You probably have seen it in the news — Senate Bill 202, better known as Jim Crow 2.0, was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp in an unprecedented move before the end of the Legislative Session. The largest attack on voting rights in the nation happened all here in our home state. The Georgia Chapter and other voting rights champions will continue the fight for the full restoration of our right to vote at the Federal level, pressing for the passage of the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
To be clear: the 2021 Legislative Session was particularly destructive to our voting rights, clean energy expansion, protecting our lands, and coal ash cleanup efforts.
This year’s session marked the beginning of a new era of Georgia politics in which real bipartisanship was few and far between. What Republican legislators have shown is that they represent a party with no real principles, just steadfast allegiance to corporate campaign funders and a tendency towards authoritarianism to silence any and all opponents.
Yet, despite these challenges, our Legislative Liaisons program and our Legislative Committee stood firm. Our wins show that our movement is growing: We surpassed recruitment goals for the Liaisons program by dozens of members, we sent over 100,000 text messages and thousands of phone calls to mobilize constituents in targeted districts, and we passed House Bill 511 after dozens of years of advocacy to restore trust fund honesty.
This marks year 1 in a two-year Legislative Session, and we will fight back, stronger than ever, in 2022 — but only with your help. Click here to join our year-long volunteer efforts and join the movement!
Here are our priority issue takeaways, organized by issue area. You can check the status of these bills year round by checking out our Legislative bill tracker here.
PUBLIC FINANCING
HB 511: Restoring Trust Fund Honesty
Position: Strongly Support
Status: Passed
HB 244: Flood Infrastructure Tax Funding for Unincorporated Communities
Position: Support
Status: Passed
HB 675: Increased Salaries for Legislators
Position: Support
Status: Tabled
SB 221: Allows Donations to Legislators during Legislative Session
Position: Strongly Oppose
Status: Passed
CLEAN WATER AND LANDS
SB 260: Chicken Sludge Preemption Bill
Position: Strongly Oppose
Status: Passed
HB 3: Requires Increased EPD Monitoring of Ethylene Oxide
Position: Strongly Support
Status: Tabled
100% CLEAN ENERGY
HB 150: #FossilFuelsForever 100% Clean Energy Preemption Bill
Position: Strongly Oppose
Status: Passed
SB 299: Solar Freedom Act 2.0
Position: Strongly Support
Status: Tabled
HR 70: State-wide 100% Clean Energy Resolution by the Year 2050
Position: Strongly Support
Status: Tabled
HB 483: Prohibits HOAs from Banning Solar in Communities
Position: Strongly Support
Status: Tabled
CLEANING UP COAL ASH
HB 647: Increased Monitoring Period for Coal Ash Dumps
Position: Support, but work to improve
Status: Tabled
HB 176: Mandates Proper Disposal of Coal Ash Waste
Position: Strongly Support
Status: Tabled
TRANSIT & MOBILITY
HB 460: Allow Additional Electric Vehicle Manufacturers to Sell Direct to Consumers
Position: Support
Status: Tabled
DEMOCRACY & VOTING RIGHTS
SB 202: Omnibus Anti-Voter Bill
Position: Strongly Oppose
Status: Passed
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
HB 339: Creates Statewide Environmental Justice Commission
Position: Strongly Support
Status: Tabled