State Senate session report: Week four.
Monday, January 29, 2024.
This deer’s deadpan in a vibe. Like members of the GA state Senate Judiciary Committee trying to get a simple answer to why we can’t limit the proposed Second Amendment Tax Holiday to only the hunting rifles or only the licensed hunters for whom its intended. Photo by Philipp Pilz on Unsplash
What does an unnecessary election bill, a tax freeze, and a deep fake have in common? They all went nowhere under The Gold Dome!
ON THE FLOOR
Max Burns (R-23) SB 189, requiring election recounts to use ballot text instead of QR codes, was sent back to the Ethics Committee. Good. It wastes money and makes recounts more error-prone.
Kay Kirkpatrick’s (R-32) SB 337, authorizing honorary “Georgia Colonels” title for life, was adopted.
Randy Robertson’s (R-29) SB 342, disclosing records to NCMEC, was adopted.
Greg Dolezal’s (R-27) SB 353, authorizing coroners to quickly clear highway fatalities, was adopted.
Larry Walker’s (R-20) SB 354 exempting some cosmetologists from licensure, was adopted after 30 minutes of debate! Time for that blow out!
HB 130, offering student-loan assistance for peace officers, was adopted.
HB 455, proving safe counseling for healthcare workers, was adopted.
IN COMMITTEE
SB 344, a broadly worded “Second Amendment Tax Holiday” coinciding with deer season, could cost local and state govs as much as $5 million in lost revenue. This bill earned well-informed debate from Nan Orrock (D-36) & Jason Esteves (D-6). Also, several amendments. It passed.
SB 364, a statewide homestead tax exemption, generated the nerdiest tax debate I’ve ever enjoyed—Orrock and Esteves should have a podcast. The bill would raise commercial property taxes and underfund schools. No vote.
SB 370, to combat human trafficking in massage parlors, passed.
SB 377, providing for the licensing of Qualified Residential Treatment Programs, passed.
SB 378, increasing sentences for trafficking minors or developmentally disabled persons, passed.
SB 392, establishing a new crime for using deep fakes to interfere with elections, was discussed. Watching John Albers (R-56) try to talk knowledgably about AI would be cute if he wasn’t also infringing on speech. The bill needs a lot of work. No vote.
HB 166, providing qualification of court constables, passed.
MISC THOUGHTS
Have you noticed, all the bills that make it a floor vote are Republican bills?
Tuesday, January 30, 2024.
Sgt. William Rivers, 46, from Carrollton; Spc. Brianna Moffatt, 23, from Savannah (shown above); and Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, from Waycross, were tragically killed in a drone attack carried out by Iranian-backed militants on a small US outpost in Jordan near the Syrian border on Saturday night. All three were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, Georgia. 34 others were injured.
While foreign affairs aren’t within the scope of state government, the loss of three Georgians in Jordan over the weekend is a grim reminder that such matters reach all the way into our homes & hearts. Thank you, Derek Mallow (D-2) for your words and the moment of silence under the Gold Dome.
ON THE FLOOR
13 senators were absent or vacant. One job, guys.
A touching proclamation honored former First Lady Rosalyn Carter.
Senator Raphael Warnock spoke in support of Medicare expansion.
Michael Rhett‘s (D-33) SB85, raising military retirement benefits, passed.
Donzella James’s (D-35) SB151, declaring 9/11 “First Responder Appreciation Day,” passed.
Kim Jackson (D-41) spoke against SB352, balancing front-to-back vehicle suspensions, because it doesn’t go far enough to ensure road safety. The bill passed anyway.
IN RULES
SB105, raising public school employee retirement benefits, passed.
SB328, modifying the Peace Officers' Annuity & Benefit Fund, passed.
SB335, adding adoptive relationships to the state’s incest laws, passed.
SB369, creating a license plate for the US’s 250th anniversary in 2026, passed.
SR352, recognizing APS’s 150th anniversary, passed.
IN COMMITTEE
SB189, requiring recounts to use ballot text instead of QRs, is back! It passed unchanged. It’s still unnecessary.
SB212, transferring Probate Court Judges duties to local election boards, passed.
SB376, expediting the placement of foster kids with family, prompted a lot of debate and was tabled for revision.
SB386, regulating & taxing sports betting, passed.
SB387, providing ID cards for foster kids, passed. Great bill!
SB396, creating a statewide Music Office to support our $5billion/70,000+ person industry, passed.
SB405, lowering the age for completion special schools, passed.
SB410, exempting out-of-state veterinarians from some licensing, passed.
SB412, raising penalties for charity fraud, passed.
SR471, studying childcare affordability, passed.
SR474, providing legal representation for child-welfare proceedings, passed.
Wednesday, January 31, 2024:
The Antisemitism bill is signed into law.
Congregation Mickve Israel, Georgia’s oldest Jewish congregation and the third oldest in the country. Photo by Conde Nast Traveler.
Last Wednesday, our state Senate finally passed a bill defining antisemitism as part of Georgia’s hate crimes and discrimination laws. And just two days ago, Governor Kemp signed it into law. Let’s take a quick look at what the law means and why it generated so much debate.
