This bill helps with transparency in your property tax bill. If a school district or local government decides not to give homeowners a certain kind of tax break (called a homestead exemption), then the property tax bill has to clearly say that. It also has to show how much money the school district has saved up (in reserves) and how much that equals per student so that taxpayers can see if the district really needed to raise taxes or not.

HB370

Transparency in School District Property Tax Bills

Legalizes home-based cottage food businesses by allowing the sale of low-risk items like baked goods and jams, provided they meet state labeling requirements. It prohibits local governments from imposing stricter rules and creating consistent regulations statewide.

HB398

Support Georgia Bakers Act

Allows you to vote with a paper ballot that you fill out by hand instead of using the touchscreen machine. You’d still put the paper in a scanner to get counted, but now there’s a physical copy of your vote.

SB214

Secure Paper Ballot and Accessibility Act

Foreign entities and individuals can no longer buy or lease agricultural and forestry land in Georgia, but those who already own such land can keep it. The bill makes sure that there is state oversight and enforcement to block future transactions violating these restrictions.

HB358

Regulation of Foreign Acquisition of Military Installation Land

A school safety law passed after a high school shooting. It requires panic buttons for school staff, yearly digital maps of campuses for first responders, and mental health coordinators in every school district. It also creates a statewide tip line and speeds up how schools transfer student records. Initially, the bill included a statewide student tracking database, but that part was removed after privacy concerns. Instead, the final version allows for a limited alert system to flag students who have made verified threats or committed school violence, with due process protections in place.

HB268

Safe Classrooms Act

Currently, magistrates in Georgia are elected in partisan races (Democrat, Republican, etc.). This bill would make these elections nonpartisan, meaning candidates would not be listed with a party affiliation on the ballot.

HB426

Nonpartisan Election of Magistrates Act

Accelerates the state's planned income tax reductions. Effective retroactively from January 1, 2025, the state income tax rate decreases from 5.39% to 5.19%. The legislation outlines further annual reductions of 0.10% each year until the rate reaches 4.99%, contingent upon specific economic conditions being met. This measure is projected to save Georgia taxpayers approximately $880 million in the upcoming tax year.

HB111

Georgia Income Tax Rate Reduction Act

Prohibits banks, utilities, and other essential service providers from denying service based on political beliefs, religious views, or other constitutionally protected speech. 

SB57

Freedom of Speech and Belief Act

Establishes a new "America First" specialty license plate. This plate features an American flag and the words "America First," symbolizing national pride and patriotism. Proceeds from the plate sales are directed to Georgia's general fund.

SB291

Establishment of 'America First' Specialty License Plate in Georgia

Strengthens state control over firearm regulations by preventing local governments from enacting their own gun laws. It allows individuals to sue cities or counties that violate this preemption, with potential damages up to $50,000 plus legal fees. The bill also defines key firearm terms, sets a one-year statute of limitations for lawsuits, and clarifies exceptions where local regulation is still allowed (like firearm discharge rules).

SB163

Protect Lawful Carriers Act

Prohibits public schools from sharing student directory information, such as names and contact details, with political candidates, campaigns, PACs, or political organizations. It amends the Quality Basic Education Act to ensure student data cannot be used for political purposes, protect student privacy and keep schools free from campaign influence.

SB212

Children’s Privacy and Anti‑Political Solicitation Act

This bill makes two primary changes to Georgia law: first, it expands the definition of incest to include step-grandparents and step-grandchildren, which means that sexual relationships between these family members would now be legally considered incestuous; second, the bill creates a new criminal offense called "interference with a first responder." Under this new provision, a person can be charged with a high and aggravated misdemeanor if they knowingly and willfully approach or remain within 25 feet of a first responder (such as law enforcement, firefighters, or rescue personnel) after receiving a verbal warning, with the intent to impede the first responder's duties, threaten them with physical harm, or harass them. The bill defines "first responder" broadly as anyone providing on-site care before an ambulance arrives, and defines "harass" as engaging in conduct that intentionally causes substantial emotional distress to the first responder without a legitimate purpose. The penalties for this new offense include a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature, which typically carries more serious consequences than a standard misdemeanor.

SB268

First‑Responder Protection and Public‑Order Enhancement Act

Requires anyone working on behalf of a foreign country or foreign-funded political group to register with the state and publicly disclose who they're working for and what they’re doing. This is meant to stop hidden foreign influence in Georgia politics by making that kind of activity visible to the public and government.

