Democratic Representative SANDRA SCOTT entered the world of politics in 2008 as a member of the Clayton County Board of Education. She has represented District 76 in the Georgia House of Representatives since assuming office on January 10, 2011. Though her current term ends on January 9, 2023, Rep. Scott advanced from the May 24 Democratic Primary and is on the ballot for reelection when the general election is held on November 8.
Rep. Scott has been a member of numerous legislative committees, presently serving on the Defense & Veterans Affairs Committee, Human Relations & Aging Committee, Science & Technology, Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment, and Special Rules committees. She has sponsored more than 100 bills in the Georgian House of Representatives—most recently, House Bills 962 and 971 for legislation that would require gun owners to store their firearms in a secure manner and report if a firearm has been lost or stolen.
“My heart cries out with sadness, grief, and anger every time I learn that a child has been shot by another child because someone left a loaded firearm on the table, in the car, or on their dresser,” said Rep. Scott. “We do not need legislation that would allow people to carry a gun without a permit. We need laws that increase gun safety, such as House Bills 962 and 971. When household guns are not stored safely or securely, the risk of death or injury only increases.”
Policy Director for the National Foundation of Women Legislators, Rep. Scott was awarded the NFWL 2013 Woman of Excellence Award in Washington, DC. She is the vice-chair of the Henry County Legislative Delegation. She has been the chair and vice chair of the Clayton County Legislative Delegation, was the Recording Secretary for NOBEL Women from 2018-2021, the Georgia Women Caucus, the Working Family Caucus, WILL/WAND and the Clayton and Henry County NAACP, and the Clayton and Henry NCNW member. In addition, she is a member of Henry County Democratic Women and the National Black Caucus of State Legislators Executive Committee. She has been honored as the 2013 Georgia Legislative Black Caucus Legislator of the Year.
Her favorite saying is, “If I can just help one person a day then, my living will not be in vain.” When asked, however, what advice she would give her younger self Representative Scott said, “To love me unconditionally. To believe in myself. To take time to be comfortable with who I am. Take time to understand how to move around in this world that is constantly changing. Take time to understand why I do what I do. To go to school and never stop learning. To get involved in what is going on in my community, county, city, and state government. To be the voice for the people who won’t or are afraid to speak up against injustice. To encourage people that they can be . . . Don’t be afraid to fail because failure will only make you better. To never stop dreaming because my biggest dream is yet to come. To love my people unapologetically. To always embrace righteousness over wrong. To STAND UP for what is RIGHT, even if I MUST STAND ALONE. To trust God and let him lead me through this worldly world.”