Legislative Week 11 (March 19 – March 25, 2018)

Hello HD117. It is 5:24 am on Sunday morning as I begin to write my blog for Week 11. Everyone else is asleep. It is quiet and the coffee is on. This is my usual Sunday morning routine. It is a time I get to myself to be able to reflect on all the events of the past week and prepare for the new week ahead. It is also a time where I give my thanks for being able to serve as your Representative. The work is hard, some weeks harder than others. But it is satisfying to know I am doing everything I can, that I am not slacking in this service and that I can wake up every morning and be content to look at the person looking back at me in the mirror knowing she has done what she promised to do.

Monday, March 19, 2018. One thing I didn’t mention in last week’s blog was that I actually spent some of last Sunday working to prepare to state my opposition to the SB336 fingerprint bill. I reached out and spoke with two GBI representatives trying to get an answer to my concerns – is the system they wish to implement to collect innocent Georgian’s data secure? They did not have the answers but promised to have a GBI tech person call me Monday morning and they did. What I learned left me even more concerned. For one, we in the legislature had been told that the fingerprints of those applying for state agency jobs would be kept in a separate database from the FBI criminal fingerprint database. The tech told me this was not true – that all the data will be on one system. Second, she told me that the system does keep fingerprint minutiae (these are the identifying markers that standard security practice says can be kept securely) but that it also keeps the entire fingerprint image (that can be used to open cell phones, etc.) “just in case.” The bill came up for a vote that afternoon and I gave the minority report in opposition. Unfortunately the bill passed based on party lines. It has to go back to the Senate since it had been revised and the Governor stills needs to sign it so it’s not a done deal yet. You can see video of my well speech here: https://youtu.be/FNv3VBzo3-Y.

Monday night saw me back in the district attending Athens Community Agenda’s Mayoral and Commissioner Candidate Forum at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. It was a great opportunity to hear from the three candidates running for mayor of Athens – Kelli Girtz, Richie Knight and Harry Sims. The second part of the event presented over 10 candidates running for county commissioner seats. You can see some of the highlights on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/athenscommunityagenda/.

 

 

Tuesday, March 20, 2018. This committee day was spent in the Judiciary Non-Civil Committee. We had a number of bills to consider including SB315 the computer hacking bill (http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20172018/SB/315). There are concerns that this bill creates a new crime that is too broad and may in fact penalize those who are just doing their jobs or completing research to make networks more secure. You can see recordings of most committee hearings and meetings by going to the GA House Committees page, selecting the committee name, and then clicking on the Archives option. For “Judi non-civil” click here: http://www.house.ga.gov/Committees/en-US/CommitteeArchives146.aspx.

With GA School Superintendent.

 

 

 

Tuesday was also International Day at the Capitol. The current Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods (http://www.gadoe.org/Pages/superintendent.aspx) was there to highlight the international programs and students of Georgia schools.

 

 

 

 

Before leaving the Capitol I stopped by and joined Governor Deal, Chairman England, Rep. Wallace and others to celebrate “Georgia Grown” (https://www.georgiagrown.com) during GA Agriculture Week. They focused the presentation on the t-shirts made from Georgia cotton. I was very inspired to learn that Georgia Grown has teamed up with Georgia Industries for the Blind (GIB, https://bit.ly/2G2Y4oi) to produce high-quality Georgia Grown merchandise while providing employment opportunities for the blind in our state. GIB now employs nearly 100 blind persons and generates its total administrative and operating budgets through the sales of its products and services receiving zero dollars from state or federal means. It has maintained the highest national safety rating since 2013.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018 proved to be a hectic morning. I began the day with a Domestic Violence Subcommittee (House Democratic Caucus) meeting. This group of representatives keeps track of current and proposed legislation relating to domestic violence and works with organizations focusing on this issue through events and activities.

 

Next I popped in on a group invited by Rep. Hilton to celebrate Down Syndrome Day at the Capitol. The Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta (http://www.dsaatl.org) held their annual Consortium Day where they received a proclamation by the Governor, learned about legislation that affects their families, and met with their representatives. Shout out to Lori and David Bryan – a fabulous couple who were celebrating 14 years of marriage!

 

 

 

Continuing down the hall I joined Rep. Billy Mitchell and others to welcome supporters of HB981, the “Second Chance Bill” (https://bit.ly/2uj5PBc). This bill would limit public access of records of certain convictions, which would remove barriers to employment and housing for many Georgians.  My Judiciary Non-Civil Committee had a hearing on the bill last week but it did not pass out of committee. The Georgia Justice Project and others organized the advocacy day to bring awareness and to garner support for the underlying issue.

 

 

 

We had a visit from Cedar Shoals High School students led by their teacher Jesse Evans. Rep. Wallace and I spoke with the students a bit about how it is to be a new representative at the Capitol, a bit of what our day entails, and answered some questions – like do we always have to dress up – the answer is Yes – men are required to wear suits and ties when they are on the floor and women must dress professionally and cannot wear open toed shoes.

 

 

 

I was a single parent for almost 16 years raising my two daughters so it was a special moment to address the mothers and fathers invited by Rep. Valencia Stovall to be recognized at the first annual Single Parents Day at the Capitol. Rep. Stovall introduced and got passed HR279 (https://bit.ly/2GjU2Y5) to celebrate single parents and to provide tools and resources they need to be successful and raise successful children.

 

 

While my intern Cris Ortiz attended the Rural Caucus meeting I headed to the Women’s Caucus for a presentation on PANS/PANDAS (Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome & Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections). The presentation was given by Jessica Gowen, President of Southeastern PANS/PANDAS Association (SEPPA, https://www.sepans.org). I had never heard of PANS/PANDAS before but it seems to be of growing concern for parents in Georgia mainly because of the common misdiagnosis of it as Strep throat or a continuous cold. If you have little ones please click on their website and learn more about it.

That evening I was able to enjoy a Dinner for Donation at the Watkinsville First Christian Church (http://fccwatkinsville.org). I was invited by Minister Sheila Hunter to join them in fellowship as they raised funds for the Oconee Relay for Life and I learned a bit about their history. My ears perked up when the lecturer spoke of Emily Tubman, a Georgia woman from Augusta who became a wealthy entrepreneur at a time when women were supposed to be seen and not heard, and definitely not in charge of a large plantation.

