Solomon’s Masonic Lodge, the first in Georgia, was organized on December 10, 1735. Upon his return to the colony, James Oglethorpe would join the group.
John Jay was elected President of the Continental Congress on December 10, 1778.
Emory College was incorporated on December 10, 1836, as Governor William Schley signed legislation chartering the school.
On December 10, 1850, a special convention met in Milledgeville to determine the state’s reaction to the Compromise of 1850, a series of five bills passed in Congress attempting to deal with issues between slave states and free states.
The [Georgia] platform established Georgia’s conditional acceptance of the Compromise of 1850. Much of the document followed a draft written by Charles Jones Jenkins and represented a collaboration between Georgia Whigs and moderate Democrats dedicated to preserving the Union. In effect, the proclamation accepted the measures of the compromise so long as the North complied with the Fugitive Slave Act and would no longer attempt to ban the expansion of slavery into new territories and states. Northern contempt for these conditions, the platform warned, would make secession inevitable.
This qualified endorsement of the Compromise of 1850 essentially undermined the movement for immediate secession throughout the South. Newspapers across the nation credited Georgia with saving the Union.
The Atlanta City Council appointed the first Board of Education on December 10, 1869.
The Spanish-American War was ended on December 10, 1898, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1964 in Oslo, Norway, becoming the youngest recipient of the award.
Jimmy Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 2002.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Lagging tourism may drive Tybee Island to consider a sales tax, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Long the playground of Georgia, Tybee Island is facing some wear and tear on its infrastructure and facilities, and funding the nearly $100 million needed in upgrades for stormwater management is part of the city’s legislative agenda when the session starts on Jan. 13, 2025.
But as the city looks to, in part, use tourism dollars to help fund water and sewer infrastructure, tourism levels on Tybee and in Savannah have been returning to pre-COVID levels and cannot cover the total price tag. For this reason, Tybee Island is looking to implement a Municipal Option Sales Tax, or MOST.
“Tybee was an attractive destination during COVID [quarantine] and right after, as well,” said City Manager Brett Bell, who’s been in the position since September. “So in 2022-2023, we saw more visitor activity than at any point in our history, by far. Much of what we’re witnessing now is normalizing from this artificial bump due primarily to COVID.”
Parking revenue for the first quarter of FY2025 was $1.99 million, 13% lower than the first quarter of FY24, when parking revenue topped $2.29 million. The room tax collected between July and September 2024 dropped below $900,000―$131,000 lower than the same time last year.
Overall, the decrease in the meter and room tax is consistent with the decrease in visitor counts, down 18% from last year, according to a financial update presented to the Tybee City Council in October. The presentation also mentioned that June, July and August are the cities’ largest revenue-generating months, but with the city’s fiscal year beginning on July 1, June’s numbers count toward the previous fiscal year.
Bell also cited the impacts from Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene as “taking us off the map for a couple of weeks” and disrupting visitation. The recent hurricane season is part of why Tybee along with the other local governments within coastal Georgia are seeking different tools to fund infrastructure for stormwater improvements.
One of the tools the city is looking to use for the upgrades is the municipal option sales tax (MOST) will help with that. MOST was first adopted in Atlanta and allows municipalities to tax visitors and residents 1% of goods and services. The tax will fund upgrades to water and sewer infrastructure if the state legislature approves a referendum for islanders to vote in Fall 2025.
The council will discuss and adopt its legislative agenda at its meeting on Thursday, Dec. 9.
This week is Whale Week in Savannah, according to WTOC.
Every December, the North Atlantic Right Whale returns home to coastal Georgia to calve their newborns.
The peach state’s official marine mammal is at risk of extinction.
According to NOAA, two calves have been found so far this calving season and local marine protection organizations want to make sure the public knows about this critically endangered whale.
This week is being called Whale Week. It’s a full week of educational events right here in the Coastal Empire to make sure people are aware of how close these whales are to extinction and what you can do to help them.
