State Senate session report: Week four.
Our legislators are four weeks into the 157th Georgia General Assembly (the first session was last year). I’ve got my eyes on the state Senate, so here’s what went down.
State Senate session report: Week three.
Our legislators are three weeks into the 157 Georgia General Assembly (the first session was last year). I’ve got my eyes on the state Senate, so here’s what went down.
Budget week report.
It’s budget week! The week when our state legislature suspends all other activity to do the one job our state constitution requires of them: passing a budget. Or, in this case, two—amending fiscal year 2024 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024) and passing fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025).
The state of the state.
On Thursday, a joint session of the Georgia Legislature met in the House Chamber to receive the governor’s annual State of the State address. In it, Kemp emphasized Georgia's accomplishments and policy initiatives while renewing his commitment to principles that—he says—distinguish our state’s approach from Washington’s.
What to expect from the 2024 legislative session.
236 lawmakers, their staff, lobbyists, and journalists are ready to descend on the Georgia Capitol for 2024’s 40-day legislative session! So, let’s talk about what’s on deck, what state Republicans and Democrats want to accomplish, and what past issues might crop up again.
State Senate Session Report: Week one.
Yesterday, our legislators returned for the second session of the 157 Georgia General Assembly (the first session was last year). I’ve got my eyes on the state Senate, so here’s what went down.
Beyond resolutions: How to design your life for 2024.
To celebrate the New Year, I’d like to share some tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years to help you design the best possible you-centric life. In the process, you’ll learn something about yourself, what your needs are, how to best meet them, and how to execute a more mindful approach to your life. And you’ll get a taste for how a design-thinking approach impacts problem solving and how it might better deliver what we all need from our government.
Little Free Libraries for the 56.
While most candidates and politicians engage in very broad marketing, a principle of a product design is that it’s far more effective to meet people where they already are. So, instead of blasting generic marketing into the void and hoping the right people see it, I’d rather target a touchpoint people already engage with positively and give them something useful—not just another disposable marketing message.
A solution in search of a problem.
Last Friday, after the Special Session’s first week ended and reporters had started to go home, state Republican leaders released their long-awaited congressional district map. And just like the state Senate and House maps released days before, this map failed to meet the requirements of Judge Jones’ meticulously detailed ruling for how Georgia’s political districts need to re-align with the the Voting Rights Act.
Holiday music advent calendar.
I'm not a religious person but I LOVE Christmas. And I love good Christmas music. So, for the next (checks Star Wars Funko calendar in the kitchen) 24 days, the fam and I want to share some of our favorite tunes with you.
People should choose their reps (not the other way around).
It’s that time again: For Georgia’s Republican legislature to gerrymander the hell out of our legislative maps to determine which of us get to vote for or against each of them. And whatever the outcome, the process is opaque, undemocratic, and we deserve better.
Have an awesome Thanksgiving!
In the Jordan family, we love Thanksgiving so much we do it twice—my mum is Canadian-American, so we observe both Canadian Thanksgiving in October and American Thanksgiving in November. And while Ellie is an amazing cook and baker, I’m not much of either. But with five hungry kiddos and her broken leg, it’s time for me to level up my game.
Together, we’re for the 56.
I believe people should have the power to choose their representatives—not the other way around. So, while we wait for legislators to present their latest gerrymandered maps on November 29, I’d like to tell you a little but about myself and why I think I’m better qualified to represent the people of Georgia’s senate district 56.
Why are we still wasting time with the Big Lie?
We just had another safe and secure Election Day in Georgia! So, why are we still wasting time and taxpayer money entertaining the Big Lie that our elections can be—and have been—stolen?
It’s beginning to look a lot like Election Day.
General municipal and special elections in Cherokee and Fulton Counties will be held on November 7, 2023—but early voting remains available until Friday, November 3, 2023. And for those of us in the 56, we have a few races to consider:
Inside the 56.
Georgia’s 56th state senate district includes East Cobb, Roswell, & Woodstock as well as many other communities in their orbits—ranging from Holly Springs in the north to the riverside neighborhoods along the Chattahoochee, and to the charming enclave of Mountain Park in between.
What Albers gets wrong by investigating the Fulton Jail.
In just the first nine months of this year, ten inmates died at Fulton’s overcrowded Rice Street jail. Sadly, these terrible conditions aren’t unique to Fulton’s notorious jail. So, it was a surprise when state senators Albers and Robertson announced they’re investigating only Fulton County. What about other county jails? Or the state prisons over which the senate has jurisdiction?
It’s about their freedom to be their best selves.
In the lead up to National Coming Out Day (Wednesday), Roswell’s Youth Day Parade (Saturday) and the Atlanta Pride Parade (Sunday), I‘d love to use the next few days to talk about something very near and dear to my heart: The status of trans youth in Georgia. It’s also an opportunity to talk about why my family and I made the decision to run for Georgia state senate district 56 in the first place.
A banned books reading list for the 56.
Most folks I’ve spoken to in East Cobb, Roswell, and Cherokee aren’t aware that our little corner of North Atlanta—state senate district 56—accounts for about half of the challenged and banned books in Georgia. In honor of Banned Book Week (October 1-7), I’m spending this week highlighting a few of the titles banned right here in the 56.
LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH.
Open communication is a cornerstone of good representation—and something sadly lacking in many Georgia senate districts, including the 56. I pledge to respond to everyone who reaches out. So email, text, or call me anytime at:
jdjordan@forthe56.com
706.804.0456
You can also keep up with me and my state senate campaign by signing up for occasional updates (I promise, not too many 😇). Or connect with my campaign on your favorite social platform: