Latest news with #BlakeTillery
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bills targeting transgender medical care continue to move through the Legislature
Opponents of legislation that would place restrictions on transgender Georgians gathered across from the state Capitol in January. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder As the 2025 legislative session comes to a close, transgender Georgians continue to be relentlessly targeted by state legislators, including with Senate Bill 30, Senate Bill 39, and Senate Bill 185, all of which would restrict access to evidence-based medical care. Despite opposition from medical, mental health, and legal experts, the Georgia Senate passed these bills, handing them off to the House for consideration. SB 39, a vaguely worded and wide-ranging bill, inserts lawmakers directly into the patient provider relationship. It would prevent access to any health care deemed 'transition related' for more than half a million state employees and their dependents who rely on the State Health Benefit Plan, as well as others who receive care that is state funded. The breadth of its impact regarding state associated funding is unclear, and perhaps that is the point, allowing its sweeping prohibition to be as widely applicable as possible. Likewise, what qualifies as 'transition-related' care is similarly unclear, risking the restriction of funds for a wide range of medical care. At a House Health Committee hearing on March 26, when questioned about whether SB 39 would prevent access to mental health care, Sen. Blake Tillery, the bill's sponsor, stated 'If not aligned with one's sex at birth, then I think yes.' To push through the myriad of anti-transgender legislation prior to the end of the session, SB 39 has adopted language from SB 185, a bill that specifically prohibits gender-affirming care for transgender adults who are incarcerated in Georgia, including medications that were previously prescribed by their medical provider. To protect the health of transgender individuals, we must prevent these bills becoming law. As medical and mental health providers, we believe all patients deserve access to high quality, evidence-based medical care. For many transgender people, gender-affirming care is essential and lifesaving. Numerous studies demonstrate the indisputable benefits of gender-affirming care for transgender patients, including reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, less psychological distress, lower risk of suicidal thoughts, and better interpersonal relationships. Every major medical and psychological association in the U.S., including the American Medical Association, the Endocrine Society, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association, among others, recognize the evidence basis supporting the medical and psychological necessity of gender-affirming care. These bills inappropriately insert legislators into medical decision making, infringing on the rights and well-being of transgender patients. Taking away individuals' access to gender-affirming therapies while in prison constitutes cruel and unusual punishment and increases the likelihood of abuse and detrimental health consequences. Abrupt cessation or forced weaning of medically necessary, ongoing treatment is a health risk. Physical effects of hormone withdrawal are accompanied by psychological distress, which may manifest as anxiety, depression, and suicidality. These bills risk the forced detransition of individuals who may have consistently taken gender-affirming hormone therapy for years. This physically and psychologically damaging experience is unnecessary and profoundly harmful. Transgender people often endure significant discrimination, economic insecurity and, in some cases, homelessness. These vulnerabilities make it more likely that transgender individuals will face criminalization and incarceration. Within the criminal legal system, transgender people experience further marginalization and discrimination. It is common for transgender individuals to be dangerously and illegally placed in prison facilities misaligned with their gender, increasing risk of harassment and violence. They are also less likely to receive necessary services, including personal care items and essential medical care. At least one in three transgender people in prisons and jails have reported being sexually assaulted. The danger is much greater for transgender females, with almost 50% reporting harassment, physical violence, or sexual assault while incarcerated. These statistics are likely an underestimate as some prison staff facilitate and perpetuate violence towards transgender individuals, making it dangerous to report abuse. Often, the only 'protection' offered is solitary confinement, which exacerbates stigma and may result in serious mental health consequences. The U.S. Department of Justice has determined that Georgia's prisons fail to reasonably protect incarcerated people from harm, violating their constitutional rights. SB 185 would prohibit the state from funding medically necessary gender-affirming therapies, including hormone therapy, for transgender people who are incarcerated. All people who are incarcerated in Georgia have a right to medically necessary care, not only those deemed deserving by state politicians. Multiple lawsuits brought against the Georgia Department of Corrections as well as departments in several other states have resulted in courts ruling that transgender individuals who are incarcerated have a right to access gender-affirming care. Prior discrimination lawsuits involving transgender people in Georgia have cost taxpayers more than $4 million since 2015, including cases brought by transgender people who were unable to access medical care while incarcerated. SB 39 and SB 185 run counter to established precedent and medical expertise. This would not only worsen the health of transgender individuals in Georgia but also continue a track record of costly litigation paid for with taxpayer dollars. The bills are dangerous and