April 2019 Newsletter

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2019 Legislative Victories & Losses

Victories are dramatic when good bills pass and bad bills are defeated,
but victories, also occur when bad bills are left in committee,
ven though they remain viable for the next session.

Victories: Bad Bills Left in Committee
H.B. 19 would have added “sexual orientation and gender identity” to 35 Georgia laws to give governmental power over (a) housing (including private homes), (b) commerce and trade, (c) public facilities, (d) labor and industrial relations, (e) public employees and officers, (f) private and public employment, and (g) “related matters,” (h) with no religious exemption.
H.R. 16 to ratify the federal Equal Rights Amendment, that failed to be ratified during a
ten-year ratification process, was rejected again this year by the Georgia General Assembly.
S.R. 55 to ratify the national Equal Rights Amendment was the Senate version of H.R. 16.
H.R. 345 to lower the voting age to 17 instead of 18 would have allowed most high school seniors and drop-outs to vote.
H.B. 389 authorized excused absences for students to leave school and vote.

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March 2019 Newsletter – 2

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Seven Days Left, Session Ends April 2nd

To pass in the 40-day Georgia General Assembly, legislation must be half through the process before Cross-Over Day which is Day 30 of the 40-day session. Since the 30th day was March 11th, no House bill can pass this session, unless it passed the House and was introduced in the Senate on/before March 8th. Likewise, no Senate bill can pass this session, unless it passed the Senate and was introduced in the House on/before March 8th. However, an entire bill may be amended onto other legislation that passed either House or Senate by the end of March 8th, if the subjects of the bill to be amended and the additional language to be attached are germane.

Bills Poised to Pass
H.B. 426 Hate Crime, Enhances Penalties for crimes, actually or perceived to be, based on the victim’s sexual orientation or gender. It passed the House 96-64 March 7th, requiring added penalties for suspects of certain crimes. They would be sentenced for their thoughts in addition to the sentence required for the crime. This creates a two-tiered penalty – a regular penalty for a crime involving “straight” individuals and a stiffer penalty for victims in alternate lifestyles.
ACTION – Oppose. All crimes are hate crimes. This values some victims more than others. Call Judiciary Committee Senators Stone, Ch., 404 463-1314; Cowsert, V-Ch., 463-1366; Tillery, Sec., 656-0089; Heath, 656-3943; Jones, H., 463-3942; Kennedy, 656-0045; Ligon, 463-1383; Parent, 656-5109; Rhett, 656-0054; Strickland 656-7454.

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March 2019 Newsletter – 1

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What Happens If Common Sense Takes a Holiday?
I. Voting Age May be Lowered, H.R. 345
II. Marriage Age May be Raised, H.B. 228
III. Marijuana May be Grown/Sold In-state, H.B. 324
IV. Hemp Marijuana May be Grown/Sold In-stateH.B. 213

I. H.R. 345 Lower Voting Age, introduced February 25, 2019 by Representative El-Mahdi Holly, is a proposed constitutional amendment to authorize U.S. citizens who reside in Georgia to vote at age 17, instead of 18. Therefore, most high school seniors could vote, along with school 17-year-old drop-outs. If H.R. 345 passes the General Assembly, voters would decide the issue in the 2020 General Election.
ACTION – Oppose H.R. 345. Call Governmental Affairs Committee Representatives Rynders, Ch., 404 656-6801; Jones, V-Ch., 656-0213; Blackmon, Sec., 463-7853; Burnough, 656-0116; Collins, 656-1803; Gravley, 463-8143; Gullett, 656-0177; Lumsden, 656-5087; Nguyen, 656-0314; Oliver, 656-0265; Powell, Alan, 463-3793; Powell, Jay, 656-5141; Shannon, 656-7859; Taylor, 656-0109; Trammell, 656-5058; Turner, 656-0152; Williams, M., 656-0287; Williams, R., 656-0287; Williamson, 656-5024; Fleming, 656-5125.

II. H.B. 228 Marriage Age: Increase from 16 to 17, that was introduced February 12th by Representative Andrew Welch, removes parental consent for emancipated minors who have completed premarital education, provided neither prospective spouse is more than four years older than the other. Sexually active minors are considered emancipated in the state of Georgia. Would that presumption be deemed sufficient for this purpose? If H.B. 228 passes, persons under age 17 could not get married, although they are sexually active.
ACTION – Oppose H.B. 228. Call Juvenile Justice Committee Representatives Ballinger, Ch., 404 656-7153; Dubnik, V-Ch., 656-0213; Collins, J, Sec., 656-1803; Blackmon, 463-7853; Cantrell, 656-0152; Clark, 656-0298; Dickerson, 656-0314; Efstration, 656-5105; Gravley, 463-8143; Gullett, 656-0177; Holcomb, 656-6372; Howard, 656-6372; Hutchinson, 656-0287; Jones, S., 656-0126; Kendrick, 656-0109; Lott, 651-7737; Oliver, 656-0265; Reeves, 651-7737; Sharper, 656-0126; Thomas, 656-7859; Welch, 656-5912; Werkheiser, 463-7857; Wilkerson, 656-0116.

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February 2019 Newsletter

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ERA Dead and Buried in 1982, Exhumed in Georgia

ERA History in Georgia
1975 Georgia Senate defeated ERA 33-22.
1982 Georgia House of Representatives defeated it 116-57.
2018 H.R. 969 died in the House Judiciary Committee.

S.R. 55 by Democrat Senator Nan Orrock and S.R. 66 by Republican Senator Rene Unterman were introduced in Georgia in January to ratify the national Equal Rights Amendment, which failed to pass during the seven-year time limit in the 1970s and a three-year extension that ended in 1982. Each bill contains only 125 words that include this 24-word key statement:
“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

Although the national ERA failed to pass, ERA’s adverse effect on females have become evident in states that, subsequently, passed a state ERA.

ACTION – Oppose. Ask Senate Judiciary Committee members to vote NO on S.R. 55 and S.R. 66. Call area code 404 to reach Senators: Stone Ch., 463-1314; Cowsert, V-Ch., 463-1366; Tillery, Sec., 656-0089; Heath, 656-3943; Jones II, 463-3942; Kennedy, 656-0045; Ligon, Jr., 463-1383; Parent, 656-5109; Rhett, 656-0054; Strickland 656-7454.

H.R. 16 by Democrat Representative Billy Mitchell, also introduced in January, uses the language of the March 15, 2005 Start Over Resolutions* to renew the ratification process.
ACTION – Oppose H.R. 16. Use area code 404 to call House Judiciary Committee Representatives Fleming, Ch., 656-5125; Jones, V-Ch., 656-0213; Kelley, Sec., 656-5024; Nix, Ex-Officio, 656-5146; Bruce, 656-7859; Dreyer, 656-0265; Efstration, 656-5105; Holcomb, 656-6372; Oliver, 656-0265; Powell, 656-5141; Reeves, 651-7737; Rich, 656-0254; Rutledge, 656-0254; Scoggins, 656-0325; Silcox, 656-3949; Stephenson, 656-0126; Welch, 656-5912; Wilensky, 656-0202; and Wilson, 656-6372.

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