Georgia, Out Migrant Workers, Turns to Prison Labor
- The Florida teenager who was arrested two weeks ago for causing a small exp...
- As some of you might know already, Nuns on the Bus will be making a pass th...
- As the shutdown of LSU’s Earl K. Long Medical Center in northern Baton Ro...
- Neither soaking rain nor the lack of permit from the City of Atlanta preven...
- Spokane City Councilman Jon Snyder and President of Aging and Long Term Car...
- One of the consequences of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s policy of shrinking state ...
- The Boston Marathon bombings happened more than 2,700 miles away, but fo...
- On Saturday, as Texas hosted the National Rifle Association’s annual conv...
- Clean energy opponents turned to dirty tactics this week at the North Carol...
- Last week, an exchange between Jeff Flake, Janet Napolitano, and Chuck S...
- An arbitrator said that a picket line of retired longshore union workers ...
- Within hours of renowned climate scientists announcing a staggering milesto...
As Georgia's agricultural fields are finding themselves without its usual mirgrant workforce due to harsh immigration laws, the state is turning towards another cheap source of labor: prisoners. With increased privatization of prisons and inmates providing a "pliable" work source, Georgia's situation may present a harbinger of the kind of labor to come.
Describing if the program that has some of Georgia's "transitional prison inmates" picking onions is likely to spread, a WXIA Atlanta reporter says, "as long as labor shortage continues... this is going to be pretty appealing."
Steve Fraser and Joshua Freeman write on the ubiquity of prison labor: "Prisoners, whose ranks increasingly consist of those for whom the legitimate economy has found no use, now make up a virtual brigade within the reserve army of the unemployed whose ranks have ballooned along with the U.S. incarceration rate."
"All told, nearly a million prisoners are now making office furniture, working in call centers, fabricating body armor, taking hotel reservations, working in slaughterhouses, or manufacturing textiles, shoes, and clothing, while getting paid somewhere between 93 cents and $4.73 per day," write Fraser and Freeman.
Link to original article from Common Dreams
States - Georgia
Georgia Articles
No Freedom in Atlanta’s Freedom Park for Cannabis Activists
Neither soaking rain nor the lack of permit from the City of Atlanta prevented advocates for the legalization of cannabis--commonly known as marijuana--from speaking out at the Great Atlanta Pot Festival 2013. Paul Cornwell, Atlanta Coalition for the Abolition of Marijuana Prohibition (CAMP), and the festival organizer, was turned down for a permit to hold the festival at Hurt Street and Euclid Avenue in the Inman Park area. He was earlier denied a permit to hold the festival in Freedom Park. The Coalition for the Abolition of Marijuana Prohibition Legal Defense Fund filed...
Gloria Tatum | Atlanta Progressive News 12 May 2013 Hits:128 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia Governor Derides Effort to End Whites-Only Prom
The governor's spokesman called the effort to promote an integrated prom in Wilcox County a 'silly publicity stunt.' A group of teens backed by a liberal group in Georgia want to end the segregated prom that exists in Wilcox County. But the governor thinks that effort is “ a silly publicity stunt,” as Think Progress notes. In response to inquiries from Georgia news outlet 13 WMAZ about whether he supports efforts to end the segregated, whites-only prom that parents have organized in Wilcox County, the governor’s spokesman said: “This is a leftist...
Alex Kane | AlterNet 15 Apr 2013 Hits:421 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia high school students fight to end segregated prom
Four girls in Rochelle, Ga. are fighting to do in their hometown what the Civil Rights Act was meant to do for all of America in 1964: end segregation. WSAV in Georgia reports that Wilcox County High School holds two proms for its students: a whites-only prom, and an integrated prom. WSAV notes that the school has never had a fully inclusive prom in its history. Best friends Stephanie Sinnot, Mareshia Rucker, Quanesha Wallace and Keela Bloodworth are trying to change that. “We are all friends,” said Sinnot. “That’s just kind of...