The Tybee Island Marine Science Center is also going to be taking Smoke, the right whale, to various schools to teach kids all about these whales and how their existence is threatened.
“It’s just important. A lot of people don’t even know that we have whales here, specifically the North Atlantic Right Whale, because they are usually up north. And so if we can get people to be aware, then things like legislation can absolutely be affected.” said Allison Williford, Program Director with the Tybee Island Marine Science Center.
The biggest threat these whales face down here is getting tangled in fishing gear and getting struck by boats in the water.
Williford’s biggest hope is that by educating more people on this endangered species, more people will care and want to create real change to protect them.
Georgia’s coast isn’t just a winter getaway for us – it’s a critical nursery for the right whales. The season’s first calves appeared this week just in time for Whale Week which officially begins today.
One of the calves returning to Georgia’s waters is a 31-year-old whale with her fifth calf spotted near Sapelo Island. These warm coastal waters are vital breeding grounds for the species, but whales face significant threats including ship strikes.
“We hope to have as many births as last year. Ten babies were born last year, unfortunately two were lost before they got home. So, that is the reason we have something called Whale Week. We celebrate Whale Week with the public,” said Chantal Audran, the Executive Director of Tybee Marine Science Center.
With fewer than 370 right whales remaining, every event this week will bring attention on ways to protect them. Events will happen daily and be at the Tybee Marine Science Center, Starland Yard Friday, and Forsyth Park on Saturday. A highlight includes a skull unveiling.
Georgia’s economy is expected to grow at a slower rate next year, according to the Albany Herald.
A burgeoning population and sustained job growth will keep Georgia’s economy growing in 2025 — just a bit more slowly than in 2024, according to economic forecasters at the University of Georgia Selig Center for Economic Growth.
Georgia’s economy is projected to grow by 2.4% in 2025, a slowdown from the 3.1% the state saw in 2024. However, the state’s GDP is projected to grow faster than the nation’s, which forecasters project to grow by 1.6% in 2025.
“Because the 2025 economic slowdown is due to a deliberate policy shift and not economic shock or a factor outside our control, we think the slowdown will be gradual and not last long,” Terry College of Business Dean Ben Ayers told the crowd gathered at Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium for the kickoff of the 2025 Georgia Economic Outlook series.
The Georgia Economic Outlook is hosted annually by the UGA Selig Center for Economic Growth, a public outreach unit housed in the Terry College of Business. For 42 years, Selig forecasters have produced an economic forecast report for the state and its metropolitan statistical areas.
The major driver of Georgia’s slowdown is the Federal Reserve’s 2022 move to constrain lending to control inflation. That successfully shrunk inflation from 8% in 2022 to 3% in 2024 and a projected 3% again in 2025.
As the Federal Reserve eases these constraints, Georgia’s economy — and the nation as a whole — will continue to expand but will grow more slowly in 2025 than in 2024.
“In September, the Federal Reserve began to reduce monetary policy restraint by cutting policy interest rates,” Ayers said. “We expect additional rate cuts in 2025, and quantitative tightening will end. Credit and money supply will expand moderately. These policy moves, the resilient labor market and recent economic development success will ensure that Georgia’s economy grows throughout 2025 and accelerates in 2026.”
The probability Georgia will slip into recession is 25%. The number of jobs will rise by 1% in 2025, slower than the 1.5% gain estimated for Georgia in 2024 but higher than the national job growth rate of 0.6%.
Georgia’s unemployment rate is poised to increase from 3.7% to 4%, lower than the 4.3% expected at the U.S. level. This increase in unemployment will be due to slowed hiring rather than layoffs. This slight loosening of the labor market will help hold inflation steady at 3% in 2025.
“Small increases in the unemployment rate will be enough to keep inflation low — that’s good news,” Ayers said. “But it won’t be enough to scare consumers — that’s also good news.”
Health care and housing will lead Georgia’s economic growth in 2025. A growing population and number of senior residents will continue to boost health care hiring across the state.
