Rep. Terry Cummings Announces Legislative Priorities Ahead of 2027 Legislative Session

ATLANTA - State Representative Terry Cummings (D-Mableton) today announces her legislative priorities ahead of the 2027 legislative session. Rep. Cummings emphasizes her priorities will focus on fiscal accountability for the City of Mableton, repealing House Bill 369, Black political representation, public safety and housing. Rep. Cummings notes that her first priority is to review Mableton's existing independent audits, financial reports and adopted budgets to determine what additional independent fiscal and operational analysis may be needed.

"Mableton already undergoes annual financial reporting and auditing, and we should build on that work," said Rep. Cummings. "Residents also deserve clear answers about future police costs, long-term obligations, city and county service arrangements and the impact on their taxes. My goal is to use existing information responsibly, address unanswered questions and give residents a clear picture of the city's financial future."

Rep. Cumming notes that the assessment would focus on long-term affordability, service delivery and taxpayer impacts. It would examine whether projected revenues can sustain planned services, how city and county responsibilities affect residents' costs and the financial consequences of potential changes to those arrangements.

"As a Mableton homeowner and taxpayer, I share residents' concerns about affordability and accountability," added Rep. Cummings. "Residents deserve understandable information to guide decisions about our city's future. I remain committed to responsible economic development that benefits our community, protects taxpayers and earns public confidence through transparency and meaningful public participation."

Rep. Cummings' notes that her second priority is to introduce legislation to repeal House Bill 369, which provides for the nonpartisan election of county officers and district attorneys in consolidated law enforcement counties and judicial circuits, where the elected office of county coroner has been abolished.

"HB 369 is a targeted attack on democratic representation and Black political power," said Rep. Cummings. "Lawmakers singled out five metro Atlanta counties where Black voters have helped elect democratic leadership, then changed the rules governing those elections. Stripping party labels from the ballot in these selected counties deprives voters of useful information and allows candidates to run without identifying their party on the ballot. The impact on Black leadership is unmistakable. Every district attorney affected by this law is a Black democratic woman. Our communities worked, organized and voted to elect their leaders. I will fight efforts to weaken that political voice through selectively imposed election rules."

Rep. Cummings notes that she co-sponsored the original version of HB 369, which included food truck safety provisions, before the legislation was later substituted with language addressing election provisions.

"I signed onto a food truck safety bill," added Rep. Cummings. "I did not sign onto the election changes that replaced it. My co-sponsorship of the original legislation should never be represented as support for those changes. Replacing a food truck safety measure with sweeping election changes undermines public trust. I will introduce legislation to repeal HB 369 because Black voters and democratic communities deserve the same respect and fair treatment as every other community in Georgia."

As her third legislative priority, Rep. Cummings further notes that she plans to reintroduce legislation establishing safeguards against facial recognition misidentification, strengthening tenant rights and improving housing safety regulations.

"Protecting our communities includes protecting people from wrongful identification and ensuring families have safe, habitable homes," concluded Rep. Cummings. "I will continue working to strengthen accountability and provide meaningful protections for Georgia residents. My commitment remains the same: listen to you, work for you and put the people of District 39 first."

Representative Terry Cummings represents the citizens of District 39, which includes a portion of Cobb County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2022 and currently serves on the Banks & Banking, Public Safety and Homeland Security and State Properties committees.

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