March 2026 News

CROSSOVER DAY IS FRIDAY MARCH 6TH

Friday, March 6 is Crossover Day—the last day a bill can pass either the House or the Senate and remain eligible for consideration during the final 12 days of the 2026 Session.

For House Republican leadership, the priority before Friday’s close of business is passing their proposal to eliminate property taxes for all residential homeowners. Because the legislative proposal requires a Constitutional Amendment, it must receive 120 votes. The specific provisions of the bill have not yet been finalized, and negotiations are ongoing—hour by hour—to secure the necessary support. Current reports suggest they are more than 30 votes short, with opposition coming primarily from Democrats but also from Republicans. A specific revised bill is expected sometime this week and will then be placed on the calendar for a vote.

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STONE MOUNTAIN AND HB 1415

As I have previously reported, I have been working with the DeKalb Delegation to bring modern business practices to Stone Mountain Memorial Association. Together, we introduced HB 243 (2025) and HB 794 (2024). Neither bill received a hearing.

Recently, however, the Governor’s Office contacted me, and Rep. Billy Mitchell and I were invited to sign on to the Governor’s legislation addressing Stone Mountain Memorial Association’s financial challenges. Like the Authorities that oversee Jekyll Island and Lake Lanier Islands, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association currently lacks the authority to sell property. In light of the park’s significant financial crisis, the Governor is proposing to amend the 1950s statute to allow the sale of certain properties (see HB 1415).

Rep. Mitchell and I have reviewed the maps of the proposed parcels. All are located outside the park boundaries and include properties tied to historic gifts to the memorial association, portions of the Venable family property in the city of Stone Mountain, certain former Olympic site parcels, and the City of Stone Mountain airport property. I support the sale of these properties—which would be handled by the State Properties Commission, not the Stone Mountain Memorial Association—to generate revenue for the park.

Regrettably, the Governor declined to include in his bill a provision to rename Stone Mountain Memorial Association as Stone Mountain Park Association (see HB 794). I will continue working on that issue, but I am grateful the Governor recognizes the serious financial and operational challenges facing the park’s leadership. The bill is expected to come before the House this week. I will speak on it and post my remarks.

If you have not yet watched it, please watch the Atlanta History Center's documentary Monument and read about the history of Stone Mountain ("Carving Fact from Fiction") HERE.

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PROGRESS ON MENTAL HEALTH REFORM: HOUSE BILL 973

The Supplemental Budget has passed both the House and Senate and will be signed by the Governor tomorrow, March 3. Here is a link to a comprehensive summary. The highlights I’m most pleased with include $45 million for homelessness services, with an additional $5 million dedicated to veterans. The final allocation for the needs-based scholarship program is $325 million, directed to the Georgia Student Finance Commission—not private foundations. To meet these and other critical funding priorities, the Governor increased the revenue estimate by an additional $1.4 billion. These investments reflect a strong commitment to core state needs.

For DeKalb County, all requested mental health funding was appropriated for a new forensic psychiatric hospital on the Panthersville Road campus, including Georgia Regional Hospital. This represents DeKalb County’s long-term commitment to expanding emergency psychiatric care for the region and marks a significant step toward removing individuals with mental illness from jails, where they do not belong.

From the outset of our mental health reform efforts, we have recognized that Georgia’s largest providers of mental health services are its jails and prisons. County jails, in particular, are overwhelmed with individuals experiencing serious mental illness, largely due to a shortage of forensic psychiatric beds. Building a new hospital—the first in more than 50 years—will help move individuals with mental illness out of jails and provide more timely and appropriate evaluations of whether those charged with crimes are competent to stand trial.

In addition to funding for the new hospital in DeKalb County, the Supplemental Budget includes increased support for jail restoration programs and expanded capacity for emergency psychiatric placements. Our next focus will be enhancements in the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget, which the House will vote on within the next 10 days.

Beyond budget increases, HB 1262, sponsored by Insurance Committee Chair Eddie Lumsden, strengthens penalties for mental health parity violations. Rep. Todd Jones and I have worked to support stronger sanctions against insurance companies that fail to comply with parity requirements. We are hopeful the Senate will pass these enhanced enforcement measures.

EMORY INTERN NIKHITA GANDHE

We are excited to introduce Nikhita Gandhe, who is joining our office this semester as part of her Bioethics 4+1 Master’s practicum at Emory University. Nikhita is a recent graduate with dual bachelor’s degrees in Human Health & Economics and Philosophy as well as Politics & Law from Emory University College of Arts and Sciences.

