The Holland Report - 2023, Week 10
Sara FuchsIt's hard to believe that we have less than two weeks left in the 2023 legislative session. Things really pick up steam in the final days, with committees meeting frequently and Rules Calendars (the lists of bills to vote on each day) getting longer. There are only five legislative days left to pass legislation, with a couple of committee days scheduled to make sure bills continue to advance.
Thursday was an emotional day in the chamber as the House voted on SB140, a bill that bans certain medical care for transgender minors. The bill is another example of politicians legislating healthcare when the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical associations already have guidelines in place. Not unlike previous anti-abortion bills, this bill brings government regulation into the treatment room with patients, their doctors and - in this case - their parents. I believe parents have the right to direct their children's medical care and that we should follow the guidance of doctors, not elected officials, when it comes to what medical treatment is appropriate. Furthermore, this bill is part of a political trend of attacks on the transgender community. Transgender children, in particular, are already prone to depression, anxiety and rates of suicide SEVEN TIMES higher than the general population. I stand with our LGBTQ neighbors in opposing this bill.
Immediately following the passage of SB140, the House took up a vote on SB55, the Georgia Lemonade Bill. The bill protects kids from needing a business license for selling lemonade (or another good or service) on private property with parent or guardian permission. I made a speech on the floor supporting the bill...and reminding my colleagues that children deserve our love and respect.
I'm what's called a cradle Presbyterian - I was born into the Presbyterian Church and have been a member my whole life. It was an honor on Tuesday to welcome Presbyterians for a Better Georgia, a group of advocates from congregations across metro Atlanta who came to the Capitol to advocate for issues impacting healthcare, housing and homeless issues. Among those visiting were my own senior pastor and my lifelong Presbyterian father.
CALL TO ACTION
SB140 is back in the Senate. Please email the Senators and the Lieutenant Governor, letting them know that the Legislature should not be interfering in medical decisions. You can also say that the House version goes too far, as it was amended to include criminal or civil liabilities for health care providers, and to hold the line against the House version.
Leave a message for Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones here.john.albers@senate.ga.gov
jason.anavitarte@senate.ga.gov
lee.anderson@senate.ga.gov,
tonya.anderson@senate.ga.gov
brandon.beach@senate.ga.gov
matt.brass@senate.ga.gov
max.burns@senate.ga.gov
gloria.butler@senate.ga.gov
bill.cowsert@senate.ga.gov
gail.davenport@senate.ga.gov
clint.dixon@senate.ga.gov
greg.dolezal@senate.ga.gov
mike.dugan@senate.ga.gov
shelly.echols@senate.ga.gov
jason.esteves@senate.ga.gov
frank.ginn@senate.ga.gov
steve.gooch@senate.ga.gov
russ.goodman@senate.ga.gov
sonya.halpern@senate.ga.gov
marty.harbin@senate.ga.gov
ed.harbison@senate.ga.gov
sally.harrell@senate.ga.gov
bo.hatchett@senate.ga.gov
billy.hickman@senate.ga.gov
mike.hodges@senate.ga.gov
chuck.hufstetler@senate.ga.gov
nabilah.islam@senate.ga.gov
kim.jackson@senate.ga.gov
donzella.james@senate.ga.gov
emanuel.jones@senate.ga.gov
harold.jones@senate.ga.gov
john.kennedy@senate.ga.gov
kay.kirkpatrick@senate.ga.gov
david.lucas@senate.ga.gov
derek.mallow@senate.ga.gov
josh.mclaurin@senate.ga.gov
nikki.merritt@senate.ga.gov
colton.moore@senate.ga.gov
nan.orrock@senate.ga.gov
elena.parent@senate.ga.gov
chuck.payne@senate.ga.gov
sheikh.rahman@senate.ga.gov
michael.rhett@senate.ga.gov
randy.robertson@senate.ga.gov
valencia.seay@senate.ga.gov
ed.setzler@senate.ga.gov
freddie.sims@senate.ga.gov
shawn.still@senate.ga.gov
brian.strickland@senate.ga.gov
carden.summers@senate.ga.gov
horacena.tate@senate.ga.gov
blake.tillery@senate.ga.gov
larry.walker@senate.ga.gov
ben.watson@senate.ga.gov
sam.watson@senate.ga.gov
rick.williams@senate.ga.gov
Bills to Watch
We have five more legislative days until Sine Die! Here are some bills that I'm keeping an eye on. As a reminder, bills will need to be heard and passed out of their House committee, heard and passed out of the Rules committee, placed on the Rules calendar, and then be called by the Speaker of the House before I can vote on them.
