Latest news with #MaxBurns
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia Senate passes bill that will change state's election laws. What to know about HB 397
Georgia Senate amended multiple laws to House Bill 397 that would allow for significant changes to the state's election laws. The bill was amended Wednesday with a 33-23 vote, largely along party lines. Here is what we know about the bill. House Bill 397, sponsored by Republican Rep. Tim Fleming, proposes increasing paper ballot options, expanding the State Election Board's power, and removing Georgia from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). The bill removes the State Election Board from the oversight of the Secretary of State, granting the board control over investigative reports and communications. This bill also prohibits dropping off absentee ballots after the advance voting period. Republicans argue that these changes protect election integrity, citing last year's high voter turnout. "This protects the integrity of our elections," said Republican Sen. Max Burns. Democrats contend that the bill suppresses voter turnout and creates unnecessary barriers to voting. One Democrat, Sen. Jason Esteves, called the bill a "Frankenstein whack-a-mole," highlighting its numerous provisions affecting various aspects of the election process. Now, the bill is sent back to the House for final passage. Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@ This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia elections could drastically change thanks to HB 397
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia Senate passes ban on DEI in schools and colleges as 2025 session winds down
Sen. Max Burns. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder Lawmakers in the Senate concluded the 39th legislative day of the 2025 session in the early hours of Thursday morning by advancing a bill that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs or policies from all state public schools and universities. The bill, which effectively hollowed out legislation originally aimed at increasing sick days and maternity leave for public school teachers, passed in a contentious 33-21 vote, restricting the freedom educational institutions have to discuss racial justice issues even as lawmakers across the hall voted to expand First Amendment protections based on religion only hours before. House Bill 127's sponsor in the Senate, Sylvania Republican Sen. Max Burns, argued that the bill was aimed at preventing discrimination in Georgia's public educational institutions. 'DEI is the antithesis of equality,' Burns said on the Senate floor. 'If you believe in equality, if you believe in equal opportunity, this bill does not strip you of that. It enhances it.' Democrats swiftly condemned the bill, arguing that a ban on DEI would be a return to an era of 'state-sponsored discrimination.' They also feared it could be used to censor topics like slavery's role in the civil war and other ways that race and racism have shaped American history. 'I don't want to say DEI, I want to talk about diversity, equity and inclusion,' said Derek Mallow, a Savannah Democrat. 'If there is a need to ban DEI, then what is the opposite to diversity? Well the opposite to diversity is uniformity, and to be uniform means that you lack any other options for anyone to be different, to look different, to talk different, to walk different, to be different.' They also proposed a total of 20 amendments — the most on any individual bill in living memory — but all 20 amendments were dismissed without a vote by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. 'This is a sad day for the Georgia state Senate, one of the saddest I've ever been in in 10 years, quite frankly,' said Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones II, an Augusta Democrat. 'This doesn't represent the people of Georgia,' he continued. 'Tonight was a night the Republican Party said they're going to take Georgia backwards — backwards to days when people did not have full rights.' The bill now returns to the House, which must agree to the Senate's amendments before the bill can advance to the governor's desk. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Georgians deserve secure elections': Trump Administration to drop suit over election law
While there is no election going on, Georgia voting is back under the national spotlight. On Monday, the Department of Justice issued a news release detailing how they had been directed to dismiss a lawsuit from last year about a 2021 Georgia elections law. Here's what we know: SB 202 a.k.a. the "Election Integrity Act of 2021" was signed into law following the 2020 presidential election which many Republicans have called into question. The law placed new restrictions on early and absentee voting, imposed stricter ID verification requirements on mail-in ballots, and shortened the window of time in which voters could request absentee ballots be sent to them. Free tax services: Still need to file your tax return? University of Georgia will do it for free. Here's how The law also capped the number of absentee ballot drop boxes to one per 100,000 residents, and removed a pandemic-era provision that allowed voters to access drop boxes outside of regular business hours. It also restricts third-party organizations from distributing absentee ballot applications and imposes a $100 penalty for each duplicate absentee ballot application sent to voters in Georgia. The chief sponsor of the Election Integrity Act was