Three Georgia state lawmakers defied their party to support Gov. Brian Kemp’s legislation seeking to increase barriers to litigation suits, with criticism of the move prompting one Democrat to consider leaving the party.
At the center of the Democratic Party’s fury are Reps. Mack Jackson, Michelle Au, and Carl Gilliard. Jackson, who has a track record of voting in line with Republicans, threatened to leave the Democratic Party after some of its members publicly criticized his decision. He criticized an unnamed Democrat for berating him for his vote, accusing her of talking down to him if he was a child.
“The chains and shackles that she thought she had on me had to be broken,” said Jackson, who is Black. “Because in that very instance, I realized that she only tolerated me as long as I went along to get along. I was never allowed to be free.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Jackson for comment.
But Democrats such as Rep. Tanya Miller remained unfazed, saying “good riddance” and calling Jackson’s speech “disgusting.”
Republicans currently have a 100-80 majority in the House, and Jackson narrowly kept his seat in the last election after a judge ruled against the Republican challenger’s claim that dozens of voters received incorrect ballots.
“I’m disappointed in my colleagues, and I’m just going to say it, and I may regret it later, but I’m going to say it because we were sent here to represent the people, and we were sent here to make hard decisions,” Democratic state Rep. Stacey Evans said.
Senate Bill 68 would make it more difficult to sue businesses for incidents on their property, effectively reducing civil lawsuits. Under the proposed legislation, businesses could only be sued if they had prior knowledge of a safety problem or a wrongdoing employee.
Opposition to the bill raises concerns that it may make it more difficult for victims of abuse to sue places such as daycares or retirement homes and that it lacks language that would put restraints on insurance companies raising premiums. This comes as supporters of the bill said they hoped the measure would attract insurance companies that left the state due to frequently having to pay out large settlements.
Meanwhile, more than half a dozen Republicans voted against Kemp’s bill, but party leaders and Kemp have so far indicated that the members would not be subjected to political blowback.
Republican state Reps. Buddy DeLoach, Noelle Kahaian, Trey Kelley, Danny Mathis, Tyler Paul Smith, Vance Smith, Jordan Ridley, and Dale Washburn all voted against Kemp’s measure.
Rep. James Burchett, the leader lobbying for the bill, said, “We let our members vote how they please,” and Kemp didn’t indicate he’d seek revenge on Republicans who voted against him. He previously promised to back the challengers of Republicans who didn’t vote in line with his measure.
“This bill has now passed, and I thank the teams together,” Kemp said. “And we’re going to be moving forward to keep the great leadership we have and hold the seats that we got.”
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But Smith was terminated from his role as president and CEO of the Harris County Chamber of Commerce just hours after the House vote.
The bill’s passage through the state legislature is a win for Kemp, who is currently considering a run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Republicans courting Kemp think he poses the biggest threat to Ossoff in the race, which the Cook Political Report considers a political toss-up.
