# Steven McNeel (GA Senate D-18) — Legislator Fact Sheet · The GA Files > Key state votes by Georgia Senator Steven McNeel (District 18, Macon), his constituent access, and campaign finance — a state-level legislator fact sheet. *Source: https://thegafiles.com/StevenMcNeel.html · The GA Files (thegafiles.com)* --- State Level Legislator Fact Sheet · Georgia State Senate · District 18 # Steven McNeel Party Republican In Office Feb 2026 – present Senate Role Freshman (seated mid-session) Scope of This Review 2026 session 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. 3 / 3On the three scorecard bills McNeel was in office to vote on, he voted **YEA on all three** — with the Republican majority. The remaining eight bills predate his tenure (see note above the scorecard). **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. Freshman — limited record 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. 01 ## Property Tax Relief (LHOST) SB 33 · 2026 Session YEA Floor Vote Senate vote (Agree to House Substitute as Amended), 2026 session — 32–21 Status Became law (2026 session) Sen. McNeel's Vote Voted **YEA** — with 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 - [LegiScan — SB 33 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB33/2026) 02 ## Homelessness Enforcement HB 295 · 2026 Session YEA Floor Vote Senate vote (Agree to House Amendment to Senate Amendment), 2026 session — 34–19 Status Became law (2026 session) Sen. McNeel's Vote Voted **YEA** — with 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 - [LegiScan — HB 295 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB295/2026) 03 ## Medical Cannabis Expansion SB 220 · 2026 Session YEA Floor Vote Senate vote (Agree to House Substitute as Amended), 2026 session — 38–14 Status Became law (2026 session) Sen. McNeel's 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 - [LegiScan — SB 220 bill text, history & roll calls](https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB220/2026) Constituent Access ## Town Halls 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). ## Documented Record - **2026 special-election campaign.** McNeel met voters through runoff campaign events and candidate forums across District 18 ahead of the February 17, 2026 runoff he won with ~59%. 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. ## Sources - [Steven McNeel — Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Steven_McNeel) - [Campaign site](https://www.votestevenmcneel.com/) Campaign Finance ## Campaign Finance Who's funding Steven McNeel · 2026 special election Pinned — Who Backed Him 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. ## Top Contributors 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. ## Sources - [Georgia Ethics Commission (PeachFile) — campaign finance](https://peachfile.ethics.ga.gov) - [Georgia Ethics Commission — official filings](https://media.ethics.ga.gov/search/Campaign/Campaign_ReportLog.aspx) - [OpenSecrets — Georgia state](https://www.opensecrets.org/states/GA) ## Verification Resources - [Georgia General Assembly — Senate roll-call votes](https://www.legis.ga.gov/votes/senate) - [Steven McNeel — Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Steven_McNeel) - [Capitol Beat — McNeel wins runoff (Feb 2026)](https://capitol-beat.org/2026/02/republican-mcneel-wins-middle-georgia-runoff-for-state-senate/) - [Open States — Georgia legislators & votes](https://openstates.org/ga/legislators/) - [Georgia Ethics Commission — campaign finance](https://media.ethics.ga.gov/search/Campaign/Campaign_ReportLog.aspx) 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. [← All Legislators](https://thegafiles.com/legislators.html)