6th District Voter Guide

In the upcoming special election for the 6th Congressional District, there are clear differences between candidates Jon Ossoff and Karen Handel on many important issues. Please use this voter guide to make an informed choice.

Early voting starts Tuesday, May 30 and Election Day is Tuesday, June 20.

VP Mike Pence Will Be at Road to Majority; Will You?

May 19, 2017:  Vice President Mike Pence will give the keynote address at Faith & Freedom Coalition’s annual Road to Majority conference Patriot’s Gala on Saturday evening, June 10 at at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC.

The three day event features an all-star line-up of speakers, including Sen. John Boozman, Sen. Joni Ernst, Sen. David Perdue, Rep. Diane Black, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Eric Metaxes, Charles Krauthammer, Dr. James Dobson, Pat Boone, Pastor Jason Jimenez, and many more. Road To Majority also features panel discussions on topics such as religious liberty, evangelical support of Israel, and digital advocacy.

Invited past speakers include President Donald Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sen. Chuck Grassley, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and many more.

See www.roadtomajority.com for details and registration here. Packages including all sessions, 3 nights at the Omni Shoreham hotel, and complimentary bus transportation from Atlanta start at $219 per person.* Round trip airfare is just $200 more. But hurry, our our room group rate expires today. Register now; you won’t want to miss it!

*Students, use discount code BUSSTUDENT OR PLANESTUDENT for an additional $20 off. Hope to see you in DC!

NOTE NEW TIME:  Election Analysis and Recap with Ralph Reed – Sun., Dec. 4, 3:45 p.m. Registration, 4:00 p.m. Program Begins

Join Faith & Freedom Coalition and the Republican Jewish Coalition for an in-depth election analysis and recap featuring Ralph Reed, Founder & Chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition.

Ralph is one of the sharpest political advisers in the country and we hope you will join us to hear his insights and takeaways from the November 8th election.

Date: Sunday, December 4, 2016
Time: 3:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Location: Hammond Glen, 335 Hammond Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30328
Google map and directions
Cost:  $5 current RJC Members, $10 for non-current RJC Members and Friends

RSVP is required
PLEASE RSVP TO:
Lynne Schultz · atlrjc@gmail.com · 770-438-0376

For details, see http://www.rjchq.org/atl_event_with_ralph_reed_20161204.

 

Elections Are Just the Beginning

November 17, 2016:  Congratulations again to all our elected officials who won their races last week, and to the Representatives and Senators who further won leadership elections within their caucuses.  Now it’s time to get  to work to make sure those elections count for something.

We will preview items in our 2017 Georgia Legislative Agenda throughout December. This will include religious liberty, gambling (casinos, horse tracks, and online), medical marijuana, and continuing criminal justice reform.

Veterans Day

November 11, 2016:  What more can we say to the brave men and women who have stood in harm’s way but:

 

Georgia Election Results

November 10, 2016:  Congratulations to President-Elect Donald J. Trump, U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols, members of Congress, and of the State House and Senate on their (re)elections this week.  Unofficial, but all votes in, full results here.

Three of the four Georgia Constitutional Amendments passed.  The Opportunity School District lost 60/40.  Thank you for your support of the Safe Harbor Fund, which passed by the widest margin with 83.3% support:

Amendment 1: Opportunity School District                                         Yes: 40.0%   No: 60.0%
Amendment 2: Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund     Yes: 83.3%   No: 16.7%
Amendment 3: Judicial Qualifications Commission                             Yes: 62.5%  No: 37.5%
Amendment 4: Fireworks tax                                                               Yes: 81.2%  No: 18.8%

Election Results

Attorneys General

November 1, 2016:  Congratulations to incoming Attorney General Chris Carr and outgoing Attorney General Sam Olens, who becomes President of Kennesaw State University.  We appreciate the great work done by General Olens, and look forward to working with General Carr.

Score One for the Good Guys

October 28, 2016:  After Dr. Eric Walsh (below) challenged the the State of Georgia’s legal demand that he produce copies of his sermon notes, the Georgia Attorney General’s withdrew its request.  Congratulations to Dr. Walsh and his legal team and thank you to our allies who continue to stand up for him and our Constitutional rights. .

Fighting for Religious Liberty

October 26, 2016:  Dr. Eric Walsh, a physician and Seventh Day Adventist lay minister, was hired in May 2014 as a District Health Director with the Georgia Department of Public Health. A week later, government officials asked him to submit copies of his sermons for review. He complied and two days later he was fired.

Dr. Walsh was thus forced to sue the Department of Public Health. The Attorney General’s office, which represents state agencies in litigation, filed a legal request that Dr. Walsh turn over copies of his sermon notes and transcripts. But if, as the State contends, Dr. Walsh was not fired because of his religious beliefs or sermons, why did they demand copies of his sermons?

