Under the Dome | The Final Stretch! | Vol. 98
Volume 98
The Final Stretch!
I want to let the grassroots know that y’all are CRUSHING IT this year! You are making a big difference and our state is lucky to have you.
So, here is an update:
HB 960
Senator Greg Dolezal has taken over HB 960 and turned it into a GREAT election integrity bill! It is on the floor of the Senate today and MUST PASS!
What does it do? This bill requires public disclosure of voter eligibility lists prior to elections and lists of electors who voted after elections, imposes penalties for failure to remove ineligible voters, mandates the use of paper ballots with enhanced security features and prohibits reliance on machine-readable codes for vote tabulation, expands public access to ballot images and election data, revises recount procedures to require manual hand recounts under specified conditions and for certain major offices, authorizes exclusion of precinct results under certain discrepancies, and transfers audit authority from the Secretary of State to the State Election Board.
Today is a great day to reach out to your Senator and tell them to vote YES on HB 960!
Here is a reference for who needs some attention:
Any Republican with an E by their name must show up this time. If Frank Ginn wants to keep his seat, he should change his position on election integrity.
SB 572
This bill would enhance Georgia’s Stand Your Ground Law. It would prevent corrupt prosecutors from destroying your life when you acted in self-defense. This is great legislation and it passed committee yesterday. This bill needs to PASS!
Call Rules Chairman Butch Parrish (404-656-5141) and Speaker Jon Burns (404-656-5020) and tell them to put this bill on the floor!
Despite Republicans spending a ton of money to get her elected, Republican Rep. Deborah Silcox voted with Democrats AGAINST this bill in committee:
She also voted against religious freedom last year. If Rep. Silcox wants to be worth the investment to keep in office, she should stop voting like a Democrat.
Let’s pass this bill!
SB 440
Unfortunately, HB 1089 (the ivermectin bill) did not make it across on crossover day. Yet the efforts persist. HB 440 would now allow someone to get ivermectin without a prescription. It has passed committee.
Call Rules Chairman Butch Parrish (404-656-5141) and Speaker Jon Burns (404-656-5020) and tell them to put this bill on the floor!
We MUST PASS this bill!
SB 410/HB 1063
These bills prevents power providers from forcing citizens to subsidize data centers via their power bills. These are public utilities and should operate in the public interest. It also repeals the tax exemption for data centers, a much needed measure.
HB 1063 is sitting in the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee, Chaired by Senator Bill Cowsert. Why is Senator Cowsert, who wants to be promoted to Attorney General, blocking this legislation? Call him at 404-463-1366 and tell him to pass this bill!
The Senate version SB 410 also abolishes the crony data center tax exemption. This bill is being held up in the House Ways and Means Committee and it is a MUST PASS! Call Chairman Shaw Blackmon at 404-656-5103 and tell him to pass SB 410!
SB 306
This was a basic procedural bill that the House hijacked and turned into a bill giving people special property tax breaks for carbon sequestration. Basically, you are being asked to subsidize green new deal policies. Call your Senator and tell them to DISAGREE to the House Substitute to SB 306!
HB 947
When it comes to people on SNAP benefits, it is important that only the people who are supposed to be utilizing the benefits are able to. This may seem like common sense, but Democrats do not agree.
SNAP fraud is out of control. HB 947 would rein in this fraud by enacting measures to strengthen eligibility checks. The bill would ensure only people who need the program can use it. It also prevents people from using SNAP benefits at restaurants, because if you want luxury buy it yourself, don’t ask us to buy it for you.
We need HB 947 to get across the finish line this year. It is being held up in Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. Call Chairman Russ Goodman at 404-463-1318 and tell him to PASS HB 947!
Tax Cuts
The Senate has passed strong legislation to substantially reduce income taxes in Georgia. The House passed much more modest legislation. Conversely, the House voted on legislation to fully eliminate property taxes. Because it required a two-thirds votes, Democrats killed the legislation. The House is still looking to make progress on this issue, however, and passed legislation via HB 1116. The Senate passed a more modest measure earlier in session.
Firstly, it is insane that Democrats are fighting tax relief so hard. It is not surprising, but still insane.
We need to see both a strong bill on the income tax and on property taxes make it across the finish line.
Property taxes are like Elizabeth Warren’s proposed Wealth Tax, taxing unrealized gains on assets which neither being bought nor sold. Income taxes are taxing hard work in Georgia and doing great harm. It is important that both these issues get addressed THIS YEAR.
SB 74
This bill previously got rid of the exception in our obscenity law for school libraries. The House, however, got rid of that and made it only invalid of the governing authority had already ordered the book removed.
This should not be a hard policy issue.
We need to pass the SENATE VERSION of this bill.
Call Rules Chairman Butch Parrish (404-656-5141) and Speaker Jon Burns (404-656-5020) and tell them to revert this back to the Senate version and to PASS the Senate version of SB 74!
Special Recognition: The Grassroots is doing GREAT this year!
I want to take a second just to say THANK YOU for all you do. The grassroots has worked hard and been very effective. Here are some highlights:
SB 442
This bill ensures that only lawful english speaking residents have CDLs in Georgia. It has passed committee in the House.
Call Rules Chairman Butch Parrish (404-656-5141) and Speaker Jon Burns (404-656-5020) and tell them to put this bill on the floor!
SB 425
Kids can’t write like they used to. This starts addressing that by bringing cursive back into our schools. The grassroots wants this! Call Rules Chairman Butch Parrish (404-656-5141) and Speaker Jon Burns (404-656-5020) and tell them to put this bill on the floor!
SB 499
This is a bill the grassroots has worked hard on. In the form of this bill that repeals the silencer prohibition, it is a good bill. Senator Ginn, who betrayed the grassroots on election integrity by voting NO on paper ballots, has floated betraying us again by adding something to this bill make it illegal to own a gun with a switch under Georgia law.
The grassroots wants this! Call Rules Chairman Butch Parrish (404-656-5141) and Speaker Jon Burns (404-656-5020) and tell them to put this bill on the floor in a clean form that DOES NOT BAN SWITCHES!
SB 547
This bill would make pimping and pandering a felony. There is no action needed as it has passed both chambers. I mention it to give a HUGE KUDOS to the grassroots on pushing it over the finish line! Good work!
Thankful that Burt Jones got HB960 through yesterday. Common sense is an uphill climb in GA. Crazy.