Georgia's legislative session had hits and misses

The Georgia legislative session is over — it’s time to celebrate progress. We achieved a lot this year thanks to supporters like you who pressured legislators to ensure our priorities were front and center, including big changes in criminal justice and voting rights. 

We had the chance to cover our progress in an exciting discussion format with our partners at Fair Fight. Watch the video below to hear from me and our allied groups about what we accomplished, the challenges we faced, and what we’re looking forward to in the future.

Virtual Town Hall - Legislative Rundown: Sine Die Edition https://t.co/s9O3gLKaaa

— Fair Fight (@fairfightaction) April 6, 2023

Here’s a high-level rundown of what we worked on. 

• We fought for the passage of bills easing access to the polls, and we fought against some bills being pushed by election-deniers that would have suppressed voters: 
• We also stopped several bad bills that would have worsened Georgia’s over-incarceration. 
• Prevented an inequitable education bill that would have siphoned money away from public schools for private school vouchers.
• Didn’t let a single anti-immigrant bill get out of committee for the 6th session in a row.
• Fought with our coalition partners to defeat bills and amend others in order to protect LGBTQ+ rights.

But not all the news was good. Gov. Kemp has yet to sign some bills that roll back decades of criminal justice reform.

For example, SB 44 enhances sentencing for gang recruitment activities as part of a tough-on-crime push that will have detrimental effects, especially for young people who may be survivors of violence themselves.

The bill also takes away a judge's discretion by instituting minimum sentencing guidelines that data shows does not work to decrease crime.

And SB 92 would create an oversight commission to remove duly elected District Attorneys that are pushing for criminal justice reform. The legislature should not be able to undo the will of voters simply because the Republican Party disagrees with these elected district attorneys and the communities that put them in office to change the justice system.

We’re not too late to stop these bills. Tell Gov. Brian Kemp to veto this legislation. Call him at 404-656-1776.

When we and our allies sit down with a legislator, our case is stronger because supporters like you have already reached out to them.

We want to thank you for each time you’ve taken action with us.