We may have diverse backgrounds and beliefs, but we want the same things.

Economic Prosperity

Michelle feels the rising prices at the grocery store and the gas pump taking their toll on all working Georgia families, along with skyrocketing housing and health care costs. The last three years have placed an unprecedented burden on millions of Georgians, and she is ready to fight for the economic prosperity of everyone in this state. Michelle has already successfully worked to lower healthcare costs, help suspend the gas tax and voted for tax cuts for working families.

As a small business owner, Michelle supports policies that make it easier for small businesses to flourish, ensuring a fair approach to taxes, health care costs, and worker training. Michelle also continues to support the passage of the Georgia Earned Income Tax Credit to help low- and moderate-income households which are struggling the most. In addition, she will advocate for modernizing our tax code to fund our state budget, such as raising the tobacco tax to the national average and ending special interest tax breaks, so that working class families are not forced to balance the state budget on their backs.

Legislative Accomplishments

Voted in favor HB 304 and HB 1437, which suspended the gas tax and lowered the Georgia income tax, respectively, bringing relief to low- and middle-income families

Co-sponsored SB 24, a bill to raise the minimum wage of Georgia to $15 per hour

Co-sponsored SB 25, a bill to create a new tax credit for childcare costs

Safety for All

Michelle is committed to making our neighborhoods safer by building trust between our families, communities, and first responders. She supports securing the necessary resources to fund mental health specialists and the tools, training and resources that law enforcement needs to fight crime. At the State Senate, she wrote or co-sponsored many bills to address law enforcement needs and keep our public safe.

Passing common sense gun safety laws, such as universal background checks, mandatory five-day waiting periods, and mandating safe storage, are also top priorities for her.  Getting and keeping guns off the street will protect our families, schools, and first responders. Michelle was awarded the National State Lawmaker of the Year by Everytown for Gun Safety in 2022 for her advocacy in the State Senate.

Michelle also knows that we must address crime at its core before enforcement is every necessary. To do so, she supports investing in deterrence services in high-risk communities to stop crime before it happens. In addressing the root causes for most crime, including mental health issues and poverty, our families will be made safer and more secure.

Legislative Accomplishments

In the 2023-2024 legislative session, Michelle was able to make real progress in our fight for common sense gun safety laws.  HB 971 included her Safe Storage Tax Credit Act (HB 855) language and was the first gun safety legislation to pass out of the House and be considered by the Senate in more than two decades. in 2023, Michelle authored HB 161, the Pediatric Health Safe Storage Act, and it was the first substantive gun safety legislation to get a subcommittee hearing in the Georgia General Assembly in six years. She also introduced legislation to require universal background checks in all gun purchases (SB 179) and to require a five-day waiting period for gun purchases (SB 309) while serving in the State Senate. 

Introduced legislation (SB 311) to provide multilingual education for public safety officers

Co-sponsored SB 403, the Georgia Behavioral Health and Peace Officer Co-Responder Act

Voted in favor of HB 1134, which created new pathways to fight gang violence in Georgia

Remarks on SB 319 (permitless carry):

Reproductive Rights

Michelle is a lifelong fighter for women’s reproductive rights, a fight which is at its most urgent following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Extremists at the state legislature have already passed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, banning abortions at six weeks. She will advocate to repeal that law and put decisions about women’s health care back where they belong – in women’s hands.

Michelle was the only Senator who substantively blocked bans of medication abortion pills at the Capitol, ensuring this critical resource will continue to be available for millions of Georgia women. In a state legislature which is often hostile to women and women’s rights, Michelle is the only pro-choice physician in the General Assembly.

Legislative Accomplishments

Serves as the only pro-choice physician in the entire Georgia State Legislature

Blocked SB 456 from final passage in the legislature, which would have banned women from receiving critical medication in the mail

Affordable, Quality Healthcare

As a physician with a master’s degree in public health, Michelle knows prescriptions and procedures can’t solve deep, unrelenting barriers to access in our healthcare system. With decades of experience in patient need and health policy, Michelle is uniquely qualified to improve health care for all people in Georgia.

In her short time at the legislature so far, Michelle has already cosponsored bills to lower prescription drug costs, enhance family medical leave, and ensured patient consumer protections. She stood up to insurance companies by ending the denial of ER visit claims and made sure mental health cares is covered the same as physical ailments.  She will continue to fight for expanding Medicaid which would infuse cash and resources into our struggling hospital systems, trigger even more federal funds flow back into Georgia to create jobs and industry, lowering healthcare costs for the state, taxpayers, and consumers.

Legislative Accomplishments

Presided over the passage of HB 1324, which requires insurers to provide coverage for emergency physical or mental health care regardless of the final diagnosis given

Co-sponsored SB 55, the Georgia Family Medical Leave Act

Co-sponsored SB 181, a bill to reduce the out-of-pocket cost of insulin

Co-sponsored SB 5, SB 46, SB 340 & SB 341, which updated and modernized health care laws for the benefit of patients

As a member of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Dr. Au used her extensive medical knowledge and experience to shape and pass HB 1013, the Mental Health Parity Act

Excellent Public Education

Michelle has three children who attend local public schools. She believes all students in the district and throughout Georgia deserve the absolute best our education system can offer and is committed to reducing the achievement gap for low-income students. Doing so will require fully funding public education from PreK through 12th grade, eliminating vouchers/waivers, providing for wrap-around services, and investing in our overworked, underpaid educators.

Furthermore, Michelle supports safeguarding our educators and students, physically and mentally. She is committed to repealing campus carry, opposing the overreach of the state into classroom curriculum, and ending policies that put parents and educators in opposition to each other. She supports programs and policies that focus on school climate and Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports, breaking the school to prison pipeline, resources for school mental health professionals and school resource officers as well as supporting safety and security building improvements.

Legislative Accomplishments

Co-sponsored SB 122, which would have mandated recess for students from kindergarten through eighth grade

Co-sponsored SB 216, a bill to create a new early childcare sponsorship program

Co-sponsored SB 506, the PROTECT Children Act of 2022

The Right to Vote

In response to those antidemocratic voting laws passed in 2021, Michelle has co-sponsored several voting rights bills, including same day registration, automatic voter registration, more polling and ballot box locations, among many others, and will continue to sponsor or support legislation that protects and expands the right to vote.

Over one-third of registered voters did not show up for our last election, despite hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on advertisements and voter engagement. There are far too many barriers to voting, barriers which disproportionately affect voters of color and low-income voters. The right to vote is a sacred one and until every voter can cast their ballot simply and securely, our state is failing its most fundamental promise to its people.

Legislative Accomplishments

Co-sponsored SB 26, a bill to ensure an absentee ballot drop-box outside each early voting location

Co-sponsored SB 99, a bill to expand access to voting locations

Co-sponsored SB 149, a bill to allow same day voter registration and voting

Co-sponsored SB 150, a bill to expand eligibility for automatic voter registration

Co-sponsored SB 186, a bill to make redistricting fairer and give voters a greater say in who their elected officials are

Co-sponsored SB 444, a bill to expand access to absentee ballot drop boxes