Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for April 15, 2020

On April 15, 1776, the Georgia Provincial Congress issued “Rules and Regulations,” which would serve as an interim state Constitution until the Constitution of 1777 was adopted.

On April 15, 1783, the United States Congress ratified a preliminary peace treaty with Great Britain, which was signed in November 1782.

RMS Titanic sunk at 2:20 AM on April 15,1912.

Jackie Robinson, born in Cairo, Georgia, became the first African-American professional baseball player in the Major Leagues on April 15, 1947, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves. Robinson scored the winning run in that game.

The Atlanta Ladies Memorial Association was formed on April 15, 1966 to assist and honor Confederate veterans. One of its most well-known projects was the “Lion of the Confederacy” memorial in Oakland Cemetery.

On April 15, 1989, Chinese students and intellectuals in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, mourned the death of Communist Party General Secretary Hu Yaoban, considered a liberal reformer.

DeForest Kelley, born in Atlanta and known for playing Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy on the original Star Trek series, was inducted into the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame on April 15, 1992.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency and the Georgia Department of Public Health will provide local 911 agencies with lists of confirmed Covid 19 cases in their jurisdiction, according to a press release.

As hospitals, acute care facilities, and labs report their COVID-19 cases to the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), staff from the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority (GECA) at GEMA/HS will pull the daily COVID-19 case list from the DPH reporting system and send each 911 center the newest addresses of COVID-19 positive patients in their jurisdiction.

To ensure the confidentiality of the patients, only the address will be shared with 911 centers. If a 911 call is made from that address within the 21-day period of when a patient was potentially infectious, the dispatch center will alert the responding personnel – including EMS, fire, and law enforcement – of the presence of a patient with COVID-19 at that address. This process and the information shared follow guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights. Since most cases of COVID-19 in the community are unknown, first responders will continue to take precautions on all calls, regardless of whether the address has been flagged.

“We are urging 911 centers to continue to ask COVID-19 screening questions for all requested responses to ensure that first responders have as many details as possible before arriving on the scene of a call for service,” said GECA Executive Director Michael Nix. “The health and safety of first responders are critical. Screening 911 callers and notifying responding personnel in a timely manner of any exposure to COVID-19 allow first responders to keep themselves, their families, and the general public safe, and help Georgia reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

DPH is going to retroactively identify any potential exposures to ensure the safety of first responders across Georgia.

Georgia airports are receiving $410.8 million in federal funds from the FAA, according to the Capitol Beat News Service.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will get by far the largest share of the money. At $338.5 million, it’s the largest single allocation in the nation from the $10 billion airport package.

Airports and airlines across the country have been hit with huge financial losses by the virtual shutdown of the U.S. economy to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc., one of Georgia’s largest employers, reported last month that March revenues would decline by almost $2 billion compared to the same month last year.

“This $10 billion in emergency resources will help fund the continued operations of our nation’s airports during this crisis and save workers’ jobs,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao said Tuesday.

The federal money will be used to support continuing airport operations and replace lost revenue from the sharp decline in passenger traffic and other airport business resulting from the pandemic. Eligible expenses will include payroll and utility costs, capital expenditures and airport debt payments.

The FAA is encouraging airports to spend the money immediately to help offset the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak while those losses are occurring.

Delta will receive $5.4 billion in federal funding for coronavirus relief, according to the AJC.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has reached an agreement for $5.4 billion in federal relief funding.

The funding conditions restrict airlines from cutting workers’ pay rates or benefits or conducting involuntary furloughs through Sept. 30. They also require airlines to maintain a minimum level of flights for essential travel.

The federal help and Delta cost cuts “will prevent furloughs and pay rate reductions through the end of September, despite the 95 percent drop we’ve seen in passenger traffic,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a memo to employees Tuesday evening.

The $5.4 billion for Delta, the dominant airline at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, includes a $1.6 billion unsecured, low-interest, 10-year loan. It also calls for Delta to provide the federal government with warrants to acquire about 1% of Delta stock at $24.39 per share over five years.