Recognizing the Student Leaders for the March for Our Lives

Thursday, March 22, 2018. My second committee day of the week again was focused on Judiciary Non-Civil. The computer hacking bill (SB315) was voted on and passed 6-5 mainly along party lines. Marsy’s Law (SR146, https://bit.ly/2FKFdh2) for victims’ rights also passed.

Thursdays are when the Working Families Caucus meets. The focus of the last meeting of the session was a review and recap of certain bills still in the pipeline to be voted on before session ends on March 29th. Of particular concern were the transit bill (HB930, https://bit.ly/2DTmvhV), the voting machines bill (SB403, https://bit.ly/2DTmryH), and SB542 (https://bit.ly/2FrWPyH), regarding cooperation of local law enforcement with ICE agents that now had a new section regarding bail bonds that would override local ordinances.

Ended Thursday back at home in Athens attending the Athens Clarke County Democratic Committee meeting where I gave a brief legislative update on certain bills and heard from some new candidates for state races.

 

Friday, March 23, 2018. You never know what a day will bring. This was a difficult day for members of the Legislature as we learned that Zell Miller, former Georgia governor and founder of the HOPE scholarship had passed away. Speaker Ralston gave a speech to honor his life and shared a touching story of what Miller meant to him. We also found out that morning that the father of one of our colleagues, Rep. Andy Welch, had died that morning in a car accident. I do not know Rep. Welch well, but I was told that he and his father were close and worked every day together in their law firm. I cannot imagine the loss Rep. Welch feels and I wish him and his family peace.

 

 

 

 

Friday was Men & Women in Radio at Capitol Day honoring Program and Promotion Directors. Although these men and women were mainly from the Atlanta area, I couldn’t help but think of the men and women in radio from District 117 – shout out to Yvonne Roberts, Alexia Ridley, Lady B, Rick Dunn, and Kirenna Gallagher.

 

Page Liam Abbott

 

 

During the lunch recess we had the last Judiciary Non-Civil Committee meeting of the session. We discussed and passed HR1417 (https://bit.ly/2G9VQj1). This was to create a Joint Study Committee on Cultivation, Manufacture, and Dispensing of Medical Cannabis Low THC Oil I am pleased to report it passed.

 

 

On Friday evening we held our third Friday Forum on Facebook Live; this one focused on Living Wages. Our invited panelists included Broderick Flanigan (citizen activist, https://bit.ly/2rWaUxx), Jesse Evans representing Economic Justice Coalition (http://www.economicjusticecoalition.org), and Shannan Reaze from Atlanta Jobs with Justice (http://www.atlantajwj.org). Due to some technical difficulties we couldn’t get Shannan on the Live event but she contributed behind the scenes via text and comments to try to keep me on track. Please check out the Facebook recording and the various links and resources we will make available (https://bit.ly/2DRWBLL). This particular Forum was set up once the official hearing in the Industry and Labor committee was cancelled. However, this topic is too important not to 1) be discussed and 2) do something about.   To that end, I am committed to working on this issue in a number of ways: (1) this forum is just the first; (2) aligning with groups such as Jobs with Justice and Economic Justice Coalition; (3) learning from community leaders and subject matter experts. I am proud to have put in two house resolutions regarding living wages this session and to have started a conversation with Legislative Counsel about a truth and reconciliation commission (such as the one mentioned by Dr. Baradaran and implemented in South Africa and South Carolina). I look forward to continuing to work on these and other efforts to combat poverty and systemic economic inequality as your representative.

Saturday, March 24, 2018. This was a day full of emotion – from sadness and anger to inspiration and excitement – this day held it all. Began by dropping off donuts and water to the Athens Access to Justice Pop Up Community Legal Clinic. I cannot state enough how grateful I am to the judges, attorneys, paralegals and administrative assistants who offer their Saturday morning to provide legal services to the District. Next one is Saturday, April 21, 2018, from 9 – 11 am. More info on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2I2RESR. Thank you especially to Debbie Finch and her daughter, the clinic’s mascot, Lily.

 

The rest of the morning and most of the afternoon was spent in solidarity with the millions of students marching around the US and the world in the massive March for our Lives rally event. First stop was at the Oconee Veteran’s Park – so inspiring to see the crowd there. They had been challenged that they would not have more than three people show up – the final tally was upwards of 200 – way to go Oconee! To view the video by Oconee Observations click here: https://bit.ly/2pIzChc. Skip to the best speeches – by the students themselves.

 

Mallory Harris (one of my sheroes) organized the March for Our Lives (MFOL) rally at the Arches in Athens. https://bit.ly/2GbsMaH. I was blown away by her and the high school students who spoke – they were passionate, articulate and on point. We need to listen to them and we need to support them. Three things I kept repeating yesterday:

  1. These students are not alone and I as a representative am committed to stand with them and do whatever I can to change the laws (as are many of my colleagues who participated in the MFOL in Atlanta with U.S. Rep. John Lewis)
  2. They will be old enough to vote in 2020 and they need to, and
  3. They will be old enough to start running for office in 2024 and I stand ready to mentor them on successful campaigns. They are our future.

When I got home I was able to watch a replay of the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, DC. Proud to have been able to support AADM and Mokah Jasmine Johnson’s taking students from Athens-Clarke County to the DC march. Representation at all levels is so important. You can see some of the speeches here: https://www.c-span.org/event/?442255/march-lives-rally. BTW, Emma Gonzalez makes silence golden (https://cnn.it/2ulEpdE).

Remember, keeping our students and children safe is a bipartisan issue. It is about gun safety not gun control. It is about valuing life.

Sunday, March 25, 2018. Gave a legislative update to the Athens-Oconee Indivisible 10 Group and answered a number of questions regarding certain bills they are watching – including many I mentioned above. Then off to Hendershot’s Café to listen to the Invest in Peace concert, a fundraiser to benefit the GA Conflict Center (https://www.gaconflict.org). Was able to listen to the GA Children’s Chorus (http://georgiachildrenschorus.org), Caroline Aiken (http://carolineaiken.com) and Kate Morrissey before I had to leave. It was inspiring music and very delicious treats.

 

Ended my evening and my weekend presenting a few awards at the 6th Annual Hip Hop Awards (http://ugalive.com/athens-hip-hop-award/). In full disclosure my law firm, D Gonzalez Law Group, LLC was a sponsor of this event so I got to wear my entertainment lawyer hat for a bit. Incredible talent was highlighted and shared. A special shout out to Celeste Ngeve who won Poet of the Year (https://celestngeve.com). I’ve been honored to listen to Celeste perform a few times in Athens – she is powerful and insightful. A true role model for the next generation.

