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2016 Legislative Session

Unterman searching for right side of history on Medicaid

Have Georgia’s conservative lawmakers finally seen the light on Medicaid expansion? Maybe. Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford) (the lawmaker who made national headlines for blocking a bill to test rape kits) has been speaking publicly about moving in the direction of Medicaid expansion. This is an issue that we’ve already dissected in-depth on this blog in an excellent post by Crystal Muñoz and it’s an issue progressives and businesses have championed for years. But Sen. Unterman’s pivot

2016 Legislative Session

The biggest progressive victories of the year (so far)

The final progressive victory of this year’s legislative session came yesterday with a veto of the disastrous “Campus Carry” bill, which would have legalized guns on college campuses throughout the state. Gov. Deal’s veto announcement came just before his deadline to sign or veto bills passed during the surprisingly successful 2016 session, which ended in March. Here are a few of the biggest progressive victories of the year (so far): Campus Carry (VETOED). Gov. Deal seemed

Samantha Bee Takes Down Ga. Senator for Rape Kit Bill Blockade

On the TBS show Full Frontal this week, comedian Samantha Bee aimed her stinging political satire at Ga. Sen. Renee Unterman, who is blocking a rape kit bill that would help deliver justice for rape victims. The bill has unanimous, bi-partisan support in the House, but Unterman insists that we don’t need a the law “just because it makes you feel good.” You can watch the Samantha Bee clip here, but fair warning — some

Holcomb on untested rape kits: We can’t wait until next year

Rep. Scott Holcomb (D-Atlanta), just wrapped up a press conference on his bill to require all rape kits to be tested, and what happened there was powerful. Holcomb, whose legislation, HB 827, was blocked late last week by Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford), addressed Unterman’s assertions that there was no backlog of untested rape kits and that the problem was contained to Atlanta and Grady Hospital. “This issue is not limited to just one city,” Holcomb

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An open letter to Sen. Renee Unterman re: rape kit and medical marijuana legislation

An open letter from guest blogger Molly McWilliams Wilkins Dear Sen. Renee Unterman, I read an old article about you recently. The Gwinnett Daily Post wrote about you in January 2012. They mentioned your divorce, losing custody of your daughter and the death of your son. The headline of the article was “Unterman’s heartache gives rise to compassion in role as senator.” You seem like in 2012 the kind of woman that I would be

Sen. Renee Unterman is Blocking Justice for Rape Victims

A powerful Republican state Senator is blocking a crucial bill that would require police to account for the backlog of untested rape kits — evidence of sexual assault, sometimes including DNA, gathered when victims report the crime to authorities in Georgia. Many rape kits sit on shelves and remain untested for years or are even lost, all while the alleged rapist is never held accountable for the crime and is free to rape again. The