Leaders in the Georgia House of Representatives are spending the legislative off-season trying to get their counterparts in the state Senate to pass significant bills that deal with issues ranging from antisemitism to tenants rights, House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration said on Wednesday.
Efstration, R-Dacula, talked to the Gwinnett Chamber about the status of key bills the House passed earlier this year only to see them stall in the Senate. They include the antisemitism bill, tenants rights legislation and a bill to continue changes to how mental health is addressed in Georgia.
Even though the Georgia General Assembly’s 2023 session ended at the end of March, bills are technically still alive until the end of the 2024 legislative session.
“We have an opportunity to bring these up next year and between now and January ’24, we’ll be meeting with members of the state Senate to discuss the importance of these critical bills and to answer any questions that might be out there,” Efstration said after the speech.
“I think the opportunity for further discussion and research by members can be very helpful and this is a perfect opportunity for it before we meet next year.”
The antisemitism legislation is one of the most profile pieces of legislation left over from the 2023 session. The legislation came at a time when anti-Jewish flyers were being anonymously distributed in plastic bags at homes across metro Atlanta.
A survey conducted late last year by the American Jewish Committee showed fewer Jewish people felt secure in America in 2022 than they did in 2021. In October 2022, 41% of respondents to the survey said they felt less secure, compared to 31% in 2021.
A hostage situation at a synagogue in Texas raised anxieties in the American Jewish community, according to the group. The committee added that nine out of 10 American Jewish people…
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