Georgia Sen. Max Burns with its sponsor in the Georgia House being Barry Fleming. The law also had more than 20 other sponsors. On Jan. 31, 2024, the DOJ, under President Joe Biden, filed a consolidated lawsuit called "In Re Georgia SB 202." The argument was that it intended to disenfranchise Black voters and failed to provide people with disabilities an equal opportunity to vote. "Rather than celebrating Georgians' record-breaking turnout and success in conducting two secure elections in a span of two months, the Georgia General Assembly instead enacted Senate Bill 202 ... through a secretive and extremely accelerated legislative process, with little to no opportunity for public input or review," the lawsuit noted. "SB 202 directly and severely burdens Plaintiffs' core political speech, which includes communications and expressive activities aimed at encouraging voters to participate in the political process through absentee voting." In the news release, Trump Administration officials said the Biden administration "fabricated an untrue narrative" around Georgia's election law and said officials at the time were "demonizing Georgians for political gain and triggering boycotts." "Georgians deserve secure elections, not fabricated claims of false voter suppression meant to divide us," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "Americans can be confident that this Department of Justice will protect their vote and never play politics with election integrity." Gov. Brian Kemp said via X, "Despite the lies and misinformation from Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams, and their allies, Georgia is one of the top states in the country for early voting and experienced record voter turnout in multiple elections since the passage of the Elections Integrity Act. I am grateful that under the leadership of [Attorney General Pamela Bondi] and [President Donald Trump], the DOJ has followed the truth: in Georgia, it is easy to vote and hard to cheat." Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda Executive Director Helen Butler expressed her disappointment, saying the law does suppress votes and plans to pursue their own legal challenge. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said "This reaffirms that the Election Integrity Act stands on solid legal commitment has always been to ensure fair and secure elections for every Georgian, despite losing an All-Star game and the left's boycott of Georgia as a result of commonsense election law." April England-Albright, national legal director for Black Voters Matter, said "Just as Black people have historically stood firm against a weaponized and radicalized Department of Justice and continued to fight back to increase political and economic rights in this response to this and other harmful and egregious decisions from Trump's DOJ will be no different, and we will win." Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X and Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@ This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: DOJ to drop Biden-era lawsuit over Georgia election law
Axios
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Georgia General Assembly: Early voting, abortion and delta-THC
Legislation clamping down on early voting, restricting transgender athletes' participation in sports, and unraveling the mystery of Georgia's sky-high insurance premiums are on state lawmakers' agendas. Driving the news: The Georgia General Assembly is entering its final week, and lawmakers are practicing legislative judo to get their pet proposals across the finish line before Sine Die, the day the session formally ends, on April 4. Here's a look at what's moving, stopping and stalled. 🗳️ Elections Senate Republicans are pushing a 26-page bill that would require poll workers to hand count ballots and force Georgia to leave a multi-state voter integrity group. The full Senate and House must vote on the measure before it heads to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk, the AJC reports. A proposal by state Sen. Max Burns (R-Sylvania), to end Georgia's use of touchscreen voting machines may wait until 2026 for a vote, the AJC reports. 🏠 School safety House Bill 268, which would (among other things) require schools to develop safety plans in the event of a shooting, provide suicide prevention training, and help schools hire behavioral health coordinators, is waiting for a Senate vote. 📵 Cellphones in schools If signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp, House Bill 340 will require districts to restrict access to cellphones and other personal electronic devices for kindergarten through eighth-grade public school students. ⚕️ Reproductive rights The Georgia Prenatal Equal Protection Act, or House Bill 441, would define life as beginning at conception and effectively outlaw all abortions in the state. The bill, which must still pass out of committee and both chambers, would also create legal risks for IVF providers, according to witnesses who testified against the legislation. 🌿 Hemp Legislation limiting the amount of delta-THC compounds in tinctures and edibles and outright banning THC beverages will likely wait until next year, House Regulated Industries Committee chair Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) said. Another proposal in the House would create a committee to study "intoxicating cannabinoids in consumable hemp products," potentially giving lawmakers, industry players and users more time to find common ground. 