Yesterday our own Cindy Morley wrote on the legislative priorities for Republicans for 2016 in depth and spoke on the Democrats as well, but in the spirit of bipartisanship we thought we’d flesh out the Dems’ stated 2016 goals.
To paint with broad strokes, Georgia Democrats have listed their three main legislative goals to be, “educational opportunity, economic security and shared responsibility.” Of course, education, job creation, and government transparency are more buzzwords than concrete objectives, but don’t worry the Democrats have the details on that big picture idea.
House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, who has quickly become the most influential Democrat under the Gold Dome, hit on three key points in her speech unveiling her party’s legislative agenda for 2016. The first is the desire to expand Medicaid, focusing on the 300,000 Georgians who currently lie in the ‘coverage gap’ – earning too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to qualify for healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Expanding Medicaid, according to Abrams, will create jobs, earn tax revenue for the state, and protect Georgians from crippling medical bills.
Her second topic was one that should find bipartisan support – supporting and protecting military veterans and their families. The Democrats will, said Abrams, “introduce a package of six bills that will close loopholes in Georgia’s laws that leave military families vulnerable to predatory lending, help keep track of children’s welfare and educational outcomes, make it easier for military spouses to get licensed to work in our state, and ensure that military families have access to healthcare.”
The Minority Leader’s third big point was to support Rep. Scott Holcomb’s “Pursuing Justice for Rape Victims Act,” a bill which would require rape kits to be sent directly to the GBI for testing.
For a detailed look at the Democratic Legislative Agenda and to see the bills that will back up the party’s three fundamental pillars, read the full report from the Georgia House Democratic Caucus HERE.
