Budget Hearings Begin
BUDGET HEARINGS BEGIN
Greetings from the Georgia Capitol! As of January 26th, we have completed nine days of the 40-day session and three full days of budget hearings. The budget is our only required duty and is our most important legislative action. The full 394-page budget document can be reviewed here. I was present every day of the hearings, and I serve on the Human Services Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee that met separately during the budget week.
You can watch that Subcommittee meeting here. The Governor presented the budget by video from Davos, Switzerland and appeared in person before a joint session of the House and Senate on the 25th to give his annual State of the State address.
YOU VOTED!
Here are the results from your votes on the questions I asked in our first newsletter of the 2023 Session.
Do you support sports betting in Georgia?
50.6% YES, 49.4% NO (249 responses total)
Do you support the elimination of runoffs?
79.1% YES, 20.9% NO (244 responses total)
Which election runoff would you eliminate?
Primary - 12.3%
General Election - 19.5%
Both - 68.2%
(195 responses total)
Would you set a minimum percentage
of the vote to win?
45% - 14.3%
48% - 19.8%
Rank voting - 65.9%
(217 responses total)
THANK YOU!!
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I ask subscribers of my email newsletter to vote on pending questions before the General Assembly. The following is the result of the first newsletter questions, and I invite you to subscribe to the newsletter, so you can also vote and share your views. Thank you!
Georgia's state government ended the 2022 budget year with $6.6 billion in surplus cash. Governor Kemp has announced plans to spend almost half of that amount through one-time tax refunds, including property tax relief. We are not yet certain how much Kemp intends to keep in reserves over and above our statutory requirements, to save for a "rainy day"--i.e. an anticipated recession.
Do you support Kemp's proposal to return to taxpayers from Georgia's $6 billion reserve?
NEW COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
I was disappointed to not be reappointed as Chair of the MARTOC Committee. The new Speaker told me that "there was a Republican available to serve as Chair," and he asked my preferences on additional assignments. I am pleased that I retain my committee appointments to Judiciary, Appropriations, Governmental Affairs, and Juvenile Justice. I am appointed to two new committees: Information and Technology, with my friend Todd Jones as Chair, and I am appointed Secretary of the newly-created Public Health Committee.
MMO IN THE NEWS
UPCOMING: LAWMAKERS ON GPB - TVTUESDAY, JANUARY 31ST AT 7:00pm
DISCUSSION OF MENTAL HEALTH LEGISLATION
https://video.gpb.org/show/lawmakersga/
ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION - JAN. 14, 2023
In second term, expect a 'frank' Kemp to push boundaries - by Greg Bluestein. "I fear the governor’s focus is too much on the national stage,” Democratic state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver said. “I’m concerned he will not engage in the details of Georgia’s needs and our very diverse population.”
https://www.marymargaretoliver.org/post/in-second-term-expect-a-frank-kemp-to-push-boundaries
ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION - JAN. 17, 2023
Georgia House shuffles GOP committee leaders and creates health panel - by Mark Niesse. "Democratic Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver had been in charge of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Overview Committee, appointed two years ago by then-Speaker David Ralston in a sign of bipartisanship.' Also - "Burns also appointed a Special Committee on Healthcare that will manage and coordinate health care policy..."
GPB POLITICAL REWIND - JANUARY 26, 2023
Guests on the show: State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D), HD 82; Amy Steigerwalt, Professor of political science, Georgia State University; Kevin Riley, Editor-in-Chief, The Atlanta Journal Constitution; and Leo Smith, GOP consultant and CEO, Engaged Futures
NEW LEGISLATION
House Bill 71 - Okefenokee Protection Act: The Okefenokee Swamp and Wildlife Refuge covers 700 square miles, almost all of them in Georgia. National Parks and Wildlife states that it is world renowned for its amphibian populations that are "bio-indicators of global health." The Okefenokee Swamp is the largest blackwater wetland in North America, and more than 600 plant species exist within its boundaries. I am co-sponsoring the Okefenokee Protection Act with Rep. Darlene Taylor. This bipartisan bill will limit the future threat of mining efforts within and around the Okefenokee.
Gun Safety Legislation: Along with Representative Dr. Michelle Au, I have sponsored and co-sponsored bills for improved gun safety. The collection of new bills introduced include: mandatory storage, child safety locks, and legislation imposing criminal liability on a gun owner whose gun is stolen or taken and a crime is committed with that gun. We will not know for some time whether any of these gun safety bills will have hearings nor whether there is a chance for passage or any progress at all on issues of gun violence. I said Thursday on Political Rewind that I am, frankly, discouraged about having an intellectually honest political discussion on gun safety. I will report further with specific bill numbers and any committee action. We will keep trying. MMO
UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE
TOWN HALL MEETINGS
I have TWO upcoming town hall meetings in the next two weeks. The first one is in-person and on Sunday, February 5th from 6:30pm to 7:30pm at Glenn Memorial Methodist Church. I will share the meeting with Representative Becky Evans and Senator Elena Parent. If you wish to attend virtually, use this link to observe the meeting. https://bit.ly/Feb5LegTownHall
My second town hall is on Thursday, February 9th with Representative Scott Holcomb from 7:00pm to 8:00pm via Zoom. You may register at http://bit.ly/3XAEh3q and submit questions at http://bit.ly/3JflnL6
Please join us!