Another week down and only 2 more Legislative Days to go.

With Rep. Bennett and Henson

I hope that my session updates will help you to stay informed on legislative matters that impact our community and state as a whole, as well as my comings and goings on your behalf. The House website, www.house.ga.gov, has several tools that might be useful to you throughout the legislative session: a live stream of House proceedings, live and archived committee meeting videos and detailed information on all legislation we are considering in the General Assembly.

Call or email me if you have any questions or concerns regarding any current or upcoming legislation. My Capitol office is located in the Coverdell Legislative Office Building (CLOB) 509C, across form the Capitol, my office phone number is 404-656-0220, and I can be reached via email at deborah.gonzalez@house.ga.gov. My District Office is at the Butler Building, 337 S Milledge Ave., Suite 224, Athens, GA 30605.

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.

Deborah

Which reminds me – don’t forget you can keep up to date on what’s going on, who I am meeting with, what legislation I’m working on and other news by Liking our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DG4GA.

 

Legislative Week 10 (March 12 – March 18, 2018)

Hello HD117. Although we only had three legislative days this week the pace was full speed ahead and won’t be slowing down until after Sine Die on March 29th.

 

 

Monday, March 12, 2018. What better way to start a week than with it being Peanut Butter & Jelly Day at the Capitol. I can confess that a good PB&J sandwich with a cold glass of milk is often on my meal plan when my schedule does not allow for dinner. But the focus of this day is truly the peanut farmers of Georgia.

 

 

 

 

I am always grateful when constituents, especially students, come to visit me at the Capitol. I know it’s not just me they come to see but it does give me a boost of energy. Today brought two groups – first Barrow County was in the House with their REACH students. REACH Georgia is the State of Georgia’s first needs-based mentorship and college scholarship program. The mission is to ensure that Georgia’s academically promising students have the academic, social, and financial support needed to graduate from high school, access college, and achieve postsecondary success (https://reachga.org). It is administered by the Georgia Student Finance Authority.

The second group of students came with Athens for Everyone (A4E) from a high school in Gwinnett, the high school Imani Scott Blackwell graduated from (https://www.facebook.com/ImaniforAthens/). So this group could claim two Reps: Rep Sam Park and me. It is so important for all students to experience the Capitol.

The afternoon was spent in a Judiciary Non Civil Committee Meeting discussing again SB336, the resurrected fingerprint bill. The bill passed in committee but the vote was not unanimous so I was able to file a minority report against it. It was co-signed by my colleague Rep Darshun Kendrick.

 

Monday was also a busy day in the district and I am grateful for those who can attend important events when I am not able to because of other commitments. Peggy Perkins, my constituent liaison from Barrow, attended the Barrow County Visioning Workshop (http://www.barrowga.org). According to Peggy the purpose of the meeting and survey is to gather information to update the Barrow County Comprehensive Plan. The BCCP is a long-range plan that is used to guide local goals and decisions related to land use, housing, economic development, natural and historic resources and community facilities. The plan is to answer the following questions: Where are we? Where are we going? Where do we want to go? How do we get there? There are more meetings planned and I look forward to attending them once session is over.

Avery Murdie, my chief of staff, was able to not only attend but also record the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement’s Athens Mayoral Forum (https://www.facebook.com/AADMovement). This important conversation moderated by Mokah Jasmine Johnson, provided a venue for Athens residents to hear from the three Athens mayoral candidates Kelli Girtz, Ritchie Knight and Harry Sims. The discussion was centered around their action plans to address poverty in Athens, quality of life, diversity and community inclusion.

 

Tuesday, March 13, 2018. This was a non-legislative day but I spent it addressing constituent emails and letters and preparing a memo outlining my opposition to SB336 – the fingerprint bill. This memo would be placed on the desk of each Representative when they return to the Chamber on Wednesday morning. It outlined three main reasons for my opposition:

  1. Secret subpoenas have been declared unconstitutional by courts all over the US – including in lawsuits won by Facebook (who is considering opening a branch in Georgia).
  2. This bill would make the Georgia Legislature responsible for granting the authority to a state agency to give high-risk biometric data of innocent Georgians to a federal agency, knowingly disregarding security concerns and best practices considering the testimony given in committee regarding “that we cannot know what the FBI will do with it.” The buck stops with us.
  3. This is not a partisan issue. The defeat was bipartisan because we all want to protect Georgians. The broadness of this bill sets up a dangerous policy of disregard for Georgians’ privacy and identity in our online world.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018. To me this was one of my most significant days at the Capitol. Rep. Brenda Lopez and I had filed a resolution to recognize and welcome the Georgia State University College of Law Black Law Student Association that day. Inspiring students.

Then at 10 am the Democratic Caucus walked out of the House Chamber to join in and show our support for the Student Walk-Outs that had been planned to protest the lack of gun safety in schools. So proud of these amazing students for organizing their peaceful protests around the US and for demonstrating the value of our First Amendment rights. Democrats held a press conference where we remembered each of the 17 victims of the Parkland shooting by holding their photos as we read their names and ages. You can view the press conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnBtYe91flM

When we returned to the Chamber I gave a morning order regarding the 7,000 Pairs of Children Shoes Installation on the White House Lawn representing the 7,000 children who were shot and killed in the last 5 years. You can view it here: https://youtu.be/8AOO09IfmOM

Rep. Jonathan Wallace (HD119) and I got to welcome a number of our constituents from Barrow, Clarke, Jackson, and Oconee counties who had come to visit us that morning and get a sense of what the Capitol is like during session.

 

 

Before heading to a quick lunch I was able to tour the American Abolitionists Photographic Exhibit in the Capitol Rotunda (http://www.americanabolitionists.com/exhibit.html). I want to thank Rep Mable Thomas for her work in bringing the exhibit to Atlanta. The faces in those photographs are what stays with me – especially the eyes. So much history we must not turn away from.

 

 

By now you have heard about my disappointment that the Industry & Labor committee cancelled the hearing on the resolutions on Livable Wages and Non-discrimination of wages based on gender and race. We had a number of highly credible speakers ready to testify and although I was hopeful it would be rescheduled it seems that is not to be so. However, these issues are too important to just let the conversation slide. So Rep. Park Cannon and I met with a group of powerful activists from Jobs with Justice (http://www.jwj.org) including the Atlanta JwJ Executive Director, Shannan Reaze. I am so excited to partner with them so stay tuned for updates.