The University System of Georgia will lose as much as $350 million dollars due to Covid 19, according to the Athens Banner Herald.

The University System of Georgia faces revenue losses of $340 million to $350 million through this summer because of coronavirus impacts, according to University System Chancellor Steve Wrigley.

The system’s per-student funding from the state is already down 35 percent over the past 20 years, he reminded members of the state Board of Regents in a telephonic meeting Tuesday.

Revenue losses through spring semester already add up to around $200 million, Wrigley said.

The system has reserves to cover some of the losses, and will get an estimated $125 million from the federal COVID-19 relief bills passed last month, he said.

The state legislature has approved an amended budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, but has not passed a budget for the upcoming 2020-21 fiscal year.

UGA and other state public colleges have already pledged to refund students nearly half the money they paid to live in university-owned residence halls and to eat in university-owned dining facilities in spring semester. Universities shut down campuses and converted to online instruction about halfway through the term.

The Board of Regents also approved establishment of the John H. “Johnny” Isakson Chair for Parkinson’s Research, according to a press release.

The university has raised $1.6 million so far to establish the chair, which will “attract an exceptional faculty member who will engage in teaching, research and public service, or a combination of such duties, related to the study of Parkinson’s disease and other related brain disorders,” according to a March 31 letter written by University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead to the Regents.

“Senator Isakson, a native Georgian and UGA alumnus, has admirably served our state and nation in public office across four decades, while also supporting his alma mater and higher education in general throughout his career,” said Morehead. “We are pleased to establish this endowed faculty position in his honor and are confident that our new Isakson Professor will make important strides in fighting this debilitating disease,” Morehead said.

“This endowed chair provides an area of opportunity for philanthropic support for those whose passion is the pursuit of a cure for Parkinson’s,” said Kelly Kerner, the university’s vice president for development and alumni relations. “We are proud to support this important initiative honoring the life of Sen. Isakson.”

Fundraising related to the chair will continue to increase the size of the endowment to support the research activities of the chairholder as well as start-up funding needed for lab equipment, renovation and support.

The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles is considering early release of some prisoners, according to the Center Square.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prisons face “unique challenges” in containing the spread of COVID-19. The respiratory disease caused by a new strand of coronavirus is transmitted from person-to-person, according to CDC. Staff, transfers and visitors can introduce COVID-19 to the facilities where quarantines and medical care are limited, health officials said.

Fifty-six staff members at 20 of the state’s prisons have tested positive for COVID-19. A majority of those cases have been reported at the Lee State Prison, where the first inmate died.

There are 34 state prisons in Georgia, with about 55,000 prisoners, 3,600 of which are over 60 years old, according to GDC’s March report.

A total of 63 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. Six of the cases were reported at county prisons and one case was at a private prison, Wheeler Correctional Facility. Eight of the cases were reported at the Lee State Prison.

On March 31, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles Board announced that the members are considering clemency release for nonviolent offenders who are within six months of completing their sentences.

“The State Board of Pardons and Paroles understands the concerns and fully supports our state’s efforts to combat COVID-19, including safety protocols implemented by the Department of Corrections,” Parole Board Chairman Terry Barnard said in a statement. “The Parole Board is operating normally and will continue to use its constitutional authority to make clemency release decisions in the interest of public safety.”

The Georgia State Ethics Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission affirmed that the statutory prohibition on fundraising by some state officeholders during a legislative session, according to the AJC.

The commission voted 3-2 for an advisory opinion that says lawmakers can’t raise money while the General Assembly’s session is suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

That’s important to more than three-dozen incumbents who face opposition in the June 9 primary. Their opponents can raise campaign money now. Lawmakers can’t until the General Assembly reconvenes and then adjourns for the year.

In a separate vote, the commission backed a legal opinion allowing incumbents to use their own money to pay campaign expenses during the suspension and then be reimbursed after the session officially ends.