Prachi Gupta | Salon.com 05 Apr 2013 Hits:380 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia Town Passes Law Requiring All Adults to Own Guns
The town’s Police Chief said he hopes “having a gun would help residents take their protection into their own hands,” since the town has an understaffed police department. Late Monday, Nelson, Georgia passed a law called the “Family Protection Ordinance” that requires every adult in the 1,300-person town to own a gun “for purposes of emergency management and general safety of the city.” The town’s Police Chief, Heath Mitchell, told the AP that he hopes “having a gun would help residents take their protection into their own hands,” since the town has an...
Annie-Rose Strasser | ThinkProgress 02 Apr 2013 Hits:303 Georgia
Read moreAtlanta Test Cheating: Tip of the Iceberg?
It would be easy to think that the Atlanta cheating scandal by adults on standardized tests is the worst we have seen, given last week’s startling indictment against former Atlanta schools superintendent Beverly Hall and 34 others under a law used against mobsters. But you shouldn’t. In the past four academic years, test cheating has been confirmed in 37 states and Washington D.C. (You can see details here, and, here, a list of more than 50 ways that schools can manipulate test scores.) The true extent of these scandals remain unknown, and,...
Valerie Strauss | The Washington Post 02 Apr 2013 Hits:234 Georgia
Read moreTerence Dicks PDA Georgia Leader Sworn-in to Richmond County Board of Elections
On the banks of the Savannah River, the Rev. Terence A. Dicks of Augusta, Georgia now represents the Democrats on the Richmond County Board of Elections. Terence represents the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) in the south and is co-founder of the PDA Southern Strategy with Andrea Miller (the pair co-host PDA Radio). Rev. Dicks is the PDA Southern Regional Organizer and PDA State of Georgia Coordinator, where he has created 11 chapters and is working on others thanks to lots of support from Georgians ready for change whom hold progressive MLK-era...
Greg Peterson 24 Mar 2013 Hits:532 Georgia
Read moreSolar energy project benefiting Cobb EMC back on track
Energy provider Dominion has signed a deal to take over a planned solar energy project in east-central Georgia that will have Cobb Electric Membership Corp. as its customer. The 40-acre solar project, called the Azalea Solar Power Facility, will be on farmland and forest acreage about 60 miles southwest of Augusta. The plant will produce about 7.7 megawatts of electricity using photovoltaic technology. Dominion said it has a 25-year purchase power agreement with Cobb EMC, which serves about 176,000 customers. “When we can add renewable energy...
Christopher Sewart | Atlanta Journal Constitution 06 Mar 2013 Hits:300 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia Legislators Propose Ending Direct Election of Senators—Why Not Just Get Rid of the…
It is a matter of public record that the United States Senate is a terrible place where serious policy issues are ignored; routine votes are occasionally delayed over concerns aboutnon-existent terrorist groups; and proverbial cans are proverbially kicked down the proverbial road of sadness, gridlock, and despair. What's less clear is why the Senate is such a congress of louts. Is it the endless pressure to raise money? The never-ending campaign? The fact that Americans hold lots of substantive disagreements on important things and are themselves—it's been said—somewhat dysfunctional? Actually, according to Georgia...
Tim Murphy | Mother Jones 16 Feb 2013 Hits:405 Georgia
Read moreJohn McNeil Coming Home
On the eve of Lent, and the 104th anniversary of the founding of the NAACP, which began as an organization fighting against the false and unjust convictions of African-American men, the Georgia criminal justice system has engaged in a kind of partial repentance. John McNeil was wrongfully convicted nearly six years ago. Two white police officers and a white eye witness testified he acted in self-defense against an aggressor on his own property. His livelihood was taken away. A Georgia Superior Court ruled that there were substantial judicial errors in his...
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber | North Carolina NAACP 12 Feb 2013 Hits:328 Georgia
Read moreNorth Carolina NAACP Delegation Travels to Cobb County, Georgia to Attend Court Hearing fo…
A day after mourning and celebrating the life of his wife and strongest supporter, the NC NAACP is traveling to Georgia today to attend a hearing for John McNeil. John McNeil was wrongfully convicted of first degree murder after defending his son from an attacker at his house in 2006. A funeral service was held yesterday for his wife Anita McNeil, who passed away last week after a long battle with cancer. "No matter how dark the outlook, or slim the chances, we never gave up hope because Anita McNeil wouldn't...
