Capitol Corner

There’s been a lot of press over the last few months about the Athens-Clarke County Sheriff’s Office holding people on behalf of the US Dept. of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, or ICE. The Athens-Clarke Police Department, on the other hand, does not perform such detentions. The Sheriff’s Office says it’s just following […]

Saturday in Athens entails waking up early, brewing some coffee, and preparing for the big . . . volunteer event? On Saturday, October 7th, Representative Spencer Frye’s Fellowship team, comprised of University of Georgia students, embarked on a unique beginning to their weekend by partaking in the Fellowship Retreat. The purpose of the Fellowship team […]

Last week, the Fellowship team had the pleasure of meeting with Athens Transit director, Butch McDuffie. After learning more about Athens Transit’s unique citizen engagement and incredibly efficient service, there was no doubt from any of us that Athens Transit indeed deserved its 2016 Urban Community Transit of the Year award. In addition to describing […]

This week the Spencer Frye Legislative Research Fellows met with Eve Anthony and Erin Beasley, the CEO and Director of Operations respectively, of the Athens Community Council on Aging (ACCA) to learn more about the aging adult community within the city of Athens and the public services provided to them. Engaged in all levels of […]

On Friday, October 16th, the Spencer Frye Fellowship Team visited the Athens Area Habitat for Humanity. Our visit involved a conversation with Representative Frye on the organization’s operations and their positive impact on the community. This discussion helped us examine the challenges that face Athens and the ways in which those challenges are being addressed. […]

This July, the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) released a secretly recorded video in which Planned Parenthood executives discussed providing fetal tissue to medical researchers. This video has prompted a raging debate over women’s reproductive rights and government funding of Planned Parenthood. Despite the great degree of noise about these issues, with a presidential candidate […]

At the intersection of multiculturalism, community outreach, religion, and Athens lies a small nonprofit with a big heart. This organization, Casa de Amistad, seeks to address the needs of Athens’s Latino community and assists over 300 Latino families each year. On Wednesday September 23rd, the members of the Spencer Frye Fellowship team visited Casa at […]

The sharing economy has become an idol of the modern business world, with the success of companies in this field suggesting that the sky is the limit. Room-sharing service Airbnb is projected to rake in over $900 million this year, while ride-sharing facilitator Uber is expected to net around $2 billion. Beyond its expanding profits, […]

After last week’s Supreme Court decision in King vs. Burwell, the Affordable Care Act remains intact, preventing hundreds of thousands of Georgians from losing access to the financial assistance they need to maintain good health. The plaintiffs’ argument, based on a narrow interpretation of the law, sought to have subsides removed for states, like Georgia, […]

Although the legislature is not in session, policymakers across the state are hard at work dealing with the important problems and preparing for next session. Over the summer we’ll deliver monthly policy updates to keep you informed on the latest in Georgia’s policy debates. Here’s June’s top 5: *Update*: Friday morning saw another historic victory […]

During his State of the State Address, the Governor signaled his intentions to file a plan with the legislature to provide greater state oversight for schools deemed “failing” based on standardized assessments. By February, this plan was introduced in the form of Senate Bill 133 and Senate Resolution 287. His proposed constitutional amendment, modeled after […]

Tomorrow marks the first day of the 2015-2016 legislative session, and I couldn’t be more excited to get back to the Gold Dome. During the last two years, we have made significant progress for our state. In 2013, we eliminated red tape to allow for a grocery store in downtown areas like Athens. This secures […]

Check out what we’re reading this week, including two op-eds covering the state of standardized testing in our schools, education at the center of the AJC editorial page, and early voting dates and times!…

Education is one of the most important issues that our community, our state, and our nation deals with each year. Whether its funding for schools, teacher evaluations, or graduation rates and poverty, education policy is made up of many facets that are critical to our children and our state. Learn more about what makes up Georgia’s education system here. …

