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The BIG Numbers for Georgian Democrats BIG Issues
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As we review this year’s legislative session, we’re struck by the importance of flipping the state legislature. Support our fight.
We promised you a deep dive into the legislative session, so we’ve highlighted 5 areas that show just how out of touch the extreme Republican legislature is compared to the majority of Georgians.
Medicaid
≥ 50%
of US adults worry about affording health care costs.
The Peach State was ranked the LOWEST for health care by Forbes (2023). Georgia is the THIRD worst in cost, coverage, and closures nationally. 15% of Georgians have not seen a doctor in the past year.
It is no secret that this is a MAJOR issue for Georgians. In July 2023, Georgia began enrolling people in Kemp’s newly expanded Medicaid plan, “Georgia Pathways.” The program covers households with income below the poverty line, dependent on them working eighty hours per month.
The program had extremely low enrollment due to the hefty work requirement and the mountainous participation paperwork. Numerous complaints have surfaced about overwhelmed staff and the portal’s lack of user-friendliness. Clearly, Kemp’s Pathways lead to nowhere.
What did the Legislature do?
HB 1339 helps to ease the building and/or expansion of medical centers and hospitals in counties with less than 50,000 people. The bill was passed (166-1) primarily due to Democrats’ outspokenness on health care issues. This bill is a successful start to place proper centers in rural communities, but the next issue to tackle is actually getting these communities coverage.
HB 38 and HB 62 both support expanding Medicaid. HB 38 pushes using federal funding to assist with increasing the income threshold. This bill was stalled. HB 62 focuses on Medicaid expansion through the lens of work support programs. It was in the interest of amending public assistance, Georgia Health and Economic Livelihood Partnership Act. It is currently pending due to the House Health Committee.
HB 343 was created to reduce healthcare and medication expenses. It would require revealing calculated, defined prices with insurance when purchased, annual reporting of drug costs, and repealing any law that could be used to raise pricing. This bill has been read by the Senate and Referred.
Affordable Housing
74%
of Americans are worried about affordable housing. Georgia is no different, with homeowners, renters, and potential home buyers frustrated with the Republican-held State Legislature’s inaction, who continuously fail to address the affordable housing crisis despite Democrats’ proposals to reduce rents and expand housing availability.
“Affordable housing” is the ability of a household to pay no more than 30% of its income on housing costs. According to the Center for Housing and Community Research at the University of Georgia, the state “faces a shortage of 118,338 housing units. The situation is even more critical for households with incomes at or below half the area median income, with a shortfall of 216,577 units.” In addition, Georgians experienced the 6th highest increase in rent from 2023 to 2024, as evidenced by the data below:
Percentage change in median rent (2023–2024): +16.1%
Total change in median rent (2023–2024): +$243
Median rent (2024): $1,753
Median rent (2023): $1,510
Why the inaction? And what did get passed?
With an $11 billion surplus, Georgia Republicans have no defense for failing to address the affordable housing crisis. Governments exist to improve the lives of their citizens, not hoard taxpayer money while people suffer. The legislature had the opportunity to appropriate funds specifically earmarked for affordable housing initiatives, which would have supported the construction of new affordable housing units, the rehabilitation of existing properties, and rental assistance programs.
They did not.
They did, however, pass HB 404 (Safe at Home Act), which bars landlords from requiring more than two months’ rent for a security deposit and establishes a three-day grace period before property owners can evict tenants for unpaid rent or expired leases.
It also requires rental property leases to include provisions confirming dwellings are “fit for human habitation,” which would keep tenants from living in unsafe conditions such as mold, animal infestations, or broken HVAC systems.
They also passed HB 1410, or the State Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless Act, which would establish a nine-member commission of unpaid volunteers to oversee a fund local organizations could tap to provide safe, secure housing for homeless people.
Republicans left on the chopping block two bills that would have repealed Georgia’s 40-year, statewide ban on rent control, Senate Bill 125 and House Bill 1353, while also failing to consider a bill from State Rep. Spencer Frye whose HB 490 aimed to limit at large investors from buying up and renting out single-family homes.
Solving the affordable housing crisis is fundamental to rebuilding the fabric of our society. Affordable housing allows people to stay in their neighborhoods – it also allows them to find those neighborhoods. It allows people to grow in a safe, comfortable environment. Moreover, it encourages first-generational homeownership and helps close the wealth inequality gap.
Reproductive Justice
Credit to Reproductive Freedom for All
82%
Of Georgians believe that the government should not intervene in abortion decisions. Contrary to this sentiment, Georgia’s Republican lawmakers have implemented policies that have worsened the public health crisis.
After Roe v. Wade’s overturning, Georgia’s Supreme Court upheld the controversial six-week abortion ban. Now, pregnant individuals seeking abortion care are subjected to undue burdens on their reproductive rights. This law also restricts both public funding and private insurance coverage for abortion procedures.