Nikhita brings experience in legal research and community advocacy. She previously served as a Legal Wealth Management Intern, where she helped streamline estate planning and probate matters. At Emory, she was a leader in student government, serving as a Fourth Year Legislator and the Chair of the Pathways Committee. With a research background in global economic resilience and health aid, Nikhita is passionate about the intersection of law, healthcare, and public policy. In her free time, she likes to volunteer, sing, and bake. Please join us in welcoming her to the team!

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NEW POLL QUESTION: PROPERTY TAXES FOR HOMEOWNERS

Would you support a plan to phase out residential property taxes over five years and replace the lost revenue for local governments and schools with an increase in the sales tax? That is the simplest way to describe the House Republican leadership proposal at this time. As more details emerge this week, I will share additional information.

The State Senate continues to pursue the elimination of the state income tax. Clearly, eliminating both the income tax and local property taxes is not fiscally possible. This week will be intense, and it is difficult to predict the final outcome. Stay tuned.

Please read my explanation above to help you vote on the question below.

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PREVIOUS POLL RESULTS

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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!‍

March 2: At our weekly DeKalb Delegation meeting, the DeKalb County School Board led a good discussion outlining its opposition to wholesale elimination of property taxes. We need to listen. During the discussion of possible school closures, we also learned two interesting pieces of data: 1. There are 2,100 fewer students in DeKalb Co Schools in 2025-2026 than in 2024-2025. 2. There are 1,800 fewer English language learners in DeKalb Co Schools in 2025-2026 than in 2024-2025.

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February 27: This article from the Associated Press is a thorough analysis of DFCS’s failure to deliver services to foster children. I appreciate the continued news coverage — thank you.

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February 26: Omari and I are in a fashion shoot! He is so cool, and friend Phil helped me into the Capitol—thank you! Friends from Conservation Voters visited and a fabulous hot dog for lunch. Good day in the midst of political dumpster fires— details to follow! Some good news, too.

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February 24: My Chief of Staff Caroline Herring and intern Nikhita Gandhe met with Georgia Youth Justice Coalition representative Yana Batra! GYJC is an impressive organization with a full-time staff and many volunteers. Yana is a Decatur High School graduate and soon to be graduate of Georgia Tech. Her younger sister, Nia, is DHS Star Student 2026 and the youth member of the City Schools of Decatur School Board. What a family!

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February 23: It was a long, weird, but productive day of committees as we march towards Crossover Day. Representatives Herring and Williams and I presented HB 1166 and HB 1177 to the Government Affairs Committee —fingers crossed, it’s never over, back on deck on Wednesday. Thank you for all your help!

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February 20: Thank you, United States Supreme Court for finding Trump’s imposition of tariffs without Congress is illegal. Major decision. Judge Gorsuch offers a thoughtful comment on the importance of the legislative process. Trump’s rants are embarrassing. This is big and I am grateful. The Midterms are coming.

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February 20: Thank you to those who participated in the Point-in-Time count last week in Dekalb County! We are grateful for your service. Please read the Decaturish article HERE.

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February 10: Representatives Todd Jones, Rep. Kim Schofield and I met with the Special Rules Committee to gain approval for the House Resolution 1007 on Arts and Mental health! We are excited to report that it was approved for a formal motion with the house! 🎉 Stay tuned for more updates! 📢

THANK YOU to Khadijah Ameen, PhD, MPH, CHES of BLKHLTH and Sarah Catherine Phillips, MPA of the The Carter Center for their in person advocacy! Thanks also to those advocates not included in this photo: Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Alliance Theatre,High Museum of Art, Emory University, Morehouse School of Medicine, University of Florida - Center for Arts in Medicine, Out Of Hand Theater, NBAF, NEXT Arts, Jameel Arts & Health Lab SocialRx (formerly Art Pharmacy),NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative International Arts + Mind LabUniversity of Florida - Center for Arts in Medicine.

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UPCOMING DATES

Monday, March 2 - Friday, March 6 - Qualifying Week (I will be qualifying for reelection

Tuesday, March 3 - Governor Budget Signing ceremony at the Capitol

Wednesday, March 4 - Georgia Center for the book event with Kevin Hazzard/Molly Samuel

Friday, March 6 - Crossover Day

Monday, March 9 - Constituent Brian Goldstone Resolution

Wednesday, March 11 - Capitol Arts Exhibit reception

Thursday, March 12 - Arts and Mental Health Resolution Press Conference

Friday, March 13 - Jazz at All Saints' concert

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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:

• Appropriations
• Governmental Affairs
• Judiciary
• Juvenile Justice
• Public Health - Secretary
• Technology and Infrastructure Innovation

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.