Legislation Made Simple

Sen. Ed Setzler As we move into a new legislative session, we’re happy to have with us Sen. Ed Setzler to preview coming attractions under the Gold Dome. The first of our two shows with Sen. Setzler focuses on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Sen. Setzler explains what this proposed legislation would accomplish, why it’s necessary, and what its chances are for success this session. Re...

Sine Die! That’s the Latin phrase used at the legislature to herald the last day of the session, which occurred on Holy Thursday (March 28, 2024). For our wrap-up show we tell which bills passed, which didn’t, and which will probably return in some form next year. The issues we cover include religious freedom, sports betting, parental rights, pornography, marijuana, and more. Our show will go into...

Going into the final week of the 2024 legislative session (which, more importantly, is also Holy Week), we observe the frantic race to pass some bills and stop others before it all comes to a grinding halt at midnight on Thursday, March 28. On our show this week we’ll focus on some of the bills we’ve been following – dealing with religious freedom, gambling, parental rights, pornography, marijuana...

Dr. Gregg Raduka of Georgians for Responsible Marijuana Policy We look at an issue that has loomed large in Georgia over the past few years: the legalization (for some purposes) of marijuana. We are joined by the preeminent expert in Georgia, Dr. Gregg Raduka of Georgians for Responsible Marijuana Policy. Explaining the science of marijuana and addiction, as well as the experiences of other states...

Dr. Gregg Raduka of Georgians for Responsible Marijuana Policy We look at an issue that has loomed large in Georgia over the past few years: the legalization (for some purposes) of marijuana. We are joined by the preeminent expert in Georgia, Dr. Gregg Raduka of Georgians for Responsible Marijuana Policy. Explaining the science of marijuana and addiction, as well as the experiences of other states...

As the legislature has just completed the critical Crossover Day (which at least theoretically determines which bills are still alive to be enacted this session), we take this show to update the fates of the various bills we’ve been following. We discuss religious liberty, gambling, child-protection, the death penalty, immigration, and more. We also explain the significance of the recent Alabama S...

Crossover Day – the day by which a bill must pass one chamber of the legislature in order to be considered by the other chamber – is Thursday, February 29, 2024. On this week’s show, we update our listeners on the various bills we’ve been watching - which ones have passed a committee, which have passed the full House or full Senate, and which haven’t moved. The bills we discuss concern gambling, e...

Matt Sharp, Senior Counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom We talk to Matt Sharp, Senior Counsel and Director of the Center for Legislative Advocacy at the nonprofit law firm, Alliance Defending Freedom. Matt explains the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which is pending in Georgia as SB 180 – what problem it seeks to address, how it would work, and why he thinks Georgia should join dozens...

Rhonda Thomas, founder of the pro-family group Truth in Education Rhonda Thomas discusses two bills in the Georgia Senate that aim to protect children from pornographic materials in school libraries. She explains how this problem came to be, what ramifications it has for children, and how parents can engage with the effort to de-porn school libraries through such organizations as Georgians for Res...

Dr. Michelle Cretella, pediatrician, writer, researcher, and speaker Several bills are being introduced in the Georgia legislature to protect children from exposure to pornography in schools, in libraries, and online. We talk with pediatrician Dr. Michelle Cretella about the toxic effects of pornography on the developing child and adolescent brain - and how that poison results in social, behaviora...

Dr. Quentin Van Meter, Pediatric endocrinologist In 2023 the legislature passed a bill to protect minors from being administered cross-sex hormones and surgeries to make them look and sound like the opposite sex. That legislation, though, did not protect these trans-identifying children from being given harmful puberty-blocking drugs. Legislation to fill this gap may be introduced in the 2024 legi...

Les Bernal of Stop Predatory Gambling Given the sprint in the Georgia legislature to pass one or more bills to legalize online sports betting, we invited Les Bernal of Stop Predatory Gambling to tell us the inside story of online gambling and why he thinks it’s bad for families (and therefore for society). Les, a devout Catholic who lives in Massachusetts, is a nationally-recognized expert on the...

