Healthcare, childcare and housing are priorities for Georgia’s newly-minted Senate Minority Leader when the session starts Jan. 13.
But Augusta’s Harold Jones II said he’ll also be very open to having a hand in revising the 1996 legislation that created consolidated Augusta-Richmond County.
Jones begins his 10th year in the state senate with a new role. For the first time in decades, an Augusta legislator is heading a state party caucus, and Jones was next in line to succeed Gloria Butler, who held the role for four years.
Jones said as caucus leader his responsibilities will range from practical matters such as staffing to supporting each of the state senate’s Democrats, who now number 23 to senate Republicans’ 33.
“My No. 1 concern is making sure this caucus grows and is effective,” Jones said. “That’s my tunnel-vision focus.”
So while some General Assembly members jockey for higher office or push their individual issues, Jones said he’ll focus substantial energy on Medicaid expansion, which fell one vote short of getting to a floor vote in committee last year.
“We’re now only one of 10 states that has not expanded. When you look at the metrics, between 350,000 and 400,000 people are uninsured. You could get them within that gap, and you could provide that insurance,” he said.
Republican support is there for the expansion, with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and other Republican leaders signaling openness to using a private option.
“It’s a political process, so we’ll just have to see. We’ll actually have Republican support. We’ll just have to bring it back up and see how we do on it,” Jones said.
While Medicaid expansion may turn out to be the big issue of the session, another lies in the wings. That’s tort reform, which Gov. Brian Kemp has said he’ll make a priority this year. With both, Democratic votes are needed, Jones said.
Jones said he’d like to see childcare funding improved through the budgetary process and additional efforts to protect renters from being forced into homelessness. A Senate study committee recently recommended the establishment of a trust fund to help cover childcare costs.
“I think that this position shows that I have an idea of how to deal with different political factions.”
Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones II
With the party placing its trust in him, Jones said he’s looking forward to being a part of the Augusta Commission effort to amend the consolidated government’s charter. He expects the push, led by Mayor Garnett Johnson, to ramp up when new commission members take office next year.
“I think that this position shows that I have an idea of how to deal with different political factions. I want to play a big role if I can,” Jones said. “But to a great degree, it’s going to be from the commissioners’ standpoints.”
Creating a committee to review and revise Augusta’s charter is currently stalled at the commission level, with commissioners disagreeing on the committee’s makeup. But Johnson has shown no sign of giving up on the issue.
Jones said meaningful discussion can be had that could produce an improved charter.
“We have to be willing to talk to each other about this charter situation,” he said. “If we do it, and everybody comes honest brokers, I think we can map something out that would be good for the community.”
Jones said he’d like to see the local committee develop and produce a final draft that passes to the legislature for final approval, rather than something to be remade by state legislators.
“What I want when it comes to the legislature is a completed document,” he said. “Something that we all worked on, that we all have come to an agreement on. Everybody has not gotten everything they want – and I don’t even know what people may or may not want – but when it comes to the legislature, all we’re doing is saying ‘hey, let’s pass this.’ We’re not trying to make any changes to it.”
Jones said other issues are sure to arise during the session, such as the rights of transgender athletes, but he’d rather the focus remain on key issues.
“I’m always going to respect people’s humanity,” Jones said. “The fact of the matter is we already have a law – it’s not legislative, but the Georgia High School Association already regulates this. If Georgia is the No. 1 state to do business and everything is kind of humming along, why do we bring up this divisive issue? We really need to be talking about people’s pocketbooks and issues that affect their real lives.”