SB177

Foreign Political Activity Transparency Act

Protects individuals' religious freedoms by limiting government actions that substantially burden religious practices. The law stipulates that state and local governments cannot impose such burdens unless they can demonstrate a "compelling governmental interest" and that the action is the "least restrictive means" of achieving that interest.

SB36

Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act

Prohibits the use of state funds or resources for gender transition-related medical treatments for inmates in Georgia correctional facilities. This includes surgeries and hormone replacement therapy.

SB185

Prohibition of Certain Medical Treatments for State Inmates

Bans ranked-choice voting in Georgia, meaning the state would continue using traditional voting methods. 

SB175

Banning Ranked-Choice Voting

Removes legal protections for librarians, making them criminally liable if they provide minors with materials deemed harmful under Georgia law. Currently, librarians are exempt from prosecution under obscenity laws, but this bill eliminates that protection. If passed, librarians could face charges unless they can prove they made a good-faith effort to restrict minors’ access to explicit content.

SB74

Library Accountability for Harmful Materials to Minors

Bans medical professionals from prescribing or administering puberty blockers and hormone therapies to minors for gender transition purposes, except in limited circumstances.

SB30

Prohibition of Hormone Therapies and Surgeries for Minors

Removes income and location restrictions for foster parents’ biological or adopted children, meaning they would automatically qualify for the program. I+C39t does not extend the scholarship directly to foster children themselves

SB152

Georgia Promise Scholarship Expansion for Foster Parents' Children

SB28 is a bill that gives the Georgia Legislature more power to review and block new government rules if they cost over $1 million in a five-year period.

SB28

Power to The Georgia Legislature

Allows the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) to fund and support natural gas projects. Currently, GEFA mainly finances water systems and renewable energy, but this bill expands its role to help build natural gas infrastructure, like pipelines or storage facilities

SB13

Georgia Environmental Finance Authority Enhancement Act

A major tort reform law that makes it harder to sue property owners for crimes committed by third parties, lets juries see the actual medical costs paid instead of inflated bills, and allows trials to be split into separate phases for liability and damages.

GA SB68

Comprehensive Civil Practice and Liability Reform Act

SB138 lays out a clear process for newly created cities (municipalities) in Georgia to transition smoothly from being part of a county to operating independently. It applies only to counties with 15 or more cities and helps avoid confusion and legal battles over services like police, roads, and stormwater management.

SB138

Municipal Services Transition Act

SR56 is a constitutional amendment proposal that would increase the amount of land eligible for conservation tax benefits under Georgia’s Conservation Use Valuation Assessment (CUVA) program. SR56 increases that limit to 4,000 acres, allowing larger farms and landowners to benefit.

SR56

Increase Acreage for Conservation Use Property Taxation

Requires local law enforcement (police, sheriffs, jails) to honor immigration detainer requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). it ensures criminal undocumented immigrants are handed over to ICE instead of being released.

SB21

Georgia Immigration Detainer Compliance Act

Prohibits state funds from covering gender-affirming care in state employee and university health insurance plans, Medicaid, and the prison system. It applies to the State Health Benefit Plan, state-funded medical assistance programs, and state healthcare facilities.

SB39

Georgia Gender-Affirming Care Prohibition Act

Georgia mandates that school sports teams be designated based on participants' sex assigned at birth, with separate restrooms and changing areas at athletic events. It also establishes a grievance procedure for enforcement.

GA SB1

Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports In Schools

This Bill promotes safe and responsible social media usage for children. It establishes social media policies in public schools, requires social media platforms to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent for minors, and mandates social media platforms to provide certain information to parents upon request.

GA SB351

Protecting Georgia's Children on Social Media Act of 2024

This bill aims to strengthen regulations on state contracts to ensure integrity and to make sure they are not offered to companies with ties to foreign adversaries. This bill also regulates who state agencies can contract  for marketing services.

SB502

Ensuring Integrity in State Contracts

Allows for immigration status verification before issuing a citation instead of making an immediate arrest. This bill requires local agencies to assist federal agencies with enforcement of immigration laws.

HB1105

Verification of Immigration Status

This Bill will expand Public access to prescription drugs by Increasing the number of pharmacy technicians supervised by pharmacists. This bill also requires reversed drug distributors to make diligent efforts to donate drugs rather than destroy them.

HB1072

Establishes promise scholarship accounts funded by the state at $6,500 per school year per student.  This scholarship is available to GA residents who are not receiving any other scholarships or benefits and apply with a parental agreement saying they will use the scholarship funds only for qualified education expenses.  

SB233

Promise Scholarship Accounts

This bill creates a tax exemption for data center equipment in the State of Georgia from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026. This bill also creates a special commission on Special Commission on Data Center Energy Planning. The commission is set to expire on June 30, 2026.

HB1192

Data Center Equipment Tax Exemption

This bill states pretense in GA to preserve religious freedom. This bill states: “Government shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability”

SB180

Freedom of Religion in Georgia

Provides a homestead exemption from Lamar County school district ad valorem taxes for educational purposes in the amount of $7,000 to residents 70 years and over.

HB865

Lamar County Homestead Tax Exemption

This Bill provides that the text portions or machine marks of  ballots produced by ballot marking devices shall be counted for vote tabulation and recount purposes instead of any machine coding.

SB189

Counting Text not Machine Coding on Ballots

To exempt sales of firearms, ammunition, gun safes, and related accessories from taxes during a 5 day period each year


SB344

Firearm Tax Exemption, 5 Days

Changes the rules for bail. If a person on bail does not show up for trial, they will be arrested. Under this bill, judges will be required to look at the suspect's criminal history before making a decision on bail. Lastly, this bill limits how many times a citizen can pay cash bail.

SB63

Limiting How Many Times a Citizen May Pay Cash Bail

This bill prohibits the use of   ranked-choice voting; to provide for certain exceptions; to repeal conflicting laws; and for   other purposes.

SB355

Prohibit Ranked Choice Voting

This Bill removes the secretary of states from the State Election Board.  This bill also authorizes the State Election Board to investigate the Secretary of State.   It also requires the Secretary of State to cooperate with certain investigations.

SB358

Secretary of State Accountability Act

A RESOLUTION appointing Rick Jeffares to the State Election Board

SR443

State Election Board Appointment

Provides a definition of antisemitism in the state of Georgia. 


HB30

Defining Antisemitism

A Bill relating to the conditions of employment in elementary and secondary education, so as to provide for daily duty-free planning periods for teachers in grades six through 12


HB340

The Daily Duty Free Planning Period Act

This bill prohibits deceptive or misleading terms or false representations by health care practitioners in advertisements and representations; to prohibit the misappropriation of medical or medical specialty titles by health care practitioners in advertisements and representations


SB197

Health Care Practitioners Truth and Transparency Act

The bill creates a board of elections and registration for Cherokee County.


HB642

 Cherokee County Board of Elections

This bill requires health benefit policy coverage for biomarker testing if supported by medical and scientific evidence.


HB85

Insurance; require health benefit policy coverage for biomarker testing if supported by medical and scientific evidence

A bill relating to elementary and secondary education, so as to provide for a school safety and anti-gang endorsement for eligible certificated professional personnel issued by the Professional Standards Commission; to require school safety plans to be submitted to the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency; to require intruder alert drills in all public schools in this state; to require public schools to report completion of such drills to the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency; to provide for parents and guardians to opt their children out of such drills.

HB147

Safe Schools Act

The bill relates to definitions regarding racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations.

SB68

Including Dogfighting as Racketeering Activity

Richmond County and the City of Augusta the mayor shall be a full voting member of the commission.

SB231

Richmond County and the City of Augusta; mayor

The bill proposes that all costs and expenses related to election administration should be paid with lawfully appropriate public funds. It prohibits certain local governments, government employees, and election officials from soliciting or accepting donations or gifts to support election administration, with exceptions for voting location donations, voluntary services, and goods of nominal value. 

SB222

Election Expenses Funding

The bill creates a board of elections and registration for Ware County.


HB422

Ware County Board of Elections

No agency shall require proof of COVID-19 vaccination of any person as a  condition of providing any service or access to any facility, issuing any license, permit,  or other type of authorization, or performing any duty of such agency.

Drew Echols

Georgia | District 49

88.89

Lifetime Key Issues Score

Learn More About Drew Echols

American Culture

100.00%

Big Tech & Free Speech

50.00%

Border Security

100.00%

Election Integrity

100.00%

Medical Freedom

100.00%

School Choice

100.00%

Second Amendment

100.00%

Taxes and Spending

83.33%

Votes

Vote Key

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RioSlum Studio

88.89

Lifetime Key Issues Score

Learn More About Drew Echols

American Culture

100.00%

Big Tech & Free Speech

50.00%

Border Security

100.00%

Election Integrity

100.00%

Medical Freedom

100.00%

School Choice

100.00%

Second Amendment

100.00%

Taxes and Spending

83.33%

Votes

Vote Key

DONATE