The bill stalled last year but became a priority for the Senate this year because of the Israel-Hamas war and recent antisemitic attacks in the metro area and Macon. The topic even popped up during the December Special Session when state Republican voted to demonstrate their unified support for Israel and to highlight foreign-policy divisions among state Democrats.
The bill spawned a surprising amount of debate because it uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
This definition seems simple enough. But six of IHRA’s 11 examples mention Israel, leading some opponents, including Nikki Merritt (D-9) to argue this bill could silence criticism of the country by law-abiding citizens. Sally Harrell (D-40) also noted the incongruity of the bill, saying, “How can we pass [a bill] that makes people feel like they can't teach about slavery and then pass a bill saying that denial of the holocaust is antisemitism?”
Under this new law, antisemitism is covered by Georgia’s hate crimes statute, authorizing harsher criminal penalties against people who target victims because they’re Jewish. The 2020 hate crimes law already covers crimes based on religion and race not specifically antisemitism, a broader category of bias against Jewish people.
Thursday, February 1, 2024:
Censorship is the child of fear.
Don’t ever let a GA state Senate Republican tell you they believe in Capitalism when they’re this committed to censoring the marketplace of ideas. Photo by Jaredd Craig on Unsplash.
67% of voters oppose removing books from school libraries but that didn’t stop 22 Georgia state senators (including our opponent) from proposing a bill to block state tax dollars from being used to purchase or fund materials, services, or operations by the American Library Association (ALA). Or for slipping the first read of this bill past us last week with the generic caption “relating to libraries.”
SB 390 asserts:
“The bureaucracy that has developed around the certification of librarians has become heavily intertwined with and influenced by the ALA.”
The current ALA president “has declared herself to be a Marxist,”
Georgians have “not benefitted” from the current requirement that librarians be certified by the ALA to work in public libraries.
The ALA is the oldest and largest library association in the world, dedicated to the profession of librarianship, to the improvement of library and information services, and to ensure access to information for all. Terrifying.
When I started my state Senate campaign, Forsyth and Cherokee counties were responsible for nearly all of Georgia’s book bans. Since then, other counties have joined in—Marietta banned 23 titles just before Christmas!—but the true number of books removed from our school libraries is likely much higher. The ALA estimates 82–97% of challenges go unreported!
Fortunately, Georgia limits complaints to the parents of students, restricting the toxic impact of organizations such as Mom’s for Liberty. But we’ll suffer more censorship if our opponent and his ilk continue to pass bills like SB390.
IF YOU LIVE IN THE 56, NOW IS THE TIME TO CALL OUR INCUMBENT
Call John Albers’ senate office at 404.463.8055. You’ll likely get a staffer or voicemail.
State your name.
Tell them you’re a constituent of SD56.
Tell them you support librarians and students and that you oppose SB390.
And let me know If you get through. Albers in notorious for avoiding constituents.
Friday, February 2, 2024:
If You Ain't First, You're Last.
Looks like no sports ball betting this year. Photo by Sandro Schuh on Unsplash
The legislature didn’t meet on Friday, but that doesn’t mean we’re through with last week.
On Thursday—after years of trying—our state Senate passed SB 386 and laid the groundwork for legalizing sports betting in Georgia. But, in a last-minute amendment, it’ll only go into effect once Georgians vote for an authorizing constitutional amendment.
Under SB 386, sports betting operations and revenues would be regulated by the Georgia Lottery, which would distribute the 20% profits to the Lottery for Education Account. The bill could provide as much as $100 million annually for pre-K, HOPE scholarships, and need-based aid programs with no property tax increase. Rather, the bill proposes the state issue 16 licenses that cost $100,000 to apply for, require a $1 million annual fee, and a 20% tax on the revenue made off sports gambling. And this bill only legalizes wagering in the form of online sports betting, online games, and instant tickets—not betting on “actual races” involving animals.
But before this bill was passed, a bipartisan coalition (say it’s not so!) of 30 Democratic and Republican Senators added the constitutional-amendment language proposed by Bill Cowsert (R-46).
Because sports betting and the lottery are so different, Cowsert anticipates court challenges from conservative faith-based groups unless the state follows the same path to legalization as the lottery in 1992—a referendum to amend the state constitution.
Thursday’s vote in the Senate met the 2/3 majority requirement an amendment requires from the Senate. Now SB 386 will go on to the House and—if it does well there—an amendment could be on the ballot in November. If we amend the constitution, you can start placing bets on January 1, 2025.
JD JORDAN FOR GEORGIA STATE SENATE DISTRICT 56
For anyone in East Cobb, Roswell, or Woodstock alarmed by the state’s escalating attacks on our bodies, our families, our doctors’ offices, our classrooms and libraries, even our polling places, I’m running for state senate district 56 to fight for our freedoms and to deliver a better future for everyone in Georgia.
And unlike my opponent who’s spent 14 years rolling back our freedoms, failing to safeguard our kids, and gerrymandered his district to stay in office, I promise to bring everyone in the 56—regardless of ideology—the best possible constituent experience so you feel heard, valued, and supported. As we all deserve to be.
I’m running for the 56. Let’s make a better Georgia for all of us.
—
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT
Jordan For Georgia, LLC
10800 Alpharetta Hwy Ste 208 #629
Roswell, GA 30076-1467
jdjordan@forthe56.com
706.804.0456
