State Level Legislator Fact Sheet · Georgia House of Representatives · District 140

Teddy Reese

Party Democrat

In Office 2022 – present

House Role Member · Columbus

Scope of This Review 2022 – 2026

Tremaine “Teddy” Reese, a Columbus lawyer, won House District 140 in 2022 to succeed Calvin Smyre — the legendary “dean of the House” who had served since 1974. Reese is now running for the District 15 state Senate seat being vacated by Ed Harbison. He votes a consistent Democratic line. (The 2019 Heartbeat Bill predates his tenure and is not shown below.)

2 / 9Reese voted NO on the Republican priorities below and YEA only on the bipartisan IVF and medical-cannabis bills — the Democratic line; he was excused (absent) on the Riley Gaines Act.

Methodology. Each vote is Rep. Reese'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.

Riley Gaines Act

SB 1 · 2025 Session

EXCUSED

Floor Vote: House vote (Passage), 2025 session — 100–64
Status: Became law (2025 session)
Rep. Reese's Vote: Excused — did not 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

LegiScan — SB 1 bill text, history & roll calls

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. Reese's 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

LegiScan — SB 68 bill text, history & roll calls

Religious Freedom Restoration Act

SB 36 · 2025 Session

NAY

Floor Vote: House vote (Passage), 2025 session — 96–70
Status: Became law (2025 session)
Rep. Reese's 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

LegiScan — SB 36 bill text, history & roll calls

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. Reese's 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

LegiScan — SB 140 bill text, history & roll calls

Right to IVF

HB 428 · 2025 Session

YEA

Floor Vote: House vote (Passage), 2025 session — 172–0
Status: Became law (2025 session)
Rep. Reese's 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

LegiScan — HB 428 bill text, history & roll calls

State Income Tax Cut

HB 111 · 2025 Session

NAY

Floor Vote: House vote (Passage), 2025 session — 110–60
Status: Became law (2025 session)
Rep. Reese's 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

LegiScan — HB 111 bill text, history & roll calls

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. Reese's 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

LegiScan — SB 33 bill text, history & roll calls

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. Reese's 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

LegiScan — HB 295 bill text, history & roll calls

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. Reese'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

Constituent Access

Town Halls

Public meetings with constituents · Columbus delegation · since 2022

Reese takes part in the Columbus-area legislative delegation's joint events with constituents.

Documented Record

April 10, 2025 — South Columbus Library. Reese joined a Columbus delegation legislative town hall with Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, Rep. Debbie Buckner, and Sen. Ed Harbison, fielding community questions.

State legislators' constituent-event records are thin and locally reported; this section will be expanded as events are documented. Corrections are welcome via the contact link below.

Sources

Campaign Finance

Who's funding Rep. Reese · recent cycles

Pinned — A Senate Bid

Running for Harbison’s seat

Reese succeeded a Georgia institution — Calvin Smyre, the longest-serving “dean of the House” — and is now running for the District 15 Senate seat that Ed Harbison is leaving. His donor base is largely individual, led by members of the Columbus Griffin family.

Top Contributors

Reese's largest reported contributors from the Georgia Ethics Commission (PeachFile) — a largely individual donor base.

#	Contributor	Total
1	Griffin, Charlie (Columbus, GA)	$4,300.00
2	Griffin, Kizzy (Midland, GA)	$4,000.00
3	Griffin, Mark (Tuscaloosa, AL)	$3,300.00
4	Burch, Jarrod (Locust Grove, GA)	$3,000.00
5	Civil Justice PAC, Inc (Atlanta, GA)	$3,000.00
6	Kimbrough, Jeff (Columbus, GA)	$2,000.00
7	Perkins, Dominick (Columbus, GA)	$1,500.00
8	Chan, Alex (Columbus, GA)	$1,500.00
9	Dr Otis E Tillman Jr, Audrey B Tillman (Columbus, GA)	$1,000.00

$258,505 raised · $2,930 cash on hand — as of May 20, 2026 (GA Ethics latest filing).

Source: the Georgia Ethics Commission (Georgia campaign-finance filings). Reported top donors, not a full sector breakdown; Georgia does not produce OpenSecrets-style sector/industry rollups, and the Georgia Ethics Commission holds the official itemized filings.

Sources

Verification Resources

Vote positions are Rep. Reese'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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