As our State Representative, I’m incredibly proud of my proven, concrete record to protect our democracy and our diversity here in Georgia. I have a 100% pro-choice voting record for my 6 years in office, fighting to protect and restore reproductive justice rights for women and couples in Georgia, a 100% pro-LGBTQ voting record, a 100% endorsement record from the top 2 LGBTQ groups of record in Georgia, and a 100% record of fighting to protect voting rights, access to the ballot and both early voting and vote by mail in Georgia.

 I’m also incredibly proud to have successfully fought to fully fund the Quality Basic Education formula at our kid’s schools 5 out of the past 6 years after a 10+ year financial drought, pass much needed nearly $10,000  teacher pay raises for every teacher in Georgia over the past 6 years, get $80,000 in direct funding per school to make our kids’ school safer from gun violence and successfully added school safety as a permanent line item in the annual budget,.  I also increased access to mental health and substance abuse care, fought gun violence in our communities, fought to make Georgia a greener and more environmentally friendly state, and rebuilt a strong and independent DeKalb Ethics Board.

Delivering on Decreasing Gun Violence

In Georgia, every day two children are shot,  and every two days a child dies from gun violence.  Firearm injuries are the leading cause of death for children and youth in America.  

I delivered $7.4 million for Community-based violence intervention and prevention programs to be distributed by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

I delivered on school safety and in fighting to decrease gun violence by securing $80,000 per school for increased safety equipment, safety personnel and safety programming, and got school safety added as an annual line item in the state budget.

I delivered on safer schools and decreasing gun violence by partnering with Georgia educators and fighting  AGAINST arming our teachers and keeping more guns out of our classrooms.

I delivered on a safer Georgia and decreasing gun violence by successfully fighting for tax breaks for gun safes and gun safety training.

I’m incredibly proud to have helped to co-launch a grass-roots coalition of doctors,  interfaith leaders, gun violence survivors, mayors, parents, and gun owners themselves, focused on reducing the epidemic of gun violence.  

I’m very proud of my proven record of decreasing gun violence and increasing gun safety by fighting to keep Georgia’s weapon’s carry license, in an effort to ensure that only responsible gun owners can carry handguns in public.  

I fought to increase safety and decrease gun violence by co-sponsoring legislation that introduced legal consequences for leaving a gun unlocked. 

I’m proud of my proven record on gun safety by co-sponsoring legislation to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. 

I’m incredibly proud of my anti-gun violence public record and action, highlighted by my co-sponsoring legislation to ban assault weapons.

But there is so much more work to be done.   I will work to close loopholes in background checks, mandate training for responsible gun owners, raise the minimum age for purchasing a gun from 18 to 21, and end access to high-capacity firearms.  I  believe until every DeKalb County resident feels safe in their home, we have more work to do. 

Delivering on Affordable Housing

I more than doubled funding for the Housing Trust Fund [$3.2m to $7.8m] for home repair, buying homes, and building homes.

I have delivered an important increase in homestead exemptions, the first one in over 30 years, which will help our low-income seniors age in place by saving thousands of dollars per year.

 I also helped fight inflation by tying homestead exemptions to the inflation rate and increasing homestead tax exemption from $2,000 to $4,000, which,  if approved by voters in November, will save homeowners thousands of dollars each year.    

 And I delivered an important increase in tenants’ rights, allowing renters to have three days to pay their rent before an eviction notice can be filed, requires that homes are fit for human habitation, and limits rental deposits to two months rent.  

I delivered on protecting vulnerable homeowners from deed theft by increasing ID requirements.  

I also successfully fought to protect seniors from unscrupulous buyers by making offers more transparent and including going market rates. 

I successfully fought to increase homeowners’ rights by making squatting a criminal misdemeanor instead of a civil matter. This will also increase the supply of housing available, driving down rental and purchase prices. 

I also delivered for Georgia’s low-income homeowners by successfully fighting to protect Georgia’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit at 100%, which was under threat to be decreased to 80%.  LIHTC incentivizes housing developers to build affordable high quality homes and Georgia’s successful program is the envy of many in the country.  

