Charlie Miller, Author at GCDD Making a Difference Magazine

Public Policy for The People: The Next Legislative Session is Almost Here!

Fall is in the air, the leaves are changing, holidays are right around the corner and my favorite time of the year is almost here. That’s right, the legislative session! From the second week of January to mid-March or later in the spring, Georgia State legislators come together at the state capitol, or what we like to call “the Gold Dome,” to work on the state budget for the upcoming year, and pass laws that affect Georgians like you and me.

Public Policy for The People: Keep Up The Momentum

As some of you may already know, the recently passed Georgia House Bill 185 included increased funding and accessibility for Inclusive Post Secondary Education (IPSE) programs in Georgia. This was a huge win for the disability community and was made possible only by the hard work of disability advocates.

The Foundation of Advocacy

Hello Advocates! My name is Charlie Miller and I am the Legislative Advocacy Director here at the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD). Session is finally out, and your state senators and house representatives are back in their communities. We have just finished celebrating two major holidays, Juneteenth and the Fourth of July. Both celebrate independence in different ways, but our community has another great Independence Day coming up – the day the federal legislature passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This critical piece of legislation is one of the foundational pieces of the disability rights movement and helped pave the way for people with disabilities to advocate for their rights to be in the community.

Advocates Prepare for the 2023 Legislative Session

Hello Advocates, The Georgia General Assembly is preparing for another legislative session coming up in January. The Georgia Legislative session will start the second Tuesday of January and go until early or mid-April. During Georgia’s Legislative session, the state House

2022 Virtual Advocacy Days are Here!

Join advocates from across the state to learn about policies impacting people with disabilities and advocate for needed funding and legislation this year. The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) needs your help to educate Georgia’s lawmakers about topics important

Preparing for the 2022 Legislative Session

Georgia’s hot and sticky summer is finally coming to a close. The leaves are changing, the weather is starting to get that nice cool and crisp feeling, and now it’s time to get ready for fall. Here at the Georgia

Gearing Up for Virtual 2021 Advocacy Days

Hello, advocates! We are so excited to be preparing for another legislative session. Slated to begin on January 11, the session will go for 40 non-consecutive days, which marks the start of a new biennial legislative session. What’s New With

The Disability Vote Counts!

In this edition of Public Policy for the People, we will be focusing on the upcoming 2020 election, which sees key national and state seats up for grabs. This election will certainly be one for the history books, as much

Green banner with a photo of the Georgia State Capitol on the right.

2020 Legislative Session Recap

This has been one of the most interesting legislative sessions we have seen in modern times. Between Governor Brian Kemp’s first installment of recommended budget cuts and the threat of COVID-19, the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) has been