discriminatory and create new problems for the state while addressing none. By dismissing medical expertise and interfering with the patient-physician relationship, the Georgia Legislature once again seeks to make Georgians' health decisions for them. Lawmakers should devote their time and the state's resources to improving healthcare gaps currently impacting millions in our state. This legislation targets the rights and wellbeing of transgender people, who are made vulnerable by widespread societal stigmatization. Under the guise of fiscal responsibility, this paternalistic legislation seeks to politicize medical care at the expense of a marginalized patient population. It is incumbent upon all Georgians who respect a patient's right to make their own medical decisions with their physician and oppose state sanctioned discrimination against minoritized groups, to contact our state legislators and urge them to oppose any legislative efforts to harm transgender Georgians. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Georgia lawmakers on verge of ending trans care in state health plan, state prisons
Two Senate bills eliminating gender-affirming care for transgender inmates moved through House committees Tuesday. One also bans state employees from receiving gender-affirming care on the state health plan. Getty Images With only a few more days left to pass legislation, the state Legislature advanced two controversial Senate bills that would add new restrictions to gender affirming care. Vidalia Republican Sen. Blake Tillery's Senate Bill 39 passed through a House committee on a party line vote with a new amendment. The original version of the bill, which had already passed the committee, barred transgender state employees or their dependents from receiving care on the state health insurance plan. The version that passed the House Health Committee Tuesday also specifically prohibits people in state correctional institutions from getting gender care. There are currently about five people who are incarcerated in Georgia who receive this care, according to Cataula Republican Sen. Randy Robertson. Norcross Democratic Rep. Marvin Lim argued that removing transgender health care from the plan would violate the law. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in February that discrimination lawsuits and other complaints involving transgender people had cost taxpayers at least $4.1 million since 2015, including $2.1 million to settle claims and another $2 million in legal costs. Those numbers include $365,000 paid out in a 2023 settlement in which the state agreed to provide coverage for gender-affirming care and not to restrict it again. 'We feel very strongly that it would be an unconstitutional impairment of contracts to undo those settlements, let alone just an unconstitutional move to say that this wouldn't violate Title VII, that this wouldn't violate the equal protection clause,' he said. Lim was referring to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employers from discriminating based on an employee's sex, which includes whether they are transgender, and the equal protection clause in the 14th Amendment. Dawsonville Republican Rep. Brent Cox, who is sponsoring the bill in the Senate, indicated that the law will be a message to the state judicial branch that the Legislature wants it to be legal to ban transgender health care. 'My belief is that it clears up for the judicial branch to be able to work within these guidelines on how they're going to rule and move forward,' he said. Lim said he was not convinced. 'It is not enough for us to say this is our policy,' he said. 'This is a violation of the U.S. Constitution and federal statutory law on anti-discrimination. So we can pass whatever law we want at the state level and say 'the attorney general can't do this, the Department of Community Health can't do this.' But the argument has always been that this is violating higher law, the federal law, and specifically the U.S. Constitution.' Democrats on the committee also argued the language in the bill could eliminate mental health treatments for transgender people, which Cox said was a misinterpretation. The bill will need to pass through both chambers before Friday's final deadline if it is to become law. Around the same time the House Health Committee passed SB 39, the House Public and Community Health took up Robertson's Senate Bill 185, which also bans gender-affirming care for inmates but does not affect state employees. Robertson's bill passed out of the committee with a voice vote, teeing it for a potential final vote by the Legislature's April 4 adjournment. Speaking to a reporter in the hallway after the committee approved his bill, Robertson said he hadn't had time to see the latest revision on SB 39, but he supports Tillery's state health plan ban and would likely be happy if either bill passed. Republican supporters make the case that taxpayer money should not go toward gender-affirming care in state prisons. 'I understand individuals get upset when I say this, but I do mean it with all compassion: elective surgeries cannot be a part of our cost in the Georgia Department of Corrections,' Robertson said. Opponents of the bill counter that gender-affirming care encompasses more than surgeries, is far from elective and can be necessary for a person's wellbeing. Several speakers, including two attorneys with civil rights organizations, argued Tuesday that the measure is unconstitutional. 'If adopted, Senate Bill 185 would impose blanket bans on the provision of gender-affirming care to incarcerated people with gender dysphoria, regardless of needs,' said Emily C. R. Early with the Center for Constitutional Rights. 'These blanket bans have repeatedly been found unconstitutional because they show deliberate indifference to the needs of incarcerated people.' 'This Senate bill puts lives at risk, and in so doing, would bring constitutional challenges,' she added. Robertson was dismissive of those potential challenges to the state. 