Taxpayer dollars at work: Harris bid, Ossoff on prison pregnancies, Warnock on affordable housing

Caption

Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were in attendance at Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign rally in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

Credit: Sarah Kallis/GPB News

Neither Sen. Jon Ossoff nor Sen. Raphael Warnock is up for reelection this year — the former will run again in 2026 and the latter in 2028. But 2024 is off to a busy start for both senators. In this recurring digital news series, GPB follows your federal tax dollars back to the state of Georgia each week.

For the week ending Aug. 2, the senators focused on investigating the abuse pregnant women face in prisons, helping improve military housing conditions, aiding youth substance abuse programs, and tackling the national housing crisis.

Both senators attended the Vice President Kamala Harris campaign rally in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Harris is the presumptive Democratic nominee in the 2024 U.S. presidential race against Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.

Chatham Emergency Operations Center

On July 26, Warnock visited the Chatham County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and met with local leaders to examine blueprints for the new EOC being built near the Savannah airport.

Warnock secured $1.2 million in federal funding under the Fiscal Year 2023 government funding legislation to build the new EOC.

A press release states, “the new EOC will help city, county and public safety officials coordinate severe weather and emergency response efforts.”

“The future center will support coordinated and centralized response operations by bringing local law enforcement, local officials, and emergency personnel together to ensure residents get the support they need during an emergency.”

The current Chatham County EOC:

• No dedicated dorms or bed
• No conference rooms
• Can’t hold the entire staff scheduled to report during an activation
• At risk of floods in hurricanes over Category 2 strengths

Chatham County expects the construction of the new EOC to end in December 2026.

Youth substance abuse

On July 29, Ossoff announced that he is delivering $2.8 million in federal funding under the Drug-Free Communities Support Programs (DFC) to Georgia communities.

“The funding will empower over 20 community programs that promote drug-free environments for Georgia’s youth,” per a press release.

Ossoff will deliver federal grant awards to the following communities:

Albany/SW Georgia Region:

• Jeff Davis Hospital (Douglas) - $114,620
• Brooks County Drug-Free Communities (Quitman) - $125,000

Atlanta/NW Georgia Region

• P2L Inc Dba Pathways2life (Alpharetta) - $125,000
• Center For Pan Asian Community Services, Inc. (Atlanta) - $125,000
• WestCare Georgia, Inc (Atlanta) - $125,000
• Atlanta Independent School System (Atlanta) - $125,000
• Learn To Grow Inc. (Atlanta) - $125,000
• Union County Board of Education (Blairsville) - $125,000
• Hand Up, Inc. (Calhoun) - $125,000
• Georgia Prevention Project Inc. (Cedartown) - $125,000
• Newton County Family Connection Inc. (Covington) - $125,000
• United Way Of Forsyth County (Cumming) - $125,000
• Family Alliance of Paulding Inc. (Dallas) - $125,000
• Association Of Village Pride Inc. (Fayetteville) - $125,000
• Fayette Alliance Connecting Together Our Resources Inc. (Fayetteville) - $125,000
• Cherokee Focus Inc. (Holly Springs) - $125,000
• Gwinnett United in Drug Education Inc. (Lawrenceville) - $125,000
• Family Connection- Communities In School Athens Inc. (Winder) - $125,000

Augusta/Eastern Georgia Region:

• Family Connection Of Columbia County Inc. (Grovetown) - $125,000
• Family Connection of Warren County Inc. (Warrenton) - $125,000

Savannah/Coastal Georgia Region:

• Camden Community Alliance & Resources Inc. (Kingsland) - $125,000
• Bulloch County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council (Statesboro) - $125,000
• Share Health Southeast Georgia (Waycross) - $125,000

Military housing

On July 30, Sens. Warnock and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve military housing conditions for service members. 

The legislation requires the Department of Defense (DoD) to publicly release reports on privatized family housing on military installations.

Per a press release, the Military Housing Performance Insight (MHPI) Act “is aimed at increasing transparency, supporting oversight efforts, and addressing long-standing issues in military housing quality and safety.”

“Our service members and their families deserve safe, quality housing. That is why I am proud to join Senator Cruz on this bipartisan effort to ensure transparency and accountability needed to maintain high standards in military housing,” Warnock said in a statement. “By making these reports publicly accessible, we can better empower military families and communities to advocate for their needs effectively.”

The new legislation to “make current quality information of military housing publicly available” allows military families, advocacy groups, and communities to “hold local commands and housing management companies accountable.”

Forestry industry

On July 30, Ossoff launched a push to pass bipartisan legislation to help Georgia's forestry industry enforce its State Forest Action Plan (SFAP), which ensures that trees and forests stay healthy in the future.

According to a press release, the Branch Out Implementation Act "would extend the bipartisan infrastructure law's provision that makes $40 million available annually for states to implement their SFAPs."

The legislation comes after the Georgia Forest Commission's 2020 Statewide Forest Resources Strategy reported that forest health is one of Georgia's forests' biggest challenges.

Pregnant women in prison

On July 31, Ossoff revealed at a Human Rights Subcommittee that his investigation into pregnant women's treatment in prisons had uncovered abuse pregnant women faced while incarcerated.

Per a press release, the abuse included:

• Women who were forced to undergo C-sections against their will;
• Pregnant women who were shackled around their stomachs (despite the practice being widely illegal already);
• And women who gave birth unassisted while imprisoned.

Several women who were pregnant while incarcerated provided testimony at the subcommittee hearing.

Ossoff's investigation also found instances of jails and prisons denying women "standard postpartum care" and not addressing postpartum complications and new mothers being separated from their newborns just after giving birth "despite the need for "early mother-infant bonding."

Affordable housing crisis

On Aug. 1, Warnock, alongside Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), introduced new legislation to tackle the housing affordability and availability crisis throughout the country by lowering costs for renters and buyers.

According to an analysis by Moody’s Analytics, the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act would build or rehabilitate about 3 million housing units in the next decade and lower rent costs for lower and middle-class families by 10%.

The legislation would also “return the estate tax thresholds to their levels at the end of the George W. Bush administration and institutes more progressive rates above those thresholds,” per a press release.

The problem today is perfectly clear: more Americans are working more hours only to see their costs of living go up and financial security go down. Despite working harder than ever, Georgians are struggling more than ever to put a roof over their families’ heads.

In almost every community in America – rural, suburban, and urban – we are in the middle of an affordable housing crisis. This crisis is happening, in part, because government housing policy has failed working families. Instead of supporting development, state and local governments have imposed needless rules prevent affordable housing from being built raising costs for all Americans. 

That is why I am proud to help lead the introduction of the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act. This is a transformative and comprehensive piece of legislation that will alter the course of our country as it relates to the housing crisis.

This bill will help bring down costs for renters and buyers and level the playing field so working families everywhere can find a decent place to live at a decent price. — Warnock at a statewide press call

In other news...

On July 27, Ossoff appeared on MSNBC with the Rev. Al Sharpton to discuss the Federal Prison Oversight Act becoming law.

On July 28, Warnock honored Buffalo Soldiers Day, celebrating the first first all-Black Army regiments post-Civil War.

On July 29, Ossoff visited the University of Georgia’s Tipton campus to discuss the $3 million investment he delivered for a agriculture laboratory.

On July 31, Warnock wished the 27 Georgia athletes competing in the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics good luck.

For more about the Georgia athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, read here.