Check out an all-education edition of what we’re reading this week including reports on the Clarke County Schools new resolution on the teacher evaluation system, a report from the AJC that Georgia seeks to delay the impact of that evaluation system, and a few blogs from around education circles about the impact of testing in schools. …

Check out what we’re reading this week including driverless car testing at the University of Michigan, the AJC’s report on the impact of UGA ending their ACA Navigator program, a new pilot program to track student education outcomes across state lines, and more!…

Criminal justice reform has been a pretty active issue at the state and federal level over the past few years. Reforms have been passed to focus on rehabilitative practices over jail time for both adult and juvenile offenders of drug related crimes. Have we done enough? …

Check out what we’re reading this week including Pennsylvania expanding their Medicaid program, schools cutting PE and recess requirements, Georgia football is back, and the latest from the Bitter Southerner….

Spencer and his team talk a lot about investments in public and through this blog. But what do we really mean by investments, and what does that look like in reality? Learn more about the long-term impacts of the decision in the 1980s to expand Medicaid to pregnant women as a way to ensure better health for children. How long that better health lasts might surprise you….

There has been a lot happening with health care lately. It is likely you have heard or seen news about Obamacare, doctor shortages, the end of Medicare as we know it, and all the partisan battles that typically accompany these subjects. But what does it all mean? Is everything as horrible as it can seem? Here is an overview of how Georgians get their health insurance, what the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is, and what questions remain regarding health care. …

Check out what we are reading this week including a second UGA student getting hit by a car in the early weeks of classes (be careful out there!), a rundown on Athens Transit issues from Flagpole, a review of how the state legislature’s decision to bar UGA from employing Navigators impacts health reform, the passing of UGA legend Dan Magill, and the revival of the T-SPLOST to address transportation funding shortfalls….

Last week, our summer fellows got the opportunity to meet with Nuçi’s Space to talk about their work in the Athens community. Executive Director, Bob Sleppy was kind enough to take some time to speak to us about the work Nuçi’s Space does to address issues of mental health within the Athens music community. …

Check out what we’re reading this week while you wait to find out if the bachelorette and bulldog are a match made in television. Clarke County Schools move to a charter school district, all Georgia schools are implementing Georgia Milestones, insurers are paying $11 million in rebates to Georgians, Georgia’s economy hasn’t recovered middle-wage jobs, and Republican Congressman Paul Ryan releases a plan to enable states and localities to address poverty. See the details here. …

Check out what we’re reading on this election eve including all you need to know to cast your ballot tomorrow, an article describing the pressures on teachers in the standardized testing era, Myra Blackmon’s thoughts on Clarke County Schools becoming a charter district, and a report from Sunday’s ABH on Athens becoming the home to a new refugee center. …

Last week, Spencer was selected by Mayor Nancy Denson and the Athens Clarke County Commission to serve on the Georgia Bioscience Joint Development Authority. The Georgia Bioscience Joint Development Authority is a multi-county group comprised of officials from Athens-Clarke, Barrow, Oconee and Gwinnett counties charged with exploring opportunities for biotechnology growth along the Georgia Highway 316 corridor. Connecting Athens to Atlanta, the 316 corridor links the local economic and educational infrastructure of Athens with comparable resources found in the Atlanta metropolitan area. …

Earlier this month, the Summer Fellows visited Project Safe, a local non-profit committed to ending domestic violence through prevention and educational programs. Project Safe brings together advocates, donors, volunteers, community partners, allied organizations and supportive individuals who are committed to ending domestic violence. The organization works with Athens homeless and animal shelters and other UGA organizations to provide their clients and community with a wide range of services and resources. Their services are confidential and free….