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, NCNAACP 11 Feb 2013 Hits:331 Georgia
Read moreAnd Climate Justice/Immigrant Rights for All: Georgia Students Take Lead in Uniting Moveme…
While Big Green organizations, Latino and immigrant rights groups meet in Washington, D.C. to plot out their post-election strategies on climate policy, clean energy and immigration reform, an extraordinary alliance of students in Georgia is already taking the lead among campuses nationwide in uniting their movements with a shared vision: And Justice for All. In red state Georgia? With its draconian Arizona-copycat "papers, please" immigration law, including a special ban on college entrance for undocumented students, and its schools and communities dealing with the toxic fallout over coal-burning...
Jeff Biggers | The Huffington Post 13 Nov 2012 Hits:569 Georgia
Read moreDemocrats rally to save Georgia State Archives from Republican budget cuts – who put compa…
(Morrow, Georgia) – Determined to ensure Georgia’s rich history is readily available, Democrats in the Peach State are rallying to keep the Republican Administration from effectively closing the Georgia State Archives thus becoming the only state in the nation without a state archives that is open to the public. In what Georgia Archives supporters describe as a major step backwards for the state’s civil rights history and citizens, Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp recently ordered seven employees laid-off when the facility ceases operations on Nov. 1. Archive supporters described those...
Greg Peterson 02 Oct 2012 Hits:782 Georgia
Read moreSavannah, GA Oct. 2 union rally: Protest Romney notion "corporations are people," overturn…
(Savannah, GA) - Georgia unions are holding a march and rally this Tues., Oct. 2, 2012 in Savannah, Georgia because organizers say "Corporations are Not People" as Democrats and labor unions gather to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution suggested by Pres. Obama to overturn the controversial U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission (FEC), according to event organizers. Goals of the event - entitled the "Hit the Road Jack" Day of Action - are to publicly fight the notion by Mitt Romney that...
01 Oct 2012 Hits:763 Georgia
Read moreNC NAACP Statement on Court Ruling on John McNeil Case
Judge Rules in Favor of John McNeil In a great victory for justice in the State of Georgia, a judge ruled yesterday in favor of a habeas corpus claim brought to her by John McNeil's lawyers and supported by the NAACP. The judge ruled that there were several glaring omissions and mistakes during his original trial that compromised the final ruling and sentence. This a great step for the judge to acknowledge something went wrong in the case and conviction of John McNeil. We have two white senior detectives, a white eye witness, a Chief Justice of the...
Rev Dr William J Barber and Atty Al McSurey | NC NAACP 29 Sep 2012 Hits:737 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia and USA voter suppression, voter ID laws, felon disenfranchisement, groups fight f…
Links to maps: Find your state’s voting rights, voter ID laws and voter suppression info in Georgia and across USA: Map of Shame: Voter Suppression Legislation Tracker ACLU Map Cost of Freedom Map Election Protection Coalition Map Non-Profit Vote Definitions of Felon/Ex-Felon by State Georgia Voting Rights, Voter Suppression, GA Voter ID Law and Felon Disenfranchisement info from ACLU, NAACP and more: ACLU of Georgia
26 Sep 2012 Hits:814 Georgia
Read moreProtect Voting Rights through Election Protection: Volunteer - November 6, 2012 - Atlanta,…
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law ("Lawyers' Committee") and its coalition partners seek volunteer attorneys, paralegals and law students for Election Protection on Election Day, November 6, 2012. Election Protection is the country's largest non-partisan voter protection program and is supported by a national coalition that works throughout the year to break down barriers to the ballot box for traditionally disenfranchised voters. To that end, the Lawyers' Committee and its partners are seeking legal volunteers in the Atlanta area to serve at a call center or as part of...
American Constitution Society 25 Sep 2012 Hits:743 Georgia
Read moreNAACP leaders want freedom for John McNeil
NAACP leaders on Monday again demanded the release of a black man imprisoned after shooting a white man on the shooter's property. The activists said John McNeil's conviction was proof that self-defense laws, which McNeil cited in his 2006 trial, are not applied equally to all races in the United States. McNeil is serving a life sentence for the 2005 shooting death of Brian Epp, whom he had hired as a contractor on his Kennesaw home. "Something is wrong here. Morally wrong. Legally wrong," said the Rev. William Barber II, an NAACP...