'We have the five individuals who are seeking the care, and then we have the lawsuits, and if you look at that, one of the failures within our system right now is the fact we do not have a policy against it,' Robertson said. Tuesday's debate also veered into discussion about the origin of the slate of bills targeting transgender Georgians this year. There are at least five bills gaining traction, and lawmakers have spent hours deliberating on them and hearing public input on them, and they are spending the final days of the session trying to finalize them. Rep. Michelle Au, a Johns Creek Democrat, said House Republican colleagues have told her that she should support Robertson's bill because the issue of inmates receiving gender-affirming care is why former Vice President Kamala Harris lost the presidential election last year. A leading Senate Democrat representing an Atlanta district caused an uproar last month when she joined three other Democrats who voted for Robertson's bill. 'That comment has been made to me several times, and I just have to put on the record that I really resent a subset of our patient population being used in this way for clearly political reasons, and I really wish that you would not put your voice behind this bill,' Au said to Robertson. Robertson said politics wasn't the motivation for him. But Rep. Scott Hilton, a Peachtree Corners Republican, acknowledged the influence of the 2024 election. 'Politics does inform policy as much as that politics reflect what our communities want,' Hilton said. 'And I think if anything this last cycle, we learned that this was an 80/20 issue, not just in Georgia, but frankly America, and that folks were flabbergasted to learn that a small segment of our population opposed policies like this.' But Bentley Hudgins, state director with the Human Rights Campaign, argued that exit polling showed that transgender issues ranked low on the list of voter priorities. 'We have seen time and time again in history where powerful people have used public opinion to excuse crimes against humanity,' Hudgins said. 'I do want to challenge that notion that just because, even if it were true that the majority of people think that this is a popular issue, it doesn't give you the right to pass it.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dozens of bills make the cut as Georgia lawmakers hit home stretch, DEI ban dies
Sen. Blake Tillery. Reads from First Lady Melania Trump's book, in which she said she was debanked. Tillery's debanking bill failed in the Senate by a wide margin. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder Lawmakers passed a heap of bills by a key legislative deadline Thursday, signing off – again – on an accelerated income tax rate cut and a plan to slightly expand the state's medical cannabis program while attempting to ban THC-infused drinks. But by the end of the day, many high-profile proposals were left on the cutting room floor, for now. A late push in the House to legalize and regulate online sports betting never made it to the floor for a vote Thursday. And a proposal to overhaul how the state compensates those who are wrongfully convicted in Georgia showed new signs of momentum this year but ultimately did not get a vote Thursday. 'I'm definitely very disappointed. I think it's a missed opportunity to improve the system,' said Rep. Scott Holcomb, an Atlanta Democrat and co-sponsor. House lawmakers did, however, overwhelmingly pass a measure that included individual compensation resolutions for five people who served time in prison after being wrongfully convicted. That measure, House Resolution 128, passed with a 151-12 vote and now moves to the Senate. 'Each of these men were denied their opportunity to an education, to build a career, relationships and family time, to seek a financial future for themselves and their loved ones,' said the bill's lead sponsor, Rome Republican Rep. Katie Dempsey. 'Compensation will not buy back those opportunities or those years, but it will help them move forward, and it is the least we can do,' she said. Dempsey said afterwards that she is still hopeful that the bill overhauling the process can pass this year through legislative maneuvering. 'It's not over until day 40,' she said, referring to the final day of the legislative session on April 4. Another crossover dud was Tyrone Republican Sen. Marty Harbin's Senate Bill 120, which seeks to ban K-12 schools and colleges from promoting, supporting or maintaining 'any programs or activities that advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion.' The controversial bill was on the calendar of bills to be voted on Thursday, but when Lt. Gov. Burt Jones banged his gavel to signal it was time to go home, the DEI bill had still not been voted on. Harbin said there were some changes that needed to be made but declined to say what they were. He implied that the bill could come back in 2026, which is the second in this two-year legislative cycle. 'We got down tonight, and we had our last proofing of the reading, and we said there's some things we need to make right. This is a biennial. We'd rather do it right than do it halfway,' he said. Harbin also declined to say that the bill would not be grafted onto other legislation later this year. While Crossover Day is mostly do or die, dead bills can sometimes be revived before the end of the session by attaching language from the deceased legislation onto a related bill. That could happen any time before April 4, the last day of the session, also known as sine die. That's what Grayson Democratic Sen. Nikki Merritt said she fears will happen. 'Yeah, it could get zombie'd again,' she said. 'So I'm going to tell you, we're going to stay vigilant. I'm going to keep my eye out and we're going to continue to tell our educators and the public, we're going to continue to call to action, it's not over until we sine die, and really it's not over until next year because it can come back, if it stays alive or gets attached to something, it's still in play until we're done for the biennium.' Still, Merritt said she would be smiling on her drive home from the Capitol Thursday night. 'As a minority party, we don't get a lot of wins, and it's really hard for us to push back once it comes out of (the rules committee) or it gets to the floor, we kind of never know,' she said. 'So I do feel like this is a win for now, and it's the power of getting the public engaged.' Georgia cities and counties that attempt to institute gun safety measures could be subject to steep fines under a bill that passed the Senate Thursday. Northwest Georgia Republican Sen. Colton Moore's Senate Bill 163 would allow people aggrieved by local gun regulations to recoup actual damages or up to $50,000, whichever is greater. That's up from $100 under current law. Moore indicated his bill was a response to a Savannah ordinance requiring people traveling with guns to keep them locked up and out of sight when the vehicle is parked. 'When citizens in northwest Georgia go to a place like Savannah, and there is a mayor there who has put in ordinances that violate their Second Amendment rights, my piece of legislation simply says that those citizens, just like your citizens, have a right of tort to sue those governments for violating those rights,' Moore said. Democratic Sen. Derek Mallow, who represents Savannah, said the ordinance was a reaction to more than 200 guns being stolen from unlocked cars in 2024. 'Dr. King said you cannot legislate morality, you can only legislate behavior, and so what the city of Savannah did was to try to create some recourse to have folks just lock their vehicles if they're going to leave a loaded firearm in their vehicle,' he said. The bill passed 33-23 along party lines. Senators rejected a Democrat-sponsored amendment to require guns to be locked up in places where minors may be present. After more than an hour of debate, a bill authored by the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Blake Tillery failed 43-13. Tillery's Senate Bill 57 seeks to outlaw ideological debanking, or banks shutting down accounts of people based on their ideology. The bill would also prevent providers of essential services like water and power from cutting off services to people for ideological reasons. Some prominent conservatives and tech founders, including first lady Melania Trump, have claimed they were debanked under the Biden administration, but it's not clear whether the alleged debanking was for ideological reasons or because the banks had issues with their investments or some other problem. Many of Tillery's fellow Republicans had problems with trying to meddle with banks. 'This is a bill that has some good ideas, but it's looking for a place to land and it does so in a really, really bad way,' said Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy. 'One of the problems is, passage of this bill puts banks in a horrible position because, as the bankers have said, nine times out of ten when they choose to either not bank somebody or sever a relationship with a client, they can't talk about under federal regulations why they made the decision that they made. So this puts them in a horrible position of not being able to explain the decision that was made but yet leaves them fully exposed to being sued about it.' A proposal to crack down on unscrupulous breeders sailed through the House. The bill, sponsored by Concord Republican Rep. Beth Camp, would ban the practice of selling dogs, cats and rabbits along the roadside, in parking lots, on sidewalks, seasonal flea markets and other areas that tend to be hotspots for unlicensed breeders who prioritize profit over the wellbeing of the animals in their care. Breeders would still be able to sell dogs, cats and rabbits from their home, business, a veterinarian's office or other designated locations, like outside a police department. Camp described the measure as a 'consumer and animal protection bill' that creates a legal pathway for legitimate breeders and makes it harder for puppy mills to sell in Georgia. And she argued her bill might help ease the strain on Georgia's public animal shelters. 'Often animals that are purchased on impulse in parking lots and later found to have poor health end up in animal shelters, which cost every single one of us tax wise,' Camp said. The bill passed 161-13 Thursday and now heads to the Senate. The Senate backed a bill Thursday that would make it a criminal offense for so-called doxxing, the act of recklessly posting someone's personal information that places them at risk of being stalked or injured. Roswell Republican Sen. John Albers presented Senate Bill 27, which he said would provide some teeth for fighting a chilling crime that can put unsuspecting people in dangerous situations. He said the intent is not to infringe on an individual's freedom of speech. 'Doxxing is a contemporary and pernicious form of harassment involving publicizing private information of individuals on the internet, usually with malicious intent,' Albers said. 'It's a gross violation of your privacy, resulting in emotional distress, reputational damage, and, in many cases, physical harm. 'This bill takes a step in the right direction towards securing the digital safety of all Georgia citizens, and sends a clear message that Georgia will not tolerate online harassment,' Albers said. If the doxxing bill becomes law, the first conviction would result in a misdemeanor. However, the penalties could increase to an aggravated felony if there is significant harm caused to the victims or with subsequent violations. A person convicted of aggravated doxxing will be sentenced to one to three years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Sen. Sonya Halpern, an Atlanta Democrat, said she supports SB 27 because neither a public official or private citizen should be fearful of having their personal information weaponized against them. She said the legislation strikes a 'delicate balance of safeguarding freedom of speech while acknowledging the seriousness of the crime.' Georgia Recorder freelancer Maya Homan contributed to this report.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TSI and Telfair Forest Products Announce Development of Torrefaction and Pyrolysis Plant in Lumber City, GA
