What are Columbus lawmakers focused on at GA Capitol? Take a look at top issues
More than a month into Georgia’s 2021-2022 legislative session, Columbus area lawmakers have been busy.
Democrat Calvin Smyre, the longest-serving member of the Georgia legislature, and Republican Richard Smith, the Chairman of the House Rules Committee, both hold high-ranking positions in the General Assembly. Voting laws are a key issue as well as criminal justice reform and healthcare.
The Ledger-Enquirer sent six questions about their legislative priorities and pending voter access legislation, including questions regarding bills that would require a state ID number or photocopy to obtain an absentee ballot (SB 67), ban ballot drop boxes (SB 68) and end automatic voter registration (SB 69) through the state’s motor vehicle department to the eight lawmakers who represent the Columbus area. Here what your lawmakers are working on at the capitol:
What do Columbus lawmakers think about voting bills?
None of the Republican lawmakers representing portions of the Columbus area responded to questions from the Ledger-Enquirer.
The members are Rep. Richard Smith of Columbus; Rep. Vance Smith of Pine Mountain; Rep. Mike Cheokas of Americus and Sen. Randy Robertson of Cataula.
Bills uploaded to the Georgia General Assembly’s website show Rep. Richard Smith has not authored or sponsored any legislation this session, but he chairs the committee that determines what bills come before the full house for a vote.
Cheokas co-sponsored one piece of voting legislation, HB 267. The bill would require people who registered by mail to vote in person if it’s their first Georgia election.
Robertson was one of 16 state Senators who signed onto Texas’ failed U.S. Supreme Court lawsuit that attempted to scrap Joe Biden’s win in Georgia over unproven allegations of election fraud.
In this session, he’s authored SB 93 which would limit the use of mobile or portable polling locations. If passed, the mobile precincts could only be used if an existing polling location has its utility services fail or if it’s been deemed unsafe for human occupation.
Robertson also co-sponsored SB 141 which would require the ballots to be counted and tabulated immediately after the polls close until the process is completed.
Reps. Carolyn Hugley and Debbie Bucker as well as Sen. Ed Harbison, all Democrats, said they objected to bills that would require a state ID to obtain an absentee ballot, ban ballot drop boxes and end automatic voter registration through the state’s motor vehicle department.
Smyre said he would not support the bills, but the Columbus Democrat said it’s his policy to review legislative proposals before “hard decisions are made.”
“I will not support voter suppression measures,” Hugley said regarding the bills.
On Thursday, SB 67 passed the Senate Ethics committee and will soon head to the Senate floor for debate and vote. Republicans also introduced HB 531, a new omnibus elections bill that proposes tougher restrictions on both absentee and in-person early voting.
Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus
Smyre, the Dean of the House, has co-sponsored 47 bills this session — one of the largest numbers among House members, according to Legiscan, a national web service for legislative tracking and data.
Key legislative goals for the Columbus representative include the repeal or modification of the state’s citizen’s arrest law following the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man fatally shot while jogging in Glynn County. Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday bipartisan support for an overhaul of the law.
“As with the 2020 Anti-Hate Crimes Act, now is the time to remove this cloud over our State. We should not allow citizens to take the law into their own hands and senseless violence to take place,” Smyre previously said in a statement.
The longtime Columbus lawmaker also said he supports a provision to create a needs-based HOPE scholarship and another that extends Zell Miller scholarship eligibility to students who didn’t qualify as college freshmen. Smyre has also sponsored legislation that would legalize casino gaming in Georgia, reviving talks of a riverfront resort on Columbus’ southside.
Other goals for Smyre include creating a commission to place a statue of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis in the Statutory Hall of the U.S. Capitol.
Rep. Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus
Hugley, who has served in state house for 28 years and formerly served as minority whip, has authored seven pieces of legislation and sponsored 33 in the current session.
Hugley told the Ledger-Enquirer that healthcare is among her top legislative priorities.
“The issue that looms large over everything this year is COVID-19,” she said. “Making sure constituents have the correct information in order to get vaccines; making sure DPH (Department of Public Health) has additional resources to respond to the pandemic and expanding access to healthcare.”
Two of Hugley’s bills directly address healthcare barriers. HB 72 allows women who give birth to retain Medicaid eligibility for one year following the child’s birth. HB 73 would limit the amount of money patients pay for insulin covered under an insurance policy to $50 for a 30-day supply.
Rep. Debbie Buckner, D-Junction City
Buckner, who has served in the state house since 2003, has authored three bills and sponsored 12 this session. She has improving access to key services such as healthcare, COVID-19 vaccine doses and broadband internet as top priorities this session. The Junction City lawmaker also co-sponsored Hugley’s HB 72.
Buckner also told the Ledger-Enquirer that she introduced legislation requesting a study of the sustainability of Georgia’s Medicaid program.
“We know that most of the maternal deaths occur 6-8 months after the birth of the baby, and the Medicaid benefits do not extend that long,” she told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Sen. Ed Harbison, D-Columbus
Harbison, who has served in the state Senate since 1993, mentioned two pieces of legislation he’s championing.
The Senator authored SB 54 which deals with the custody of a child if one parent is charged with the murder or manslaughter of the other parent. The bill would allow a judge to delay making a final custody decision until the criminal charges were resolved.
Harbison is also the co-author of SB 3 which would raise the mandatory age for education and adult literacy programs from 16 to 17.
“My top legislative goals for the session is to effectively represent my constituents in all aspects of welfare and growth,” he said. “Included in that is access to medical needs (and ensuring) that their concerns get a fair hearing or response — especially during these pandemic times — from agencies that provide services.”
Possible other legislation from Columbus
Columbus-area lawmakers could sponsor or introduce new bills based on requests from the Columbus Council, the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce and the Muscogee County School District.
Some of the requests from Council include:
- Amending state law to require all local officials, including constitutional officers, to be elected on non-partisan primary ballots. If passed, Columbus voters would be able to vote on all elected officials and wouldn’t be limited because of party choices for state and federal races.
- Funding and extending I-14 to and through Columbus.
Requests from the chamber include an expansion of the Payroll Protection Program and other stimulus programs to support small and medium-sized businesses, including minority and women-owned businesses. The chamber also requested additional legal protection to get businesses to reopen and stay open.
Requests from the Muscogee County School District include allowing local school districts to pursue other health care options outside of the state health plan for their classified employees.
A copy of all the requests can be found below:
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 6:00 AM.