Last week, our summer fellows got the opportunity to sit down with Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) to talk about their work in the Athens community. Executive Director, Ken Sherman was kind enough to take some time out of his day to explain how IHN of Athens strives to address the crisis of homelessness that many families face in the Athens area. …

This week, we are reading the Bitter Southerner about the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Flagpole about the Varsity as a setting for Athens integration, Pre-K sign ups, donations for school supplies, the challenge that lay before Clarke, Oconee, and Madison counties as they plan road construction, and the heartbreaking story of a couple married over 30 years who separated to maintain health insurance. …

It may surprise people to find that Action Ministries, nestled in a corner building on Lumpkin Street, is responsible for leading many people out of poverty. Solomon Smothers, the program bshinholseristrator at Action Ministries, says that they try to accomplish this through “hunger, housing, and education solutions.” In order to meet the clients’ needs, Action Ministries provides meals to the people of Athens 7 days a week, 364 days a year through a program called Our Daily Bread Community Kitchen. This program is one of the largest offered by Action Ministries. Solomon and the rest of the staff share these meals with the participants. In an interview, he explained why. “Something very special happens when you share a meal with someone. That special bond gets multiplied when you consistently share a meal with someone. We believe that one of our greatest gifts to this community (and one of the greatest gifts the community gives us) is to eat with people…with anyone…and form real, authentic bonds.” After speaking with Solomon, I became very aware of the passion he feels for the people he works with and his desire to improve their lives through Action Ministries. …

Last week, I was honored to be the recipient of a Clean Water Champion Award from the Georgia Water Coalition. The Georgia Water Coalition is a group of more than 200 organizations that works tirelessly across the state to ensure plentiful, clean water for us, our kids, and generations of Georgians to come after us. I want to thank the Coalition for their efforts and the people who took time away from their work and families to paddle the river for seven days to raise awareness about water issues. …

This week on What We’re Reading: Dr. Jack Crowley has more on downtown development, ABH has reports on the primary runoff early voting and free meals being served this summer for kids, AJC’s Bill Torpy describes the embattled position of DFCS chief, and the Supreme Court rules on the Hobby Lobby and Unions cases. …

On this week’s edition of What We’re Reading: Pictures from Athfest, chain retailers and restaurants are increasingly finding a home downtown, Athens non-profits are pioneering Community Platform software, the Port of Savannah is booming, and President Obama hosts a summit on working families. Plus a World Cup bonus meant to look on the bright side of a gut-wrenching 2-2 draw with Portugal Sunday night. U.S. chances of moving to round two are still pretty good. …

Today, we are excited to bring back Profiles in Service. Throughout the summer, we’ll be connecting you with the organizations and individuals making a positive impact in the Athens community. This week our Summer Fellows visited Casa de Amistad, a local organization that works to address the needs of the Athens-Clarke County Hispanic and greater immigrant population. …

This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report showing that Affordable Care Act Marketplaces are providing some of the cheapest premiums in the nation to Georgians. After tax credits, the average monthly premium paid by consumers on Georgia’s Marketplace is $54, second only to Mississippi’s $23 monthly premium. The report also showed that 79% of Georgians enrolled in Marketplace plans with tax credits are paying $100 or less for their health insurance. …

This week, House Speaker David Ralston announced assignments to the 10 House Study Committees scheduled to meet during the 2014 offseason. Study committees allow legislators to get together, typically on a bipartisan basis, to study issues related to pending legislation or challenges our state faces. This year, the House approved 11 study committees to study issues ranging from the Georgia alcoholic beverage code to Georgia-based film and post production. House Members will also serve on six joint study committees with members from the Senate and will be studying issues like property taxes and education funding, emergency relocation of abused adults, and sources for transportation funding. …

On this week’s edition of What We’re Reading: Job Fairs in Augusta and Atlanta, a recap of this weekends celebration on the Hot Corner, standardized test scores, Atlanta’s rebound to sprawl, and the growing national influence in local political races. …

On Tuesday, President Obama signed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act, a legislative package that included $12.3 billion in funding for 34 infrastructure projects to improve the nation’s ports and waterways. The package authorized $440 million for the dredging of the Port of Savannah, clearing the final funding hurdle on a project in the works since 1999. …