LUMBER CITY, Ga., March 06, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TSI and Telfair Forest Products are proud to announce the construction of a torrefaction facility at Telfair Forest Product's facility in Lumber City, Georgia. The partnership leverages Telfair's operational excellence and TSI's best-in-class biomass torrefaction technology to promote the growth of the nascent carbonized biomass industry. At the facility, a TSI-designed and fabricated Torreactor® will be paired with Telfair's logistics for the torrefaction and densification of biomass to provide commercial demonstration samples for industrial users. The output produced will enable heavy industries to continue striving toward sustainability goals by proving the viability of torrefied biomass as a fossil fuel substitute. Torrefaction, thermal treatment of biomass in a low-oxygen environment, enables the use of ordinary biomass like wood residuals and agricultural waste in applications which have traditionally been primarily reliant on fossil fuels. In addition to promoting new applications for sustainable biomass, the project also enjoys the support of state government for its contribution to the local community. "For years now, Telfair Forest Products has worked with Telfair County and Lumber City community to enhance and breathe new life into a former industrial site on the Ocmulgee River," said Senator Blake Tillery. "I am glad to see their work with the local leaders will continue with today's announcement and the investment of $7.6 million dollars. TSI will lead the collaboration with Telfair Forest Products, to bring 15 new and retained jobs for Lumber City and Telfair County with the development of a small torrefaction unit." TSI is also enthusiastic. "For years, the industry has struggled with the chicken or the egg problem, where industrial users need large samples to demonstrate commercial readiness to build large production facilities, but without large facilities, production of large samples has been impossible," says TSI CEO, Benny Teal. "We intend to solve that problem. The combination of a skilled workforce, abundance of sustainable wood, and supportive government makes Georgia, and Telfair's Lumber City mill, the ideal location for the birthplace of the next generation of sustainable biomass products." The new facility, with capacity of more than 15,000 tons per year, is designed to handle a wide range of temperatures and torrefaction levels. The Torreactor will be capable of producing mildly torrefied biomass – useful for applications in heat, power and biofuels industries (including sustainable aviation fuel) – to highly carbonized products with applications in steel making and other processes, enabling a greener, more sustainable future. Construction is underway, with commissioning and startup in early 2025. For more information regarding the plant, to order torrefied biomass, or to schedule a tour, contact torrefaction@ or visit About Telfair Forest Products Telfair Forest Products, LLC is a manufacturer of premium quality southern yellow pine wood shavings. About TSI TSI provides biomass dryer systems, furnaces, air pollution equipment and torrefaction reactors (Torreactors) to companies around the world. View source version on Contacts For more information, please contact:John Tealjteal@ torrefaction@
Arab Times
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
States threaten fines, jail time for local officials who resist Trump's immigration crackdown
ATLANTA, Feb 23, (AP): Republican state lawmakers seeking to aid President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration are threatening local officials who resist with lawsuits, fines and even potential jail time. Lawmakers in more than 20 states this year have filed legislation targeting so-called sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural. Some of those states already ban sanctuary policies but are now proposing to punish mayors, council members and other government officials who violate the prohibition. The goal is to provide "teeth to those who are being aggrieved by local governments and local officials who are not abiding by Georgia immigration law,' said Republican state Sen Blake Tillery, whose legislation would allow lawsuits against anyone who implements sanctuary policies. His bill recently passed the Senate and is now in the House. Opponents have raised concerns that the legislation could lead local police and sheriffs to detain immigrants for longer than they are supposed to under federal law out of fear of getting sued. "We're threatening our local law enforcement who are doing the best job they can to keep our communities safe,' said Georgia state Sen. Nikki Merritt, a Democrat. The state proposals come as the Trump administration also has begun taking legal action against governments that have adopted policies inhibiting arrests and deportations by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Department of Justice has sued Illinois, Chicago and Cook County, alleging they are violating federal law by not cooperating with immigration authorities. A Georgia law enacted last year already mandates that local law enforcement cooperate with federal authorities to identify and detain immigrants in the US illegally, or else lose state funding and face misdemeanor charges. The legislation recently passed by the state Senate doubles down by letting people sue local governments, officials and employees for violating the ban. Immigrants and advocates in Georgia say the legislation, if passed, could stoke fear in communities already worried about ICE officials arresting loved ones in homes, churches or schools. "This all relates to Donald Trump's war on immigrants and local people trying to garner favor with him through legislation that doesn't solve any problems,' said Charles Kuck, an Atlanta immigration attorney who opposes the legislation.
