Georgia’s newly elected leaders say affordability will be a Day 1 priority

From health care and groceries to housing, Georgia’s newly elected leaders say affordability will be a top priority when they take control of state government.

“The voters sent us here to deal with the affordability issues,” Lt. Gov.-elect Josh McLaurin told Channel 2 Action News. “We have some obvious solutions that we wanna get started on.”

Channel 2 investigative reporter Justin Gray went to the Georgia State Capitol to ask a basic question: How do the people Georgians voted into power plan to address rising costs for families?

“When we talk about affordability, we have to listen to the folks that send us here,” state Rep. Billy Mitchell, a DeKalb County Democrat, said.

State Rep. Sandra Scott, a Clayton County Democrat, pointed specifically to the costs of food and health care.

“Right now food is not even affordable, health care is not affordable,” Scott said.

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Medicaid expansion

One of the first major fights is expected to be over Medicaid expansion, something Georgia Democrats have pushed for since 2014.

Georgia is one of only 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Expansion would provide health coverage to hundreds of thousands more low-income Georgia adults, including people earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level.

Under the federal funding formula, the federal government would cover 90% of the cost of medical care for the expansion population, while Georgia would pay the remaining 10%.

McLaurin said the election changed the political dynamics surrounding expansion.

“I think part of it is acknowledging that the politics have changed,” McLaurin said. “I know that some people felt like they couldn’t talk about Medicaid the same way because Governor Kemp and others had put the lid on it.”

With Democrats taking control of the Georgia House but Republicans likely maintaining a slim majority in the Senate, McLaurin would need Republican support to get Medicaid expansion through the General Assembly.

He told Channel 2 Action News he believes those votes are already there.

“I know there are state Republicans both in the House and the Senate who secretly have wanted to expand Medicaid for some time, but they didn’t feel free politically to do it,” McLaurin said.

State Rep. Stacey Evans, a Fulton County Democrat, also said she expects Republican support.

“This is something that Republicans have also wanted, and there just has not been that will at the leadership gavel or in the governor’s office,” Evans said. “And that all changes last night.”

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Housing costs also on the agenda

McLaurin said he believes housing is another area where Democrats and Republicans could find common ground.

He wants new legislation designed to encourage home building.

“If we were to change some rules around zoning, design standards, permitting, for example, which takes a long time, we could make costs lower for builders so that they could pass those savings on to consumers,” McLaurin said.

Evans said lawmakers should concentrate on the pocketbook issues voters encounter every day.

“I think if we focus on health care, housing, gas prices, grocery prices, these are things that we can all agree on,” Evans said.

With control of Georgia government closely divided between the two parties, bipartisan cooperation will be necessary for much of that agenda to become law.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to Georgia’s Senate Republican leader for comment but had not received a response.

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