I have partnered with DeKalb Habitat for Humanity for the past three years making home repairs so that our veterans and seniors can age in place.

I successfully co-sponsored legislation that will expand the treatment of drug addiction and mental health illnesses by increasing the number of drug treatment centers and halfway houses in Georgia, removing a restriction for in the state zoning code that caused approvals to take six to nine months. 

Delivering for Our Kids’ Schools

I believe strong public schools are  the cornerstone of our democracy.  I am incredibly proud to have successfully fought to get every single Georgia teacher a much deserved $9,500 pay raise AND a 9% pay raise for school nutrition workers, bus drivers and school nurses, over the past 6 years!  I will continue to fight to increase teacher pay and to decrease classroom size. 

I successfully fought to fully fund the Quality Basic Education formula (QBE) five out of the past six years, while previously we had gone over 10  years with underfunded schools.  I will fight to adjust the funding formula to make sure we account for the role of poverty in our kids’ schools - because every kid should have an opportunity to get a great education regardless of zip code. 

I helped deliver a $178 million new dental school at Georgia Southern.

I helped deliver a $50 million new medical school at the University of Georgia.

I delivered on dramatically increasing Pre-K and Pre-K assistant teacher salaries, bringing them to parity for Kindergarten teachers, to retain high-quality Pre-K teachers. 

I also successfully fought to decrease Pre-K class size from 22 to 20 and increase funding for schools to build more Pre-K classrooms.  

I am very proud to have helped create Georgia’s Literacy Council, which will provide much-needed help to kids who need it while learning to read. Sometimes our little guys have big needs, and because of my decades of relationships with DeKalb public schools as a parent and volunteer and now our State Representative, we were able to meet this need in a way that we hope will increase our kids’ literacy rates.

I am incredibly proud to have co-sponsored and successfully fought to improve the recruitment of high-quality teachers, by allowing retired teachers to return to the classroom and still collect their pension. 

I fought to save our kids' schools money by exempting schools from paying the Plant Vogtle fee.

I am very proud to have stood up against teacher censorship. I stood up against politicians who want to practice revisionist history in our schools and censor teachers from accurate and truthful information about race and racism in our country’s history.  We can teach our children to love America AND love the truth! To see me speak against classroom censorship on race and racism,  click HERE. 

And towards that end, I want to say loud and clear that our public dollars need to stay in public schools.

Delivering on Women’s Rights

I have a 100% voting record on reproductive justice. 

I have a 100% endorsement record by reproductive justice groups. 

I delivered on increasing paid parental leave for state workers from 3 weeks to six weeks.

I have a 100% record of voting AGAINST efforts to strip women of their rights, including reproductive justice rights for women and couples in Georgia.

I am proud of my record of voting to increase diversity in hiring and state contracts to include more women and minorities.

I am passionately committed to doing everything necessary to drive down the mortality rate of pregnant women and newborns in Georgia.

I know that when we ensure women have equal rights in our community, everyone benefits. For example, if Georgia were to end the gender pay gap, Georgia women would immediately have the financial resources for: more than 15 additional months of child care; one additional year of tuition and fees for a four-year public university, or the full cost of tuition and fees at a two-year community college; approximately 69 more weeks of food for her family (more than one year’s worth); nearly seven more months of mortgage and utilities payments; or more than 9.5 additional months of rent - all for no additional work. So we know what’s financially good for Georgia women is financially good for Georgia families - and that’s why as our State Representative I’ll fight to end the gender pay gap.

I believe we should trust and support women to make their healthcare decisions - and of course that includes their reproductive health! Abortions should be safe, legal, and available.  Abortion is deeply personal and often a complex decision. As a lawmaker, I cannot make the decision for someone else.   I will fight to make sure Planned Parenthood receives the funding they need, and to make sure that we have comprehensive sex education and contraception access to reduce the number of abortions that occur.

