Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for February 11, 2022

President Donald Trump endorsed Vernon Jones for the Tenth Congressional District.

Republican Candidate Mike Collins fired back on Jones’s record.

Brunswick Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Stephen Scarlett has enjoined Camden County from purchasing real estate for the Spaceport Camden until after a referendum, according to The Brunswick News.

In his ruling, Brunswick Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Stephen Scarlett said he “struggled to reconcile certain testimony” regarding the claimed risk of losing $10.3 million already invested in Spaceport Camden if Union Carbide refuses to grant an extension to close on the property.

Scarlett said the court “genuinely questions whether plaintiffs will prevail on the merits of their appeal,” but since Union Carbide has granted an extension beyond the date of the March 8 special election, “the potential harm to Camden County that existed at the time of the previous court’s order no longer exists.”

A launch site operators license has been granted, which would allow 12 vertical launches a year. But the county has to secure the site before it becomes official.

Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller says a plan for a solar monorail aerial gondola is likely to come to fruition, according to WTVM.

Georgia Mobility Solutions and J-Pods LLC hope to build a networks of pods, or gondolas, connecting downtown to the Macon Mall.

“It’s certainly gonna happen before you get any rail from here to Atlanta… it’s certainly gonna happen, and I want Macon-Bibb to be at the very beginning of that,” said Macon-Bibb Mayor Lester Miller.

The gondolas would be about 15 to 18 feet off the ground and would run alongside existing roads. They would be solar-powered.

Mayor Miller says the gondolas would keep people off the street and prevent accidents. He also says they would bring jobs.

“If we’re going to have a place like this, we’re gonna have to build it,” Miller said. “The company’s going to come here to Macon, they’re going to build, they’re going to educate, they’re going to train people, so it’s going to create another economic opportunity for us to employ a lot of people at a good wage.”

Some parents lauded Governor Brian’s Kemp’s proposal to give parents authority over whether their children wear masks in school, according to WTVM.

Two mothers who have children in the Muscogee County School District say they think this is a move in the right direction.

“I’m completely in favor of it,” said Whitney Edwards, a Columbus mother.

For some parents in the Chattahoochee Valley, Governor Brian Kemp’s proposal to end mask mandates in schools comes as a relief.

“As a parent of three girls, different ages, that as a parent I know my children the best,” said Edwards.

Another Columbus parent who is also pro-choice says she thinks the mask wearing has been hard on children.

“I think it’s scary. Two years ago, they could go out on the playground, run around. And now, they are being boxed in,” the parent said.

The Georgia House Appropriations Committee passed House Bill 910, the Supplemental Budget for the current year, sending it toward the House floor for a final vote, according to the Associated Press via AccessWDUN.

The House Appropriations Committee approved House Bill 910 on Thursday, setting it up for a vote before the full House as early as Friday.

The measure includes $5,000 pay boosts for university and state agency employees, $2,000 bonuses to teachers and $1,000 bonuses to other K-12 workers including school bus drivers, part-time employees and cafeteria workers. It also restores $383 million to the state’s K-12 funding formula that had been cut when lawmakers feared revenue decreases at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beyond the spending, the document also sets up $1.6 billion in state income tax rebates.

Revising the current year’s budget, which ends June 30, is an annual ritual for lawmakers. But this year is seeing a huge burst of spending, most of which Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and lawmakers want to maintain in the next budget that begins July 1. The bonuses for teachers would become permanent salary increases next year, allowing Kemp to complete the $5,000 raises he promised teachers when he ran for governor in 2018.

From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Gwinnett Daily Post:

The Georgia House’s budget-writing committee approved Gov. Brian Kemp’s $29.9 billion mid-year budget Thursday, a spending plan that includes long-awaited raises for teachers and state employees.

The mid-year budget, an increase of $2.7 billion over the fiscal 2022 budget the General Assembly passed last spring, takes advantage of a strong Georgia economy that has produced higher-than-anticipated tax revenues.

State tax collections through January covering the first seven months of this fiscal year were up 17.9% over the first seven months of fiscal 2021.

The flush state coffers allowed the House Appropriations Committee to move some building projects originally scheduled to be financed by bonds in fiscal 2023 to be moved forward to the mid-year budget and paid in cash.

The project list also includes an expansion of the public safety building at Jekyll Island and the transfer of state employees from leased space at 2 Peachtree St. in downtown Atlanta to the state Capitol complex.

