The Georgia Senate approved Senate Bill 129, known as the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act or the “religious freedom bill,” with a 37-15 vote. State Sen. Josh McKoon (R-Columbus) said the bill was to help strengthen the religious rights of people of all faiths, but critics say the bill is designed to discriminate against LGBTQ people ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on marriage equality. The Georgia House will take up the bill next, and it’s future there is uncertain. In related news, two statewide organizations –GetEQUAL Georgia and Rise Up Georgia – have issued a “travel advisory” warning that it’s unsafe for LGBTQ to visit the state, while Atlanta-based Coca-Cola and Delta are two of 379 national companies who have filed “friend of the court” briefs urging the Supreme Court to vote in favor of marriage equality.
The City of Atlanta-Atlanta Public Schools Joint Committee will hold its next meeting at 4 p.m. on Monday, March 9, at the Atlanta Public Schools headquarters (Center for Learning and Leadership) in the Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Conference Room, 130 Trinity Avenue, S.W. The joint committee was created by legislation authored by Councilmember Andre Dickens for the purpose of sharing policy goals in a coordinated effort between the city and the Atlanta Board of Education. The committee will discuss collaboration in areas such as infrastructure needs, zoning issues, code enforcement, condemnation of vacant structures near schools, summer food services for students, access to after school recreational programs, workforce development and training for parents and recent graduates, school security and more. The meeting is open to the public.
The City of Atlanta is a finalist in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, a program aimed at supporting temporary public art. The city could receive up to $1 million for its proposal for interactive art installations by Xenobia Bailey in Freedom Park.