Following the dismantling of longstanding safeguards for reproductive rights, there is concern for undermined bodily autonomy, financial strains, endangered physical and mental health, and limited education/career opportunities.
What did the legislature do?
SB 283, the Pregnancy Protection Act, represented a step towards ensuring pregnant job applicants’ and employees’ rights and well-being. With bipartisan sponsors, this bill sought to provide “reasonable” accommodations and shield workers from discriminatory practices that could force them out of their jobs. Initially introduced in the 2023 Session, this bill failed to surpass the Senate Committee in 2024.
Democrats’ most notable actions revolved around two bills, yet none of them passed:
SB 564 (The Right to Contraception Act) intended to preserve the right to contraceptive access. This comes after Justice Clarence Thomas noted that the Supreme Court should reconsider other landmark cases like Griswold v. Connecticut, which ruled that states could not deny married couples birth control.
SB 565 (The Right to IVF Act) aimed to prevent calls to classify embryos formed outside a uterus as minors protected under state law from compromising access to IVF treatments. This move is a consequence of Alabama’s Supreme Court ruling that embryos are considered children.
Implementing proactive legislation such as these is imperative, as polls indicate Georgia voters “overwhelmingly oppose” efforts to restrict reproductive freedom.
Minimum Wage
15
It’s been 15 years since legislators increased the federal minimum wage, the longest period the minimum wage has remained stagnant since the Fair Labor Standards Act passed in 1938. This is critical in Georgia, where the federal minimum wage is higher than the state minimum wage of $5.15, so the federal minimum wage also serves as our state’s minimum wage.
Increasing the minimum wage would benefit millions of Georgians and strengthen the state’s economy by giving workers more money to spend. The overall strengthening of the economy means that even workers earning above the minimum wage would feel the effects of an increased minimum wage.
Increasing it would also decrease state spending on programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. According to a 2014 study, increasing Georgia’s minimum wage to $10.10 would lead to a $234.6 million decrease in SNAP spending.
What did the legislature do?
In the 2024 legislative session, Georgia’s State Legislature considered one bill about minimum wage: HB1125, which would raise the minimum wage for Georgians with disabilities to $7.25 over two years. Currently, employers do not have to pay people with disabilities the federal minimum wage. This leads to some employers hiring people with disabilities through job training programs and then only paying them 80 to 90 cents per hour.
This bill did not pass the legislature.
Instead, the legislature passed a bill that reduces the state’s personal income tax rate to 5.39%. This will save the average middle-income household an average of $34 per year, but it will cost the state $361 million in FY 2025. About 87% of the overall savings from this bill will go to the top 40% of wage earners in Georgia. Money that could have gone to education and infrastructure is instead staying in the pockets of the wealthiest Georgians, while the average Georgian will merely have an extra $34 per year.
School Vouchers
60.9%
of registered Georgian voters oppose using taxpayer funds for private education if it reduces public school funding, according to a survey by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI), excluding indifferent responses.
Each ideological group expressed clear opposition when surveyed about using taxpayer money for private school vouchers. Despite overwhelming support by Republican members of the Georgia state legislature, public opinion does not support the proposal to divert funds from public schools to subsidize costs for private education. The following shows the percentage of different ideological groups that do NOT agree with using taxpayer money to fund the school voucher system:
50.2% of Conservatives
57% of Moderates
56% of Liberals
Although public opinion does not favor SB 233, conservative policymakers are pushing a strict school choice agenda, prioritizing focus on private schools over fixing pre-existing challenges within Georgia’s public education system. The new legislation will set up a voucher system of up to $6,500 per student to subsidize the cost of private school tuition. One problem with this voucher system is that private education does not have to be fully accredited, and SB 233 targets majority-black schools and low-income students
For the Good of Georgia
The GBPI poll of more than 1,800 respondents shows the clear desire of Georgia residents to provide additional support for K-12 public schools, specifically those that serve low-income families, rather than investing more money in private education. SB 233 does not meet this desire:
Projected to cost $190.5 million annually, diminishing any hopes of a projected increase in public education funding
Rural and impoverished communities face disproportionate impacts, with limited access to the school voucher system.
What did the Legislature do?
Despite dissenting public opinion and the fact that the school voucher bill will further disenfranchisement in the Georgia education system, SB 233 passed the Senate and the House. This bill has successfully made its way through the legislative process and now sits on Governor Kemp’s desk, where it will be signed into law.
Republicans have controlled the legislature for over 20 years. These failures to pass the legislation Georgians want underscores why we must elect leaders who reflect their communities’ beliefs. The 2030 Project exists to elect these leaders. This is why we need you to donate, share this newsletter, and make your voice heard!