The Georgia General Assembly is back in session, and Legislation Made Simple returns to get listeners up-to-speed on the legislative process in Georgia, in preparation for upcoming weekly discussions of specific issues being debated at the Georgia Capitol. Learn how the Georgia legislature operates, how a bill gets enacted (or defeated), and who is in leadership roles in the House of Representativ...

Dr. Quentin Van Meter, Atlanta pediatric endocrinologist and past-president of the American College of Pediatricians In part 1 of our discussion with Dr. Quentin Van Meter, he told us the history of transgender ideology and why it’s medically unsound. In this episode, he expands on the severe problems that can result from medical interventions to “affirm” a child’s confusion about his sex. He also...

Dr. Quentin Van Meter, Atlanta pediatric endocrinologist and past-president of the American College of Pediatricians Dr. Van Meter explains the origin and history of the “transgender” phenomenon and outlines the medical risks – physical and psychological – of “gender-affirming treatment” for children and teens who identify as transgender. He relates why the American College of Pediatricians has la...

A wrap-up report on the legislative session that ended March 29, 2023 We discuss the bills that passed (some protections for trans-identifying youth, a ban on mandatory Covid vaccinations) and those that failed (expanded gambling, school vouchers, and massive mental-health overhaul). We also preview the 2024 session to predict what issues might be revisited. We encourage listeners to use the off-s...

A look at shenanigans as the end of the session approaches Learn about legislative high jinks that are running rampant as the legislature moves into the last few days of the session. We discuss shenanigans to revive a sports-betting bill, passage of a compromise bill to partially protect kids from the transgender industry, poorly understood “mental health” legislation, and state and local educatio...

A look at bills still in the running as the legislative session winds down. We discuss shenanigans with gambling bills, compromises on protecting kids from the transgender industry, poorly understood “mental health” legislation, and local education issues. Resources Visit www.legis.ga.gov for information on bills, committees, and legislators.

A look at bills that made it through the Georgia House or Senate Join us as we analyze the results of Crossover Day, Monday, March 6, 2023 (the day by which a bill must be passed by one chamber, the House or the Senate, to be considered this session by the other). Find out which of the bills that we’ve been following made it through the House or Senate. Learn what happens to those bills that didn’...

Updates on bills across several categories Listen in as we plunge into the maelstrom of bills and hearings at the Georgia Capitol as we approach Crossover Day on Monday, March 6 (the day by which a bill must be passed by one chamber, the House or the Senate, to be considered this session by the other chamber). Get the latest updates on the status of bills from several categories: gambling, educati...

Status of bills from several categories We take a look into the maelstrom of bills and hearings at the Georgia Capitol and update the status of bills from several categories: gambling, education, public health, medical interventions on trans-identifying minors, and religious freedom. Things change on a daily if not hourly basis, so we’ll be posting a spreadsheet to keep you up to date. In the mean...

Mary Clauson, Catholic parent activist This week’s episode featured Part Two of our conversation with Catholic parent activist Mary Clauson. Following up on last week’s discussion of radical sex education and school obscenity, Mary explained the problems with school - based clinics and the overall “therapeutic” model of education – which treats children as patients rather than students. She also h...

Mary Clauson, Catholic parent activist Working with Protect Student Health Georgia, Catholic parent activist Mary Clauson educates families and policymakers about the various threats our children are facing in schools. In this part one of a two-part interview, she focuses on several bills currently pending in the Georgia House of Representatives, including one that would cement radical “comprehens...

Dr. John Kindt, nationally-known expert on the economic effects of gambling We continue our discussion of legalizing gambling in Georgia by talking with Dr. John Kindt. A frequent witness before both Congress and committees in the Georgia legislature, Dr. Kindt is a nationally-known expert on the economic effects of gambling. He explains what happens to local and state economies – and to the polit...

Mike Griffin, Public Affairs Representative of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board The Church teaches that “games of chance” are not inherently sinful, but gambling becomes a sin when it interferes with an individual’s responsibilities and his right relationship to God. Mike Griffin, the Public Affairs Representative of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board (GBMB), has monitored the debate over casinos,...