“The cost to upgrade [2 Peachtree] to current standards far exceeds the value of the building,” England said.

The mid-year budget also fully funds the state’s K-12 student funding formula. The General Assembly cut the formula by $900 million during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago.

The Appropriations Committee also increased spending on programs aimed at improving health care across the state.

The Department of Community Health would get more money to cover the costs of travel nurses hired to boost staffing at nursing homes hit hard by COVID-19.

A newly funded initiative would provide $10 million to extend service-cancelable loans to Georgians training to become mental health-care workers.

Georgia State Senate Bill 456 by State Senator Bruce Thompson (R-White) passed out of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee would require an in-person medical consultation before receiving a prescription for abortion pills, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

Georgia’s Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday voted 7-5 to approve the “Women’s Health and Safety Act,” which would prevent the mailing of abortion pills after a telemedicine visit.

Early last year, the FDA modified requirements for getting the pill from in-person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The modification removed the requirement that the pill could only be dispensed in certain health care facilities, and allowed for the pill to be dispensed by certified medical facilities via mail.

The proposed Senate Bill 456 states that qualified physicians providing an abortion-inducing drug must examine the woman in-person and perform an ultrasound and other “check lists,” including verifying the pregnancy and the woman’s blood type.

“The drugs were never intended to be provided without the direct involvement and continued supervision of a health care worker,” said Republican Sen. Bruce Thompson, the bill’s sponsor. “Providing these drugs through the mail without the woman being properly examined puts the woman in unnecessary harm.”

State House Bill 1217, the “Student Technology Protection Act” was recommended for passage by a subcommittee of the House Education Committee, according to the Associated Press via AccessWDUN.

On Thursday, a House Education subcommittee passed House Bill 1217, which is designed to tighten Georgia’s standards preventing schoolchildren from accessing material harmful to minors using school computers or internet networks. It now awaits action by the full committee. On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee passed Senate Bill 226 on a split voice vote, creating a process for parents to demand removal of books and other materials. It moves forward for consideration by the full House.

The internet filtering bill requires the state Department of Education to each year publish standards that districts must meet for using internet filters to block access to materials that are obscene, pornographic or harmful to minors. It also calls for using notification systems that will let a district employee know if a school computer or network is used to access such material.

The state also would be required to provide technical assistance, a list of acceptable vendors and training guidelines for school districts. Each school district or charter school would have to provide a copy of its acceptable use policy and filtering systems to the state for annual review, starting in fall 2022.

“This is a technology based bill that is to serve our families and to protect those youngest learners,” said the bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Chris Erwin of Homer.

Georgia Senate Bill 361, the “Law Enforcement Strategic Support Act” or “LESS Crime Act” passed the State Senate and would create a tax credit program for charitable donations supporting some law enforcement agencies, according to the Associated Press via AccessWDUN.

SB 361 would allow state residents to redirect up to $5,000 in income tax that would normally go to the state treasury to foundations that support local police or sheriff’s departments. The yearly credit would double for people who are married and file jointly.

It would be available for tax years 2023 through 2027, and corporations would also be eligible. The bill now goes to the state House for consideration.

“We’ve seen a big spike in violent crime, and I know that all the members of this body want to keep our communities safe and want to support our law enforcement and back the men and women in blue,” Republican State Sen. Larry Walker said. “And this is a way to partner with the private sector to do that.”

The bill was backed by Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who thanked lawmakers after the vote.

“I’m proud that this senate chamber is sending a clear, unanimous message to 11 million Georgians that we do care about their public safety,” he said.

Georgia Senate Bill 435, called the “Save Girls’ Sports Act,” was recommended for passage by the Senate Education and Youth Committee, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Augusta Chronicle.

The “Save Girls’ Sports Act” would prohibit biological boys from competing with biological girls, with biology defined as a student’s gender listed on their birth certificate.

“This bill is about fairness,” Sen. Marty Harbin, R-Tyrone, the bill’s chief sponsor, told members of the Senate Education and Youth Committee.

“Boys have certain biological advantages when it comes to sports. … It’s simply not fair to force biological girls to compete against biological boys.”

But Democrats on the committee said the bill would single out transgender students as different and further endanger a group that already suffers a disproportionate amount of verbal abuse and physical attacks.

From the Valdosta Daily Times:

Hughes, along with another cisgender female athlete spoke against the bill, saying they have never experienced any issues or threats related to transgender athletes.