The Georgia State Elections Board approved the use of drop boxes for absentee ballots, according to the AJC.

The State Election Board voted unanimously Wednesday to allow Georgia voters to turn in their absentee ballots at drop boxes, an option that avoids human contact during the coronavirus pandemic.

Drop boxes can be set up on government property before Georgia’s primary on June 9. Voters will be able to submit their absentee ballots without having to pay for postage or hand them directly to county election workers.

Gwinnett County is considering using a park for early voting in the June 9 election, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

The change in dates for Georgia’s primary is resulting in a change in plans that are being considered for early voting amid the COVID-19 coronavirus disease outbreak.

When the primary was still scheduled for May 19, county officials were looking at using the Gwinnett County fairgrounds as an early voting site because of its large size that would enable people to remain spread out while voting. Some of the traditional early voting sites, such as Dacula Park, Shorty Howell Park and Mountain Park Park are not conducive to maintaining social distancing, according to Gwinnett Elections Supervisor Kristi Royston.

But then the state postponed the primary to June 9, with early voting running from May 18 to June 5. Royston told county commissioners on Tuesday that change means the fairgrounds will no longer be an option.

“What staff has been talking about was the possibility of opening Rhodes Jordan Park’s community recreation center to possibly be that new compliment to the office.”

Chatham County is preparing for larger numbers of absentee ballots, according to the Savannah Morning News.

[Board of Registrars] Chairman Colin McRae said prior to last week’s second delay of the presidential primary, the office was staffing up and preparing for a strain on resources. The BOR is responsible for maintaining voter registration in the county, as well as maintaining absentee ballots and early voting.

“We were prepared to go forward in May, and I think we would have been able to do so,” McRae said. “But you know, having a couple extra weeks never hurts.”

Earlier this month, the Georgia secretary of state’s office sent out absentee ballot request forms to all 6.9 million registered, active voters in the state, including the 202,496 in Chatham County. It’s an effort to keep the in-person voting to a minimum to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The BOR estimates that of those voters, around 60% will fill out the request form and mail it to the BOR, and that about 80% of people who receive an absentee ballot will fill it out. McRae said they expect to process around 100,000 absentee ballots.

It’s a unique challenge, as typically most Chatham County voters don’t make use of absentee ballots, McRae said. He said the anticipated 100,000 absentee ballots are around 10 times more than the BOR usually receives, even in larger elections like the general election coming in November.

The Brunswick News looks at the local economic impact of Covid 19.

The tourism industry is among those hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.“We anticipate pretty significant losses in the lodging tourism revenue, and just lodging in general,” said Scott McQuade, president and CEO of the Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“We were coming off an all-time record year, even with the loss of almost 20 percent of business in September during Hurricane Dorian,” McQuade said. “We were pacing on to have (another) all-time record year, and now the opposite is taking place.”

Much of March is gone and McQuade said April is shaping up to be a wash as well for the tourism industry. April is historically the industry’s third highest grossing month, but it’s on the verge of losing 90 percent of that revenue.

“That’s especially painful,” McQuade said. “We are not anticipating that May will come back to what was on the books. We’ve seen a lot of drop-off on our reservation track.”

While better than April, May will reflect a 70 percent loss, the CVB predicts.

Overall, the loss of visitors represents as much as $163 million that won’t be spent at local restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores and retail shops, McQuade estimated.

Glynn County Manager Alan Ours estimated the local government could see a $2 million dip in annual sales tax collection, not to mention near-certain hits to the bed tax, car tag tax, construction and development fees, court fees and the myriad other revenue sources from which the county generates its $132.6 million budget.

“(Local Option Sales Tax) collection will certainly be impacted this fiscal year,” Ours said. “To what extent we don’t know.”

The county is in the process of budgeting for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

The Ledger-Enquirer writes about problems tracking Covid 19 in their region.

Health officials who oversee 16 counties in the Columbus area are unable to provide specific information about the origin, patterns and spread of the novel coronavirus within all but one of the counties it covers, citing the large number of cases and a lack of staff.