Homebuilders will ramp up construction of single-family homes in the coming year because of slightly lower mortgage rates, favorable demographic trends, and a housing shortage that has been apparent since the pandemic. Georgia’s homebuilders will increase the number of single-family homes built in 2025 by 9%. Home prices — which have increased 65% since before the COVID-19 pandemic — are expected to hold steady.
Georgia is likely to see job losses in retail and information jobs due to advances in technology and competition from online retailers.
Georgia has broken records in the number of new jobs and industries attracted to the state, and that will slow this year due to the slowdown of the national and global economy. Still, with the build-out of existing projects, Georgia is poised to see thousands of new jobs created over the next few years.
“We expect Georgia’s economy to grow faster than the U.S. economy in 2025 and beyond,” Ayers said. “One advantage is economic development prowess. Other advantages include a favorable mix of industries, supportive demographics, excellent transportation, logistics infrastructure, a competitive tax climate, and low costs of living and doing business.”
But we could take an economic hit from the federal TikTok ban, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
Georgia ranks among the top five states most obsessed with TikTok, with an average of 4,890 monthly searches per 100,000 residents, averaging nearly 3.43 hours per day on social media apps like TikTok. Approximately 300,000 businesses in Georgia use TikTok, and 90% of these small businesses reported increased sales and sold out products due to their presence on the platform
• Economic — Georgia’s economy will suffer a significant drop in the generated TikTok revenue of $750 million. Small businesses that rely on it for customer engagement and marketing will suffer the most.
• For state employees and students — This is an extension of an existing state law that reinforces a ban on foreign-controlled social media platforms for state employees and public school K-12 students, making access more difficult.
• Community impact — Many entrepreneurs and creators, particularly minority-owned businesses, will lose financial and networking opportunities and brand deals, further contributing to the financial losses. The ban would disproportionately affect marginalized communities and would probably exacerbate existing inequalities which will, in turn, limit economic and social mobility.
• User inconvenience — Once the app goes away, users will need to export their data before the bans take effect, which is likely to be a laborious and cumbersome process. The transition will also contribute to a loss of followers and engagement, which are the major revenue drivers for many creators.
A TikTok ban is not just bad for teenagers and influencers, it will likely have a much more significant impact on Georgia’s economic success as a whole. It will certainly be detrimental to smaller creators and influencers, and in this economy, everyone needs all the help they can get.
Lingering effects from Hurricane Helene could impact Georgia’s economy as well as mortality rates, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Augusta University economist Dr. Simon Medcalfe recently told an audience at the school’s annual Economic Forecast Breakfast that while typically the area records 6,046 deaths a year, it could rise by as much as 308 people per year for the next 15 years.
Why? The reasons touch on finance, healthcare and the environment. And they all trace back to Hurricane Helene.
Financially, many area hurricane victims faced with astronomical property repair bills will have to make some tough budgetary decisions. Insurance could cover some of it, Medcalfe said.
“But there are still out-of-pocket expenses, so they’re going to have to take some money from future spending to allocate it to current spending to deal with those property repairs,” he said. “And if they take that away from future healthcare expenses, that could impact future mortality.”
More directly, Helene robbed direct access to medical treatment from myriad patients and their families hobbled by the storm, Medcalfe said. Also, relatives who provide support to patients might be forced to move away. Combine that with the raw stress of losing your home or livelihood, and the result could be deadly.
The Columbus Consolidated Government Center was evacuated after a bomb threat, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
An all-clear has been given after the Columbus Consolidated Government center in downtown Columbus was evacuated Monday morning because multiple bomb threats were made, according to Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman.
Countryman told the Ledger-Enquirer the calls came in around 9:06 a.m. Monday.
Multiple bomb dogs were conducting a bomb sweep of the building, Countryman said
A woman has been arrested in connection with the bomb threat against the government center, according to the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office. A news release from the sheriff’s office says Regina Ingram was arrested and charged with two counts of felony terroristic threats or acts and felony violation of probation.