 

The judiciary Non Civil sub-committee meeting had only one bill on its agenda – SB315 (http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20172018/SB/315). This is the bill that seeks to criminalize the intentional breaking into a computer or computer network. I was very pleased to see that the author had taken some of the concerns on the original bill and revised it but I still feel it is a bit too broad. It did pass through committee and I know Rep. Wallace will be speaking about it when it comes to a vote. Note: The link above is not the latest version of the bill but it is the only version publicly accessible online right now.

 

Next stop was the Georgia Black Legislative Caucus (http://www.galbc.org) meeting where they had a number of interesting presentations including one on the Lottery Minority Business Participation Program (http://bit.ly/2DBG12g).

I ended the day doing an interview with Alexia Ridley from WUGA regarding the Walk-Out, the 7,000 shoes exhibit, and more. You can hear some of that interview here: http://bit.ly/2GCs3jS.

 

 

 

Thursday, March 15, 2018. My last day at the Capitol for the week was just as hectic as the first. It was the Third Annual Type 1 Diabetes Day at the Capitol (http://www.jdrf.org) and Fitness Professional Day at Capitol. I give Rep. Doreen Carter and Rep Valencia Stovall big kudos for working out BEFORE the session with the fitness professionals.

 

 

 

There was supposed to be a Citizenship Ceremony at the Capitol on Thursday but it was cancelled. That did not stop the folks from Coalition of Refugee Services Agencies (https://crsageorgia.wordpress.com) to continue with the rest of their plans for the New Americans Celebration and lobby at the Capitol against SB452 (http://bit.ly/2FrWPyH). The Ensuring Necessary Deportations (END) Act, so-called “ICE bill” makes it mandatory for Georgia law enforcement to assist ICE in their federal duties. See Athens for Everyone’s Action Alert on this bill: http://bit.ly/2FIqZxL.

 

My last Capitol stop was the Georgia Working Families Caucus meeting. Today’s session focused on workforce training. A number of programs were presented as well as findings from a report focusing on the benefits and economic impact of workforce training programs.

Before we leave the Capitol I do want to mention that the House passed a critical measure this week that seeks to better coordinate state health care policies in an effort to address the unique health challenges facing our state. Senate Bill 357, also known as “The Health Act,” would establish the Health Coordination and Innovation Council of the State of Georgia under the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget to streamline and coordinate all components of our state’s health care system (http://bit.ly/2HIM3Rc). The council would bring together academic, industry and government experts and leaders to share information, coordinate the major functions of Georgia’s health care system and develop innovative approaches to stabilize costs and improve access to quality health care. The council would serve as a research forum to identify our state’s greatest health issues and promote cooperation between private and public agencies to test new ideas. I bring this up because even though the Medicaid Expansion bill (HB669, http://bit.ly/2o7izV2) did not go through I am hopeful that we can bring up this issue to this Council and perhaps have another path to making sure all Georgians have access to the healthcare they need.

Friday, March 16, 2018 and Saturday, March 17, 2018. Some people ask why I commute back and forth every day between Athens and Atlanta. One of the reasons is because there is no place like home. It keeps me grounded. It also gives me the opportunity to meet with and hear from the people in the district. We set up Friday and Saturday as Drop In Districts Days so constituents from District 117 could just stop by the District office in Athens to meet with me and let me know what is on their minds. I really enjoy these types of events because you never know who you will meet and what topics will come up. Between these two days I spoke with people on education, immigration, livable wages, income inequality, healthcare, student safety, Internet privacy, community resources, poetry, autism, social work, interns, coming back home, difficulty finding a job, difficulty making ends meet, celebrating community heroes, and so much more! BTW, Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
Sunday, March 18, 2018. I visited two churches today – The First AME church on Hull Street for their youth service and then Greater Bethel AME church on Rose Street for their Women’s Day service. Finished the afternoon attending a National Issues Forum on Immigration sponsored by the Oconee Progressives.

Another week down and 5 more Legislative Days to go.

I hope that my session updates will help you to stay informed on legislative matters that impact our community and state as a whole, as well as my comings and goings on your behalf. The House website, www.house.ga.gov, has several tools that might be useful to you throughout the legislative session: a live stream of House proceedings, live and archived committee meeting videos and detailed information on all legislation we are considering in the General Assembly.

Call or email me if you have any questions or concerns regarding any current or upcoming legislation. My Capitol office is located in the Coverdell Legislative Office Building (CLOB) 509C, across form the Capitol, my office phone number is 404-656-0220, and I can be reached via email at deborah.gonzalez@house.ga.gov. My District Office is at the Butler Building, 337 S Milledge Ave., Suite 224, Athens, GA 30605.

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.

Deborah

Which reminds me – don’t forget you can keep up to date on what’s going on, who I am meeting with, what legislation I’m working on and other news by Liking our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DG4GA.

 

Legislative Week 9 (March 5 – March 11, 2018)

Hello HD117. Time moves fast and seems to go faster as we get to the final days and yet there is still much to do. This week was a little slower than last week and no overnight debates, but it still was full.

 

 

Monday, March 5, 2018. We began this week with a celebration of talented and inspiring women from our districts. The Georgia Women’s Caucus presents the Servant Leader Awards every year. This year I got to honor Margaret Holt from Oconee for her tireless work in the community. Margaret couldn’t make it and sent Pam Davis to represent her.

 

 

 

Talk about inspiration and serendipity, a young woman sat next to me at the table. Turned out to be Janel Green, one of the organizers of the Women’s March in Atlanta and now organizing the March for Our Lives on March 24th (http://bit.ly/2p9M2ym). She was honored by Rep. Michele Henson. We had been trying to meet in person for over a year and we got to by accident! There are a number of March for Our Lives happening around the state, the country, and now, the world. Oconee starts theirs at 11 am (http://bit.ly/2FAM1KJ) and Athens will begin at 1 pm at the Arches (http://bit.ly/2HNbXEg).

 

 

 

When I walked into the Capitol this morning it seemed like a mad house. Why were so many people there? Then I realized it was the first day of qualifying. So proud that this time around there are many women running for office at all levels in the state and that many seats that had gone uncontested for years will now face opposition. I qualified with Rep. Pedro Marin as part of the Georgia Latino Caucus.   We were followed around by Hispanic Media and ended up doing three interviews for Spanish television. At the end I was also interviewed by Greg Bluestein of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (http://on-ajc.com/2GglX8C).

