The Gold Dome Download

Monday, February 20, 2023


Happy Presidents' Day! This week marks the halfway point of the 2023 Georgia Legislative Session. Although the legislature is out today, they'll be back tomorrow for Legislative Day 21. Crossover Day - the day a bill must be passed out of at least one chamber - is two weeks from today, on March 6th.


As the clock continues ticking down, we're tracking legislation and giving you the rundown on all the news under the Gold Dome.

LATEST LEGISLATION

Below you will find summaries of the top bills introduced in the legislature last week. Read the full bills by clicking the links below.


SENATE BILL 88

About: Education, relating to regulating conversations about sex and gender in schools

Sponsors: Senators Summers, Moore, Beach, and others.

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.


SENATE BILL 180

About: Religious liberty, relating to enhancing protections

Sponsors: Senators Setzler, Brass, Anavitarte, and others.

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.


SENATE BILL 189

About: Election integrity, relating to eliminating ballot barcodes

Sponsors: Senators Burns, Dolezal, Brass, and others.

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.


HOUSE BILL 380

About: Sports betting, relating to legalization

Sponsors: Representatives Wiedower, Martin, Evans, and others.

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.


OTHER BILLS TO WATCH


Below you will find summaries of other bills to watch as they progress through the legislative process. Read the full bills by clicking the links below.


SENATE BILL 44

About: Public safety, relating to prosecution of gang-related activities

Sponsors: Senators Hatchett, Kennedy, Gooch, and others.

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.


SENATE BILL 69

About: State property, relating to building a statue of Justice Clarence Thomas

Sponsors: Senators Watson, Anavitarte, Kennedy, and others.

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.


SENATE BILL 92

About: Technology, relating to banning foreign-owned technology on state devices

Sponsors: Senators Anavitarte, Kennedy, Gooch, and others.

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.


SENATE BILL 141

About: Health care, relating to regulating minors receiving gender-altering procedures

Sponsors: Senators Dixon, Gooch, Harbin, and others.

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.


HOUSE BILL 17

About: Elections, relating to ballot custody

Sponsors: Representatives Powell, Leverett, DeLoach, and others.

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.


HOUSE BILL 54

About: Education, relating to increasing the income tax credit for school choice

Sponsors: Representatives Carson, Hilton, Reeves, and others.

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.


HOUSE BILL 162

About: Economy, relating to distributing refunds to Georgia taxpayers

Sponsors: Representatives McDonald, Blackmon, Gilliard, and others.

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.


HOUSE BILL 200

About: Elections, related to instant runoffs

Sponsors: Representatives Gullett, Evans, Pirkle, and others.

To read the bill, CLICK HERE.


HOUSE BILLS 229 AND 231

About: Public safety, relating to holding DAs accountable

Sponsors: Representatives Gaines and Gullett.

To read the bills, CLICK HERE and HERE.

KNOW YOUR STATE SENATE & HOUSE LEADERS

President Pro Tempore

Sen. John F. Kennedy


Senator John F. Kennedy is the President Pro Tempore. His role as Pro Tempore is to preside over the Senate when the Lieutenant Governor is not present. Senator Kennedy has served the people of Crawford, Monroe, Peach, Upson, Bibb, and Houston counties since he was elected to the Senate in 2014.


Click HERE to visit the Senate website.

Speaker Pro- Tempore

Rep. Jan Jones


Representative Jan Jones serves as Speaker Pro-Tempore, the second highest-ranking member in the Georgia House of Representatives. In the absence of the Speaker, Representative Jones presides over the House. Rep. Jones has been a member since 2002 and Speaker Pro-Tempore since 2010. Following the death of Speaker Ralston, Rep. Jones briefly filled the position of Speaker of the House, making her the first woman to hold that position in the State of Georgia. In the 2023 legislative session, her colleagues re-elected her to the role of Speaker Pro-Tempore. Rep. Jones represents areas in parts of Fulton and Cherokee counties.


Click HERE to visit the House website.

LATEST FROM GREATER GEORGIA


SENATE RESOLUTION 65:

A few weeks ago, the Georgia State Senate recognized the work of Greater Georgia and our Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler through Senate Resolution 65. Click here or the video below to hear Chairwoman Loeffler's speech!

Watch: Chairwoman Kelly Loeffler Speaks on the Georgia Senate Floor!

FIGHTING ZUCKERBUCKS:

Greater Georgia has been hard at work continuing our efforts to defend election integrity. This month, we called for an investigation into the DeKalb County Board of Elections for accepting $2 million from the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, a group backed by the Center for Civic and Tech Life (CTCL). In 2020, Mark Zuckerberg funneled $45 million into Georgia though CTCL - funding local election boards in predominantly blue counties. These so-called "Zuckerbucks" became illegal in Georgia with the passage of SB 202 in 2021.


The bottom line is that local boards of election should not be funded by outside money or special interests. It's why we're working to hold DeKalb County accountable - and to ensure that no county in Georgia is influenced by partisan slush funds. CLICK HERE to learn more and read our full press release.

WASHINGTON WOES



Earlier this month, a train carrying vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate - two extremely toxic chemicals - derailed and crashed in East Palestine, Ohio. Residents who were exposed could experience long-term effects. As of today, United States Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has yet to visit Ohio.


Our thoughts and prayers are with Ohio, now and in the future, as they navigate this tragedy that will forever change this community.


To read more about the train derailment, click HERE.


To read about the people of Ohio's pleas to DC and Sec. Buttigieg, click HERE.

FOLLOW THE PROCESS



Stay up to date on all things under the Gold Dome including committee hearings, track legislation, and more by visiting, www.legis.ga.gov.


You can also follow @GASenatePress and @GaHouseHub on Twitter to get legislative updates in real time.


Finally, you can search for and contact your state legislators by clicking HERE.

WHAT WE'RE READING

Fox News Lt. governor blasts media coverage of Georgia's election law after poll says 99% midterm voters had no issues

BloombergBiden Eleventh Circuit Pick Advances Out of Senate Judiciary (1)

The HillCollege Board admits to ‘mistakes’ in rollout of AP African American Studies

Daily WireUnited States Urges Citizens To Leave Russia Immediately

Wall Street JournalSkills Beat Degrees for Government Jobs

PoliticoHarris on China balloon episode: I don’t think it impacts our relations

DecaturishDeKalb County attorney defends elections grant after Kelly Loeffler calls for investigation

AJCGeorgia sets international trade record for second straight year

GET INVOLVED


Greater Georgia's work is critical to defending conservative values, and it is only possible through the hard work and support of strong, grassroots volunteers.


We need your help! — Click the buttons below to find out how you can join the fight for conservative values.

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To learn more, visit www.greatergeorgia.com, and follow along on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram to stay up to date with the latest information.

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