Becky Evans
Georgia's 83rd House District, DeKalb County
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