 

 

Another big event that happened Monday was that Governor Deal signed the Adoption Bill. This was the bill that went back and forth between the House and Senate last year and finally got through as a pretty clean bill this year. I always see this bill and its passage as an example of the kind of legislation that can be passed when we put the needs of the people before the needs of the party. So many children and families will be helped by this bill. Shout out to Rep. Bert Reeves. http://bit.ly/2I500u3

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent in Judicial Non-Civil Committee and subcommittee meetings. Usually you have a hearing for a bill in a subcommittee and then it goes before the full committee. That means as a committee we get to hear testimony on the bill and get to question the bill at least two times before a vote on it. The idea of committees is to break down and spread the workload of all of the bills the entire general assembly wants to pass. My committee focuses on crimes, drugs and immigration bills so we usually have a lot to cover. One of the problems of the committee system is a lack of attorney representatives who can understand the legal language of what is being proposed, which means that sometimes bad laws get passed. Each committee has a legislative counsel appointed to it, but they are not experts in the different areas. One day they might draft a bill to create a city council and then next day they are drafting a bill about trafficking.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018. There was no legislative session today. It was considered a committee day. Since my committees had met on Monday I stayed in Athens and conducted some District work. In the evening I attended the Moms Demand Action Athens Chapter meeting (http://bit.ly/2IiKlqP). Got to meet some new people and it was great to relive the rally through photos and the sharing of experiences. I was able to give a legislative update in regards to legislation relating to guns including: HB999 (taking the mentally ill off no-gun ownership lists after 5 years); SB407 Section 4 (governors criminal reform bill and enhanced penalties for certain gun crimes); Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver’s bills to ban bump stocks and assault weapons that did not get out of committee; campus carry, which did not return this session: and Casey Cagle’s attack on Delta because of it cutting ties to the NRA (added to the tax cut bill).

 

Wednesday, March 7, 2018. One of the things I enjoy at the Capitol is the “invite resolutions” where representatives have the chance to invite certain members of their district to be recognized by the House. I have not done an invite resolution on my own yet, but have done them with others. Today Rep. Pedro Marin, Rep. Lopez, and I welcomed Mike Hernandez to the Capitol. Mike is an entrepreneur and leading figure in his community. If you have ideas as to who should be honored in your community please let me know by sending an email to chiefofstaff@votedeborahgonzalez.com with their name, contact information, and why they should be honored.

 

 

Children’s Day at the Capitol is something all representatives look forward to and I learned why. So many wonderful organizations with the sole purpose of making childrens’ lives better. I learned about a program where pediatricians provide books to their patients (http://www.reachoutandread.org/georgia/) and various afterschool programs. The one program I felt bittersweet about was the GBI’s program on crimes against children.

 

 

 

Had a quick bite to eat with Rep Brenda Lopez and others at the Georgia College of Emergency Physicians lunch (http://www.gcep.org). From their home page: The Georgia Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians is an association of more than 500 Emergency Medicine physicians. GCEP promotes the highest standards of patient care throughout the state of Georgia through its advocacy and leadership efforts.

 

 

 

 

 

Next I was able to catch some of the Urban League of Greater ATL legislative summit (http://ulgatl.org). Their focus was on “Economic Mobility for Georgia Families: New Opportunities to Advance Georgia Families.” As they discussed access to education and opportunities, the conversation circled back to needing to elect the right candidates who can push these initiatives forward.

 

 

 

Another afternoon of committee work. First up the Judiciary Non-Civil Full Committee heard testimony on Marsy’s Law, The Georgia Crime Victim Rights Amendment (SR 146, http://bit.ly/2FKFdh2). This bill outlines certain rights for victims, such as notification when their perpetrator has been released from prison. If it passes out of committee and receives an affirmative House vote, it would still need the Governor’s signature. At that point it would be put on the November ballot as a referendum to be voted on by every Georgia voter as to whether to add it to the Georgia Constitution or not.

 

Once that hearing was completed I moved to the Judiciary Non-Civil Subcommittee meeting where I was in for a surprise. Remember that fingerprint bill (HB623) that was defeated on cross over day? It was brought back under the guise of a different bill – SB336 – where it was cut and pasted and added verbatim as a substitute. If you look at the bill online (http://bit.ly/2p3jjM4) you will only see the original SB336 bill, not the substitute with the added language. So zombie bills that get resurrected and added to other bills that have nothing to do with them do exist. I tried to put in an amendment to strike the HB623 language but was outvoted by the chair of the subcommittee. It’s not over yet.

Headed back to Athens to attend the Athens Immigrant Rights Coalition meeting to give a brief legislative update on SB452, a cruel, mean-spirited bill (http://bit.ly/2FrWPyH). Nicknamed the Ensuring Necessary Deportations (END) Act, the bill “requires a peace officer to take certain actions upon verification that a suspect is an illegal alien; to clarify and require certain actions by the Department of Corrections, sheriffs, municipal custodial officers, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, and the Department of Community Service regarding persons not lawfully present in the United States; to prohibit release from confinement persons who are illegal aliens.” This bill was fast tracked: it was put in the hopper on February 10th, crossed over and was assigned to the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee. There is an effort to get it out of that committee and into the Judiciary Non-Civil Committee (of which I am a member) where we have a better chance of arguing against it as well as other efforts to just kill it before it goes for a vote. I will keep you posted.

 

Thursday, March 8, 2018. Another non-legislative day but very busy. First it was International Women’s Day. I wore a purple scarf to show my support of women’s rights but never found the rally that afternoon. In fact, I went to four scheduled meetings where there was no one there! Oh well, onwards.

 

 

 

At 11 am I held a press conference on the HB623 language being added to the SB336 bill (discussed above). I appreciate all of my colleagues from the Democratic Caucus, the Asian-Latino Caucus, and the Georgia Black Legislative Caucus who stood with me that morning including Minority Leader Trammel, Chair Beverly, Reps. Schoefield, Shannon, Nguyen, Wallace, Jackson, and many others. The official press conference was followed by a series of one on one interviews about the danger of Georgia giving the biometric data of its citizens to the FBI with no restrictions. You can see and hear the press conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnG3rNy6rXg

After the interviews I ran across the street back to the Capitol to get to the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce Lunch. My colleagues, Rep. Terry England, Rep. Tim Kirby, and Senator Frank Ginn were already in full swing, answering questions and giving their thoughts on current and upcoming legislation – especially the budget. Then they turned to me. I have a slightly different take than my colleagues because I do not believe we put all we could into the budget concerning education and expansion of healthcare.

