Check in with your representatives in Washington | City News | redandblack.com

In Congress, Athens-Clarke County is represented by Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff, Rev. Raphael Warnock and Republican Rep. Mike Collins. Here is the latest from Washington, D.C.

Sen. Jon Ossoff

Ossoff’s co-sponsored bill, the Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act, was recently signed into law as part of bipartisan funding legislation to ensure that children with Medicaid in Georgia go through fewer delays when receiving specialty medical care.

The act will accelerate the process for pediatric medical providers to enroll in another state’s Medicaid program if they meet certain requirements, allowing them to provide care to children with complex needs across state lines, according to a press release from Ossoff. Children with complex medical needs, such as cleft lip or craniofacial conditions, are likely to have to seek specialized out-of-state care, according to the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association.

“No child should have to face burdensome delays when in need of life-saving care,” Ossoff said in the press release. “We passed this bipartisan bill into law to help ensure kids in Georgia and across the nation have fast and reliable access to the medical care they need and deserve.”

Additionally, Ossoff and his colleagues have urged U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon with theDepartment of Education to repeal its decision to cut federal funding for minority-serving institutions, including Georgia’s Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), according to a press release. The department announced the cancellation of $350 million in grant programs for HSIs back in September.

Accredited two or four-year universities must enroll a minimum of 25% undergraduate full-time Hispanic students to qualify as HSIs. Dalton State College and Georgia Gwinnett College are the only federally designated HSIs in the state, according to the University System of Georgia.

Rev. Raphael Warnock

Warnock recently questioned Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory in a hearing on election integrity following the Trump administration’s January raid of a Fulton County election office in search of materials related to the election results of the 2020 presidential election.

A review by the Department of Justice in Trump’s first term was unable to find any evidence supporting Trump’s claims of widespread election fraud in the 2020 election.

“The 2020 election has been examined and litigated over and over again, yet the president continues to spread conspiracy theories and outright lies,” Warnock said in a press release. “Our votes are our voices, and we need to be loud so that they cannot silence us.”

During the hearing, Ivory said the information seized from the Fulton County elections office included ballots, recap sheets, results, tapes and absentee ballot envelopes with personally identifiable information.

Ivory was not told what the administration would do with the confiscated materials. She agreed that she was "concerned about what the administration will do with such sensitive data from Fulton County voters," according to USA Today.

Warnock also brought Bill Lee, CEO of Evans Memorial Hospital, as his guest to Trump’s State of the Union address on Feb. 24 to highlight concerns regarding rural healthcare funding in Georgia.

The hospital is at risk of losing its intensive care unit and is experiencing a $1 million loss related to recent federal tax and health care policy shifts, according to CBS News.

“While we acknowledge the potential of additional future funding to some of Georgia’s rural hospitals, we must remain committed to our communities and that it is more important than ever that we ensure every Georgian can access quality health insurance,” Lee said in the press release. “This is our call to action.”

With the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced tax credits expiring at the end of 2025, plan premiums could rise across the board, and Georgia’s health care sector — especially rural hospitals — could see increased financial strain.

Rep. Mike Collins

Collins has spoken out regarding the second anniversary of the death of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student murdered on UGA’s campus by an undocumented immigrant in February of 2024.

“Two years ago today, a family lost a daughter and sister, and Georgia lost a bright young lady destined to save lives and care for others,” Collins wrote on Facebook. “As a father, my heart breaks that Laken Riley is no longer with us, but as we celebrate and remember her, I’m filled with hope for the lives her legacy will protect.”

After Riley’s murder, Collins spearheaded the Laken Riley Act, which requires local law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain immigrants in the U.S. without legal documentation who commit crimes such as shoplifting, assaulting a police officer or acts causing bodily harm.. The act was signed into law in January 2025 as Trump’s first major bill of his second presidency.

Collins also brought along Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds to Trump’s recent State of the Union address in a celebration of law enforcement officers and their efforts to protect American citizens in wake of “the devastating toll Biden’s policies had on the safety and well-being of the American people,” according to a press release from his office.

“I’m honored to have Sheriff Reynolds by my side as we celebrate America’s Golden Age: safer streets, strong borders, a thriving economy and leadership that puts Americans first,” Collins said in the press release.