Imani Barnes is a Public Health doctoral candidate, biomedical research scientist, youth development coach, and parent and community advocate. As our District 86 Representative, she recognizes the need for inclusion at the capitol that reflects the interests of the diverse families, businesses, and underserved populations in the district. We deserve leadership that can relate to the needs of our growing community and will articulate those concerns to obtain quantifiable results. During the legislative session and the rest of the year, Representative Barnes has been constantly aware of her responsibility as the Representative for HD 86. She works tirelessly on issues to improve and protect public schools and students to better prepare the young people for modern life.

One major effort is to provide free breakfast and lunch for students in Georgia's public schools. She sponsored HB510, the "Healthy Start" bill that would provide free school meals to all students in the state.

Along with her Democratic colleagues and Republicans from rural areas, Rep. Barnes fought against the use of school vouchers that take money away from our public schools...and won.

Representative Barnes supports the rights of all citizens to have the freedom to live their lives as they choose. She works to expand Medicaid thus providing healthcare for more Georgians as she sponsored HB74 that would provide Lymphedema coverage under Medicaid.

As her legislative duties continue, she wants to obtain educational funding for our pre-K-12 children to develop outlets to engage them with activities, mental health programs, and nutritional programs. Furthermore, residents are burdened with the inflated cost of living associated with lack of affordable housing and she will continue to fight for increased support for housing assistance. As a woman of color and member of the LGBTQ community, Representative Barnes empathizes with concerns from constituents and understands that the success of the state's future depends on inclusion of the unique heritage of our diverse residents. Her track record of identifying issues and partnering with experts to implement long-term solutions is necessary for inclusion and growth in our state. Throughout her career as a scientist, she has studied the effects of economics on health and sustainability, as well as nurtured partnerships to facilitate youth development. In her industry, she is known for resolving issues without bias using data generated by implementing the scientific method form of analysis. She is a Representative in the House that can relate to your concerns, articulate your needs, and use science to address your interests. Without progressive policies that protect our interests, we are in jeopardy of inhibiting our states full economic potential.