Bill Barlow | Associated Press 10 Sep 2012 Hits:619 Georgia
Read moreThe PDA 2012 People’s Convention in Charlotte, NC – Taking Back Democracy: From U.S. Supre…
Pictured left to right on a PDA Peoples Convention panel on Election Reform are Terence Dicks, Steve Cobble, David Segal, David Cobb and John Nichols. View a slideshow of photos of this and other events from Progressive Central 2012 on the PDA America flickr site.
07 Sep 2012 Hits:766 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia Voter Suppression, Republican Buying of Southern Lawmakers Among Topics at PDA “Pr…
(Charlotte, NC) – Progressive Democrats and others must work like never before to get out the vote to re-elect President Obama as they fight Republican voter suppression and other illegal tactics like buying legislators, said the Rev. Terence A. Dicks, Progressive Democrats of America Southern Regional Organizer and PDA State of Georgia Coordinator. Dicks outlined the Republican efforts to stop Democrats and other Obama supporters...
05 Sep 2012 Hits:1717 Georgia
Read moreSelf-defense, still put away for life
The facts are clear. Justice was denied in Georgia. Let me remind you of the details of a case from 2005. In self-defense, John McNeil, a successful African American businessman and father of two, shot and killed a Caucasian man. The deceased was a former builder who worked on John's property and had threatened John and his son with a weapon. The police were called, but they didn't arrest John. It was clear that John acted in self-defense and that no crime had been committed. But 274 days...
Edward DuBose | Georgia NAACP 24 Aug 2012 Hits:791 Georgia
Read moreCivil rights leaders will speak at the "Stand for Peace 10th Anniversary" This Friday
The Stand for Peace 10th Anniversary event is this Friday, August 24, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia hosted by Georgia Women's Action for New Directions (WAND). Join Georgia WAND, U.S. Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), civil rights icon Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery and Mrs. Evelyn Lowery to mark ten years of Standing for Peace. http://www.facebook.com/events/234269503363216/ Friday, August 24, 201212 NoonColony SquarePeachtree Street and 14th StreetAtlanta, GA According to Ga WAND: Dying at a rate of one per day, 80,000 American troops are still fighting in Afghanistan - the forgotten war. The American death toll is 1,968 Plus 2,332...
Terence Dicks 23 Aug 2012 Hits:603 Georgia
Read moreNational "Stop Plant Vogtle Week of Action"
This is the "Stop Plant Vogtle Week of Action" (August 19-25) hosted by Georgia Women's Action for New Directions (WAND). The Department of Energy (DOE) announced Tuesday, January 31, 2012 that it does not plan to honor its promise to restore environmental monitoring in Georgia communities surrounding the Savannah River Site (SRS), a U.S. nuclear weapons complex notorious for its Cold War legacy radioactive waste. This monitoring, which was cut in Georgia 2003, tests drinking water, rain, crops, fish, air and more near SRS in order to...
Terence Dicks 23 Aug 2012 Hits:583 Georgia
Read moreAugusta National attempts to enter modern era But has long way to go before hitting the m…
Augusta National admits women and only admitted blacks in 1990 due to sponsor pressure It's about time. While admitting women is a long overdue stroke - do not expect me to praise the Masters Mecca because it is finally attempting to enter the modern era. Don't be fooled - it's an extremely snobbish, exclusive club that will never welcome even the moderately rich - unless you can buy the expensive tickets. Financial backers of the national were upset by the negative publicity - just like when they finally admitted African Americans http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/othersports/augusta-national-gains-stature-by-admitting-condoleezza-rice-darla-moore/2012/08/20/3f2f97ca-eb01-11e1-b811-09036bcb182b_story.html The Augusta National...
