This is a legislative update from State Representative Lehman Franklin.
Welcome to Under the Gold Dome, where I break down what’s happening during the 2025 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly! It is my goal to keep you informed as much as possible about how your tax dollars are being spent and how our state government is best serving you and our community. As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative in Atlanta.
If you need anything at all, have questions about a piece of legislation, or want to discuss issues that are important to you or your family, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
-Lehman
Week 7 Highlights:
- On Monday, February 24, we reconvened for the week, which included four legislative days and one committee work day.
- The House unanimously passed HB 428 – a bill I sponsored to protect access to IVF treatments.
- The House also took steps to strengthen our education system by passing HB 307, which aims to support students with dyslexia.
- Another important bill that we passed is HB 171, which aims to protect kids from computer-generated obscene online material.
- HB 108 provides various protections for veterans applying for benefits, and HB 253 – also known as Ethan’s Law – aims to protect Georgia families during the reunification process.
- Under current law, judges in juvenile courts can order parents to send their children across state lines for reunification.
- Ethan’s law will stop this from happening, and is a crucial step forward in protecting parental rights and the safety and well-being of Georgia kids.
- The House also passed HB 267, the Riley Gaines Act. This bill mandates separate restrooms and changing rooms for male and female athletes.
- By the end of the week, the House passed at least 43 other bills – the most so far this session!
>>> Go here to learn more about all the votes we took this week!
Digging Deeper
- I was incredibly proud to see my bill, HB 428, pass unanimously in the House on Thursday.
- The bill is very simple: it simply protects the right of Georgia families to access IVF treatments.
- It next heads to the Senate for a vote. Read more about it in the Atlanta Journal Constitution here.
- I also want to take a moment to discuss HB 307.
- This bill will help us identify students in our education system who are at risk of not achieving grade-level reading proficiency or who show signs of learning disorders like dyslexia.
- The bill seeks to align instruction with the science of reading principles, and remove instruction or language that doesn’t match science-based standards.
- To be clear, HB 307 does NOT ban the use of picture books or flashcards; these can still be used as supplemental materials in the classroom, but not as the primary tools for teaching reading.
- By focusing on literacy EARLY, we have a better chance of making sure all students are equipped to achieve success in this area.
- Another bill that involves Georgia’s kids – HB 171 – creates a new criminal offense for the creation, possession, and distribution of AI-generated, obscene material that depicts children.
- Individuals convicted of this crime would face 1-15 years in prison.
- The bill also enhances sentencing for other AI-related crimes like stalking, aggravated assault, theft, etc.
Coming Up:
The chamber will reconvene on Monday, March 3. We will observe Crossover Day on March 6. This is the last day bills can pass out of their respective chambers and still have a chance to become law.
My capitol office is located at:
501-F Coverdell Legislative Office Bldg
Atlanta, GA 30334,
My office phone number is:
404-656-0178
My official email address is:
lehman.franklin@house.ga.gov.