SB1
State Government; automatic repealer on the prohibition on state and local governments from requiring proof of COVID vaccination for government services; remove
SB 1 removes the sunset date of June 30, 2023, on the law passed in 2022 that prohibited any government agency from conditioning or mandating the provision of services or access to any person providing proof of a COVID-19 vaccination, including schools. Experts worry that removing the sunset on this bill could hinder the state's ability to respond to a future pandemic emergency.
This bill passed out of the House Committee on Public Health, and is on the Rules consideration calendar.
SB 44
Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act; mandatory minimum penalties for violations; provide
This bill creates a new offense for recruiting minors to gangs and establishes a mandatory minimum sentencing scheme for all gang offenses. Mandatory minimums can tie the hands of judges while experts point out they do not deter criminal activity.
This bill passed out of the House Committee on Judiciary Non-Civil, and is on the Rules consideration calendar.
SB92
Prosecuting Attorneys Oversight Commission; create
This bill creates a five member commission who can investigate, punish, and remove district attorneys and solicitor generals. There are already layers of accountability in the system, and this is a blatant attack on district attorneys representing Democratic areas, such as Fulton county & Athens-Clark county.
This bill has not yet passed out of the House Committee on Judiciary Non-Civil.
SB233
'The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act'; establishment of promise scholarship accounts
This bill gives $6000 to parents who send their children to private school. It's restricted to students zoned for a school performing in the bottom 25% on various state measures. This bill has no fiscal note, no cap on how many students could receive it, and no eligibility requirements. It diverts much-needed money from public schools, and gives them to schools with no accountability.
This bill has not yet passed out of the House Committee on Education.
SB222
Primaries and Elections; all costs and expenses relating to election administration are paid for with lawfully appropriate public funds; provide
SB 222 prohibits county or municipal governments, government employees (including election superintendents, registrars, poll workers), or election officials from soliciting, taking, or otherwise accepting from any person a contribution, donation, service, or anything else of value for the purpose of conducting or supporting primaries or elections. This bill was proposed in response to a $2 million award that Dekalb County received from the Center for Election Excellence, a project of the Center for Tech and Civic Life.
This bill has passed out of the House Committee on Governmental Affairs, but is not yet on the Rules Consideration calendar.
Join me & Rep. Saira Draper (HD90) the day after SINE DIE for a legislative wrap-up! Which bills made it to the finish line, and perhaps more importantly, which bills did not?
Pre-register for the Zoom link here.
If you haven’t already, please browse my website, betsyforgeorgia.com.
As your Representative, your concerns are important to me. Please contact me at betsy.holland@house.ga.gov or 404-656-0116 with questions, concerns, or solutions you may have regarding legislation or other happenings in District 54.
To stay updated, follow me on Twitter and Facebook, and follow the Georgia House of Representatives @GAHouseHub on Twitter. Additionally, in-depth information regarding current bills, Georgia's annual and supplemental budgets, committee meetings, and livestreams from the General Assembly can be accessed via www.legis.ga.gov.
I encourage you and your family to visit our State Capitol and my office, where all constituents are welcome. I look forward to connecting with you!
My office is located at:
18 Capitol Square, SW
409-B, Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.
Representative Betsy Holland
GA House District 54