Terence Dicks | PDA Georgia 21 Aug 2012 Hits:985 Georgia
Read morePDA GA Chapter Chairs at DPG State Committee Meeting - where they work for Progressive cha…
(Macon, Georgia) – Georgia chapter chairs for the Progressive Democrats of America were out in force in Macon on June 16, 2012 at the Democratic Party of Georgia (DPG) 2012 State Committee Meeting. The Progressive Democrats of Georgia are actively working within the DPG to keep progressive issues in the forefront. Pictured left to right are David Robinson, Miguel Camacho, Eric Pines, Terence A. Dicks, Fenika Miller and Elliott Smith. All served on the DPG State Committee and are active Progressive Democrats seeking change within the party. Among the issues before...
Terence Dicks | PDA Georgia 19 Jun 2012 Hits:809 Georgia
Read moreKKK Chapter Wants to Adopt-a-Highway. Will Georgia Let Them?
A fascinating legal battle is brewing in Georgia over a mile-long piece of road. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:The Georgia Department of Transportation is reviewing the May 21 request filed by International Keystone Knights of the KKK in Union County and are set to meet with lawyers from the state attorney general’s office today to decide what to do. The application — which covers a one-mile stretch of Route 515 in the Appalachian Mountains near the North Carolina border — has placed Georgia officials in a bind....
Sarah Seltzer | Sourced from AlterNet 12 Jun 2012 Hits:648 Georgia
Read moreDozens of Police Evict Georgia Family at Gunpoint at 3am
The eviction might have been another anonymous descent into poverty were it not for Occupy Atlanta activists who tried to help the family stay. Four generations of a Georgia family were evicted at gunpoint by dozens of sheriffs and deputies at 3am last week in an Atlanta suburb. The eyebrow-raising eviction, a foreclosure action, might have been another anonymous descent into poverty were it not for Occupy Atlanta activists who tried to help the family stay in home of 18 years. The eviction came as Frazer, 63, who...
Steve Rosenfeld | AlterNet 06 May 2012 Hits:1022 Georgia
Read moreState Sen. Nan Orrock bids adieu to controversial conservative think tank
State Sen. Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta, one of the Gold Dome's most liberal members, has cut ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, the controversial think tank that's successfully pushed a conservative, free-market agenda by whispering sweet policy into the ears of state lawmakers across the country. In related news, Nan Orrock was a member of ALEC?!? The senator's reason for tearing up her membership card is pretty awesome. Via Bryan Long of Better Georgia, the progressive organization that's been hounding Georgia lawmakers to ...
Thomas Wheatley | Atlanta Creative Loafing 21 Apr 2012 Hits:807 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia, Out Migrant Workers, Turns to Prison Labor
As Georgia's agricultural fields are finding themselves without its usual mirgrant workforce due to harsh immigration laws, the state is turning towards another cheap source of labor: prisoners. With increased privatization of prisons and inmates providing a "pliable" work source, Georgia's situation may present a harbinger of the kind of labor to come. Describing if the program that has some of Georgia's "transitional prison inmates" picking onions is likely to spread, a WXIA Atlanta reporter says, "as long as labor shortage continues... this is...
Common Dreams Staff 20 Apr 2012 Hits:967 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia Settles Lawsuit To Offer Voter Registration to Public Assistance Recipients
The state of Georgia has settled a lawsuit with a coalition of voting rights groups to enforce a requirement in the federal National Voter Registration Act to offer the opportunity to register to vote to anyone applying for state public assistance or disability support. The settlement is the latest in a string of victories for voting rights advocates who have sued state after state for essentially abandoning the NVRA's public assistance agency requirements. Instead, these states have argued that the opportunity to register...
Steven Rosenfeld | Sourced from AlterNet 19 Apr 2012 Hits:1088 Georgia
Read moreWhen “stand your ground” fails
John McNeil killed a white man who assaulted him on his property. But, unlike George Zimmerman, he's serving life As the shooting death of Trayvon Martin and the failure of authorities to arrest his killer, George Zimmerman, continues to grab headlines, many conservatives and gun rights advocates insist that race has nothing to do with it. Some have also rallied to the defense of Florida’s “stand your ground” law, the self-defense legislation under which Zimmerman was able to avoid arrest. Yet not all stand your ground...
