The GA Files

State Level Legislator Fact Sheet · Georgia House of Representatives · District 142

Miriam Paris

Party Democrat
In Office 2017 – present
Prior Service GA Senate 2011 – 2013
Scope of This Review 2019 – 2026

The scorecard below tracks how Rep. Paris voted on ten of the most consequential bills before the Georgia General Assembly that reached a House floor vote (2019–2026). A fourth-generation Macon-Bibb native, former Macon city council president, and briefly a state senator for District 26, Paris has held this seat since 2017 and votes as a member of the chamber's Democratic minority.

2 / 10Paris voted NAY on eight of these ten, opposing the Republican majority on every abortion, LGBTQ, religious-liberty, tax, and homelessness bill. Her two YEA votes were the bipartisan IVF (HB 428) and medical-cannabis (SB 220) bills.

Methodology. Each vote is Rep. Paris's actual position from the official Georgia roll call (legis.ga.gov), transcribed into a verified vote database and cross-checked against the published Yea/Nay totals. The chamber tally and final status (became law / died in House) are noted per bill.

01

Riley Gaines Act

SB 1 · 2025 Session
NAY
Floor Vote
House vote (Passage), 2025 session — 100–64
Status
Became law (2025 session)
Rep. Paris' Vote
Voted NAY — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote.

Impact on Everyday Georgians

Bars transgender women and girls from competing on female school and college sports teams and requires K–12 and college sports, locker rooms, and restrooms to be designated by sex assigned at birth. Supporters framed it as protecting fairness and safety in women's sports; opponents — including LGBTQ advocates and some parents — said it stigmatizes transgender students and invites invasive enforcement.

Sources

02

Tort Reform

SB 68 · 2025 Session
NAY
Floor Vote
House vote (Immediately Transmit), 2025 session — 94–77
Status
Became law — Gov. Kemp's signature 2025 priority
Rep. Paris' Vote
Voted NAY — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote.

Impact on Everyday Georgians

Overhauled Georgia's civil-litigation rules — limiting when businesses and property owners can be sued (notably for negligent-security claims), changing how juries are told about medical damages, and allowing trials to be split into liability and damages phases. Backers said it would lower insurance costs and curb runaway verdicts; trial lawyers and consumer advocates warned it makes it harder for injured Georgians to recover full damages.

Sources

03

Religious Freedom Restoration Act

SB 36 · 2025 Session
NAY
Floor Vote
House vote (Passage), 2025 session — 96–70
Status
Became law (2025 session)
Rep. Paris' Vote
Voted NAY — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote.

Impact on Everyday Georgians

Georgia's Religious Freedom Restoration Act bars state and local government from “substantially burdening” a person's exercise of religion without a compelling interest. Supporters called it a long-sought protection mirroring the 1993 federal law; opponents — including civil-rights groups and some businesses — warned it could be used to justify discrimination, particularly against LGBTQ Georgians, since the state has no statewide anti-discrimination law.

Sources

04

Gender-Affirming Care Ban (Minors)

SB 140 · 2023 Session
NAY
Floor Vote
House vote (Immediately Transmit), 2023 session — 97–74
Status
Became law (2023 session)
Rep. Paris' Vote
Voted NAY — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote.

Impact on Everyday Georgians

Prohibits hormone therapy and surgical gender-affirming care for transgender minors in Georgia, with limited exceptions. Supporters said it shields children from irreversible decisions; major medical associations and families of transgender youth opposed it, arguing it overrides parents and doctors and strips away evidence-based care.

Sources

05

Heartbeat Bill (Abortion Ban)

HB 481 · 2019 Session
NAY
Floor Vote
House vote (Agree to Senate Substitute), 2019 session — 92–78
Status
Became law (2019); took effect in 2022 after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade
Rep. Paris' Vote
Voted NAY — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote.

Impact on Everyday Georgians

Bans most abortions once embryonic cardiac activity is detected — around six weeks, before many people know they are pregnant — with narrow exceptions. Blocked by courts for years, it took effect in 2022 after Dobbs. It sharply curtailed abortion access in Georgia and has reshaped how doctors manage pregnancy complications across the region.

Sources

06

Right to IVF

HB 428 · 2025 Session
YEA
Floor Vote
House vote (Passage), 2025 session — 172–0
Status
Became law (2025 session)
Rep. Paris' Vote
Voted YEA — with the chamber majority, on a bipartisan vote.

Impact on Everyday Georgians

Establishes a state right to access in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and protects providers — one of the rare bipartisan votes in this set. It followed national alarm after an Alabama court ruling threatened IVF, and aimed to reassure Georgia families pursuing fertility treatment that the procedure would remain legal and available.

Sources

07

State Income Tax Cut

HB 111 · 2025 Session
NAY
Floor Vote
House vote (Passage), 2025 session — 110–60
Status
Became law (2025 session)
Rep. Paris' Vote
Voted NAY — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote.

Impact on Everyday Georgians

Accelerated Georgia's move to a lower flat income tax, cutting the rate ahead of schedule (to 5.19%). Supporters said it returns surplus money to taxpayers; critics cautioned that flat-rate cuts deliver the largest dollar benefits to higher earners and reduce the revenue available for schools, health care, and public services.

