About Sandy Springs reporter. (Sandy Springs, GA) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2019)
CONNOR.CAREY VIA ENGLISH WIKIPEDIA MAY 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net Community | 5 Wins, losses and culture wars in the General Assembly BY EVELYN ANDREWS, DYANA BAGBY AND JOHN RUCH The General Assembly session came to a close on April 2 with a dramatic de bate about the passage of the “heartbeat bill,” which would ban abortions in cas es where a fetal heartbeat can be detect ed. The Reporter asked local legislators about their wins and losses this session, and the culture-war climate of the legis lature in the wake of the abortion bill. Two legislators did not respond: state Sen. Jen Jordan (D-Atlanta), who testified in the U.S. Senate against a federal abor tion restriction bill amid national atten tion for her speech against the “heartbeat bill,” and state Rep. Erik Allen (D-Smyr- na). Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Sandy Springs) Win: Kirkpatrick, who had a 30-year healthcare career, said passing several pieces of legislation on that industry was the big success, including certificate-of- need reform, HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, and insurance waivers. Loss: Kirkpatrick counts her one big loss as the failure of her hot car bill. The legislation would have provided immuni ty for anyone rescuing an animal from a hot car by breaking a window if they call 911. The mood in the General Assembly: Kirkpatrick said her job is to review ev ery piece of legislation and do what is best for her constituents, which is why she voted against the abortion restric tions. “I think things like [abortion] are very divisive and tend to polarize peo ple and draw extremes,” she said. “Peo ple like me are definitely in jeopardy and I think it’s important we have people who are thoughtful.” Rep. Josh McLaurin (D-Sandy Springs) Win: McLaurin said his successes were passing a bill he co-sponsored that allows “citizens to use lawsuits to hold the government accountable.” Loss: McLaurin said the passage of abortion restrictions was the worst loss. He said Georgia is one of the last in the county for maternity mortality rates and he believes the new rules could make it worse.“You would think it would be im possible to take a step back, but we did,” he said. The mood in the General Assembly: He said he believes divisive social is sues remain a focus of Republican lead ers because they are afraid of losing con trol and are trying to please polarized voters/T feel let down because this leg islature doubled down on social issues rather than moving Georgia forward in a more sane direction,” McLaurin said. Sen. John Albers (R-Sandy Springs) Win: Albers’ big win was passing the “Keeping Georgia’s Schools Safe Act” which would address offenses for mi nors in possession of a firearm; require school safety plans, including perform ing threat assessments, drills and educa tion prevention and reporting; and pro vide new coordination between schools and law enforcement. The legislation came out of recommendations from a task force Albers chaired. Rep. Deborah Silcox (R-Sandy Springs) Win: HB 424, which changed criminal law to add sex trafficking to gang activ ity definition and loosened the rules on some rape case testimony and investi gations; combined with legislation that tightens rules on elder abuse. Loss: HB 158, which would have al lowed people with HIV and AIDS who use Medicaid to get access to the same drugs used by others in the Georgia AIDS Drug Assistance Program. “I definitely think this is needed, because we’re the number state in the country with out breaks of AIDS.” The mood in the General Assembly: She attributes the tensions to new state leadership that doesn’t know each oth er yet, and she believes the abortion bill was unconstitutional. “I’m very hopeful things are going to calm down.” Continued on page 6 Kitchen Fronts of Georgia Ugly Kitchen, REFACE... Don’t Replace! i ! i II |S3! - ■ — J [ I 1 fi r i inm ' 11 ■ft"" - ilifB&Sr i f v.ii'lW.Sart.. 1C0/ AEE With Complete IU /0 Urr Kitchen Re-Facing Extra Military Discounts & Senior Citizen Discounts Not valid with any other offers. Expires 5/31/19 Full Warranty 100% Financing (If Qualified) Family Owned & Operated 770-455-3139 Call Today for a FREE In-Home Consulation www.kitchenfrontsofga.com ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL “^127- Summer Camps June 10 - August 2 Kindergarten to Grade 12 French • German • Mandarin • Spanish • English as a Second Language • Arabic • Greek • Filmmaking and Editing • Art Factory • TechnoScience Fun • 3D Printing and CAD Creations • Minecraft • Star Wars Lego Adventure • Natural and Scientific World • From Garden to Spoon • Modeling Clay Creatures • Stardust • Comic Creations • Rugby • Wild and Wacky Science and more! www.aischool.org/summercamps 2890 North Fulton Drive | Atlanta, Georgia 30305 | 404.841.3840