Rania Khalek | Salon.com 12 Apr 2012 Hits:1109 Georgia
Read moreProposed Ben Hill Coal Plant Cancelled
Power4Georgians in Tenuous Position on Plant Washington After Legal Agreement Clean air advocates and environmental groups won a victory today when Power4Georgians (P4G), the only company trying to develop expensive new coal plants in Georgia, agreed to cancel the proposed Ben Hill coal-fired power plant. The company also agreed to comply with critical new safeguards against mercury pollution and invest $5 million in energy efficiency and renewable projects. The Sierra Club, the Fall Line Alliance for a Clean Environment (FACE), Southern Alliance for Clean...
Sierra Club 10 Apr 2012 Hits:599 Georgia
Read moreAt 11th Hour, Georgia Passes "Women As Livestock" Bill
After an emotional 14-hour workday that included fist-fights between lobbyists and a walk-out by women Democrats, the Georgia House passed a Senate-approved bill Thursday night that criminalizes abortion after 20 weeks. The bill, which does not contain rape or incest exemptions, is expected to receive a signature from Republican Gov. Nathan Deal. Commonly referred to as the "fetal pain bill" by Georgian Republicans and as the "women as livestock bill" by everyone else, HB 954 garnered national attention this month when state Rep. Terry England (R-Auburn) compared...
Lauren Barbato M.S. Magazine 04 Apr 2012 Hits:2215 Georgia
Read moreDownwardly Mobile: One Man's View of How Georgia Undermines Its Unemployed
ATLANTA -- His name is not important; his story is. Let’s call him Joe. Life has been bad lately for Joe and others like him. And now, thanks to the heartless actions of the Republican-dominated Georgia General Assembly, things are about to get worse for many more Joes. As legislators raced toward adjournment in the waning hours of their mandated 40-day annual session in late March, they trampled on the well-being of those who will become unemployed in the months ahead. It’s already hard enough to...
George Bauer | AlterNet 03 Apr 2012 Hits:581 Georgia
Read moreHans Von Spakovsky’s False Conclusions About Georgia’s Voter ID Impacts
In my last blog I said that Georgia has a unique situation in terms of its voter ID law, which was put into effect in 2007. As is often cited by photo voter ID law proponents, voter turnout did in fact increase between the 2004 presidential elections, which did not feature a photo voter ID mandate, and the 2008 presidential elections, which did. The numbers on this can not be refuted, and Heritage Foundation’s Hans Von Spakovsky often excitedly refers to the Georgia case...
Bretin Mock | ColorLines 31 Mar 2012 Hits:695 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia’s Statewide Undocumented Students College Ban Fails
When the clock struck midnight last night signaling the end of the 2012 legislative session in Georgia, the state passed an important milestone. “This is the first year in many years where no anti-immigrant measures passed in Georgia,” said Azadeh Shahshahani, director of the Immigrant Rights Project at the ACLU of Georgia. But it might have been a very different story. Georgia was considering, and had quickly advanced, a bill that would have expanded the state’s ban on undocumented students entering public colleges and...
Julianne Hing | Sourced from Colorlines | Alternet 31 Mar 2012 Hits:739 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia lawmakers pass abortion bill on last, emotional day
Rep. Michele Henson (D-Stone Mountain) left, talks with Rep. Sharon Beasley-Teague (D-Red Oak) as they attend the abortion debate on the Senate floor on Monday. Senate lawmakers eased a major restriction Monday on a bill that would ban women from getting abortions five months into a pregnancy.The Associated Press Two of the most contentious issues of this year's General Assembly passed on the last day of this year's session, salvaged by Republican leaders who wanted to tout them as major victories this election year. New restrictions...
