Here is what is happening under the Gold Dome (February 24, 2021)

Introduced in the House:

  • HB 484 (Frye, D-Athens) would make election days official state holidays, provide for same-day voter registration, and require employers to provide two hours time off to vote.
  • HB 485 (Moore, D-Peachtree Corners) would prohibit the death penalty in the state.
  • HB 494 (Burchett, R-Waycross) would require people to submit a photocopy of their ID when submitting an absentee ballot application. 
  • HB 524 (Lim, D-Norcross) would require landlords to provide residential tenants with a notice of tenants’ rights and responsibilities. 
  • HB 531 (Fleming, R-Harlem) is a large bill that would impose new voting restrictions, including eliminating Sunday voting and limiting the time drop boxes can be used. Proponents of the bill argue that this will help ensure voter integrity, and opponents argue this will unduly limit access to the polls. 
  • HB 534 (Bonner, R-Fayetteville) would “provide for the offense of promoting illegal drag racing and laying drags.” 
  • HB 538 (Stephens, R-Savannah) would allow for race horse betting in the state.
  • HB 542 (Bruce, D-Atlanta) would authorize the Georgia National Guard to use vacant state property to temporarily house homeless people during a public health emergency.
  • HB 565 (Kennard, D-Lawrenceville) would prohibit imposing a probation period for more than two years, and would eliminate probation for life for people convicted of certain violent felonies.
  • HB 569 (Wilson, D-Brookhaven) would prohibit the practice of conversion therapy (aka “gay to straight therapy”) on minors in the state.

Passed House Committees:

  • HB 32 (Belton, R-Buckhead) passed the House Ways and Means Committee. This bill would establish a “teacher recruitment and retention program for a refundable tax credit for teachers who agree to teach in certain rural schools or certain low-performing schools.”
  • HB 114 (Reeves, R-Marietta) also passed the House Ways and Means Committee. This bill would increase the tax credit for adopting a foster care child from $2,000 to $6,00 per year.
  • HB 286 (Gaines, R-Athens) passed the House Governmental Affairs Committee. This bill would “restrict the ability of county governing authorities to reduce funding for county police departments.”

Passed the Full House:

  • The Full House passed HB 128 (Williams, R-Milledgeville) which would prohibit health care providers from discriminating against organ transplant recipients due to a physical or mental disability.
  • The Full House passed HB 287 (Rich, R-Suwanee) which would include “tobacco and vapor products” in the alcohol and drugs core curriculum for K-12 students.

Introduced in the Senate:

  • SB 186 (Parent, D-Atlanta) would require there to be a minimum of two public hearings in each judicial district of the state during the redistricting process.  
  • SB 200 (Anavitarte, R-Dallas) would allow businesses and religious groups to continue operating during a state of emergency, as long as they are in compliance with safety precautions. 
  • SB 206 (Merritt, D-Grayson) would provide that “a prospective tenant shall not be refused a rental or lease agreement solely based upon a previous eviction during the COVID-19 public health emergency.” 

Passed Senate Committees:

  • The Senate Education and Youth Committee passed SB 51 (Thompson, R-White). This bill would allow home school students from grades 6 through 12 to participate in school sports at their local school system.
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee passed SB 75 (Jackson, D-Stone Mountain). This bill would allow tenants to terminate a lease if they are the victims of stalking.
  • The Senate Urban Affairs Committee passed SB 90 (Jackson, D-Savannah). This bill would create the Georgia Commission on African American History and Culture.

TRACKING VOTING LEGISLATION. You can follow current voting legislation by using the link to the Georgia legislation search feature (https://www.legis.ga.gov/search?k=voting&s=1029&p=1). You are able to see the title of the bill, the committee the bill is assigned to, the sponsors, and the current status of the bill. You can find the committee meeting schedule here: https://www.legis.ga.gov/schedule/all.

CALL TO ACTION. We need to make our voices heard. We need to call and email the Republican Georgia legislators and demand they oppose the voting bills. 

Leadership
Gov. Brian Kemp|(404) 656-1776|https://ltgov.georgia.gov/contact-lt-governor
Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan|(404) 656-5030|https://georgia.gov/contact-georgiagov
David Ralston (House Speaker)|(404) 656-5020|david.ralston@house.ga.gov

Republican members of the House Special Committee on Election Integrity
Barry Fleming, Chairman|barry.fleming@house.ga.gov|(404) 656-5105
Alan Powell, Vice Chairman|alan.powell@house.ga.gov|(404) 463-3793
Shaw Blackmon|shaw.blackmon@house.ga.gov|(404) 656-5103
Buddy Deloatch|buddy.deloach@house.ga.gov|(404) 656-0178
Houston Gaines|houston.gaines@house.ga.gov|(404) 656-0298
Jan Jones|jan.jones@house.ga.gov|(404) 656-5072
Chuck Martin|chuck.martin@house.ga.gov|(404) 656-5146
Bonnie Rich|bonnie.rich@house.ga.gov|(404) 656-5087
Lynn Smith|lynn.smith@house.ga.gov|(404) 656-7149

Republican Members of the Senate Ethics Committee
Committee Chair Max Burns-R|(404) 656-7586|max.burns@senate.ga.gov
Vice Chair Dean Burke-R|404-656-0040|dean.burke@senate.ga.gov
Mike Dugan-R|404-463-2478|mike.dugan@senate.ga.gov
Butch Miller-R|404-656-6578|butch.miller@senate.ga.gov
Jason Anavitarte-R|(404) 656-0085|jason.anavitarte@senate.ga.gov
Steve Gooch-R|404-656-9221|steve.gooch@senate.ga.gov
Bo Hatchett-R|(404) 656-7454|bo.hatchett@senate.ga.gov
Randy Robertson-R|(404) 463-3931|randy.robertson@senate.ga.gov
Brian Strickland-R|(404) 463-6598|brian.strickland@senate.ga.gov