Sources

08

Property Tax Relief (LHOST)

SB 33 · 2026 Session
NAY
Floor Vote
House vote (Agree to Senate Amend to House Sub), 2026 session — 97–72
Status
Became law (2026 session)
Rep. Paris' Vote
Voted NAY — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote.

Impact on Everyday Georgians

Authorizes a local-option homestead sales tax and related homestead relief, letting communities offset rising property-tax bills driven by climbing home values. Supporters framed it as relief for homeowners squeezed by reassessments; critics noted sales taxes are regressive and that any relief depends on each community choosing to adopt it.

Sources

09

Homelessness Enforcement

HB 295 · 2026 Session
NAY
Floor Vote
House vote (Agree to Senate Amend as HAm), 2026 session — 93–76
Status
Became law (2026 session)
Rep. Paris' Vote
Voted NAY — against the chamber majority, on a party-line vote.

Impact on Everyday Georgians

Restricts unsanctioned public camping and sleeping and presses local governments toward enforcement and state-directed approaches to homelessness. Supporters said it keeps public spaces safe and orderly; homeless-services advocates warned it criminalizes poverty and can push people away from services without adding any housing.

Sources

10

Medical Cannabis Expansion

SB 220 · 2026 Session
YEA
Floor Vote
House vote (Agree to Senate Amend to House Sub), 2026 session — 144–21
Status
Became law (2026 session)
Rep. Paris' Vote
Voted YEA — with the chamber majority, on a bipartisan vote.

Impact on Everyday Georgians

Expands Georgia's low-THC medical cannabis program — broadening the qualifying conditions and access for registered patients — and passed with bipartisan support. It widened eligibility for Georgians managing chronic and serious illnesses under the state's tightly regulated program.

Sources

Constituent Access

Town Halls

Public meetings with constituents · review period 2019–2026

A fixture of Macon-Bibb public life for two decades, Rep. Paris engages constituents through local civic and community organizations, Macon-Bibb Democratic events, and election-season forums rather than standalone open town halls.

Documented Record

  • Macon-Bibb civic life. Paris came up through the Macon city council (president by her second year) and remains visible at community and civic events across the district.
  • Election-season forums. Paris participates in local candidate forums and media interviews each cycle (41NBC "Decision" series, 2024).

Verified against the Georgia House and regional reporting. This is not an exhaustive list. State-level constituent-event records are thinner and more locally reported than federal ones; corrections with documented events are welcome via the contact link below.

Sources

Campaign Finance

Campaign Finance

Who's funding Miriam Paris · 2025–26 cycle

Pinned — Industry & Profession

Realtor money to a realtor

Paris's single largest reported donor is the Georgia Association of Realtors PAC ($3,300) — and she has been a realtor for more than 25 years. Realtor money shows up on both parties' Macon-area fact sheets (it is also the top-tier donor to Republican Dale Washburn next door in District 144), a reminder that trade PACs buy access on both sides of the aisle. Behind it sit the trial-bar's Civil Justice PAC and Democratic leadership committees (Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, Rep. Sam Park).

Top Contributors

Rep. Paris's largest reported contributors, from the Georgia Ethics Commission (PeachFile) — a mix of trade PACs, the trial bar, and Democratic leadership committees.

#ContributorTotal
1Georgia WIN List (Atlanta, GA)$3,300.00
2GA Association of Realtors PAC (Atlanta, GA)$3,300.00
3Civil Justice PAC (Atlanta, GA)$3,000.00
4Sam For Georgia, Inc (Lawrenceville, GA)$2,000.00
5The Committee to Elect Carolyn Hugley (Columbus, GA)$2,000.00
6Georgia Rural Telephone & Broadband PAC (Atlanta, GA)$1,000.00
7Film Workers Political Action Committee (Atlanta, GA)$1,000.00
8Standing Tree LLC (Macon, GA)$1,000.00
9Howard, Todd (Macon, GA)$1,000.00
10Thornton Realty Company (Macon, GA)$500.00

$93,647 raised · $29,161 cash on hand — as of May 7, 2026 (GA Ethics latest filing).

Source: the Georgia Ethics Commission (Georgia campaign-finance filings). Figures are reported totals for the period shown; this is a top-contributors view, not a full sector breakdown. Georgia does not produce the OpenSecrets-style sector/industry rollups available for federal members.

Sources

Accountability

Scandals

Reported controversies, charges & ethics matters · past decade

September 2025Ethics — financial disclosure

Fined for failing to file financial-disclosure reports

Fined $500

The State Ethics Commission fined Paris $500 for failing to file two personal financial-disclosure reports — an administrative (failure-to-file) matter, part of a 2025 audit-driven review of legislators' filings.

Sources

Each item is drawn from published reporting or official records, with sources listed. Where a matter was dismissed, settled, withdrawn, or remains pending, that disposition is noted; allegations are identified as such, and inclusion does not imply a finding of guilt. Corrections are welcome via the contact link below.

Verification Resources

Vote positions are Rep. Paris's actual recorded votes from the official Georgia roll calls (legis.ga.gov), transcribed into a verified vote database and cross-checked against the published Yea/Nay totals. Campaign-finance figures are pulled live from the Georgia Government Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission (PeachFile) and are current to the committee's most recent filed disclosure report; Georgia does not produce OpenSecrets-style sector/industry rollups.

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