Kristina Torres and Christopher Quinn | Atlanta Journal-Constitution 30 Mar 2012 Hits:808 Georgia
Read moreGeorgia Republicans …
Georgia Republicans continue the push to pass SB 469, the anti-picketing bill that has temporarily united tea partiers and unions in opposition. With just days before the legislative session ends: The Republican-led…
Will Georgia's Latin…
Georgia found a way to top its own anti-immigrant lawmaking record this week when the state Senate voted on Monday to ban undocumented immigrant students from all public colleges in…
A Little Sunshine On…
Senate Bill 401 was filed this week, seeking to expand the use of renewable energy in the state of Georgia. The bills’ reading is somewhat technical, but essentially…
New Georgia Bill Inc…
The growing trend of legislators in Southern states that already have low union density and so-called "right-to-work" laws on the books proposing harsher anti-union laws has now…
Georgia's Redistrict…
The office of Georgia Governor Nathan Deal says the U.S. Department of Justice has approved the new congressional and legislative maps drawn by state lawmakers this past…
Georgia Keeps Kids L…
A custody fight in Georgia illustrates the biases of a foster care system that subverts the parental rights of undocumented and non-English speaking parents. A custody fight in Georgia…
Democratic Party Of …
Georgia Politico’s Dustin Baker writes of a high-ranking Georgia Democratic Party official lending his support to the 99 Percent Movement. Yesterday, Russell Edwards, the Georgia Democratic Party’s Treasurer and co-host of…
VIDEO: Occupy Atlant…
Several Occupy Atlanta protesters have been arrested after a rally in a city park spilled into the streets. Several hundred protesters had gathered at city's Woodruff Park and…
Occupy Atlanta | Rai…
Joe Beasley, the southern regional director of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, on Tuesday called on Atlantans to oust Mayor Kasim Reed from office because of what he calls…
Direct from the Democratic Party of Georgia
Gov. Deal Signs Democratic Bills into Law
The Georgia House Democratic Caucus has created their May edition of the Blue Star Report which details several Democratic bills that have been signed into law by Governor Deal. Our Party is proud of all of our elected Democratic officials...
Meet Frank Ski at Old Skool Hip Hop & R&B Night (June 14)
Farooq Mughal: One of Georgia’s 25 Most Influential Asian-Americans
Georgia – Farooq Mughal, Chair of the Asian American Caucus of the Democratic Party of Georgia, has been named as one of the 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in the state by Georgia Asian Times 2013. This annual list honors Asian-Americans...
Democratic Party of Georgia Statement on the Boston Marathon Bombing
Georgia Democrats offer our sincere condolences to the victims and families of the Boston marathon bombing. We pray for deliverance for the deceased, healing for the injured, and that justice will be served upon the perpetrators of this heinous...
Legislative Wrap-Up from the Georgia House Democratic Caucus
The Georgia House Democratic Caucus has released their special Legislative Wrap-Up Blue Star Report, which details the good, bad, and ugly of the 2013 General Assembly Session. For a PDF of the Blue Star Report, click here: Blue Star Report...
Chairman Mike Berlon: What is the future for Georgia Democrats?
I want to invite you to an exciting and informative event being held by the Atlanta Press Club. On Tuesday, April 23rd, I will be one of several panelists that will be discussing the future of Georgia Democrats. I’ll be representing the Democratic...
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Issue Team Calls
| Tue May 21, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Healthcare for All Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 733525# |
| Wed May 22, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM End Corporate Rule IOT Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 754227# |
| Mon May 27, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM PDA ERA 3 State Strategy Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 787085# |
| Tue May 28, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections IOT Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 314363# |
| Wed Jun 05, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Economic and Social Justice Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 781761# |
| Mon Jun 10, 2013 @ 8:30PM - 09:30PM End Mass Criminalizations IOT Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 331473# |
| Tue Jun 11, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM End Wars and Occupations Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 952870# |
| Tue Jun 18, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Healthcare for All Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 733525# |
| Wed Jun 19, 2013 @ 9:00PM - 10:00PM Stop Global Warming Issue Team Call (559) 726-1300; Access Code: 661274# |
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PDA Issues
PDA is organized around several core issues. These issues include:
- End Corporate Rule
- Healthcare for All/Single Payer
- ERA 3 State Strategy
- Economic and Social Justice
- End Wars and Occupations
- Stop Global Warming
- End Mass Criminalization
- Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections
- Stop Voter Suppression
Each team hosts a monthly conference call. Calls feature legislators, staffers and other policy experts. On these calls we determine PDA legislation to support as well as actions and future events.