🤰 Maternal health A bill sponsored by state Sen. Sally Harrell (D-Brookhaven) would require corn masa flour and similar products made and sold in Georgia to contain folic acid. Public health officials say the measure could help pregnant Latina women who don't get enough of the nutrient. 🙏 Religious freedom House Republicans revived a controversial — and seemingly stuck — effort to add protections on the local and state levels for people who feel they face discrimination because of their faith. Critics say the legislation, which awaits a Senate vote, would create a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people. ⚖️ Tort reform Legislation putting limits on third parties that finance civil lawsuits — the second and final piece of Kemp's " tort reform" push — has received Senate approval and awaits final passage in the House. Separate legislation reducing the liability of property owners for crimes committed on their property was amended after pushback from advocates for sex trafficking survivors. The bill awaits Kemp's signature. 🏳️⚧️ Transgender rights State Sen. Ben Watson (R-Savannah)'s measure to ban transgender minors from receiving puberty-blocking medications now permits some access with parental consent, the Georgia Recorder reports. 💵 Insurance reform State lawmakers would study why insurance premiums in Georgia have skyrocketed and possible reforms under a proposal approved Wednesday by a House committee.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia school librarians could be found guilty of lawbreaking if shelves carry ‘explicit' material
Sen. Max Burns presents his library bill to a Senate committee. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder The Georgia Legislature is considering a new bill aimed at preventing children from accessing explicit materials in libraries, but opponents say it would chill free speech and open the state up to lawsuits. Senate Bill 74, which passed out of committee Tuesday on a party line vote, would remove an exemption for librarians in the section of state code dealing with distributing sexually explicit materials to minors. The bill's sponsor, Sylvania Republican Sen. Max Burns, said the law should have always applied to librarians. 'For unknown reasons to me, librarians were exempted from following Georgia law,' he said. 'I'd like to point out teachers were not exempted. Coaches were not exempted. Pastors were not exempted.' 'So you have to ask a question, a simple question, why do we choose to exempt librarians? I require a convenience store owner to make the decision whether or not material that they provide is potentially harmful to minors. Convenience stores. Librarians are professionals.' The bill would apply to librarians, including at school libraries, who 'knowingly' violate the law. It would exempt library workers who can demonstrate that they 'made a good faith attempt' to block harmful materials from minors. Kerry Pritchard, with the Georgia Department of Education's legislative affairs team, said enforcing the bill could be a challenge. 'With libraries, you could have 2,500 books that are everywhere, but there's one person to be able to monitor everything,' she said. 'It might be hard to know exactly what books are in the library for the simple fact that there's, A, so many of them, and there might be books that are 30 years old that no one has put into a computer system to know one way or the other if it's on the shelves.' Sen. Elena Parent, an Atlanta Democrat, said she's concerned the bill does not specify what would be considered explicit. 'Outside of some pretty major lines, a lot of it is subjective. If you take the young adult category, I bet there's plenty in the young adult category of Barnes and Noble that many people in the legislature would at least say that they were totally opposed to and found harmful to minors, to be honest with you,' she said. 'So that's where I'm just struggling with, it didn't sound like we have a bright line standard in the law.' Priscilla Bence of Columbia County came to the Capitol to testify about the bill, but committee members voted on it without hearing public comment, citing time constraints. Bence said she would have testified about sexual materials she found and read in her local libraries. 'There are approximately 150 young adult books in the teen rooms in most of our city and county libraries, and they encourage early sex, because the libraries use the term young adult and teen interchangeably,' she said. '12-year-olds are reading porn and obscenity in these teen rooms. The most common books in the genre are the LGBTQ+ relationships that are easier to locate and challenge, but if I ever find one about heterosexual sex at young ages, I would challenge that book.' When legislators have attempted to address this issue in the past, advocates have expressed fears that legislation would disproportionately target books by LGBTQ authors and authors of color. Christoper Bruce, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, said if he had the opportunity, he would have testified that the bill is similar to a piece of legislation struck down in Arkansas. 'The court struck down the key provisions of this law, underscoring that deputizing librarians as agents of censorship under the threat of jail time could create a chilling effect on the availability of literature and libraries,' Bruce said. 'SB 74 creates the same legal vulnerabilities and will likely face similar constitutional challenges if it passes.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
