June 28, 2026

Special Session Recap and Happy 4th!

I am very glad to report that the special session that lasted for five days from Wednesday, June 17, to Tuesday, June 23, ended with minimal damage to your rights to vote. I’m particularly glad that the compromise bill on resetting the QR code date issue—the only bill we passed—included a vastly reduced mandate for hand-counted ballots.

Special Session Recap

Upon the rousing start to the special session on June 17^th, at which the House Democrat women showed up in unifying force in their white, the Republican leadership decided they would not redraw districting maps after all. I think they got the message in many ways that drawing maps for an election over two years away with no public input was unpopular, a waste of money, and would certainly result in conflict, litigation, and racial tension. Whew! But I’m guessing they will likely try again later.

Over the next 4 session days (not counting Juneteenth, which my front row colleagues and I honored with a flag on Saturday, and Sunday/Father’s Day), we attended to the business of the voting equipment bill. The Governmental Affairs committee considered the bill on Monday in front of a full house of spectators. After a two-plus hour hearing and lengthy testimony, we took no vote, and by late that day we were still trying to reach a compromise with the Senate. Ultimately, we ended the special session Tuesday with a compromise Bill, SB 3EX, addressing mandatory hand-counted ballots, a change of the date by which special voting equipment relating to the QR code must be purchased and used, and creation of a Election Equipment Specifications and Standards Committee to analyze, from the House and Senate perspectives, what equipment the Secretary of State shall buy to adopt new voting machines. I voted NO because I object to mandatory hand-counted ballots and because I’m fed up with the false narrative that the Republicans are pushing: that our elections are unsafe and intentionally biased based on Democrat interference.

I was asked by the Democratic Caucus to speak in opposition to the Bill. You can watch a video of my comments here.

My daily posts from the special session are on Facebook, and they include some additional information about our work if you are interested. In the future, know that I report regularly on my service to HD 84 on both Facebook and Instagram.

Thank you all for your attention to this important special session that was totally unnecessary but was based on the failure of the Senate on April 2 to adopt a compromise negotiated bill that solved the problems that were created by legislation passed two years ago. Please email me if you have comments or questions about the special session, the Bill, or my vote.

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Senator Raphael Warnock stopped by the Capitol on Day 1 to make remarks in the rotunda denouncing the Republican’s redistricting plans.

He also met with the Democrat caucus and says we are here for the fight of our life.

I was also happy to visit with Senator Warnock at Glenn Memorial UMC when he talked about his book, The Crooked Places Made Straight: Reflections on the Moral Meaning of America, with Emory professor Carol Anderson. I look forward to reading the book, and I appreciate his energy and leadership!

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New Bills Effective July 1

This report from the House Budget and Research Office gives you information on the new laws we passed in the 2026 regular session that go into effect July 1. Note that this report does not include bills that were effective upon signature. Please call me if you have any questions about any of these measures.

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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!‍

I look forward to visiting with many of you at the 50^thanniversary of the Druid Hills neighborhood Fourth of July parade. It begins at the corner of Oakdale and The By Way at 11 AM— Please add this important, fun event to your July 4th activities, and hope to see you there! Details here.

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I want to send my thanks to Georgia State Patrol Officer Flowers and Pickens County ambulance units for attending to me on Highway 515 after a very bad rear-end wreck. My almost new car was destroyed—totaled—but Henry and I were unhurt! They were immediately on the scene and very accommodating, but it was a scary wreck. I know we all have had the experience of highway accidents as a result of bad drivers. So during the special session, I had a rental car and had to negotiate with various insurance issues and buy a new car. I’m happy with my new convertible and lucky to be back on the road in good health.

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HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

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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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