Legislative Session Newsletter: January 19, 2022

What Happened Last Week

At 8:30 AM on Monday, January 10th, the Georgia General Assembly convened for the 2022 legislative session.

Following the Georgia Bulldogs’ win at the College Football National Championship (Go Dawgs!), Governor Kemp gave the State of the State address.

Leader Beverly responded to Governor Kemp’s address, honoring the over 35,000 Georgians lost to COVID and emphasizing the GOP’s failure to lead our state in a time of crisis. He laid out key issues facing our state that Erick has made a cornerstone of his campaign, including:

The Georgia GOP’s refusal to accept $3 billion to expand Medicaid to 500,000 Georgians
Governor Kemp’s fight to take away unemployment benefits from people who are out of work due to the pandemic
The Georgia GOP’s decade-long defunding of public education, reducing our education budget by over a billion dollars

He noted that, this year, the legislature could expand Medicaid, invest in rural broadband, fund tuition-free technical college, and so much more. But, thanks to Governor Kemp and his GOP allies, Georgia families will be left to deal with a stagnant economy, unaffordable healthcare, and a lack of critical infrastructure.

You can watch this week’s budget hearings starting each morning here: https://www.legis.ga.gov

What to Watch For

Conservative efforts to ban Critical Race Theory (HB 888) and “obscene materials” in schools
Debate over constitutional carry legislation, which would allow gun owners to carry firearms without a permit
Redrawing of County Commission and School Board maps
Multiple cityhood movements, including a movement for cityhood for Buckhead, East Cobb, Lost Mountain, Vinings, and Mableton
Butch Miller’s proposal to completely eliminate state income tax
Butch Miller and Burt Jones’ proposals to enact further restrictions on voting

Erick’s Legislative Priorities

This session, Erick will continue his work to support Georgia families, workers and businesses. In the coming weeks, he’ll focus on expanding access to mental health resources and addressing contract disputes between health insurance companies and hospitals.

COVID Updates

As of January 5th, two new mass testing sites have opened in Cobb County, at Jim Miller Park and Kennesaw State University. Click here for more information.

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