Maybe we need DOGE in Georgia
I became annoyed last week with some of our state representation under the Gold Dome. State senators attempted to slide some legislation in at the last minute that would continue to weaken our rights to know about our government. Seventeen republicans and two democrats sponsored a bill which seems to push an agenda that would make it where you and I know less about our government and its interactions. The senators sponsoring Senate Bill 12 include Republicans Frank Ginn, Randy Robertson, Carden Summers, Clint Dixon, Shawn Still, Bill Cowsert, Ben Watson, Blake Tillery, Bo Hatchett, John Albers, Matt Brass, Kay Kilpatrick, Russ Goodman, Steve Gooch, Sam Watson, Brandon Beach and Chuck Payne. Two Democrat sponsors include Emanuel Jones and Kenya Wicks.
The changes to the legislation attempted to shield private contractors from open records law requirements when they do business with Georgia government entities, prevent state agencies from disclosing communications with lawmakers (as well as any information or data provided to lawmakers), and allow police departments to shield from the public almost all information about officers’ stops, arrests and incident responses/reports. Could you imagine the impact from the last change alone? It could be months before information is released on the criminals that possibly live in your neighborhood.
I personally believe we the citizens would like to see more accountability in our government, not less. Why would legislators in Georgia attempt to erode the public’s right to know when there is a movement across the country right now for more accountability in government? Maybe a good dose of DOGE is needed in Georgia as well.
I expressed my concerns to senators and representatives in the communities our newspapers serve about the changes that were made to Senate Bill 12. Two state representatives, Bill Werkheiser and Steven Meeks, were the only two who responded. Werkheiser pointed out that these changes were made in the Senate’s version of the bill and not in the House of Representatives. Meeks later reported that the House of Representatives removed the last-minute changes from their version of the bill. Thank you to these two representatives for responding and for their efforts.
Like many of you, my family pays a lot of local, state, and federal taxes. I got a nice $7,400.00 surprise last week in additional taxation (Talk about something to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside… try a surprise $7,400.00 tax bill). I personally want to know how my government is operating at all times and not be restricted from getting information if I choose to request it. After all, it’s our money that is funding the government. I encourage our state officials to resist any legislation that would weaken the public’s right to know. I’d even go one step further by encouraging our leaders to strengthen our legislation to protect Georgia’s Sunshine Laws.
I also encourage you as citizens to stay up-to-date on what is happening during these state legislative sessions.
