Parent Press Post 2025 Legislative Session
We may all feel like we are on a speedway with no brakes to slow things down. Many of you, I know, want to meet this moment with productive action. I am writing to share some constructive ways you can make a difference in our community and in our state.
DeKalb County Ethics Board Needs YOU
The DeKalb Senate Delegation is calling for applications to fill a vacancy on the DeKalb Board of Ethics and applications are due TODAY!
The ethical standards and duties the Board and its staff are responsible for are outlined in the statute.
Board members must have professional knowledge or expertise in matters of ethics, finance, governance, or the law. Board members set the standard for board governance and public transparency, and will be expected to invest time and expertise.
TO APPLY, GO TO
THE GOOGLE APPLICATION FORM BY FRIDAY, APRIL 25.
Help Good Bills Over The Finish Line and Stop Bad Bills
Bills that passed are not law until the Governor has signed them and study committees are not formed until they are funded (all are not). 370 bills were sent to the Governor who has already signed 10 bills I did not support, including SB 36 (RFRA) and SB 68 (Tort Reform). You can track legislation at the AJC's Legislative Navigator.
You can help get the good bills over the finish line by encouraging the Governor to sign them and you can help stop the bad bills by requesting that he not sign a bill or that he veto legislation (so far no bills have been vetoed). Advocating for study committees is important too because not all study committee resolutions that are passed are funded. Below are actions I recommend you take before the deadline on May 14.
Ask the Governor to SIGN bills or to NOT SIGN/VETO by calling (404) 656-1776, dropping off a note at the Governor's office at the Capitol or sending a message online.
↑ HB 399 - Addresses landlord accountability by requiring out-of-state landlords who own/operate single-family or duplex residential rental properties, and their in-state agents, to communicate directly with tenants and respond to their needs promptly; require that any landlord employ a licensed broker who is responsible for receiving, coordinating, managing, and responding to communications from tenants; allow a tenant to provide a property manager's information to law enforcement when there is probable cause to believe a code violation or violations exist; and, requires residential landlords to have in-state staff to manage tenant communications. Read more from Atlanta Civic Circle.
↑ SB 241 - Allows funeral homes to offer the eco-friendly option of Organic Human Remains Reduction. I worked with Senator Rick Williams on this bill and am eager to see it signed. Read more HERE.
↑ SB 42 - Updates the penal code for prostitution by repealing the lesser sanction for child prostitution and keeping the harsher penalty elsewhere in the code. Currently, a judge must
impose the lesser penalty due to the way courts solve unclear statutory provisions (in favor of the defendant).
↑ SB 55 - Disability Minimum Wage Increase by revoking the Commissioner of Labor’s power to grant
exemptions to organizations and businesses to minimum wage laws under Chapter 4 of Title 34 of the OCGA. This would further
prohibit the use of certificates issued by the US Department of Labor to pay individuals with disabilities below the minimum wage under federal law.
↑ SB 93 - ‘Georgia Early Literacy Act’ would require the Professional Standard Commission to adopt rules establishing criteria for state approved educator preparation programs, including but not limited to: content standards that are aligned with the science of reading, evidence based standards aligned with the science of reading and prepare teachers to teach phonics and vocabulary.
↑ SR 216 - Ask the Lieutenant Governor's office to staff and fund SR 216, a study committee to address pedestrian and cyclist injuries and fatalities from driver violations. My constituent, pedestrian victim and expert advocate, Veronica Watts, helped create and shepherd this resolution to create a study committee of vulnerable roadways in hopes of designing legislation to improve safety. Let's join Veronica and all get on the road to fewer pedestrian injuries and deaths. Please contact the following people in the Lieutenant Governor's office to urge them to staff and fund the study committee so we can work on legislation to introduce in the next session.
• Brad Vaughan, Legislative Director and Counsel: brad.vaughan@ltgov.ga.gov
• Ines Owens, Policy and Communications Director: ines.owens@ltgov.ga.gov
• Loree Anne Paradise, Chief of Staff: la.paradise@ltgov.ga.gov
Click on the image for the short edited version of my discussion of the amendment I drafted and offered to educate students and their families about safe storage.
↓ SB 1 - The ‘Riley Gaines Act of 2025’ (Anti-Transgender Youth Bill) would prohibit students assigned male at birth from
participating in school sports teams and utilizing locker rooms designated for females and vice versa for students assigned female at birth. The bill does not authorize visual inspection to verify a student’s sex but it also does not prohibit reliance on medical records or other standard school medical procedures to verify a student’s sex. I voted against this bill and hope the Governor will NOT sign it, but do not harbor any illusions that he won't.
↓ SB 255 would authorize statutory investigatory powers by certain Senate committees with an aim to establish a special investigative committee to open a politically motivated investigation of Stacey Abrams and continue the ongoing one against Fani Willis. Senator Bill Cowsert, who has just announced his candidacy for Attorney General, is the bill sponsor and Chair of the Senate Special Committee on Investigations.
2025 Elections
It's not a regular election year, but there is a lot to pay attention to and to get involved in.
Sen. Brandon Beach is expected to depart soon to serve as Trump's U.S. Treasurer and the Senate Democratic Caucus is preparing for a special election for SD 21 in Alpharetta/Milton/parts of Cherokee County. We don't have a date for the election yet, but the Caucus has voted to endorse Debra Shigley, who ran against Rep. Jan Jones (R) last November. This is a huge opportunity for us to expand the Caucus, and Debra is a fantastic candidate. A Harvard graduate, lawyer, former journalist and mother of 5 who lives in Milton, Debra is ready and able to serve. I will keep you updated on how you can help support Debra as soon as we have more details.
The Public Service Commission is finally holding elections for 2 statewide seats with a primary election on June 17 (the deadline to register/update your registration is May 19) and a general election on November 4. You can read about this important election in The Georgia Recorder and go to mvp.sos.ga.gov to make sure you are vote ready. Never miss an election - it's your secret power - so mark your calendars and make sure your communities know about this important election.
Georgia will elect a new Governor in 2026, but the race is already heating up. Lieutenant Governor and Trump loyalist Burt Jones and Attorney General Chris Carr have officially entered the race while only Senator Jason Esteves, my friend and colleague, has begun running for the Democratic ticket so far, though former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is expected to announce soon as well. You may not know much about Senator Esteves' long record of service as a School Board Chair, his legal career, and his business experience as a restaurant owner. I encourage you to read about Jason and take any opportunity to meet him.
What More Can You Do?
The 2025 Legislative Session is over-- but my office is open and working to support constituents, execute responsibilities related to DeKalb and Clayton counties and strengthen the Democratic Caucus. In the interim, I continue to work on legislation such as a bill to require due process before any citizens or lawful permanent residents of Georgia are whisked away to foreign prisons. With the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case ongoing and Trump claiming he can't retrieve him from an El Salvadoran mega-prison despite a Supreme Court order, we must recognize that if Trump gets away with this, U.S. citizens could be next.I spoke about this effort at a press conference yesterday.
I believe that the protests against the Trump regime's actions that are popping up around the country have real impacts in terms of making Congressional Republicans nervous about Trump and in planting and growing the movement to push back on his wanna-be-authoritarian power grabs. Let's all attend the ones near us when we can.
I appreciate your support always, and now that the legislative session is over, you can contribute to my ongoing work HERE.
Thank you for your support and for the honor to serve you in the Georgia State Senate.