The West Central Health District covers 16 counties around Columbus: Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor and Webster counties. As of April 14, there are 843 COVID-19 cases in the district.

Aside from Sumter County, the local county with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases, the West Central Health District was unable to provide information about the connections between coronavirus cases in the area.

The region is home to the county with most coronavirus cases per capita in Georgia to date. Randolph County, population of nearly 6,800, has the highest per capita infection rate in the state. Nearly 19 of every 1,000 people living in the county has COVID-19. The county has 122 confirmed cases. Its first case was confirmed on March 20, according to data analyzed by McClatchy.

The Macon Telegraph looks at the same issue in Middle Georgia.

Health officials who oversee 13 Middle Georgia counties are unable to provide information about the origin, patterns and spread of the new coronavirus, citing the number of cases and limited staff.

The North Central Health District covers 13 counties, including Macon-Bibb, Houston and Peach. NCHD Public Information Officer Michael Hokanson said the district is not able to do full investigations into county outbreaks — known as contact tracing — and now asks people who test positive for COVID-19 to warn people with whom they’ve come into contact.

The NCHD does gather information from high-risk individuals, healthcare workers, law enforcement officers, first responders and any large groups of people, like church congregations, if someone who tests positive came into contact with them.

In Middle Georgia, Houston County looks like a COVID-19 hotspot, based on case totals released by the Georgia Department of Public Health. The Telegraph reported in March that up to 90 people had potentially been exposed to the new coronavirus at the Lake Joy Med-Stop. But Hokanson said that higher COVID-19 numbers in Houston County could also be due to more testing.

“Since we are not doing that in-depth individual contact tracing anymore we can’t say 100% that so many cases are linked to this specific case.” Hokanson said. “One of the reasons why we see a larger group in one particular place is mainly because more testing is being done. We know that Houston County is doing a lot of testing.”

Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville will host a 20-bed temporary unit, according to the Gainesville Times.

The temporary medical unit is one of four that the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency is opening in the state. It is in addition to two 13-bed mobile units that opened in March at the Gainesville and Braselton hospital campuses.

The Georgia Department of Health has confirmed 363 coronavirus cases from Hall County as of April 14. Northeast Georgia Health System serves Hall and the surrounding area. Statewide, just under 20% of COVID-19 cases are hospitalized.

Gov. Brian Kemp first announced Gainesville was getting a temporary unit at a press conference Monday, April 13. Other units will be in Rome, Albany and Macon.

Floyd Medical Center in Rome will receive supplemental staffing from the state, according to the Rome News Tribune.

The state has partnered with Jackson Healthcare, a Georgia company with a portfolio of staffing, search and technology companies that assist health systems, hospitals and other healthcare facilities with workforce needs, a press release from Gov. Brian Kemp stated.

“In Rome, we will have one unit operational by April 21, and in Albany, we will have a second unit operational on April 28. We will also have one unit in Gainesville and one unit in Macon, both set to become operational on May 5,” Kemp said in his Monday address.

The Banks County Commission has approved supplemental hazard pay for some public employees during the Covid 19 outbreak, according to AccessWDUN.

The Augusta Commission approved a Hotels for Homeless progarm to address the Covid 19 outbreak, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

This endeavor will allow the city to house homeless people in local hotels during the coronavirus health crisis. Housing and Development Director Hawthorne Welcher said the shelters and rescue missions, to date, are full, so this will provide much needed housing.

Welcher said, however, that the plan is not to simply take any person that appears homeless and put them in a hotel. The process involves interviews, applications and confirmation that a person is homeless. If the person is deemed homeless, Welcher said this initiative would allow Housing and Development to be notified so it can notify a hotel.

“Providing shelter for our homeless population is essential, and the right thing to do, right now. Time is of the essence,” Davis said. “Giving shelter to our homeless population will allow compliance with the shelter-in-place order during this crisis, and our goal is to help as many individuals and families as possible.”