State Level Legislator Fact Sheet · Georgia State Senate · District 18
Sen. McNeel is the newest member of this group. He won a February 2026 special-election runoff to fill the District 18 seat vacated by John F. Kennedy — who resigned in December 2025 to run for lieutenant governor — and was sworn in on February 25, 2026, partway through the 2026 session. His recorded voting history is therefore short: it covers only the bills that reached the Senate floor after he took office.
Methodology. Each vote is Sen. McNeel'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.
McNeel was seated on February 25, 2026, midway through the legislative session. Of this site’s eleven key votes, eight were cast in 2019–2025 — before he held the seat — by his predecessor, Sen. John F. Kennedy, and are not attributed to McNeel here. Only the three 2026 bills below are his own recorded votes. We’ll expand this scorecard as his record grows.
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.
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.
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.
Constituent Access
Public meetings with constituents · since Feb 2026
As a legislator seated only in February 2026, Sen. McNeel does not yet have an established record of town halls or recurring constituent events. His 2026 special election featured candidate forums and campaign events across the Macon-area district (Crawford, Monroe, Peach, Upson, and parts of Bibb and Houston counties).
This is a new member with a short public record; this section will be expanded as he holds constituent events. Corrections and documented events are welcome via the contact link below.
Campaign Finance
Who's funding Steven McNeel · 2026 special election
Trial bar & GOP leadership
McNeel’s special-election war chest leaned on two notable sources: a cluster of prominent Georgia trial attorneys (James Butler, Adam Malone, Katherine McArthur, Tedra Cannella, Jed Manton) and Republican Senate leadership. Among the latter is President Pro Tem Larry Walker, who gave $6,600 — a figure that also appears on Walker’s own fact sheet as money he directed to McNeel’s race. It’s a textbook look at how a freshman is funded into a safe seat.
Sen. McNeel’s largest reported contributors for the 2026 special election, from the Georgia Ethics Commission (PeachFile) — a mix of individual donors (several of them well-known trial attorneys) and Republican officeholders.
| # | Contributor | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manton, Jed (Brookhaven, GA) | $9,600.00 |
| 2 | Matt Brass for State Senate (Newnan, GA) | $8,400.00 |
| 3 | Butler, James (Columbus, GA) | $8,300.00 |
| 4 | Hamilton, Alan (Atlanta, GA) | $8,000.00 |
| 5 | Childers & McCain, LLC (Macon, Ga) | $6,600.00 |
| 6 | Harris Lowry Manton LLP (Brookhaven, GA) | $6,600.00 |
| 7 | McNeel Construction, LLC (Marietta, GA) | $6,600.00 |
| 8 | McNeel Stowers, LLC (Marietta, GA) | $6,600.00 |
| 9 | Steven McNeel Construction, LLC (Marietta, GA) | $6,600.00 |
| 10 | MC4 Properties, LLC (Marietta, GA) | $6,600.00 |
$492,915 raised · $100,228 cash on hand — as of May 14, 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. Several entries are individual donors. Georgia does not produce OpenSecrets-style sector/industry rollups.
Vote positions are Sen. McNeel'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.