What’s happening in Washington has taken a lot of focus away from our work at the Georgia Capitol. That’s because the decisions originating in Washington are having direct impacts on everyday Georgians.

Stunningly, the Trump administration denied Governor Kemp’s request to give local governments more time to apply for federal disaster assistance post-Hurricane Helene. Speaker of the House Burns had also pleaded with the Trump administration for additional time to request aid. “Right now, the future is uncertain for far too many Georgia farmers, and without assistance, some of them will not make it through this growing season,” he wrote in a letter to the administration. Nevertheless, the Trump administration responded: “It has been determined that the increased level of funding you have requested … is not warranted.”

Trump was quick to visit Hurricane Helene-ravaged Georgia while running for president. And Kemp was quick to forget Trump’s insults about him and his family and campaign for Trump. Burns vociferously supported Trump too. And yet, at the first opportunity for the Trump administration to support Georgia—especially rural Georgia—it said no. 

The question must be asked: what did Kemp’s capitulation and cooperation get Georgia? 

I suspect I’ll be asking that question a lot over the next four years. Because the disaster and chaos reigning down from Washington—and harming Georgians— didn’t happen in a vacuum. The harm was made possible, in part, by Georgia leaders who went to bat for this administration. Many compromised their values because they thought the tradeoff would be worth it. They worked hard to normalize Trump as he spewed his hatred, division, and contempt for American ideals. 

They don’t get to celebrate Trump’s victories but not take accountability for his inflictions of harm. 

Yet that’s exactly what many Republican Georgia leaders are trying to do.

I went to the floor last week to plead with the governor and other GOP leaders in the state to speak out in defense of the talented and hardworking CDC employees and the lifesaving work they have done for decades:

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Let’s all make some noise, shall we?

Table of Contents

• Kemp Encourages CDC Layoffs: “Government can stand a little rightsizing”

• Stand with CDC Workers at the Capitol this Friday

• The Death Penalty and the Mentally Disabled

• Tort Reform Updates

• Rep. Mack Jackson Retains his Seat!

• Highlights from this Week at the Capitol

The misguided and haphazard decision by unelected President Elon Musk/President Donald Trump to fire federal workers has left thousands of Georgians uncertain about their families’ futures, about their ability to buy food and pay a mortgage, and about their careers in service to the people of the United States.

A huge concentration of federal workers on the brink of unemployment are at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention near Emory University. These heroes have kept watch for threats to our health and protected us from killers we cannot see: from E. coli to Ebola. 

CDC scientists are scattered all over the world, but 10,000 of them are based here.

Last week, the brilliant people at CDC were told that 10 percent of them would be laid off during a first cut— about 1,300 workers. This includes recent hires and long-time CDC staff who are considered probationary employees because they have recently been promoted.

And more cuts are said to be coming. 

Shortly after I made my remarks at the well and appealed to my Republican colleagues to fight on behalf of Georgians losing their jobs, Kemp shared his thoughts during an interview with Politico. He essentially shrugged off the layoffs and said government could benefit from “rightsizing,” legitimizing the erratic assault on Georgia workers. See it for yourself.

His callousness was stunning, frankly. He had no regard for the human toll the layoffs would take. No regard for the economic implications of mass layoffs. No regard for the public health implications. 

Kemp treats DOGE as if it’s a sincere endeavor to create government efficiencies. The facts say otherwise. There’s a way to trim the fat; DOGE is not that. And the fallout is significant.

Kemp continues to normalize dangerous behaviors by this president and his agents. And when Georgians are hurt, he is refusing to stand up for them. He asked for relief for Hurricane Helene victims. Why is he not fighting for civil servants’ livelihoods too?

This morning I was invited to the AJC’s Politically Georgia podcast to discuss the CDC layoffs and Kemp’s response. You can find the recording here.

All are invited to join me at the Capitol this Friday at 10am on the South Wing Steps of the Capitol (indoors) to bring attention to this issue and appeal to our state leaders for help.

We will make our case to the media and to the public that these layoffs are bad for Georgians and have significant public health implications. 

Speakers include multiple respected public health professionals. There will also be comments by some elected officials. However, the event is non partisan.  

I understand that some CDC employees may fear retaliation if they show up. I respect that concern and would never ask you to put yourself in harm’s way. But if you feel comfortable showing up, or if you can encourage friends, families and allies to show up, our message will carry more weight. We have to show that people care about this issue if we want to attract attention and assistance.

Details for visiting:

Please arrive between 9:00 am and 9:15 am. You will need to go through security before entering the Capitol, and there may be a line. The press conference will begin promptly at 10 am.

Bring your ID in order to gain entry to the Capitol.

You are welcome to bring signs, but they must be flat and without accessories (sticks, handles, etc). It’s a good idea to store your signs in a bag when entering the Capitol.

It’s easy to take MARTA to the Capitol. MARTA exits located nearest the Capitol are the Georgia State Station (directly across from the Capitol in the Sloppy Floyd/Twin Towers complex) or the Five Points station (two blocks west of the Capitol at Underground Atlanta.) There is also some parking available close by.

The South Steps are located on the second floor of the Capitol at the South end of the building. There will be a podium located in front of the stair case.

If you have any questions at all, please email me at [email protected]. I’ll see you Friday.

I met this week with advocates for House Bill 123 when they visited the Capitol to push for a fix to how Georgia applies the death penalty to individuals who have a mental disability.

Georgia was the first state to prohibit executing the mentally disabled – even before the U.S. The Supreme Court said it was wrong. Yet, our state set a high bar, making it impossible to show that a person’s mental disability is disqualifying.

Current Georgia law requires defense attorneys to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that their clients are mentally disabled and ineligible for a death sentence. That is the highest evidence threshold under the law. 

HB 123 would lower the burden of proof to a “preponderance of the evidence.”

That doesn’t mean convicted persons would escape punishment. It means only those who are sentenced to the ultimate punishment have the mental capacity to understand it.

I’ve heard from a lot of you with questions about the governor’s tort reform effort. There are reasons to be concerned with the current versions of Senate Bill 68 and Senate Bill 69, but I won’t go into detail yet because the bills are expected to change. They may change before they hit the Senate floor (likely this week), and they will almost certainly change again before getting to the House. 

I predict the version that the Senate passes will not resemble what the House approves. Then the House and Senate have to negotiate a compromise and that final version will be nothing like the individual bills the House and the Senate approved.

I am watching. And I am weighing the concerns and questions you have sent me. I will definitely tell you when I figure out how I will vote. But I can assure you that your perspectives are part of that decision process.

Good news. Last week, a Georgia court held that Rep. Mack Jackson, a Democrat representing the Sandersville area, will keep his seat.  As a result of the court’s ruling, the region will not have to hold a new election. Rep. Jackson’s opponent challenged his win after the results showed he won by 48 votes in November.

As our unofficial caucus election counsel 😀, I was thrilled to help Rep. Jackson with his strategy and case. This is a victory for House Democrats and Georgia voters. Congratulations, Rep. Jackson!

I love seeing constituents at the Capitol! Come anytime!

Yours in service,