When the General Assembly gavels in on Tuesday, it will be Legislative Day 33. Sine Die – the last day of session – is less than two weeks away. That means we have 8 legislative days to pass good legislation and stop any harmful ideas from coming to our state.
There is much going on at the Capitol, and we have multiple team members there every day – fighting for you, your business, your church, and your family. Here’s what you need to know:
The Fight for Election Integrity is Not Over
After passing the nation’s #1 Election Integrity bill last year, the General Assembly is doing even more to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat in Georgia.
House Bill 1464 passed the House and would allow for the inspection of paper ballots after an election, ban private donations (like those from Mark Zuckerberg) from going to local election boards, allow the GBI to investigate claims of election fraud without an invitation from the Secretary of State, protect the rights of poll watchers, and more.
We fully endorse this legislation and appreciate all the work the General Assembly and the Governor continue to do to protect our elections.
Frontline engaging on HB 1013
Some of you may have heard about HB 1013 – the bill being proposed to address the fact that Georgia is one of the lowest ranked states in addressing mental health and begin making progress on this issue.
Among other things, this bill seeks to expand coverage for those with mental health issues, provide greater coordination, enhance workforce development (59 of Georgia’s 159 counties do not have mental health professionals), and take various steps to make it easier to get help for someone with mental health challenges.
Opponents of the bill have issued strong condemnation and various warnings about what this bill might do.
We have read and reviewed this legislation in great detail. It’s a complicated bill dealing with a complex subject. While there are some misunderstandings about the bill, we want to ensure that this legislation does not even open any doors that could compromise the values you and I hold dear.
Here’s the good news: many of the legislators working to promote HB 1013 are conservative, pro-family leaders. They do not want to do anything that would undermine our shared values, and they have been more than amenable to suggested changes.
Our team is at the Capitol every day and is heavily engaged on this issue. We have met with legislators, engaged with top notch legal advisors, and offered language changes that will clear up ambiguities and ensure that our values are protected.
I promise you this: no one is working harder than we are to provide concrete suggestions for improvement and engage on this issue in an effective and winsome manner.
This bill is not yet in its final form, and we believe that this ongoing dialogue will lead to substantive changes in the best interest of all Georgians. Please remain in prayer.
Gambling Expansion Remains a Major Threat
Yes, we stopped gambling expansion on Crossover Day – and that was against some MAJOR odds. The lobbying forces pushing gambling outnumber us significantly, and we need all the help we can get to keep up with the deals that are floating around the Capitol.
However, we fully expect maneuvers to resurrect horseracing and parimutuel betting – plus likely sports betting and even, possibly, casinos.
As Crossover Day wound to a close, we believed we fended off gambling expansion by only two votes. There are active efforts to flip those votes, and we ask for your prayers as we seek to hold the line.
Big Ticket Items Remaining
We applaud the Georgia House and Senate for dealing with many of our priority items – getting obscenity out of libraries, ending racist indoctrination, promoting fairness in sports, protecting parental rights, unmasking our kids, and more – well before Crossover in their respective Chambers.
However, none of these bills have yet passed their second chamber. While we are working to ensure they do, we need everyone to take action and remain prayerful.
We will continue to keep you posted on the latest happenings under the Gold Dome, but you can TAKE ACTION on any of our ongoing campaigns by clicking here.