This week on What We’re Reading, see the review of the winners from the Athens Clarke Heritage Foundation Preservation Awards, a report on the rise of Greenville, SC and what Athens can learn from our Upstate neighbors, a report on Cedar Shoals JROTC who marked the 70th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, a report showing bike lanes increase bikers, and a rundown on President Obama’s proposed EPA rules he issued last week. …

During the election of 2012, our team started this blog to communicate directly with you about the latest in campaign events and issues, and our staff explained why we have supported Spencer since the beginning. After the election, we used the blog as our primary tool for reporting the news under the Gold Dome. We have also found other ways to use the blog as a platform to celebrate the work of community organizations in our Profiles in Service and to discuss our views on some of our most pressing policy challenges in our Issues in Focus. Today is the beginning of another step forward as we continue to learn and try new things in an effort to communicate with you. …

Have you read the news recently and seen stories on the drying up Federal Highway Trust Funds or the confirmation that the Port of Savannah will be deepened in the next few years? Feel like you need some context to understand what all these stories are about (and why it could matter to you)? Check out the first in a series of explainers on Georgia’s transportation and infrastructure here. …

Monday night, Spencer joined Representatives Regina Quick and Chuck Williams and Senators Bill Cowsert and Frank Ginn at Cine for the Federation of Neighborhoods’ Legislative Review. Each of the legislators was given an opportunity to provide an opening statement summarizing their activities during session. The legislative panel then engaged in a Q&A with attendees on a variety of issues. Finally, the attendees were given the opportunity to make suggestions and raise issues to the legislative panel during the final part of the program. …

Welcome to What We’re Reading, a brief summary of articles and resources that have caught our eye related to investing in our community or the things that make Athens great. This week’s articles include a story on pedestrian safety issues, how climate change is impacting water issues in the Oconee River, exciting news that Mrs. Hughes from Hilsman was chosen to go to Tanzania, a piece from Paul Tough in the New York Times, and the latest update on the Downtown Master Plan from Dr. Jack Crowley. Check out the stories here. …

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the second year in my first session as your Representative, and I am incredibly excited and honored to get back to work. Throughout the first year, we learned a great deal about the legislature and the policies that impact your family and improve our state. We cleared legal barriers for a grocery store in downtown Athens so that families living near downtown would have easy access to healthy foods. We exempted school districts from fuel taxes to help their budgets and authorized schools to stock “EpiPens” to treat rapid allergic reactions. Finally, we supported legislation to lower the GPA requirement for HOPE Grant Scholarships and improve the oversight on tax breaks in Georgia. All of these things represented a great start to moving Georgia forward, but our work is far from done. …

Athens-Clarke County has one of the highest rates of poverty in the state, and poverty is often linked with drug addiction, crime, and recidivism. The Athens Justice Project’s mission is to break that cycle. AJP is a non-profit organization that provides legal representation, counseling, and employment enhancement opportunities to criminal offenders who struggle with addiction. Through these services, AJP helps individuals to become self-supporting and law-abiding citizens which in turn alleviates some of the effects of poverty in our community and makes Athens-Clarke County a safer and more opportunity-rich place for all residents….

Project Safe, a local nonprofit dedicated to eliminating domestic violence in Athens and the surrounding area, began in the 1970s as a small network of volunteer safe houses in Northeast Georgia. It incorporated as a nonprofit in 1990 and today employs 23 staff. Experience has shown that there exists no one single solution to ending domestic violence. Project Safe therefore employs several methods in combating domestic violence and providing aid for its survivors. The most well-known component of Project Safe is its emergency crisis shelter. This shelter proves a safe space for people fleeing abusive homes where they can stay until a more permanent solution is found. Last week, I spoke with Joan Prittie, the executive director of Project Safe, to find out more about her organization….

In 1992, Georgia Governor Zell Miller started a pilot program to educate 750 at-risk four-year-old children in twenty schools across Georgia. Three years later, the pilot program became one of the first universal Pre-Kindergarden (Pre-K) programs in the nation funded by the Georgia Lottery. Since then, Georgia’s Pre-K program has become one of the most recognized programs in the country earning recognition from the National Institute for Early Education Research, Harvard University, the Ford Foundation and the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement. Despite the accolades, Georgia’s Pre-K program has faced challenges related to funding and access that threaten to negate the positive impact of the program. To ensure that all children are ready to learn, we must meet these challenges directly and find solutions that will ensure Georgia’s Pre-K program is truly universal and continues the record of excellence in student achievement built over twenty-one years. …

Melvin Hayes is a retired IT professional that worked for the University of Georgia for 30 years. While Mr. Hayes is retired he still maintains a busy schedule focusing on giving back to the Athens community through various youth outreach programs. Mr. Hayes is one of the founders of the Stonehenge Youth Association which offers underprivileged youth an opportunity to play organized sports and spend time with positive role models. Mr. Hayes is a sports fanatic and coaches one of the four Stonehenge football teams. He also hosts a radio show about Athens area sports. This past week I was able to spend some time with Mr. Hayes and ask him about the work that he has been doing within the Athens community. …

Recently, I spoke with Heather Benham, Director of Operations of Athens Land Trust, and Christina Hylton, their Community Agriculture Program Director. Athens Land Trust (ALT) is a non-profit founded in Athens in 1994 that works to preserve land, increase access to energy efficient housing, and revitalize neighborhoods. We discussed ALT’s role in the community and the Athens Heritage and Urban Agriculture Festival they are sponsoring this Saturday, November 2nd. …

Georgia Options is a local nonprofit organization that provides care and companionship to over forty men and women in the Athens region who suffer from an array of mental disabilities. Georgia Options first began in 1992 by a few local families and similar advocates who were concerned with the way people with disabilities were living in the community. Since then, they have helped well over a hundred different individuals through their own unique style of care….

Keep Athens Clarke County Beautiful is an organization active in our community working to keep Athens a beatiful place for Athenians to live and for others to visit. I sat down with the Stacee Farrell, Executive Director of Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful, to discuss her organization and learn more about how they keep Athens so beautiful. …

As the weather gets warmer, more people choose to walk or bike to class, work, or wherever they might be going around town. While Athens is a great town for walking and biking, there is always work to be done to provide people with the resources to use whatever method of transportation they choose, and to do so safely….

Tuesday night, I met with Tim Johnson, the Executive Director of Whatever It Takes. Whatever It Takes is an initiative through the Family Connection-Communities in Schools of Athens organization that works to connect schools, neighborhoods, community agencies, families and students together to provide a network of support for children from before they are born to when they finish post-secondary education. This network aims to meet the health, safety, and educational needs of all children so that they have all of the tools they need to be successful both during and after school. …

Environment, Economics, and Energy. Which of these E’s is the most important? That’s the question people have been asking for the last three decades with environmentalists, economists, and energy advocates fighting each other at every corner. The environmentalists fight for clean fuel sources, economists fight for the cheapest fuel source, and energy advocates fight for energy independence. With every battle though, the most recent being the Keystone pipeline, a dialogue is opened between these competing parties and progress can be made towards a common goal. That goal is clean sustainable energy that is economically viable and produced in the United States. It sounds like a fairytale if you listen to media outlets, however huge strides are being made in this field. Evidence of this progress was on display at the Georgia Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Road Show in Athens last Monday hosted by Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols….

Monday night, Spencer attended the 44th annual Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation Historic Preservation Awards. Held at the Historic Morton Theatre, this ceremony brings together citizens in our community committed to the preservation of some of the oldest homes and buildings for the next generation of Athenians. Awards are given out to organizations and individuals for Outstanding Achievement, Grassroots Preservation, Outstanding New Construction, Outstanding Publication, Outstanding Rehabilitation, and Outstanding Stewardship. There is also a President’s Award and a semi-annual Phinizy Spalding award named after the former UGA Professor who sparked historic preservation in Athens by establishing the Historic Cobham foundation. He was also a leader in the Georgia Trusts for Historic Preservation and the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation….

This is the first in our series “Profiles in Service” where we hope to connect Athens with the community organizations that are making a difference. Tuesday night, I spoke on the phone with Melaney Smith, the founder and executive director of Books for Keeps. Books for Keeps is a children’s literacy organization that works within five Clarke County elementary schools to give each child twelve books to take home and read over the summer to combat the “summer slide” or lost time where children who aren’t engaged academically fall behind peers who are engaged. …

Last week, the Federation of Neighborhoods invited Athens citizens to engage in a Q&A session with the Athens Legislative Delegation. In attendance were State Senators Bill Cowsert and Frank Ginn as well as Representatives Chuck Williams and Regina Quick. Representative Spencer Frye was unable to attend. The meeting began with statements from legislators reviewing this year’s legislative session….

Tonight, the Classic Center in Athens hosted University of Georgia Professor Jack Crowley and his team of graduate students for a public forum regarding the future of the Downtown Athens Master Plan. Dr. Crowley and his students have been tasked with building a development plan for Athens from now until 2030, soliciting public input and developing funding proposals that will be presented to the Mayor and the Commission for approval. The plan seeks to improve the entire experience of visiting downtown as well as entice more development and growth in the future. I attended the meeting tonight and wanted to provide you with a recap and information for how to get involved. …

At 2:50pm on a brisk afternoon in Boston, Massachusetts, a deafening bang and bright flash engulfed the sidewalk of Boylston street at the finish of the Boston Marathon. For ten eternal seconds, hundreds of people looked on in horror and disbelief until another bang and flash sprang from the ground one block down the street. For a generation of Americans haunted by the fall of two towers on a September morning a dozen years ago, on-lookers were most certainly met with the terrifying notion that they may be standing witness a similar tragedy. But like those in New York in 2001, witnesses to this tragedy overcame a momentary feeling of horror with courage and resilience as runners, policemen, firefighters and others ran towards the destruction searching for those in need….

Since April 3rd, we have learned of the efforts of students at Wilcox County High School in Wilcox County, Georgia to host the first integrated prom in the county’s history. These students are courageously leading their community into a new era of respect for one another and their bravery in doing so is admirable. Their story reminded me of another great story of leadership in breaking barriers of race: the story of Jackie Robinson….

March gave us a surprisingly optimistic jobs report for the overall American economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 236,000 jobs were added and private-sector pay rose 0.6% as people worked more hours and earned a slightly higher hourly wage. Positive revisions of previous reports also indicated that the economy is performing a little better than expected since the beginning of 2013….

I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve you, the city of Athens and the State of Georgia in the capacity of State Representative of House District 118….

Tomorrow is the end of a journey for our team of interns. Over the last two months we have knocked on over 4,500 doors and made nearly as many phone calls. We have helped set up fundraisers, done research, and managed social networks. We have brought our time and talents to help spread Spencer’s message of defending Democratic principles and the values Athenians hold at the Gold Dome. Without our team none of this would be possible….

In short, we need to unleash the potential we already have. With our employment rate, there’s no reason why we should still have such high poverty….

One of the most important issues facing Georgia in the upcoming General Assembly session is how to reverse the trends of education funding. Over the past decade, we have seen the state contribute less and less each year to the funding of our schools. This has put more stress on local school districts to make up the difference and it is having an effect on the quality of education we provide to children in Georgia….

Right now, the 118th House district is the last Democratic seat in Athens-Clarke County. We have 2 Republican Senators, 1 Republican Congressmen with the potential for a 2nd, 2 Republican State House members and 2 Republican State Senators. We cannot afford to elect another Republican who would vote to weaken education, sacrifice our environment, restrict voting access, and raise utility rates in a recession while record-high dividends are paid out to shareholders….

Athens is unique – known statewide, nationwide, and even worldwide for arts, academics, technical innovation, agriculture, and a vibrant fabric of urban lifestyle side-by-side with a preserved rural environment. Our city is renowned throughout the state for its distinctive combination of progressive thinking with traditional Southern charm….