ATLANTA (June 29, 2020) | Today, Sen. Lester Jackson (D – Savannah) released the following statement concerning the General Assembly’s passage of House Bill 426:
“The Georgia legislature’s passage of comprehensive hate crimes legislation is a major victory for Georgians. For far too long, Georgia has been one of a handful of states without an explicit hate crimes law on the books. As past Chairman of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, I have dedicated years to pushing this effort through the General Assembly. Georgia must set the standard that racism and bigotry will not be tolerated in our state. I was pleased to see that the language which I introduced in Senate Bill 166 was included to make the hate crimes legislation strong and meaningful. I firmly believe that this legislation is the first step toward delivering justice to victims of hate and I commend my colleagues in the legislature for coming to the table and prioritizing this much-needed legislation.
I was pleased to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as Governor Kemp signed this much-needed measure into law on Friday. I applaud the Governor for taking swift action to send the message that Georgia will not tolerate any form of hatred. While this historic moment represents progress toward confronting the systematic racism that continues to plague our nation, this is only the beginning of ensuring every Georgian has an equal opportunity to thrive. There is still much work to be done and as your Senator I promise to keep fighting for all Georgians under the Gold Dome.”
To view the full text of House Bill 426, please visit: http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20192020/HB/426.
# # # #
For Immediate Release:
Jun. 29, 2020
Emma Johnson, Communications Associate
404.656.0028