February 7, 2022, Issue 5

Local Redistricting Gets Loud

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HB873 passed the House Governmental Affairs Committee over the loud objections of Gwinnett Democrats. Instead of using the district maps drawn by the county commission after considerable citizen input, the bill was moved from the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, which normally has jurisdiction over local redistricting, to the more general committee. Maps were redrawn with no citizen input and in direct contravention of the wishes of Gwinnett voters. LWVGA and LWV Gwinnett issued a press release in opposition to the gerrymandered maps, quoting board member Julie Bolen, “This legislative sleight of hand … in the Governmental Affairs Committee further undermines our democracy and voters' trust in government. We call upon the Georgia House to reinstate the maps back to the original proposal in HB873 which have been crafted and approved by and for the people.”    SB369 also faced loud opposition before passing by a vote of 32 to 21. It will make elections for the Gwinnett County Board of Education nonpartisan. A proposed amendment to the bill that called for a county referendum on the measure failed to pass. Yet another amendment—a general amendment tacked on to a local bill—that would have applied to all school boards in the state was ruled out of order by the Lieutenant Governor. Six of the seven senators representing Gwinnett County opposed the bill. The lone holdout and the only Republican in the delegation is the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Clint Dixon (R-45, Buford).

SB372 would make it illegal to demand proof of vaccination or immunity to a disease. Although this is timed to prevent demands for COVID vaccines or negative tests, as written, it would eliminate immunizations required to attend school such as DPT, polio, chicken pox, measles, mumps, rubella and Hepatitis. SB338 would extend Medicaid post-partum coverage from six months to one year. It also includes provisions for lactation care and services for nursing mothers. The bill has passed out of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.    SB403 would send behavioral specialists along with police officers responding to incidents involving people with mental illness. A rare bipartisan bill and further evidence of the legislature’s prioritizing mental health, 41 senators from both parties are co-sponsoring the bill. The hope is that it will reduce crime and divert offenders from the penal system and into care.

SR393, a proposed amendment to the state constitution, calls for elections to be fair and equal and prevents any “power” from interfering with the free exercise of the right to vote. All of the resolution’s co-sponsors are Democrats, a further signal of their main legislative priority this election year. SB442, 443 and 444 were all proposed by Sen. Gloria Butler (D-55, Stone Mountain), the Senate Minority Leader. SB442 would allow any voter to opt-in to automatically receive an absentee ballot. SB443 removes the prohibition of providing food/drink to people waiting in line to vote. SB444 removes the limit of one absentee drop boxes per county, located inside the elections office. The bill would allow additional drop boxes “geographically distributed.” The three restrictions are all part of SB202 passed last year restricting voting rights.

HB1151 relates to so-called “leadership committees,” a controversial law that passed in 2021 allowing certain senior office holders to raise unlimited campaign money during the legislative session. Senators and Representatives running for re-election cannot begin to fund raise until the session ends. In Jan. 2022, David Perdue and his campaign filed a federal lawsuit against the new law claiming that it gives unfair advantage in fundraising and spending to Gov. Kemp, his opponent in the primary. HB1151 would wind down existing leadership committees and provide for the distribution of the remaining funds held by them. This distribution could go to charities or to repay persons making such contributions.

SB319, the Constitutional Carry Act, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with a party-line vote of six Republicans in favor and three Democrats opposed. Background checks will still be required, and guns will still be prohibited in secure areas like airports and government buildings. Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-31, Dallas), the bill’s sponsor, said that the current licensing process deprives law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment Rights and does not deter criminals from obtaining guns illegally.

HB748 would amend the Marshland Protection Act to allow only 60 days for the state to verify that a landowner has King’s Grant ownership of salt marsh property. The King’s Grant dates back to the founding of Georgia as the 13th colony and recognizes that the sea, the seashore and the things that live under the sea belong to no individual but are public property. As such, Georgia’s marsh is state property and King’s Grants are extremely rare. The process to prove private ownership is long and thorough under the 1970 act to protect the marsh. Reducing that to 60 days could result in false claims getting through and the privatization of the marsh. A third of the remaining salt marsh on the eastern seaboard, a vital curb on flooding especially in the face of climate change, lies in Georgia.   HB432 would create the Environmental Justice Commission to require those applying for permits in neighborhoods of people of color or low-income families to take certain actions to mitigate health hazards. Government agencies would have to take the disproportionate effect of environmental hazards into account in the permitting process.   HR70 sets the goal of 100% clean energy for the state by 2050.

SB435 would make it unlawful for public or private schools to allow a person of one gender from participating in athletic programs for persons of the opposite gender. This anti-transgender bill is more strongly worded that SB266 which is still bouncing around from the last session. That bill intends to “protect women’s sports” by prohibiting anyone whose birth gender is male from competing in women’s sports.   HB932 would provide eligibility for in-state tuition to noncitizen students with certain refugee, special immigrant or humanitarian parole status under federal law. This is the first piece of legislation to come out of the bipartisan House study committee that met last year to examine workforce development issues among foreign-born Georgians, including barriers to education and professional training. Rep. Wes Cantrell (R-22, Woodstock), chairman of that committee and the bill’s sponsor, has already had significant pushback given the generally contentious nature of anything to do with immigration.

SB370 passed the Senate Finance Committee with unanimous support. This bill, a priority of Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, would allow taxpayers to donate $2,500 to organizations that assist those who have aged out of the foster care system. The young adult would be eligible for a tax credit equal to the amount donated to use for college or technical school tuition, housing and medical expenses. There is an annual $20 million cap on the program.   SB361 passed the same committee. It would allow taxpayers, individuals and corporations to target their tax payments toward support for local law enforcement. The aim is to create a $100 million/year tax credit.

Lest you think that the state legislature is all work and no play: HB1002 will make the opossum the state marsupial HB1035 will make March 10th Harriet Tubman Day HB938 will make June 6th Women’s Golf Day HB984 will make June 12th Women Veterans Day

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Under the Gold Dome will be distributed to League members and partners each week that the Georgia General Assembly is in session. It is a product of our Education Fund, allowing us to report legislative facts and activities at the State Capitol. The UTGD Team is comprised of LWVGA staff and volunteers, who will be tracking and reporting on legislation and committee hearings throughout the legislative session.

UTGD Team Editor: Rebecca Rolfes, LWVCGA rebeccar@lwvcga.org Volunteer legislative observers:

Mikayla Arciaga  Julie Bolen Gail Buckner  Blake Caldwell  Mary Kay Clyburn Daniel Eason  Ashleigh Ewald  Jessica Fields  Gina Hill  Sharon Hill

Keona Lynn Jones  Alan Kaufman  M Maguire  Rosemary Mackey  Margarita Moldovan Renee Rubens Laurie Tyson Michelle Weston Elizabeth Melville Maxie Kirk Williams

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