“I play currently with two transgender athletes, none of my teammates feel uncomfortable playing with them,” Hughes said. “In fact, they enjoy being part of a diverse learning community and family.”

Proponents of the bill argue that males are biologically stronger than females.

“I’m not going to argue with you that males kind of physiologically are stronger than females, I think that’s true,” Halpern said. “I’m also not going to argue that we see trans students considering suicide at substantial rates than that we see in other students. Is there room at all to consider that the state should not be legislating what every school does with our athletics across this state and instead allow for a growth in our understanding about what we’re evolving toward?”

SB 435 would allow a student or parent/guardian to file a grievance to the school if they feel a violation of the law has occurred, and further would allow the student or parent/guardian to file a private action in court.

House Bill 1084 by State Rep. Will Wade (R-Dawsonville) passed out of subcommittee and is headed to the full House Education Committee, according to the Associated Press via the Athens Banner Herald.

A House Education subcommittee sent a revised version of House Bill 1084 ahead to the full committee on a split voice vote, where it awaits further action. The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Will Wade of Dawsonville, told members the measure is needed to stop people from fomenting racial division.

“This bill does not limit an educator,” Wade told the committee. “What it does is empower parents to ensure that kids and children in our schools of all races are not pitted against each other.”

But many opponents say the measure would frighten teachers away from an honest classroom discussion of race in history and the present day.

Wade’s measure bans teaching a list of “divisive concepts” originally listed in a now-repealed 2020 executive order by former President Donald Trump. Republicans are reacting against critical race theory, a term stretched from its original meaning as an examination of how societal structures perpetuate white dominance to a broader indictment of diversity initiatives and teaching about race.

The Georgia Senate approved a GOP-drawn redistricting map for Gwinnett County Commission districts, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

The state Senate rejected a bid by Democrats in Gwinnett’s Senate delegation to switch the maps back to one drafted by the county commission after a series of five open houses.

Ultimately, the chamber instead voted 33-22 to approve a map introduced by state Rep. Bonnie Rich, R-Suwanee, that shifts lines around to create a Republican-leaning north Gwinnett district.

“The underlying bill (with the GOP-backed map) has gone through the vetting process, it’s gone through the House committees, it’s been passed off the House floor and sent over here to us, so I urge you … to vote ‘No’ to the (Democrats’) substitute,” state Sen. Clint Dixon, R-Buford, told his colleagues.

It was not supported by Democrats who are the majority in the local delegation, or by the county commission, and Democrats have decried the fact that its approval sidestepped traditional processes for local redistricting.

Georgia Capitol Police were called to a committee hearing following an impassioned discussion of redistricting maps, according to 11Alive.

A fiery exchange between two Georgia lawmakers ended with one calling Georgia State Capitol Police. It happened Wednesday at a Georgia House Governmental Affairs committee meeting between Chair Darlene Taylor (R-Thomasville) and State Rep. David Wilkerson (D-Powder Springs).

“I’m just disgusted at this chamber,” Wilkerson said, before Taylor told him to be careful and yield the floor.

When Wilkerson refused to leave, his mic was cut off and Taylor told someone to call security. Wilkerson told 11Alive he was not escorted from the premises or arrested.

Previously, current Congresswoman Nikema Williams (D-Georgia) and Rep. Park Cannon (D-Atlanta) were both arrested at the Capitol.

“They were just doing their jobs,” Wilkerson said. “For [Taylor] to call the police, I’m getting calls from friends and people concerned, saying are you hurt or scared? I’m not scared. I’m just here to do a job.”

United States Representative Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Extreme Northwest Georgia) warned of Nancy Pelosi’s recipe for chilled soup “Gazpacho Police,” according to NBC News.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who has become known for her love of conspiracy theories and angry outbursts at Democratic leaders, apparently meant to accuse House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Gestapo police tactics in an interview Tuesday.

“Now we have Nancy Pelosi’s gazpacho police spying on members of Congress, spying on the legislative work we do, spying on our staff and spying on American citizens,” Greene said on One America News Network’s “Real America” program.

Greene said on Tuesday’s show that the Capitol Police had been doing the bidding of Pelosi, D-Calif.

“Nancy Pelosi is using them like political pawns, sending them into our offices. None of us know — have they been in our offices at night? We don’t know, but probably,” Greene said. “They’re going after all of us.”