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent in a Judiciary Non-Civil Committee meeting, met with Peggy Duke from the Georgia Women’s Policy Institute, did my call-in to Rick Dunn’s WXGA Radio show and ended the day at the United Campus Works of Georgia (website?) meeting, back in Athens.

Friday, March 9, 2018. Since there was no legislative session on Thursday, this Friday I did a morning order to recognize the day and recognize the new HD117 artist of the month, potter Alice Woodruff. Hope you go to my Facebook and see her video and photos. We have a wonderful display of her work at my office now and so I invited all in the Chamber to come for a visit.

 

The big thing on the legislative agenda was to vote on the 2019 budget. It is an interesting process as we have to adjourn being the House and become a committee of all to discuss the bill and then adjourn the committee and return to being the house to vote on. There were passionate speeches made by my colleagues Rep. Derrick Jackson, Rep. Brenda Lopez, Rep. Kim Schoefield, and Rep. David Dreyer as to why this budget falls short of fulfilling the needs of all Georgians – most of their points focused on the lack of expansion of Medicaid and the less than full funding of education. You can watch the discussion and their speeches here: http://www.gpb.org/lawmakers/2018/day-32.

 

 

 

By that time it was close to 2 pm and we had not had lunch. So a bunch of us headed back to the CLOB to the 6th floor cafeteria to grab a bite. It was a Friday afternoon, the budget had passed, and we were all a bit tired. But fellowship does wonders for your disposition and we ended our week at the Capitol on a high note.

 

 

Which was a good thing, because by the time I got home the cold I was trying to battle won out. Bob got me some hot tea and meds and I fell asleep watching the movie Coco (http://movies.disney.com/coco). The weekend was spent in recovery.

Another week down and 8 more Legislative Days to go.

Quick Note: Next week on Friday and Saturday I will be hosting District Drop-In Days at my Athens office. No appointments necessary. Just come in, sign up and take a seat. I will speak with all who get there before the cut off time.

Friday, March 16, 10 am – 8 pm (must be signed-in by 7 pm to be seen).

Saturday, March 17, 10 am – 3 pm (must be signed-in by 2 pm to be seen).

Address: 337 S Milledge Ave., Suite 101, Athens, GA 30605.

Facebook event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/540678549650747/

I hope that my session updates will help you to stay informed on legislative matters that impact our community and state as a whole, as well as my comings and goings on your behalf. The House website, www.house.ga.gov, has several tools that might be useful to you throughout the legislative session: a live stream of House proceedings, live and archived committee meeting videos and detailed information on all legislation we are considering in the General Assembly.

Call or email me if you have any questions or concerns regarding any current or upcoming legislation. My Capitol office is located in the Coverdell Legislative Office Building (CLOB) 509C, across form the Capitol, my office phone number is 404-656-0220, and I can be reached via email at deborah.gonzalez@house.ga.gov. My District Office is at the Butler Building, 337 S Milledge Ave., Suite 224, Athens, GA 30605.

 

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.

Deborah

Which reminds me – don’t forget you can keep up to date on what’s going on, who I am meeting with, what legislation I’m working on and other news by Liking our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DG4GA.

 

Legislative Week 8 (Feb. 26 – March 4, 2018)

Hello HD117. This was crossover week and I really did not know what to expect. They told me it would be hectic – it was. They told me we would be here late – we were. They told me it would be like nothing I’ve ever experienced – they were so right! But at the same time it was exhilarating, exhausting, mentally challenging, and at the end of it all – one of the most amazing experiences I‘ve had as a freshman legislator. Come join me this week on my wild ride.

Monday, February 26, 2018. The week began mild enough. First stop was to see my new friend Butch McDuffie at the Transit Day Breakfast (https://www.athensclarkecounty.com/199/Transit). I was told I would recognize him by his moustache. It was great to have him there as I was not able to get to the grand presentation of 12 new hybrid buses that Athens Transit unveiled last Friday. We spoke about the upcoming transit bills, what we both want to see in terms of regional transit, and solidified our commitment to work together to make sure HD117 has its transportation needs met.

As crossover day was now only two days away, my committee work was accelerating. We had a Judiciary Non-Civil Full Committee Meeting where we go over the bills that already had hearings in our subcommittees. It is in the full committee that we vote to “get them out of committee” and give them the ok to go to the Rules Committee. The Rules Committee then determines whether that bill will go to the House floor to be voted on and sent to the Senate.

 

Back in February, I had a chance to go to the Aga Khan Rays of Light exhibit in Duluth. Today the Aga Khan Development Network (http://www.akdn.org) brought their Ethics in Action exhibit to the Capitol (they have a cool companion App – just search “Ethics in Action” in your app store). I really love the premise of their work and hope to learn more best practices to put into my legislative role. I have taken a number of ethics courses in business, law school and continuing legal education. We cannot regulate thought but we can regulate action, and ethics is all about the actions we take.

 

 

 

Tuesday, February 27, 2018. The busiest time of the day is the early morning. Since most know session usually begins at 10 am, most organizations visiting the Capitol try to squeeze in a breakfast or legislative meeting between 8:00 am and 9:50 am. Today was the Council of Municipal Court Judges Breakfast (http://municipal.georgiacourts.gov). I guess you can say that since I am an attorney, I “fan girl” over judges and justices. Did I ever show you my photo with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg? (Talk about an inspiring, strong, brilliant woman!) Anyway got to meet some more wisdom-full judges and had an interesting conversation about the distracted driving bill and HB999 about not permitting the state to remove individuals who were committed into a mental institution from a no-gun ownership list. (Spoiler alert – we passed both of these bills in the House on crossover day).

Most of you may recall that I am a media and entertainment attorney in my day job so I was very excited to welcome my colleagues form the entertainment industry for the first time as a legislator for Film Day at the Capitol (http://bit.ly/2FToJRm). Entertainment is a $9.5 billion dollar industry for Georgia and we were just named the #1 film production site in the world! However, if we wish to keep it that way we must prevent certain bills from being passed (SB375, allowing adoption agencies to discriminate on the basis of their religion against same sex couples) and we must not permit our legislators to criticize one of our largest employers for sticking to their values (Lt. Governor Casey Cagle’s remarks against Delta for severing ties with the NRA: http://bit.ly/2F3ARSj).