NEW LEGISLATIVE INTERNS
I am thrilled to work with our two new Emory Bioethics interns! Joy Emenyonu and Blaine Milton will work with me throughout the 2023 legislative session.
Joy Emenyonu is a graduate student at Emory University studying Bioethics. She will complete her master's degree in May 2022. Joy also attended Emory for her undergraduate degree, where she graduated magna cum laude in Human Health and African American Studies and was recipient of the Rudolph P. Byrd Scholarship. Her career interests include health policy, health disparities, and social justice. Joy hopes to use her time interning with Representative Oliver to network and learn more about legislative proceedings.
Blaine Milton is a second-year Juris Doctor and Master of Arts in Bioethics (JD/MA) student at Emory University who strongly believes in improving the safety, diversity, and inclusiveness of Georgia State House District 82. For her undergraduate studies, Blaine attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied journalism and history. Shortly after, Blaine ventured abroad and earned a Master of Arts in British and North American Cultural Studies at Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg in Germany.
DEKALB COUNTY HOUSE DELEGATION MEETINGS LIVESTREAMED
The DeKalb House Delegation has elected new officers for the 2023 and 2024 Sessions. I am grateful that Representative Karla Drenner has agreed to serve as Chair, Representative Viola Davis will be Vice Chair, Representative Long Tran, a freshman, will serve as Secretary, and Becky Evans will serve as Treasurer. All offices were elected without opposition.
All of these meetings will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/DeKalbStateDelegation/
MENTAL HEALTH LEGISLATION, PART II
Representative Todd Jones, newly-appointed Commissioner Kevin Tanner and I met recently and are preparing a bill for the next step in mental health legislation. We have met with Legislative Counsel and are preparing a draft for our new proposals to make progress on mental health reform. More details will be forthcoming soon. Todd Jones and I are appearing onLawmakers on GPB Tuesday, January 31st to discuss our next steps.
MENTAL HEALTH POLICY CAUCUS
The Joint Mental Health Caucus met and there was a very good bipartisan group of Representatives and Senators who listened to experts on mental health needs and available services for young children. Good questions and discussion! Included in the photograph are, from left: myself; Dr. David O'Banion of CHOA; Dr. Gloria Smith Cisse of The Southern Center for Choice Theory; Laura Lucas, Infant & Childhood Mental Health Director of the GA Dept. of Early Care and Learning; and Callan Wells, Senior Health Policy Manager of GEEARS.
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT OPEN HOUSE
As the Legislative session progresses, more and more meetings and events compete for Legislators' attention. When Rep. Oliver has conflicting meetings, she sends her Chief of Staff or her Interns to observe and report back. Jennette Gayer of Environmental GA hosted an Energy and Environment Open House on Wednesday, January 25th which Chief of Staff Caroline Herring attended, and most of the issues discussed will be or have already been introduced into legislation during the 2023 session.
Speakers included: Megan Desrosiers, President and CEO of One Hundred Miles, who discussed protection from future mining of Okefenokee Swamp and Trail Ridge; Dr. Amy Sharma, Executive Director of Science for Georgia, who discussed the dumping of industrial waste sludge in southern Georgia; Brionté McCorkle, Executive Director of Georgia Conservation Voters, who discussed lack of representation on the Public Service Commission; and Bob Sherrier, Senior Associate Attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, who discussed securitization and the Georgia Utility Rate Reduction Act (GURRA). These were only some of the many fine speakers who advocated for important environmental issues in Georgia. To watch a full recording of the meeting, go to: https://environmentamerica.org/georgia/
OUT AND ABOUT
Emory President Greg Fenves invites legislators and state officials who have Emory degrees to his home on campus at Lullwater Preserve. It is a lovely evening and I thank him and his wife, Carmel, for the invitation.
Meet Georgia Southern's mascot: 18-year-old Bald Eagle, rescued many years ago and now attending all Georgia Southern events - an odd but safe and well-fed life. Our new Speaker's district includes Georgia Southern so it is newly prominent in the Capitol. We are still "organizing;" the real work has not yet begun on the House floor.
Annual visit with Leadership DeKalb! Thank you, Judge Jacobs, for bringing our friends to their Capitol.
QUICK LINKS FOR YOU
You can search for and track bills, watch the House (or Senate) in Session, watch committee hearings, monitor legislation by committee, and find contact information —- all on the revamped General Assembly website. Here are quick links:
- General Assembly website:https://www.legis.ga.gov/
- House Session meetings and many committee hearings are available to watch online: https://www.legis.ga.gov/house
- Archived videos of meetings and hearings: https://www.legis.ga.gov/house/media-services
Make your views known and tell me what issues interest you the most.
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