Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for March 13, 2020

On March 15, 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated at a meeting of the Senate.

On March 15, 40 BC, Octavian executed 300 Senators and knights in vengeance for Caesar’s death.

On May 13, 1607, English settlers founded the first permanent English settlement in America, at Jamestown on the James River. This led to the first English-language politics in America:

Dispatched from England by the London Company, the colonists had sailed across the Atlantic aboard the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. Upon landing at Jamestown, the first colonial council was held by seven settlers whose names had been chosen and placed in a sealed box by King James I. The council, which included Captain John Smith, an English adventurer, chose Edward Wingfield as its first president.

On March 15, 1758, Georgia’s Royal Governor Henry Ellis signed legislation dividing the colony into eight parishes, primarily for religious administration, but with some parishes having secondary government functions.

Lyman Hall arrived in Philadelphia as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress on May 13, 1775.

On May 13, 1798, a Constitutional Convention adopted the Georgia Constitution of 1798.

The Mexican War began on May 13, 1846.

Georgia Whigs, led by Governor George Crawford, Alexander Stephens, and Robert Toombs, criticized the war for raising divisive questions about slavery in the territories. Georgia Democrats, led by Howell Cobb and Herschel Johnson, staunchly supported the war and states’ rights afterward. Because Whigs, nationally, appeared to be antislavery, Georgia Whigs lost the governorship in 1847. The Compromise of 1850 temporarily settled the slavery question in the territories, but the moderating influence of Georgia’s Whigs dissolved in the heated rhetoric of states’ rights in the 1850s. The next war would find Americans fighting Americans.

The first fighting at Resaca, Georgia took place on May 13, 1864 and Union forces marched into Dalton.

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879.

S. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, was born on March 14, 1921.

On March 15, 1933, Governor Eugene Talmadge negotiated bank loans totalling $2 million dollars to keep the state’s public schools open.

On March 15, 1943, Sea Island was officially named as Governor Ellis Arnall signed legislation designating the island that had informally been given several different names.

Elvis Presley played the Fox Theater in Atlanta on March 14, 1956.

On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot at St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

The largest traffic accident in Georgia history occurred on March 14, 2001 on I-75 in Catoosa County, involving 125 cars, injuring 39 people and killing 5.

On May 13, 2005, the Pentagon Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) recommended the closing of Fort McPherson in Atlanta, Fort Gillem in Forest Park, the Naval Air Station in Marietta, and the Naval Supply Corps School in Athens.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Brian Kemp held a press conference yesterday, announcing the state’s first coronavirus death and steps being taken to prevent the further spread. From 11Alive:

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said Thursday that he is issuing a call to action for community leaders, educational leaders and childcare providers across our state amid coronavirus concerns.

“If you feel it is prudent, you should consider closing day cares, schools or school districts as early as tomorrow through the next two weeks,” he said.

Shortly after his announcement, multiple school districts announced two-week long closures for students and faculty. Here is a list of grade schools.Here is a list of universities and colleges.

The largest metro Atlanta school districts announced building closures, according to the AJC.

Citing the continued spread of the coronavirus, the big metro Atlanta school districts announced Thursday afternoon they will close buildings and shift to online learning for at least the next week.

Most districts, including DeKalb, Cobb and Fulton counties, said buildings will remain closed “until further notice.”

City Schools of Decatur said schools will shift online “indefinitely.”

Gwinnett County Schools said in a robocall to parents it will close schools next week, utilize digital learning and announce by March 19 its plans for the following week.

DeKalb County School District officials said the district would begin digital learning days on Monday to continue their education.Classes already are out on Friday for a teacher planning day.

Elsewhere in the state, Rome City Schools announced schools would close Friday and Monday.

The Georgia General Assembly gaveled in this morning for Legislative Day 29 and adjourned till a later date that will be agreed upon by House Speaker David Ralston and Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, according to the AJC.

Members of the General Assembly were sent home to be with their families, and there is no determination when they will return to finish this year’s legislative session.

Not only are dozens of bills pending, but the Senate still needs to approve the budget and by the time that happens the economy may have shifted and affected Georgia’s bottom line.

State leaders are hoping the break will not only keep lawmakers from contracting or spreading the disease but also create space to see how greatly the coronavirus impacts Georgia.

That will allow them to determine what stimulus might be needed and adjust the budget accordingly. However, this could affect other priorities like teacher pay while possibly encouraging what before now were uncertain developments, such as the expansion of gambling.

