Georgia’s 2024 Legislative Session is nearing its end, and some lawmakers are unfortunately ramping up their efforts to restrict your autonomy and access to information.
Earlier this week, we urged our supporters and friends to contact legislators and voice their concerns about several bills that exemplify the government meddling in affairs that should be decided among families.
One such standalone bill challenges youth access to online learning, library books, and more, while another two are “vehicle” bills, when a proposed law has unrelated legislation inserted into it. This gut-and-replace tactic creates voluminous bills carrying harmful language from multiple other bills, making it unrecognizable from its original purpose.
Here’s some of what we’re keeping an eye on as we enter the final week of session:
- Senate Bill 351 imposes age verification methods for minors wanting to access social media. Youth have privacy rights that this bill would violate. The First Amendment protects the vast majority of online content that lawmakers are aiming to restrict.
- Additionally, the state has previously passed censorship laws that restrict young people’s access to information in classrooms and libraries. Enough is enough.
- Originally crafted to protect student athletes’ mental health, House Bill 1104 now includes legislation related to parent notification of library checkouts (Senate Bill 365), a ban on trans youth participation in school sports (Senate Bill 438), and a sex education ban (Senate Bill 532).
- SB 365 aims to notify parents when their child obtains library materials that are deemed “harmful to minors.” The bill censors students’ right to learn.
- We strongly oppose the language SB 438, which would ban trans students from playing on the sports team that aligns with their gender identity. As our Executive Director Andrea Young suggested, if lawmakers are concerned about children in athletics, they should create more opportunities, not fewer options alongside othering Georgian youth.
- SB 532 would prevent students from accessing factual, appropriate information about sex and reproduction.
- House Bill 1170, which was originally crafted to improve access to overdose-reversal drugs like Narcan, now includes Senate Bill 519, a ban on puberty blockers for trans youth. Despite assurances given during last year’s session, lawmakers want to further restrict access to life-saving, puberty-delaying medications.
Young people’s civil liberties are on the line. Georgia’s parents, not legislators, should have the final say in choosing the content their children access and the medical care they receive. Contact your legislator today, and tell them to vote “No” on one or all of these bad bills.
