'Lawmakers' Day 13: Senate passes girls' sports legislation, House passes budget

Thursday at the Capitol, the House OK'd millions of dollars in state funds and the Senate took up a controversial bill.

The House passed the amended fiscal year 2025 budget nearly unanimously. The amended budget adds millions of dollars the current fiscal year budget to address damage from Hurricane Helene. Prison security and pay for some employees.

“It was important to me and to our speaker that we stick to the timeline of a quick turnaround because this budget contains very important additions, primarily as it relates to Hurricane Helene and the safety and security of our prisons,” Rep. Matt Hatchett (R-Dublin) said.

It also gives $68,000 per school for security improvements. The budget was immediately sent to the Senate for their approval.

Members also acknowledged Alzheimer's Awareness Day with a touching tribute. Rep. Lisa Hagen (R-Lyons) spoke about her journey as a caregiver for her late father-in-law.

“With an estimated 6.9 million Americans suffering living with Alzheimer's, that means there's at least 6.9 million Americans who are caring for them — and most of them are probably not OK, even though they like to put on a good face,” she said. “So today, as we have visitors from the Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's advocates here at the Capitol, I just want to take a minute to recognize the caregivers and remind you that you need to support them when you can in any way that you can.”

Also, women in the House wore red to recognize Women's Heart Health Day at the Capitol and another important health-related recognition.

Lawmakers celebrated the Morehouse School of Medicine's 50th anniversary.

“We are going to continue our work in identifying students who are coming from underserved and underrepresented communities whether it is our nursing program, our P.A. program, our M.D. program, our master's program, our Ph.D. programs,” said Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of the Morehouse School of Medicine. “We're going to convert non-Georgians to Georgians, and we're going to convince them to come and invest and stay in our state, because that's how we know we can increase health care access and achieve health equity.”

A controversial bill dealing with a controversial subject made its way to the Senate floor this afternoon.

Senate Bill 1, the Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act, would ban transgender athletes from competing in female sports at every scholastic level, including banning trans athletes competing in Georgia from other states or private schools.

Republicans say it's needed to protect cisgender female athletes.

“That biological reality, as it relates to sport, shows us that there is a clear male advantage when it comes to sport,” Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming) said. “And what we recognize is the need to put this boundary of male advantage around female sport such that that advantage levels the playing field for females, gives them a competition in which they are competing against other females and does not allow that male advantage to change the nature of the competition.”

Democrats say it does far more harm to transgender children than solving any problem.

“I'm voting no on the sports bill today because regardless of what you might have to say about fairness or safety, I know where this bill comes from,” Sen. Josh McLaurin (D-Sandy Springs) said. “This bill comes from exclusionary politics that have a natural endpoint, and that natural endpoint is the erasure of trans people.”

Not true, responded Republicans.

“There's no attack by anybody in this chamber on you,” Sen. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) said. “As the discussions happened in our committee, you're cared for by members. You're cared for and valued by our state. And nothing we do to protect the value of women's sports should be misinterpreted or twisted or bent by the words of those of the minority party to suggest otherwise.”

“We're simply trying to provide a fair shot for young women in sports,” he added.

Three Democratic amendments were proposed, including one that would make coaches pay facilities and equipment for female sports equal to boys’ sports.

“That's what this amendment does; it impacts thousands of girls lives,” Sen. Kim Jackson (D-Stone Mountain) said. “And what's more, we know that from statistics, when girls play sports, and particularly when they play for a long time, they grow up to be powerful leaders like the one you see standing in this well today.

“We know that when girls play sports, they grow up to be CEOs. They are more likely to finish college, more likely to hold leadership positions when girls play sports,” she continued. “This amendment makes sure that girls have a level playing field and increases the likelihood that girls will stay in the game instead of quitting the game because they don't have equal opportunities.”

Two other amendments would have removed the grade school requirements, but in the end, all three amendments failed to pass.

SB 1 was then passed 35 to 17, with two Democrats voting for the bill.

The House's budget bill was received in the Senate, where it will be their turn Monday to put their mark on the appropriations bill.

GPB's Lawmakers returns for Day 14 on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025 at 7 p.m. Watch the previous week of Lawmakers here.