The Georgia Department of Public Health announced this morning a new total of 42 cases of coronavirus, according to the AJC.

Cobb and Fulton counties each have eight confirmed cases, according to state officials. New cases of the virus have been reported in Bartow, Cherokee, Coweta, DeKalb, Fayette, Fulton and Gordon counties.

Charlton, Floyd, Gwinnett, Lowndes, Lee, and Polk Counties also have confirmed cases.

Delta announced it will cut 40% of its flights, according to the AJC.

Delta Air Lines is cutting flights 40% and parking 300 planes in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Atlanta-based Delta said it will also eliminate all flights to continental Europe for the next 30 days.

The 40% cut of flights will happen in the next few months, according to a memo from Delta CEO Ed Bastian. It’s the largest cut in flights in Delta’s history, including 2001.

The University System of Georgia announced it will close classes for two weeks, according to the AJC.

In a letter, the University System of Georgia announced:

All University System of Georgia institutions will temporarily suspend instruction for two weeks to allow time for USG institutions to test their business continuity plans and online instruction modules and for state officials to continue to assess the current situation regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) in Georgia.

Students who are currently on spring break are strongly encouraged not to return to campus. Students on campus are asked to depart campus by close of business Friday, March 13, 2020, and to remain away from campus until March 29, 2020. At this time, students are not being asked to move out of their dorms for the remainder of the semester. For students who are unable to leave campus, please establish a mechanism to safely accommodate those students on campus.

Please activate your relevant business continuity plans and ensure the operation of online instruction should that become necessary. Further guidance will follow as the situation warrants.

Georgia’s Congressional delegation is also closing offices, according to the AJC.

U.S. Sen. David Perdue and U.S. Reps. Doug Collins, Tom Graves, John Lewis, Hank Johnson and Barry Loudermilk all announced that employees have begun to work from home.

The changes mostly affect members’ Washington offices that have rosters of full-time staff that normally report to the office each day. Each member also has district offices in Georgia, but many of those employees already work remotely.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter was the only member from Georgia to report that his office is operating as normal for now. A spokeswoman for the Pooler Republican said he will adhere to any directives from congressional leaders or public health officials.

The U.S. Capitol and nearby House and Senate office buildings are closed to visitors through April 1. Only elected officials, staff, credentialed media and people arriving on official business will be allowed access.

The State House Regulated Industries Committee recommended passage of two bills involving expanded gambling, according to the AJC.

House Regulated Industries Committee Chairman Alan Powell, a Hartwell Republican, said that after years of debate in the Legislature about the possibility of expanding gambling beyond the Georgia Lottery, it was time voters got to have their say.

“We only put it on the ballot for the people who make their choice,” Powell said. “If they’re in favor, so be it. If they’re not in favor, so be it. It’s our duty to put it out there for them.”

House Resolution 378 would ask voters whether they believed the Georgia Constitution should be amended to allow pari-mutuel betting, casino gambling and sports betting, and establish an independent gaming commission to oversee the industry. House Bill 570 aims to regulate gambling if the referendum passes.

According to the proposed legislation, money generated by sports betting through the Georgia Lottery would be dedicated to the HOPE scholarship, while revenue from nonlottery-run sports betting, casinos and horse racing would be committed to health care and health insurance costs.

Powell stressed that HB 570 was a draft of what regulations could look like — including outlining licensing costs, directing money to resources to address gambling addiction, and stipulating casinos or racetracks must be multiuse properties that offer things such as dining, hotels or convention space.

“The enabling legislation is for discussion purposes — to put it out there for the people of Georgia to see that what we’re talking about is resort destination casinos, highly controlled economic development,” he said. “And there will be numerous changes made.”

The General Assembly passed the final 2020 budget reconciliation, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News.

The General Assembly gave final passage Thursday to a $27.5 billion mid-year budget suddenly made larger by the addition of $100 million for the state’s response to coronavirus.

“The Revenue Shortfall Reserve is there for things like this,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Terry England, R-Auburn, told his legislative colleagues before the House approved the mid-year budget 166-1. The Georgia Senate had passed the mid-year budget earlier Thursday 53-1.

The final version of the mid-year budget, which covers state spending through June 30, is the product of a joint House-Senate conference committee, which met in recent days to work out the two chambers’ relatively few disagreements over line items.

Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway extended his department’s participation in the federal 287(g) program, according to the AJC.