Rep. Roger Bruce, D-Atlanta says the critical race theory will pass during the legislative session and speaks on issues such as gambling and mental health.

The Critical Race Theory bill adds the treatment of race, traits, and beliefs into public education, prohibiting school personnel to promote concepts violating federal anti-discrimination laws.

In an interview with Georgia State journalism students during their visit to the state Capitol last Wednesday, Bruce says the critical race theory will pass as it already passed through one chamber.

Bruce finds the issue important as he says some instructors do not teach the true American history including slavery and the historical moments of that period.

“You have people that want to change history and I got a real problem with that. Just because you don’t teach about it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”

Three bills on gambling are pushing into the session that aims to amend the Georgia Constitution that illegalizes gambling aside from the lottery, bingo, and raffles.

The bills aim to work with the Georgia Lottery Corporation to regulate sports betting. If passed, secondary voting will take place in the local counties and revenue will be split between the republican and democratic parties.

Mental health is a big issue for Bruce and feels it needs insurance coverage. He advocates for the issue due to his mental health experiences.

During a 2004 school speech in his district, Bruce suffered from a head injury-induced coma from a falling object. He experienced poor mental health during his recovery and felt “useless”. 

He thanks his support system and says “If people had given up on me. I wouldn’t be here talking to you now”.

Bruce serves on the Appropriations Committee and deals with the state budget. Funds include 32 billion from taxes and another 32 billion in income from the federal government. He says education receives major funding and higher education can expect a good portion.

Bruce is also a veteran and represents District 61 including Fulton, Cobb, and Douglas counties. Soon, he will only serve Douglas and Fulton.

The students also attended a Rules Committee session but were prohibited from attending a House Floor session due to COVID-19 protocols. Under those protocols, legislatures preferred sitting in the House Gallery because of the inadequate distancing from other members on the House floor that forced closure of the gallery to the public. 

There, Bruce calls the session’s final days “crazy” and advises to not believe legislatives that say they have read every bill that they come across.

“If somebody tells you that they have read every single bill that they voted on, kick them out of your office. It’s just no possible way that you can do that”.

Bruce says legislatives must form trustworthy relationships with figures in other committees and receive insight to make the best decisions.

Bruce serves on the Judiciary Committee where Supreme Court Justice John J. Ellington is present. Ellington shares his regards with the representative.

“We need folks with his common sense, and he helps us to make better decisions because he’s there. Thank you for your service. We appreciate you.”

Jet Toney, Chair of the Georgia Professional Lobbyists Association, says he used over three decades of business relations to help stop the dietitian licensure bill passage during the January 2022 legislative session.

The bill aimed to provide exceptions to the dietetics practice act allowing credentialed individuals to give advice and counseling on diet and nutrition.

Toney says unlicensed individuals labeling themselves nutritionists and selling supplements and herbal life were in support of the bill.

“Folks that haven’t gotten their master’s degree wanted to do the things in the medical sphere that licensed dietitians train for.”

In an interview with Georgia State journalism students at the state Capitol, Toney says he went to the committee chairs and explained the unsafe measures of the bill. The bill did not pass during the Georgia General Assembly’s most recent session.

Lobbyists work closely with legislatures to provide valuable research and information about upcoming bills. These bills affect Toney’s clients however, lobbyists cannot stop or pass them in the session. Lobbyists tell information about how legislatures can counter their opponents and frame their messages.

They become valuable resources for legislatures. Toney says being a resource is the most crucial role of the job. A resourceful lobbyist is trustworthy and respective. Toney owes his success to his years of journalism skills. Successful journalists effectively communicate using research, concepts, and perspectives.

Toney says he always approaches legislatures and brings them to the voter level. Legislatives vote in place of their district voters. This way, they can become reelected.

“No more than 10 or 15 out of the 236 legislatives don’t care about being reelected. They’re that strong-willed and they’re down here [The Georgia Capitol] with an agenda.”