From the AJC:

It’s tempting to ignore Greene, since she has been barred from serving on congressional committees and has no traditional levers of legislative influence in Washington.

But you can’t ignore the fact that Greene has amassed real power inside the House Republican conference and has raised more campaign cash than nearly any other member of Congress after just a year in office.

Two points: I enjoy humor as much as the next person, and there’s some good jokes here, especially when the Seinfeld Soup Nazi Totalitarian is interviewed about it.

When he heard Greene’s remarks, he knew he’d be dragged into the picture. “If she got the word wrong with a nonsensical word, it would be one thing, but I knew as soon as she actually used the name of a soup that I was in trouble,” Thomas says. “And then she turns around and makes an actual Soup Nazi reference [on Twitter], you know, the ‘no soup for you, and you’re gonna end up in the goulash.’ I’m sure somebody wrote that for her. She can’t possibly be that funny.”

A Gazpacho Police TV series, or at least a sketch, now seems inevitable. “Saturday Night Live will jump all over that,” Thomas says, imagining a force that – much like his character – monitors “what kind of soup you’re eating and how you’re eating it.”

That said, my first point is that Democrats and liberals who bemoan MTG’s rising political star are part of her  fame.

Second, I believe Rep. MTG is likely to win reelection handily. Any of her personal foibles should not detract from the fact that thousands of Georgians voted for her, for whatever reasons.

State Senator Tyler Harper (R-Ocilla) raised nearly $1 million dollars in his campaign for Commissioner of Agriculture, according to the Albany Herald.

The Tyler Harper for Agriculture Commissioner campaign announced this week that it raised $951,341 since entering the race in June of 2021.

Harper’s campaign ended the reporting period with more than $824,000 cash on hand. With no announced Republican opposition, the clear lead in fundraising, and grassroots support and endorsements from across the state, Harper is in a strong position to become Georgia’s next Commissioner of Agriculture.

“I am humbled and grateful for the financial support our campaign has received from grassroots supporters, farmers, and producers across our great state,” Harper said in a news release. “From Camden County to Catoosa County, we’ve been traveling the state, meeting with hard-working Georgians, and sharing our positive vision to fight for our farmers, producers, and consumers and advance our state’s No. 1 industry. I look forward to continuing to meeting with as many folks as possible, building momentum in our campaign, and delivering a big win for Georgia families as our state’s next Agriculture Commissioner.”

Republican Whitney Pimentel announced she will run for State House District 30, according to AccessWDUN.

Pimental said she believes the 2022 election cycle is the time for her to represent the conservative values present in district 30.

“If not me, then who, and if not now, then when?” Pimental said. “I have the time, I have three children that I have graduated successfully from public schools here in Hall County … and I have the ability to dedicate full time to this.”

Pimental plans to run for the seat which Emory Dunahoo, R-Gillsville, has served in since 2011. Dunahoo was drawn out of his district and into district 31 during the most recent redistricting process. He has instead opted to run in district 31 in the wake of current Georgia House District 31 Representative Tommy Benton’s retirement.

Pimental said she is focusing on several key issues for her campaign, including critical race theory. She said she has already been involved in education at a local level, as she founded Moms for Liberty of Hall County. However, Pimental said she is hoping to enact change on a statewide level by pushing for legislation that would ban critical race theory in K-12 schools.

From the Gainesville Times:

Pimentel, 49, moved to Flowery Branch in 2017 from Park City, Utah, and started Moms for Liberty-Hall County GA in 2021, a local chapter of the controversial parental rights activist group.

The group has advocated to end mask mandates in schools and has been at the forefront of attempts to stop critical race theory in schools.

“There’s a lot of people who have moved here like ourselves because of the conservative values and because of the pro-family feelings that you get up here,” Pimentel said. “I want to preserve that here.”

Pimentel joins other Republican candidates, Barry Sanders, a small-business owner in Buford, and Derrick McCollum, a construction company owner in Lawrenceville.

Pimentel said she wanted to keep critical race theory out of K-12 schools, get rid of ballot drop boxes and eliminate the state income tax in favor of a consumption tax.

United States Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Atlanta) introduced legislation to extend the authorization of three National Heritage Areas in Georgia, according to the Savannah Morning News.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock introduced the National Heritage Act on Thursday, which would extend the authorization of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor lands to 2036, a few days before the current authorization is set to expire on Feb. 18.