Delivering on Healthcare

I’m proud to have delivered major recovery reform legislation for the Georgia Recovery community and the behavioral health system. 

Fentanyl is a nemesis in our society. I successfully fought legislation that advances the availability of opioid antagonists to be available in times of crisis.  

 Opioid antagonists are now required in primary schools and most state and local government buildings across Georgia. There was also a bill to clarify and make legal opioid antagonists in vending machines. This will save lives in communities across Georgia.

I am proud to have delivered on advancing peer-positive policy.  I successfully fought for legislation to build a stronger workforce, with peers included, and allow for historic reforms in licensing to allow for more services to more people in more communities across Georgia.

I’m proud to have delivered major medical and mental health services reform, including Georgia’s “parity” for mental health care.

I delivered an important and life-saving increase in access to mental health and substance abuse care, by allowing  behavioral health specialists to go with police on mental health calls, and providing grants for assisted outpatient treatment programs and “accountability courts.”

And I also delivered eliminating student loans for mental health providers who work in underserved areas.

One of my largest victories was working with Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies getting pregnancy Medicaid extended to 12 months after birth, boosting infant and maternal health.  With two-thirds of maternal deaths happening during the postpartum period and Medicaid being a major public source of financing health care services provided to pregnant women, this bill will directly save lives.

I also successfully worked to expand Medicaid to Georgians living with HIV-AIDS. This will ensure people have access to the life-saving medications currently provided by the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, ensure that this population has access to necessary medical care, and allow the state to redirect as much as $53 million in federal HIV funds to strengthen the continuum of care in rural counties across the state.

I also helped reduce childhood lead poisoning by strengthening the testing and abatement standards of lead in homes. 

Even with these advances, many Georgians will remain without access to health care. Almost half a million (490,000) Georgians are not able to meaningfully participate in Georgia's healthcare system because our state has not expanded Medicaid to all low-income, uninsured adults. I will fight to expand Medicaid so that ALL Georgians have the care and coverage they need.

I also believe we need to vastly expand our skilled care providers, such as nurse practitioners and Physician Assistants.  We need to bring more doctors and nurses out to rural Georgia. 

I will also fight to promote organic, local agriculture to help prevent disease, and work with farmers across Georgia to eradicate food deserts.

Delivering on Economic Equality

I have successfully worked towards economic equality by: 

I delivered on decreasing our state income taxes from 5.7% to 4.9%.

I also successfully delivered an increase in the annual child tax credit from $3,000 to $4,000 - saving families another $1,000 per year.

I helped deliver almost $10,000 per year pay raise for state employees.

I helped deliver $500 million to reduce the Georgia Employees’ Retirement System’s debt.

I helped deliver more than $10,000 per year in pay raises every year for law enforcement officers.

I helped deliver state employees their first cost of living pension raise in decades with a $5,000 per year pay raise. 

I helped successfully protect ratepayers over shareholder profits by preventing utility company rate increases.

I helped $400 million for new technology and training to increase the efficiency of the state’s workforce.

I successfully fought to protect city government workers by preventing retaliation for filing sexual harassment claims.

I delivered on protecting workers and their pay by penalizing bad companies who falsely report workers as contractors to avoid paying benefits and fair pay.  

I delivered $6 million for Georgia Piedmont Technical College to build a vocational training center for truck drivers in Stonecrest. 

I fought against a bill that would prevent worker’s right to organize freely.

I enthusiastically supported passing a $15 minimum wage that helps all City of Atlanta workers by ensuring that they are able to earn enough to support their families, afford housing and living costs, and reverse the growing pay gap. And I fully support passing a Living Wage in Georgia.

Delivering on Environmental Protection + Clean Energy

I believe we have a responsibility to ensure the air we breathe is clean, the water we drink is clean, and we leave our children an earth that is healthy and sustainable.  

I’m proud to have fought for and helped pass a Constitutional Amendment which mandated that the impact fees go directly into the trust funds for their intended purpose.  I delivered on doubling the fund to help with recycling, composting and scrap tire cleanup. 

