Soapbox Derby Bill Fights Through Adversity

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State Representative Leesa Hagan recently sat down to reflect on the recent legislative session, as well as provide an update on the battle to pass her drafted bill to make the Southeast Georgia Soapbox Derby the state’s official soapbox derby.

The bill was first voted on and passed unanimously within the state House of Representatives on Monday, February 27, as Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby Director Jonathan Gordy and his family, Lyons Mayor Willis NeSmith Jr., Lyons City Manager Jason Hall, Lyons Main Street Association Director Daphne Walker, and representatives from the Southeast Georgia Soapbox Derby Scholarship Pageant looked on. However, complications arose once the bill traveled to the State Senate.

According to Hagan, upon the bill’s arrival in the Senate for a vote, additional provisions that dealt with the legality of sports gambling were tacked on to the legislation. This addition caused controversy within the legislature, as many felt pairing sports betting with the Soapbox Derby was ill-suited. “Whether they were for or against the gambling, so many legislators agreed and expressed to me that they felt like it was an inappropriate thing to do, but if the Chairman of Committee says it’s okay, then it’s okay technically,” Hagan explained.

Following this addition, Hagan made the decision to remove all details about the Soapbox Derby from the bill. “The language [about the Southeast Georgia Soapbox Derby] was stripped from the bill because I asked it to be. I did not feel like that bill was an appropriate place for them to put sports gambling, and I did not want it associated with that,” she remarked.

With the help of fellow legislators and the support of state House of Representatives leadership, Hagan was able to find a different bill which was stripped of its language and remade into another piece of proposed legislation to make the Southeast Georgia Soapbox Derby the state’s official soapbox derby. “I did it with the okay of the bill’s author,” Hagan said. “It was a senate bill that had crossed over, and [the author] was very supportive and felt that we needed to work together, so we added the Soapbox Derby language to a Senate bill.”

This new bill was passed unanimously again in the House, but the legislation was never called for a vote in the Senate. “The bill is still alive for next year,” she reassured. “We’re going to keep trying for next year.”

Yet, throughout the trials and confusion of the effort to get the bill passed, Hagan said the effort was not a failure. “It wasn’t a complete loss,” she emphasized. “I wanted to get that done for Lyons and the community, and also to promote the Soapbox Derby in general [because] it is a wonderful program for young people. It was frustrating to me to not be able to get that done, but it also brought so much attention to it in the process — that was also good. There has been so much attention on Lyons and on the Southeast Georgia Soapbox Derby across the state, so I definitely wouldn’t call this a loss.”

Hagan concluded, “I’m going to keep working to get that bill passed hopefully next year. I will not stop until the City of Lyons can put a sign up that says the Southeast Georgia Soapbox Derby is Georgia’s Official Soapbox Derby.” Reflection on Session

Hagan said this session was more enjoyable than the last legislative session, as she was no longer a newcomer in the House of Representatives, and knew more about how the session would function.

Roles

She also shared that this session had brought leadership opportunities for her within the House committees. “I was trusted with more leadership this session and got to see more of the process,” Hagan explained. “I wasn’t just sitting and trying to figure things out, I was able to make some things happen this session, and I definitely enjoyed that.”

During the session, Hagan served as the Vice Chairman on the Transportation Committee and Education Appropriations subcommittee, and was a member of the House Majority Whip team. She also served on the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, Natural Resources and Environment, Industry and Labor, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight, and Small Business Development Committees, along with the House Rural Development Council.

Lessons

According to Hagan, the most impacting lesson which she learned during this session is the importance of relationships. “It is so important to form good relationships with as many people as you can in that [Capitol] building — whether it’s in the House, in the Senate, the governor’s office, any of the staffers in the building — it’s all about relationships,” she emphasized. “The more positive relationships that you form, the easier it is to get something done.”

This lesson has been one that has stuck with Hagan, as she said her outgoing personality works well to build these positive relationships. “I like getting to know people and working with them, so that is something I have really enjoyed is forming relationships and finding things to work with other people on, even if it is across the aisle – we do a lot of bipartisan things. Anytime you can work with somebody instead of working against them, it’s a good day,” she stated.

What’s Next

When asked if there was anything which her constituents should be looking out for in the coming months, she stressed the need for people to be aware that most of the bills which were passed during the session will go into effect on July 1. “Make sure you know what is going into effect and how it will impact you,” she suggested.

Hagan also reassured that this time will not be a rest period for other legislators and herself, as they will now work within their committees to continue to form and edit bills in hopes they will pass next session.