February 2022 Newsletter

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Legislators, Please Don’t Pass Bills that reward Lawlessness

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” – Psalm 11:3

King David asked, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines “can” as “to be able to do, make or accomplish.” So, what can be done by the “righteous,” defined by the Dictionary as “acting in accord with divine or moral law.” Although society is neglecting divine law, unabashedly destroying moral law, and defying the Constitution, those standards must be re-established and enforced, “in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,” as stated in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution.

Q. What can be done to recover constitutional authority and re-instate the observance of law?
A. Legislators can stop passing bills, such as H.B. 999, that reward unlawful entry into the U.S.
H.B. 999 Georgia Educational Freedom Act by Representative Wes Cantrell establishes state-funded promise scholarships of $6,000 per school year for each participating student to fund private nonpublic schools, sectarian or nonsectarian, higher education, curricula, etc.

  • To participate, H.B. 999 does not require parents or students to be in the U.S. legally.
  • To qualify for a $6,000 annual scholarship, the parents must, currently, reside in Georgia.
  • A student must be enrolled/attended a Georgia school for six weeks in the previous year.
  • Parents promise they’ll be taught reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies and science.
  • Students enrolled in a Department of Juvenile Justice school are not eligible for the program.

If H.B. 999 passes, the 14 members of the appointed Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) will appoint eight parents of participating students to six-year terms on a promise scholarship parent review committee. In turn, the commission’s appointed executive director would appoint eight members to one-year terms on a review committee to oversee the funding of students (a) who reside in Georgia and (b) attended school six weeks the previous year.

H.B. 999 has a huge loophole that allows non-citizens $6,000 per year for private schools and tax-funded colleges. The GSFC funds citizens and “persons” alike, although “persons” include unlawful residents. Lines 298-302 of H.B. 999 state the current GSFC purpose as follows:
“Purpose of commission [GSFC]. The purpose of the commission shall be to help improve the higher educational opportunities of citizens and persons in this state by serving as an agency and budget unit within the executive branch of state government for the purpose of carrying out and effectuating the powers, duties, and functions set forth in this part and in Chapter 2B of this title.”

ACTION – OPPOSE. Call House Education Committee Representatives Dubnik, Ch., 404 656-7857; Erwin, V-Ch., 656-0188; Belton, Sec., 656-3947; Benton, 656-5126; Cantrell, 656-0152; Carter, 656-0220; Cheokas, 463-7853; England, 463-2247; Evans, 656-0109; Glanton, 657-1803; Hill, 656-0325; Howard, 656-6372; Jasperse, 656-7153; Jan Jones, 656-5072; Todd Jones, 463-2246; LaRiccia, 651-7737; Mainor, 656-0126; Nguyen, 656-0314; Nix, 656-5146; Paris, 656-0109; Rich, 656-5087; Setzler, 656-5143; Wade, 656-0188; Wilson, 656-6372.

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January 2022 Newsletter

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Georgia General Assembly Convened January 10th

“In the event that a Member experiences any of these symptoms [listed below] after the start of the 2022 Legislative Session, he or she should immediately leave the Capitol Complex (if present there) and should not return to the Capitol Complex until they have visited a doctor and received clearance to return.”
– Georgia House of Representatives
_____________________________________________________________________

Cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fever, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell

COVID-19 Requirements for the Capitol Complex

  • Members of the House Representatives were tested January 5th at the Capitol, while testing at other locations must have been done by Friday January 7th.
    House Staff were tested at the Capitol on January 5th.
  • Test results were sent to Human Resources Director Donald Cronin by January 10th.
  • The Speaker may remove from the House Chamber and Gallery those refusing to comply.
  • Masks must be worn by House Members and staff when in the House Chamber or Gallery.
  • Members, staff and public attendees must wear masks to enter committee meetings.
  • Committee and sub-committee meetings are live-streamed where technology is available.
  • Members who wish to participate virtually must give a 24-hour notice.
  • Public attendees of committee meetings must register name, address and contact numbers.
  • Registration lists may be used for contact-tracing when COVID-19 infection emerges.
  • Social distancing in the House requires 15 representatives to be seated in the Gallery.
  • Specifically programmed tablets allow members in the Gallery to vote, etc.
  • Food brought in must be covered in single-portion containers or individually wrapped.
  • Masks are encouraged for Members and staff, except when ingesting food or beverages.
  • Monday and Thursday are the twice-weekly test days. Except for the second week, testing will be on Tuesday and Thursday, after MLKJr holiday is observed Monday January 17th.

Capitol Complex Changes for Visitors and Volunteers

  • Entry into the Capitol is limited to approximately 800 visitors at any given time.
  • Capitol complex meeting spaces cannot be reserved for use by outside groups.
  • Vending machines for food and beverages are available on the first floor of the Capitol.
  • Masks are encouraged but not mandatory for entry into the Capitol.
  • There is no “rope line” or pages to allow prompt in-person communication with legislators.
  • Communication with legislators is available by appointment, but not by casual approach.
  • Black curtains restrict public access to the corridor outside the Chambers.
  • The Gallery is not accessible to the public and its corridor is not open to the public.
  • Personal aides and staff not paid by the House are not allowed to work in House offices.
  • A personal aid or chief of staff must work remotely or from public spaces in the Capitol.
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December 2021 Newsletter

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John F. King, New Insurance Commissioner for Georgia

“Now, therefore, pursuant to the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Georgia, it is hereby ordered that the Honorable John F. King is hearby appointed Commissioner of Insurance for the State of Georgia, for the term of office ending January 9, 2023. This 3rd day of December, 2021.”
– Governor Brian Kemp, December 3, 2021

Why was a new Commissioner of Insurance appointed? On December 2, 2021, former Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck reported to a federal prison at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, to begin serving a seven years, three months sentence for 37 counts, including wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and tax fraud, through which he diverted over $2.5 million from the state-chartered Georgia Underwriting Association (GUA) into his own bank accounts. Prior to his election to public office, Beck was manager of GUA.

The former commissioner was under federal investigation before his 2018 election, and was indicted after taking office in 2019. After an eight-day trial, jurors found him guilty in less than two hours. In October District Judge Cohen sentenced Beck, but allowed him to be at home in Carrollton (electronically monitored) until after Thanksgiving. Then, he reported to prison.

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October/November 2021 Newsletter

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DOJ to “Protect” Local School Boards from Parents

National School Board Association’s (NSBA) letter to President Biden September 29, 2021, asked that the federal Department of Justice repel extremist hate organizations showing up at school board meetings, with “the growing number of threats of violence and acts of intimidation occurring across the nation.” NSBA complained of parental opposition to curricula in certain states, such as Georgia and highly publicized local board hearings in Loudon County, Virginia.

In response, President Biden prompted Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s October 4th press release, of the Department of Justice plan for a series of efforts to quell behavior NSBA identifies as “domestic terrorism.” DOJ will create (a) a task force from seven DOJ offices and give (b) specialized training for local school boards and school administrators to identify/report threats, while collecting and preserving evidence of “crimes” to be investigated and prosecuted.

Response to AG Garland’s Memo
The U.S. Senate responded to the DOJ plan on October 27, 2021 by requiring AG Garland to give sworn testimony before a Capitol Hill Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, “Oversight of the United States Department of Justice.”

Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin responded to parents’ complaints in Loudon County by promising to increase the number of charter schools in the state. However, charter schools aren’t the answer. In Georgia, parents deal with elected boards of education for traditional schools, charter schools are controlled by contract with the SBOE and an appointed committee.

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