With 37 years of lobbyist experience, and Toney’s firm represents private higher education, the Georgia Society of Anesthesiologists, and affordable housing developers. He deals with on-campus gun carry laws to eviction policies that come through the Capitol.

Toney says he does not represent clients with conflicting matters. His approach is to see if his firm can accommodate the conflict, but it is not common.

“I just choose to be conflict-free. Our approach is to hang on to what we have and try to do a good job.”

Toney’s firm represents medical doctors and does not represent tobacco or alcohol companies.

“The way I look at it, I can’t come down here [Capitol] and talk about what’s good for the patients and then advocate for tobacco consumption. Now, I would like to get on to medical cannabis.”

The United States leaves the global pact, the Paris Agreement, that makes a united effort to fight against the climate change issue. The Trump administration does not support the regulation of harmful emission measures and removes the U.S from agreement this past Wednesday.
The Paris Agreement unites 195 countries to maintain global temperatures to be beneath 2 degrees Celsius or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. 189 countries currently remain in this worldwide pact since its beginning stages five years ago. Scientists are concerned that if temperatures rise above 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit that it will lead to catastrophic environmental effects. The damaging effects include rising sea levels, dangerous tropical storms, and hazardous droughts and floods. The agreement requires that the participating countries make their own efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat these future issues. The Paris Agreement only requires that the efforts are reported to ensure action is taking place.
The climate change crisis is occurring by the global increase of the planet’s internal temperatures by greenhouse gas emissions due to human activity. Scientists believe that the Earth’s temperature will continue to rise soon. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that the temperatures will rise from 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the next decade.
Environmental effects of the climate crisis are already beginning as the world experiences severe consequences such as melting glaciers, sea ice loss, and many more. It is strongly believed by many people that taking action now is necessary for combatting the increasing temperatures. The United States holds the title of the second-largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world right behind China. The United States is considered as one of the three global leaders along with China and the United Kingdom. Taking action as one of the top three global leaders can initiate substantial efforts.
The climate crisis jumps to be a worldwide important topic since temperatures have risen ever since the Industrial Revolution. History remembers the industrial revolution as the beginning stages of global warming since burning fossil fuels were popular around that time. The long-lasting effects today will not only change the world socio-economically but culturally as well. It is perceived that the millions of residents in the United States do not fully feel the impacts of climate change nearly as much as many other people around the globe. Many ethnic groups worldwide base their source of living on the nature that surrounds them.  Increasing temperatures can change the natural resources of many indigenous people in other areas. These resources can die out due to significant habitat changes and relocation. This includes culturally significant wildlife and plants that will be impacted if their environment is changed in which can make them less accessible to the many that need them.
The repercussions of climate change can socio-economically impact the United States if not dealt with. It will affect populations in the form of the snowball effect. Many industries such as farming, fishing, and tourism will have a decline since it is likely that sea life will migrate, prolonged droughts will occur and tourist beach erosion from excessive flooding. Although the immediate impact cannot be felt right now, it is very likely the future generations will experience the devastating results of the choices made today.
The climate change issue politically divides many people. Populations wonder about the truth of global warming. Many people do not believe in the existence of climate change itself.
Global warming is perceived to have no connection to man-made emission activities but rather the naturally increasing global temperatures that the Earth normally has. It is reported that growing temperatures are inevitable to the future of the planet as the globe is aging.
Scientists back up these beliefs and debunk the idea that man-made global heating is a hoax. Scientists believe that the sudden temperature increases within the past century are actually due to the Earth’s natural fluctuation in its own normal cycle.
The increased temperatures are also naturally incited instead of carbon dioxide from human activity. The majority of the carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere occur from natural processes. This includes processes like plant decay and volcanic activity which accounts for an estimated 200 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Man-made carbon dioxide emissions make up only a mere 7 billion tons on the other hand. It is also claimed that the changes in the Sun such as sunspots can extremely encourage increased temperatures. Scientists report a 4% decrease in cloud coverage which can ultimately affect solar radiation. The affected solar radiation can double carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.