Committee work was in full swing today – two meetings, one in the morning and another in the afternoon took up most of my time after session. However I was able to leave in time to make it back to Athens for two community events. The first one was the Athens – Oconee CASA Swearing In Ceremony (http://www.athensoconeecasa.org). I so admire these women (they were all women in this class) who sacrificed their time to be trained and then to take on the responsibility of being “the person” who will be with the child throughout the foster care journey. They are so dedicated. The foster care system is in such need because these children are in such need. This is a good group to support if you can.

Next up was the Never Again Community Conversation supporting Marjory Stoneman Douglas (https://www.facebook.com/events/166486854000630/) organized by the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement’s Mokah and Knowa Johnson. These two are amazing. They respond so quickly to current events and mobilize to take action. The panel consisted of four community members – Athens Police Chief Scott Freeman, Athens-Clarke County School Superintendent Dr. Desmond Means, HD118 Representative Spencer Frye and Shannon Lawhon from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense.

 

Wednesday, February 28, 2018 Crossover Day!!!! You can see video of the entire day and night (we ended after 1:15 am Thursday morning) here: http://www.gpb.org/lawmakers/2018/crossover-day-28. Also there are a number of places you can get lists of bills that passed or failed. I want to mention just a few below that you can advocate for or against. However the highlight of my night/early morning was when I rose to speak at the well in opposition to HB623, a bill that would allow for the collection, storage and sharing of biometric data (fingerprints) with the FBI. I had spoken against this bill in committee and felt I needed to bring some points to the attention of my colleagues – there are a number of privacy and security concerns with this bill and I am happy to report it failed – not once, but twice! You see after a bill is defeated, the author can make a motion to have the bill reconsidered (or voted on again). Because of the lateness of the hour the Speaker of the House called for the reconsideration vote immediately after the author made a motion. There was no time to talk with some of my colleagues to convince them to vote Nay, but the bill was defeated again. I rose up three times to make points against the bill and sense prevailed. I can’t explain the feeling of knowing I was able to kill a really bad bill that would have put in jeopardy high risk information about Georgians. But what felt even better was that this was a bipartisan defeat of a bill – both Democrats and Republicans voted against it to protect all of us. Awesome. You can see my opposition speech here: https://www.facebook.com/DG4GA/posts/588465358171265.

Legislation We Oppose:

  • HB81

House Bill 81 allows hospital authorities to collect on debts owed by the use of an income tax refund setoff collection. The hospital authorities must submit claims to and work through the Department of Community Health to collect debt through an income tax refund setoff. No claims may exceed the amount owed by the debtor under the hospital authority’s applicable financial assistance policy.

Author: Tom McCall

http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20172018/HB/81

  • SB375

Allows adoption agencies to discriminate on the basis of their religion against same sex couples in adopting.

Author: Legion

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20172018/SB/375

 

Legislation We Support

  • HB834

This bill allows a tenant to terminate a residential rental agreement without being subject to penalties when the tenant or the tenant’s minor child is a victim of family violence (generally any felony, stalking, trespass, etc.).

Authored By: Rep. Mandi Ballinger (23rd) Originally HB745 authored by Rep. Scott Holcolm

http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20172018/172438.pdf

  • HB673

HB673 is the ‘Hands-Free Georgia Act’. This bill prohibits an individual from physically holding or supporting a wireless telecommunication device or a stand-alone electronic device or reaching for devices in such a way that the driver is no longer seated in a driving position while operating a motor vehicle.

Authored By: Rep. John Carson (46th)

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20172018/HB/673

  • HB332

House Bill 332 creates the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund and dedicates 0.40 percent of all revenues from the state sales and use tax to the fund. HB332 is the enabling legislation for HR238.

Authored By: Sam Watson

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20172018/HB/332

  • HB605

HB605 is the ‘Hidden Predator Act of 2018’. The bill increases the statute of limitations for an action relating to childhood sexual abuse from two to four years from the point that a plaintiff knew or had reason to know that such abuse resulted in injury.

Authored By: Rep. Jason Spencer (180th)

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20172018/HB/605

  • HB803

HB803 creates the offense of trafficking a disabled adult or elder person when a person uses deception, coercion, exploitation, or isolation and knowingly recruits, harbors, or transports a victim for the purpose of appropriating the resources of that victim for one’s own or another person’s benefit.

Authored By: Rep. Wendell Willard (51st)

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20172018/HB/803

  • HB999 (This is a gun safety issue)

HB999 removes the requirement that the Georgia Crime Information Center purge the records of an individual’s involuntary hospitalization from their database after five years have elapsed.

Authored By: Rep. Christian Coomer (14th)

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20172018/HB/999

What do you do when crossover day is over, it is 1:30 am in the morning, and you are buzzing with adrenaline? Celebrate of course. Went with a few colleagues to have a toast to a long day and a job well done. Got to bed about a quarter to four in the morning (the time I am usually getting ready to get up). What an experience!

Thursday, March 1, 2018. The next day I was groggy as the full impact of lack of sleep hit me. But two cups of coffee helped and off I went back to the Capitol. This was a morning full of citizen advocacy as it was Lupus Day (sponsored by my friend Rep. Kim Schoefield, https://resources.lupus.org), LGBTQ Day (sponsored by Georgia Equality and Reps. Park Cannon and Sam Park, http://georgiaequality.org), GA Work Credit Lobby Day (http://georgiaworkcredit.org) and the Georgia Cattlemen Association (https://www.georgiacattlemen.org), who hosted a breakfast.

Today my peeps from the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce (http://www.jacksoncountyga.com) were at the Capitol in one of my favorite buildings at the Capitol Complex – the Agriculture Building. (Its architecture is stunning and it celebrates the #1 industry in Georgia – Agriculture: http://agr.georgia.gov.) I was able to give a legislative update about crossover day and which bills went through the House. They also had questions about my experience as a freshman legislator. It is hard to describe sometimes especially when they ask do I enjoy it. My answer is a truthful yes, I enjoy this work because I feel I am making a difference in terms of what bills are passed or blocked.