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| Sat Apr 27, 2013 @ 6:00PM - 08:00PM Politics & Policy Seminar |
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GA Legislators with ALEC Ties
House of Representatives
- Rep. Calvin Hill, Jr. (R-21), ALEC State Chairman,[17][66] Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force and International Relations Task Force member[28] and recipient of ALEC's 2011 State Chair of the Year Award[1]
- Rep. Don L. Parsons (R-42); Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force
- Rep. David S. Casas (R-103); Education Task Force
- Rep. Doug Collins (R-27); Civil Justice Task Force
- Rep. Edward H. Lindsey, Jr. (R-54); Civil Justice Task Force
- Rep. Ed Setzler (R-35); Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
- Rep. Larry E. O'Neal (R-146); Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
- Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-41)[17]; Health and Human Services Task Force
- Rep. Ben L. Harbin (R-118); International Relations Task Force
- Rep. Gerald E. Greene (R-149); International Relations Task Force
- Rep. Josh S. Clark (R-98); International Relations Task Force
- Rep. Jack Murphy (R-27); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Rep. Mark D. Hamilton (R-23); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Rep. Tom R. Rice (R-51)[17]; Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Rep. Donna Sheldon (R-105)[17]; Health and Human Services Task Force
- Rep. Judy Manning (R-32); Health and Human Services Task Force
- Rep. Lynn Smith (R-70); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Rep. Michael Harden (R-28); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Rep. Charlice Byrd (R-20)[17]; Health and Human Services Task Force
- Rep. Howard R. Maxwell (R-17); Education Task Force
- Rep. Jan Jones (R-46); Education Task Force
- Rep. Charles E. Martin, Jr. (R-47); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Rep. Kip Smith (R-129); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Rep. James W. Mills (R-25)[17]; Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Rep. Mike Dudgeon (R-24); Education Task Force
- Rep. Carl Rogers (R-26); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Rep. Terry England (R-108); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Rep. Paulette Rakestraw-Braddock (R-19); International Relations Task Force
- Rep. Billy S. Horne (R-71); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Rep. Kevin Cooke (R-18); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Rep. Lynne Riley (R-50); Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
- Rep. Buzz Brockway (R-101); Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force
- Rep. Barry D. Loudermilk (R-14); Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force
- Rep. Amos Amerson (R-9)[17]
- Rep. John Meadows (R-5)[17]
- Rep. James Mills (R-25)[17]
Senate
- Sen. Chip Pearson (R-51)[20]
- Sen. Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-21),[17][20] ALEC State Chairman,[67] and recipient of ALEC's 2011 State Chair of the Year Award[1]
- Former Sen. John Wiles (R-37), former State Chairman[68]
- Sen. Don Balfour (R-9) [69]
- Sen. Jesse Stone (R-23); Civil Justice Task Force
- Sen. William Hamrick (R-30); Civil Justice Task Force
- Sen. Renee Unterman (R-45)[17]; Health and Human Services Task Force
- Sen. Judson Hill (R-32)[17]; Health and Human Services Task Force
- Sen. Ross Tolleson (R-20); Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force
- Sen. Fran R. Millar (R-79); Education Task Force
- Sen. John E. Albers (R-56); Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force
- Sen. Nan G. Orrock (D-36); Resigned on April 17, 2012
- Sen. Bill Heath (R-31); Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force
- Sen. Jack Hill (R-4); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Sen. Steve Gooch (R-51); Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force
- Sen. Greg Goggans (R-7); Education Task Force
- Sen. Cecil P. Staton (R-18)[17]; International Relations Task Force
- Sen. Ronnie W. Chance (R-16); International Relations Task Force
- Sen. Johnny Grant (R-25); Public Safety and Elections Task Force
- Sen. Lee Hawkins (R-49)[17]
Former Legislators
Legislators Who Have Cut Ties To ALEC
- Sen. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) - In a statement to the citizens’ action group Better Georgia on April 17, 2012, Orrock denounced ALEC, calling it “radical,” “dangerous” and accused it of “impeding democracy.”[1]
- “As a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council for several years, having joined ALEC with the primary goal of better understanding the corporate-dominated organization, I know first-hand that ALEC is not the innocuous organization it claims to be,” Orrock said.[1]
Information from Sourcewatch: