June 15, 2026

Busy Week in Georgia!

Tomorrow, June 16, is the last day to vote in both the Democrat and the Republican Primary Runoffs. All polls are open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and you can find your precinct at GA My Voter Page. Again, I am very grateful to you to run unopposed for another two-year term in House District 84.

VOTE TOMORROW!!

PLEASE VOTE Tues, June 16th!

Tomorrow, June 16, is the last day to vote in both the Democrat and the Republican Primary Runoffs. All polls are open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and you can find your precinct at GA My Voter Page.

Again, I am very grateful to you to run unopposed for another two-year term in House District 84.

I enjoyed campaigning with Josh in Decatur.

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SPECIAL SESSION BEGINS WEDNESDAY

While I would prefer to spend my time working on issues that are critical to Georgians, like policies affecting affordable housing and foster care, on Wednesday, I'll join my colleagues at the Capitol for Governor Kemp's called Special Session of the General Assembly, to look at Georgia's voting districts.

As you may remember, the State Senate failed on Sine Die April 2nd to pass legislation to fix the date of July 1, 2026, to require voters to use paper ballots. This paper ballot requirement was passed in previous sessions, but the General Assembly never took any action to analyze what new voting equipment would be necessary to utilize paper ballots or to fund a new voting system. The State Senate's failure to a bill previously passed by the House after a protracted and arm's length bipartisan negotiation was irresponsible, and a Special Session is now necessary to change the July 1 date. So, a Special Session was appropriate to be called by the Governor to correct the errors of our 2026 Session when we failed to take necessary action.

However, the Governor's decision to include redistricting actions for Georgia Congressional, State House and State Senate Districts is totally unnecessary and a waste of time, money, and energy, and it will lead to preventable conflict. Based on the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Voting Rights Act protections for Black voters have been decimated, and although other states have moved quickly to change district lines for 2026, Georgia's redistricting process that will begin this Wednesday addresses changes that will go into effect beginning in 2028. We have ample time before 2028 to collect the necessary data on population shifts to draw districts of appropriate population size, obtain better information on the impact of elimination of Voting Rights Act precedents, and to have public hearings giving Georgia voters the opportunity to say what kind of redistricting plan they want their elected officials to adopt. A rush to pass significant changes in voters' opportunity to vote in a Special Session that will last just about a week, is irresponsible, unnecessary, and will be racially divisive and painful. There is no legitimate legal or political reason to pursue redistricting actions in June 2026, and I regret the Governor's decision to force this action. The daily cost of a Special Session is about $250,000, and this expenditure of over $1 million should go for the summer lunch programs for children that the Governor vetoed in the FY 2027 budget passed by the House and Senate.

For more information, see Greg Bluestein's excellent piece in yesterday's AJC here: Why Georgia Republicans are risking a redistricting backlash now

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NEW JUDGES FOR DEKALB COUNTY

This past Friday, Governor Kemp appointed two new judges to the DeKalb County bench. Josh Geller was appointed to the Superior Court of the DeKalb Judicial Circuit to replace Judge Stacey Hydrick, and Mercedes Ball was appointed to Division B of the State Court of DeKalb County to replace Judge Ronald Ramsey. Fulton Superior Court Judge Paige Whittaker was also appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Congratulations to all!!

You can find these new judges' biographies HERE.

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JOINT STUDY COMMITTEE

In May, Speaker Jon Burns appointed me to the Joint Study Committee on Evaluating Escalating Costs in Georgia's Foster Care System. As called for in SR 622, this committee will look into the conditions, needs, issues, and problems of the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), out of home services, wrap-around services, Georgia's foster care system, and the costs of these programs. We are to complete our tasks this calendar year.

There's work to do!

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OUT AND ABOUT

I always like to share with you my activities as your Representative for House District 84. Please let me know at mmo@mmolaw.com if you have any suggestions for events that you would like for me to attend in your neighborhood. Thanks!

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June 11 - Big Boi, Mayor Tony Powers, and I were at the Kick-off of Decatur WatchFest '26 at the newly revamped Town Square! Live music every day and all the FIFA World Cup games on giant screens. Schedule and info HERE.

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May 25 - Fun in North Georgia - Great for kayaking. Convertibles are always helpful to transport necessary toys, and Henry helped although not visible in the picture.

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May 16 - I enjoyed NAACP DeKalb's Annual Breakfast -- friends and candidates all gathered to celebrate!

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Summer storms over Fightingtown Creek and naps on the deck -- a good start to summer! Will be back here after the Special Session that we hope will end on June 26--a frequent educated guess for Sine Die.

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My Druid Hills High School reunion this month was held at Stone Mountain Evergreen Conference Center. Classmate Wilbur Fitzgerald played the District Attorney on TV's "In the Heat of the Night," and the rest of us became ordinary lawyers. It was a fun get-together, and I was happy to see the Conference Center book a successful event!

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UPCOMING DATES

Tuesday, June 16 - Election Day!

Wednesday, June 17 - Special Session begins

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QUICK LINKS FOR YOU

I am on the following legislative committees. You can watch live every time they meet. Click on the links below for livestreams, agendas, archives and more.

Committees:

Subcommittees:

Appropriations - Human Resources
Governmental Affairs - State and Local Government
Judicial - Leverett (two)

You can search for and track bills, watch the House (or Senate) in Session, watch committee hearings, monitor legislation by committee, and find contact information —- all on the revamped General Assembly website. Here are quick links:

General Assembly website: https://www.legis.ga.gov/
House Session meetings and many committee hearings are available to watch online: https://www.legis.ga.gov/house
Archived videos of meetings and hearings: https://www.legis.ga.gov/house/media-services

Make your views known and tell me what issues interest you the most.

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