 I’m very proud of my proven record of protecting our environment and I’m incredibly excited about the environmental impact of this important effort.

I helped deliver $250 million for the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority to improve and update local water and sewer projects. 

I also successfully fought to pass legislation against industrial waste dumping helping save our fish and wildlife.

I have sponsored legislation for additional ‘green fleets,” to increase electric vehicles in state and county automotive fleets.

 I also successfully fought to decrease our state’s reliance on fossil fuels by pausing the tax credit for two years for energy-hog data centers, unlike my opponent. 

I delivered on helping our local communities prepare for climate change by financing local infrastructure projects.

I’m incredibly proud of my proven record of remaining completely independent from the fossil fuel industry. Unlike my opponent, I have accepted zero donations from fossil fuel companies.

I have sponsored 18 pieces of environmental legislation to protect our environment and accelerate our transition to a clean energy economy. My opponent has sponsored zero. 

This impressive legislative list includes the Georgian’s First Fund, which would help make utilities more affordable for our families, help our low-income families invest in clean energy, help our low-income families prepare for climate change by making their homes more energy-efficient, and require a healthy financial investment by fossil fuel companies.

I helped create the Georgia Environmental Justice Act, which requires developers to include our local communities in the process to decrease environmental racism and ensure they are not subjected to pollution or other hazards.

I am proud to partner with New Life Community Alliance and Science for Georgia in a three-part Environmental Justice series in 2023/2024.    

The first was a listening session, where community groups presented their environmental health concerns, and we also learned about the Biden Administration’s investment in Justice40 projects, and the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants, where 40% of federal investments must empower disadvantaged communities.  

The second forum focused on choices for actions, primarily water quality testing,  based on the community concerns;  learning about DeKalb’s sustainability plans and status of the water and sewer line replacement. 

Our 3rd event is our Day of Action, also partnering with East Atlanta Community Association, where we will do a community clean up in Ormewood Forest.  

We must decrease the pollution that destroys our lungs and atmosphere. Healthy Air is Healthcare!   I am proud of my proven record of being a reliable proponent of clean energy, especially solar, and will continue to push for more investments in solar and wind.  

I am in favor of moving the state to 100% renewables by 2035.

I will also fight for safer agricultural practices that maintain soil health and create the most nutrient-dense foods for Georgia families. And, I will work to find creative solutions to solve issues of waste and pollution.

Delivering on More Environmentally Friendly Transportation

I helped deliver a historic $1.5 billion investment in updated transportation infrastructure which will create a generation of good-paying union jobs and economic growth. 

I helped specifically deliver $659 million for construction projects in the state Department of Transportation’s existing pipeline

I helped specifically deliver $641 million to improve freight shipments.

I am incredibly proud to have successfully fought for nearly $30 million in the new Transit Trust Fund, to improve transportation options for Georgia families and small businesses. A lack of reliable and efficient transportation is often a huge barrier for our hardworking families trying to build a better life.  Commuting time is a large factor in the odds of escaping poverty. 

Personally, I am most excited by the fact that we successfully fought for and secured this dedicated funding source, funded by “for-hire ground transportation” fees,  to assist with capital projects.  That means we transfer financial pressure to expand transit from Georgia families to the state, where it belongs.  Previous to my tenure, we were the only state with a metro transit system that did not have a dedicated state funding source. 

I will support legislation that increases funding to the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank.

Delivering on Equality

I successfully fought against every anti-LGBTQ bill - 20 of them - in the last session.

I have a 100% endorsement record from the two LGBTQ groups in Georgia.

I have already been endorsed by Georgia Stonewall Democrats again in 2024.

I fought against anti-trans discrimination in sports.

I fought against the misleadingly labeled “religious freedom” bills that were a license to discriminate against our families.

As the daughter of a civil rights activist, I know how important it is to protect the rights and freedoms of others. That is why I am proud to stand with Georgia’s LGBTQIA community and Georgia women.