QUALIFYING FOR THE 2020 ELECTIONS:
We are now less than a month away from qualifying for the 2020 election year! Qualifying will take place starting at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 2, and will end at noon on Friday, March 6. The Democratic Party of Georgia will be qualifying candidates in room 230 of the Capitol. For additional information on what you need to bring to qualify, please click here.
Bills We’ve Introduced
Click here to see the full list of bills and resolutions introduced by our members.
The purpose of the GHDC Committees is to provide our Democratic Caucus an opportunity to have their bills heard. These hearings are not official House of Representatives hearings. The GHDC Committee hearings provide a chance for our members to present Democratic legislation to the press and to our partner organizations.
If you are working on Democratic legislation, please click here to fill out the hearing request form. Once submitted, the information will go to the appropriate GHDC Committee Chair. The GHDC Committee Chair will then contact you to set up a time, date and other logistics for your bill hearing.
Legislation We’re Watching
- The Budget
- HB 444 – The Dual Enrollment Act would maximize the number of dual enrollment credits to 30. A student may use their HOPE scholarships and grants towards their dual credit classes, but the dual credit classes will be deduced from the maximums allowed under HOPE. This bill can come up as an Agree/Disagree at any time. Senate Democrats voted against the measure earlier this year and a majority of House Democrats voted against the measure last year.
- HB 593 – seeks to establish a retirement fund for county tax commissioners. A significant source of funding for this new retirement funding will come from an additional $3 fee applied to delinquent tax bills. This fee is only applied to those who are already paying additional late fees and interest on their tax bills. It is unnecessarily punitive for this retirement fund to be built from additional fees applied only to those already struggling with their tax payments.
- HB 751 – The Anti – Red Flag – Second Amendment Conservation Act would allow preemption of local regulation and lawsuits, and exceptions, so as to occupy and preempt the entire field of legislation in this state involving extreme risk protection orders
- HB 757 – relating to primaries and elections generally, so as to provide for the determination of qualifying periods for special elections; to provide for voter registration deadlines for special primary runoffs and any other election or runoff held in conjunction with a special primary runoff. This bill passed out of the Governmental Affairs committee, but was recommitted earlier this week.
- HB 784 – relating to exceptions of open meeting rules, this bill would allow local school board members to discuss and vote on school safety plans in sessions closed to the public.
- HB 915 – The Georgia Anti-Sanctuary Act would require the state to adhere to federal immigration laws in Georgia with respect to criminal “illegal aliens.”
- SB 368 – relating to children and youth services, this bill would prohibit child-placing agencies from being required to perform, assist, counsel, recommend, consent to, refer, or participate in any placement of a child for foster care or adoption when the placement violates certain religious or moral convictions of the child-placing agency.
Upcoming District Events & Announcement
- Georgia Democrats launched the “Don’t Cut Georgia’s Future” campaign to hold Governor Brian Kemp and Georgia Republicans responsible for their extreme, dangerous budget cuts that slash funding for basic public services that Georgians care about and depend on.The website is http://dontcutgeorgiasfuture.com/. Please share it with your networks!
- The Democratic Party of Georgia’s 2020 State Celebration will be on Saturday, March 21 starting with a reception at 5:30 p.m. The celebration will take place at the Georgia World Congress Center.To purchase your tickets, click here.