Dr. Walsh said he would not comply with the request.  “No government has the right to require a pastor to turn over his sermons,” Walsh said. “I cannot and will not give up my sermons unless I am forced to do so.”

In vetoing a state religious liberty bill earlier this year, Governor Nathan Deal claimed that he was not aware of situations in which people of faith had been discriminated against.  Dave Baker, Executive Director of Faith & Freedom Coalition of Georgia, responded “Dr. Walsh’s case, [former City of Atlanta Fire Chief] Kelvin Cochran’s, and successful lawsuits by students in Atlanta Public Schools and at Georgia universities are all part a too-long line of cases fighting religious discrimination by state government.  We believe Dr. Walsh will ultimately prevail, but Georgians should not have to sue their own government to protect their religious rights.”

The Four Questions: A Brief Guide to the Georgia Constitutional Amendments

In response to questions on the four proposed amendments to the Georgia Constitution, we offer this brief guide with the referenda questions, summaries, and some pros and cons on each.  We support question #2 (Safe Harbor), but all of these are up to you to decide.

Amendment 1 – Opportunity School District (OSD)

“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance?”

Summary:  Schools rated “F” 3 years in a row by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA), based on a State Board of Education accountability system, would be eligible for the Opportunity School District (OSD).  The OSD superintendent would be appointed by the Governor, confirmed by the Senate, and report directly to the Governor.

Currently, 6.4% (139/2184) of the schools in Georgia would qualify for OSD.

Pros:  Similar programs in other states (LA, TN, MI) have claimed success.

There is correlation between poor education and poverty, and between low graduation rates and incarceration.  Most high school dropouts are not criminals, but most prisoners (70%) are high school dropouts. “Education reform is the best criminal justice reform,” says Governor Deal.

Cons:  The State would take over a function normally under local control and the OSD Superintendent would not be accountable to voters.

Amendment 2 – Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund (FFC supports)

“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow additional penalties for [certain] criminal cases… and to allow assessments on adult entertainment establishments to fund the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund to pay for care and rehabilitative and social services…?”

Background: Each year, hundreds of children in Georgia become victims of sex trafficking.  The Safe Harbor Fund would provide approx. $2 million annually for services such as safe housing, counseling and medical treatment to help these victims.  The only way to dedicate state funds to a particular purpose is through a constitutional amendment.

Pros: The fund will help child victims of sex trafficking.  We supports this amendment on our Georgia voter guides (below). See www.safeharboryes.com.

Cons: Imposes fees on particular businesses.

Amendment 3 – Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC)

“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to abolish the Judicial Qualifications Commission [and] require the General Assembly to create and provide… for the composition, manner of appointment, and governance of a new Judicial Qualifications Commission…?”

Background:  An independent judicial watchdog agency created in 1972, the JQC has removed or forced the resignation of more than 60 judges over the past decade due to misconduct.

Pros:  After a long good track record, the Commission has stumbled over the past 2 years. In that time, it has run through two executive directors (position currently vacant) and is now on its third Chairman. One former Chair, a judge, sought to indict attorneys who had filed an open records request in her court and is now herself the subject of complaints to the JQC.

Cons:  Less agency independence.  General Assembly could affect investigations of politically connected judges.

Amendment 4 – Dedicating the Fireworks tax

“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the proceeds of excise taxes on the sale of fireworks or consumer fireworks be dedicated to the funding of trauma care, firefighter equipping and training, and local public safety purposes?”

Background, Pros, Cons:  A presidential race, the future of the Supreme Court, and control of the U.S. Senate at stake, and they’re asking about a fireworks tax?  You decide.

Door-to-Door and In-Church Voter Guides

We still need your help to reach our goal of distributing 75,000 Georgia voter guides in person! Wherever you live, we provide targeted walk lists for your area (printed, e-mailed, or in an easy-to-use app for your tablet or phone). Please let us know if you can help.

We are also sending 1 million voter guides directly to churches throughout Georgia.  Speak with your clergy to ensure that these voter guides get distributed to your fellow churchgoers.

2016 Voter Guides have arrived and we need your help distributing them! Please email Executive Director Dave Baker, dbaker@ffcoalition.com if you’d like to help get them to your friends, neighbors, and fellow members of your congregations.

Welcome to Faith & Freedom Coalition of Georgia

Thank you for your interest in the Faith & Freedom Coalition of Georgia. We are building a coalition of conservative faith-based Georgians to affect the course of elected politics and public policy in Georgia.

On this website you can learn more about the Faith & Freedom Coalition of Georgia, join and contribute to the movement, learn of upcoming events, and more. We hope you will join our cause. Visit the site often to learn how we think Georgia can be made stronger, for our citizens, families, and children’s futures.

Message from Our Chairman Tom Scott

United States Budget Dilemma

Obama Makes Free Speech A Felony

Test of Fire: Election 2012

Divinity & Conception

If I Wanted America To Fail