The legislation also includes Georgia’s two other National Heritage Areas: the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area and Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area.

“Georgia’s National Heritage Areas are critical to preserving our state’s rich history, protecting our wildlife and encouraging local economic opportunity in the communities they serve,” Warnock said in the media release. “I’m committed to my work in ensuring these communities are fully supported in the years ahead.”

The Gullah Geechee culture on Sapelo Island faces threats to landholdings through tourism-fueled development and sea-level rise, which the community is continuously fighting. Victoria Smalls, the executive director of Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage, said they’re grateful their representatives are being recognized for the “mighty work being done on behalf of the people in our communities.”

 

Tybee Island city council will discuss changes to voting laws, according to WTOC.

Council-woman Nancy DeVetter is scheduled to discuss this and the city says it’s a topic they don’t take lightly.

“We want to make sure that everybody has the right to vote and that they’re abiding by all state, federal and local law on how they go about voting,” Mayor Shirley Sessions.

For several weeks, Mayor Shirley Sessions says the topic surrounding the island’s voter rolls has been brought to her attention on numerous occasions. This is because residents like Mack Kitchens say they want to see the voter lists updated since some residents have come and gone.

“We are working with the Secretary of State’s Office right now. We are working with the Chatham County Board of Elections right now,” Mayor Sessions said.

Kitchens says purging the voter rolls is just one of his concerns. Defining who is a resident and ensuring only residents can vote is another. They say they want to know more about the rules for instances like when people own property on the island but live somewhere else.

Savannah is considering changes to the annual St. Patrick’s Day depravity celebration, according to WTOC.

“So, I want people…two things: number one, I want businesses in Savannah to rethink St. Patrick’s Day. If you’re not in the downtown district, think about how you can participate in St. Patrick’s Day. It doesn’t just have to be about downtown. That’s the first thing,” said Susan Broker, with Special Events, Film and Tourism with the City of Savannah.

Broker says this year that might look like businesses offering specials for the holiday. She added the second consideration is how expanding the to-go cup zone could affect more residential areas.

[Two Tides Brewing Co. owner Liz] Massey says she’s in favor of the city trying the expansion this year for Saint Patrick’s Day.

“It definitely made, to me at least, this neighborhood a more enjoyable place to be, especially when the weather is nice. People can come in, grab a drink if they if they weren’t quite finished with it, they could leave and walk to their next destination, walk to their Air BnB,” Massey said.

Not everyone on council was on board with the idea today. Alderwoman Kesha Gibson-Carter shared her concerns about the timing of the expansion and the city’s ability to police the zone.

From WSAV:

When council was presented with the final three recommendations at Thursday’s work session, Mayor Johnson said “We know that the event has morphed into something that sometimes we don’t recognize, not only a huge amount of drinking, but a huge amount of underage drinking.”

The committee recommends extending the festival’s to-go cup zone to Victory Drive to the south and Truman Parkway to the east, suspending alcohol and entertainment permits on public right-of-ways, and no longer allowing out of town “party buses” to park within the to-go zone.

According to the committee, the recommendations are designed to drive more foot traffic into local bars and restaurants.

6th district Alderman Kurtis Purtee worries businesses outside the extended to-go zone might be left out.

The Evans County Charter School System repealed their mask mandate, according to WTOC.

 

 

 

 

 

Port Wentworth City Manager Edwin Booth resigned during a City Council workshop, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The rift was made public during a Wednesday council workshop when Booth clashed with elected leaders during a discussion about council and city manager powers. The heated debate ended when Booth announced his resignation and walked out of the meeting.

[Council Member and Mayor Pro-tem Thomas] Barbee summarized his interpretation of Port Wentworth’s council-manager form of government. According to Barbee, all senior level city employees, from the city manager and city clerk to the city attorney and municipal judge, work directly for city council.

Barbee’s understanding is contrary to guidelines outlined by the Georgia Municipal Association, which limits council’s functions to that of a policy-marking body with the power to hire and fire only the city manager.

“The council actually runs the city,” Barbee said.

Booth objected to Barbee’s assertion, saying, “The charter sets the council to do ordinances and everything else; you do not run the city. I know in your emails you think you do, but you do not.”

Statesboro Mayor Jonathan McCollar will deliver his State of the City address on Tuesday, February 22, according to the Statesboro Herald.