The 2021 regular session of the Georgia General Assemble came to a close this week, and after 40 days of legislating, there are several important issues to get caught up on—

Highlights:

• Working with our allies, we were able to secure an additional $15 million for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program
• We helped pass HIV Criminal Justice Reform through the State Senate, for the first time ever. Due to some last-minute political maneuverings however the final bill did not achieve full passage. Our work in 2022 will begin with finishing this important piece of legislation.
• For the 8th year running we stopped all anti-LGBTQ legislation from becoming law.

Lowlights

• The most significant lowlight from the session were the multiple attacks on Voting Access, and specifically that SB 202, the bill that restricts early voting days, restricts distribution of food and water to voters, and changes ID requirements for absentee ballots passed
• Though we were able to get them all stopped this year, legislative attacks on trans youth are likely to continue, and we will continue to fight like hell to defeat them.

Unfinished work:

• Georgia Equality will continue to work toward a state-wide nondiscrimination law that protects LGBTQ Georgians from discrimination.
• Next session, we will continue our work to advance movement on a Conversion Therapy Ban (HB 569)
• Georgia Equality will work to achieve full passage on HIV Criminal Justice Reform, and
• Continue fighting for Medicaid expansion in Georgia