ATLANTA – State Representative Imani Barnes (D-Tucker) recently reintroduced the “Safe Teens Act,” legislation originally introduced as House Bill 914 during the 2024 legislative session. This year’s version, House Bill 106, would authorize local boards of education and other public school governing bodies to offer driver education as an elective course worth one-half of an elective credit for students.
Continue reading “Rep. Imani Barnes Reintroduces Safe Teens Act”Rep. Imani Barnes Reintroduces EmPATH Georgia Act
ATLANTA – State Representative Imani Barnes (D-Tucker) recently reintroduced the “EmPATH Georgia Act,” legislation originally introduced as House Bill 913, during the 2024 legislative session. This year’s version, House Bill 109, provides for a 5-year pilot program that would require the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to coordinate with the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) to establish a grant program for creating emergency psychiatric assessments, treatment and healing (EmPATH) units in hospitals. House Bill 109 would further require grant funding for the creation, development and operation of at least two EmPATH units, one in a rural county and the other in an urban county.
Continue reading “Rep. Imani Barnes Reintroduces EmPATH Georgia Act”Rep. Imani Barnes Receives House Committee Assignments for the 2025-2026 Legislative Term
ATLANTA – The Georgia House of Representatives’ Committee on Assignments recently named State Representative Imani Barnes (D-Tucker) to serve on the House Higher Education, Public and Community Health and Technology and Infrastructure Innovation committees for the 2025-2026 legislative term.
Continue reading “Rep. Imani Barnes Receives House Committee Assignments for the 2025-2026 Legislative Term”Rep. Imani Barnes Introduces Healthy Start Act
ATLANTA – State Representative Imani Barnes (D-Tucker) recently introduced House Bill 60, also known as the “Healthy Start Act,” which would provide additional funding to offer healthy school lunches at no cost to students eligible for reduced-price meals under federal and state guidelines.
Continue reading “Rep. Imani Barnes Introduces Healthy Start Act”Rep. Imani Barnes Commends Auditor’s Report Aligning with Safe Teens Act
ATLANTA – Today, State Representative Imani Barnes (D-Tucker) expressed her support for the findings in a recently released report from the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts (DOAA), which aligns with the provisions of her proposed legislation, House Bill 914, also known as the Safe Teens Act. The DOAA report highlights the need for greater access to driver education, noting that current funding serves only a limited number of teen drivers, with mixed results on safety outcomes.
Continue reading “Rep. Imani Barnes Commends Auditor’s Report Aligning with Safe Teens Act”