Our Legislative session was shorter than the night before but we had two important bills on our docket: HB918 the Governor’s Tax Bill (that was sent back from the Senate with the Delta tax credit removed, http://bit.ly/2HYE7wl); and the Supplemental 2018 Budget (also sent back from the Senate with a few suggested changes). I want to make it clear that I do not believe it was the correct course of action to “punish” Delta for holding to its values. I do not believe that is the correct role for government and I worry about it setting a dangerous precedent. One of the concerns regarding the Georgia tax bill (and the main reason it was written as it was) was the adverse affect the Federal tax bill would have on Georgians if the legislature did not act. The tax bill passed the House. Representative Terry England, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee gave us a thorough breakdown of the changes the Senate wanted in the Supplemental Budget (HB683, http://bit.ly/2FVmD3r) and laid out what we would send back. We passed that bill too.
Friday, March 2, 2018. District day started with a visit to Watkinsville to Alice Woodruff, potter extraordinaire and our newest artist to be highlighted at the Capitol (http://bit.ly/2CYaTd9).  Pieces of her work will be on display in my office for the month of March in celebration of Women’s History Month. Unbeknown to me she is currently working on a sculpture series based on the #Metoo movement. I will be playing a video of her speaking about her work in House Chambers next Thursday, March 8th, the International Day of Women. There will also be a rally in Liberty Plaza that day so hope you can join us at the Capitol.

 

Next stop that Friday was the Athens-Oconee Paint the Town Red Luncheon at the Athens Country Club (https://www.goredforwomen.org). Thank you to Michele Pearson who gave me the invitation to sit at her table. It was a sea of red and women empowerment. Going Red for Women highlights the number #1 killer of women – heart disease.

The 2017 Special Election feels like ages ago but it was brought to the forefront on Friday with two interviews with UGA Students working on papers for a class project. Their questions were interesting as they inquired about what I thought we did well, what we could have done better, how did we organize our team, and why do I think I won, among others. Hmmmm.

Remember what I wrote about “fan girling the notorious RBG?” Well that was nothing compared to who I got to welcome to my home for the second Facebook Live Friday Forum – author and UGA law school professor Mehrsa Baradaran (http://www.law.uga.edu/profile/mehrsa-baradaran). Prof. Baradaran wrote “The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap” (http://bit.ly/2zKhQRY). Our conversation highlighted the history of economic inequality in the US and how we got to where we are today. It was a fascinating conversation. As a new legislator I appreciate that subject matter experts like Prof. Baradaran are willing to share their time and expertise with me so I can learn and then work on good legislation that solves problems instead of creating new ones. These Friday Forums are a way we in the District can explore these difficult topics. If you have ideas and suggestions for topics and speakers please send them our way at chiefofstaff@votedeborahgonzalez.com. You can see the full Facebook Live discussion on our Facebook page: @DG4GA.

 

Saturday, March 3, 2018. I try to keep a balance on my weekends between community and some personal time with my family. Most of the time, it leans heavier on the community side, but Bob and I did get to start a new jigsaw puzzle (yes this is my stress relief secret).

 

 

The Michael Thurmond Lecture and Black History Month Celebration (http://bit.ly/2FmjWK0) at the Morton Theater (https://www.mortontheatre.com) was my first stop of the afternoon. I had never been in the Morton Theater and what a wonderful reason to be there. Saw so many friends and met new ones. The children’s performances were inspirational and the music was glorious. But it was the lecture by Dr. Alridge that will stay with me as I finish out this session. He focused on whether we will choose chaos or community as we go forward. He brought to the forefront that Martin Luther King, Jr., was not just about social and political activism but also about economic activism with his Poor People’s Campaign (a topic Prof. Baradaran and I never got to because we ran out of time). In addition my friend Magistrate Judge Barron was honored. I left there renewed in my commitment to advocacy work.

 

 

Alas, the lecture occurred at the same time as the Art & Feminism talk at the Georgia Museum of Art (http://georgiamuseum.org). I headed there as soon as the lecture was finished but had missed the talk. However I was able to enjoy the Junior Ladies Garden Club Flower Show (http://bit.ly/2H2tJ5h) where these young gardeners created floral arrangements taking inspiration from one of the museum’s art pieces. The Museum is one of the treasures in Athens – free to all and always making the point of highlighting the great artists of our community.

 

Last week I had two events at the same place and that happened again this Saturday. The Black Business Market (http://bit.ly/2BBEqwr) and Melissa Link’s Re-election Kickoff for Commissioner were both held at Little Kings Shuffle Club. I would just like to commend Little Kings for their community spirit. They are one of the venues in Athens that always opens its doors for the community. Kudos to Little Kings (https://www.facebook.com/lkshuffleclub/).

 

 

Last stop of the night was Peace Place’s 18th Annual Gala at the Winder Community Center. Peace Place is a non-profit that assists domestic violence victims and their children in Barrow, Jackson and Banks counties (http://www.peaceplaceinc.org). So glad to be able to support their efforts.

 

 

 

 

Sunday, March 4, 2018. District 117 is full of community resources. Many of them unknown to those who need them the most. That is why I am always happy to go and visit these resources when I discover them to learn about what they offer and then get the word out on them so people who need them know where to go. Healthcare is so essential in our community. It is not just about who pays and how much, but about quality care so families are healthy. I got to go to the Shifa Clinic Open House (https://www.facebook.com/ShifaClinicATH/) on Hawthorne in Athens and learn first hand about their mission and their services. Please check them out and share their info.

 

 

 

Next up was a visit to Flanigan’s Portrait Studio (https://www.facebook.com/flanigansportraitstudio/) to select a piece by artist and community activist Broderick Flanigan for our artist highlight series. It will be going up in a week so be on the lookout for more information.

Another week down and 11 more Legislative Days to go.

 

I hope that my session updates will help you to stay informed on legislative matters that impact our community and state as a whole, as well as my comings and goings on your behalf. The House website, www.house.ga.gov, has several tools that might be useful to you throughout the legislative session: a live stream of House proceedings, live and archived committee meeting videos and detailed information on all legislation we are considering in the General Assembly.

Call or email me if you have any questions or concerns regarding any current or upcoming legislation. My Capitol office is located in the Coverdell Legislative Office Building (CLOB) 509C, across form the Capitol, my office phone number is 404-656-0220, and I can be reached via email at deborah.gonzalez@house.ga.gov. My District Office is at the Butler Building, 337 S Milledge Ave., Suite 224, Athens, GA 30605.

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.

Deborah

Which reminds me – don’t forget you can keep up to date on what’s going on, who I am meeting with, what legislation I’m working on and other news by Liking our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DG4GA.