The Warner Robins Police Department is using Artificial Intelligence in law enforcement, according to 13WMAZ.
The Warner Robins Police Department is among the agencies integrating AI to better serve their community.
On the second floor of the department’s headquarters, plans are underway to develop an advanced operations center.
The Criminal Intelligence Unit and Terminal Agency Coordinator room is where Capt. Eric Gossman explained they’ll have a command center they can use during emergencies, such as severe weather.
“The goal is to have it staffed around the clock,” Gossman said.
The planned operations center — currently just an empty room — will feature a video wall displaying feeds from various platforms, including body cameras, drones and CCTV systems.
Gossman says the department is utilizing AI to analyze large volumes of data and make better decisions about how to use their resources, including manpower and surveillance systems.
Looking ahead, Chief Wayne Fisher explained the department plans to expand its technology capabilities over the next decade to keep pace with evolving demands. They hope to have these systems in place by 2034.
The department seeks funding to bring this vision to life.
A decision is expected Wednesday on whether they’ll receive a grant from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, funded by the Department of Homeland Security.
The department currently uses a suite of surveillance systems, including Flock, Verkada and Fusus to solve crimes in Warner Robins.
These tools, such as Fusus, allow residents and businesses to share camera feeds with law enforcement voluntarily, creating a collaborative network without giving officers direct access.
“It doesn’t give us authority over their cameras or access to their feeds,” said Gossman. “It’s merely a point of contact at 2 a.m., instead of knocking on your door.”
But AI is expected to further enhance their capabilities. Gossman explained how it can streamline the review of surveillance footage, a process that would otherwise require hours of manual work across dozens of cameras.
Colquitt County may use Artificial Intelligence in property tax assessments, according to the Moultrie Observer.
Colquitt County government is considering adding EagleView technology with artificial intelligence that can determine, from aerial imaging, when property owners have made additions or improvements to their property.
Colquitt County Board of Tax Assessors Chief Appraiser Jim Mac Booth spoke to the County Commission last week about approving an EagleView contract. EagleView is an aerial imaging and geospatial data gathering program that was used in 2022 to photograph the entire county. Its images are available on QPublic, which allows the public to view them.
“EagleView, we approved this in 2022 and had our first fly in done. It was $16.5K and we kind of payed it out over three years. It’s come time to do another fly over,” said County Administrator Chas Cannon.
Cannon went on to say that Booth wanted to do another add-in to the EagleView contract called the ChangeFinder. The AI program detects all buildings added, changed or demolished, since the last fly over. It can also detect swimming pools.
Booth said, “The ChangeFinder will pick-up … There is an AI technology to pick-up the different shapes of the buildings that are on the property.”
The program lets the board of tax assessors know, for example, if an extra room was added on to a house, he said
He also said that it helps find property owners, who did not get a permit for their construction, if a permit was required for it.
Also, the program will help get one-third of the county’s properties appraised each year, he said. The State now requires it after a recent amendment that voters passed in November.
“Because, the new law they’ve added that into it, that we now have to physically check what they want, physically check one-third of the county every year,” he said.
A fake bomb threat against U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Extreme Northwest GA) caused a fatal traffic accident, according to the Rome News-Tribune.
A Rome police officer was involved in a fatal wreck on Redmond Circle at the Gala Shopping Center Monday morning as they responded to a bomb threat call at U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s home.
An email sent Monday to the Rome Police Department stated that a person had left a pipe bomb in the mailbox of Greene’s Rome home and that if anyone opened the mailbox then the bomb would go off.
After receiving the threat, the Rome Police Department dispatched the Floyd County Bomb Squad to her home.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, as the GMC travelled north a 2002 Mazda Protege driven by 66-year-old Tammie Pickelsimer pulled out from a parking lot and into the path of the [a private vehicle driven by an officer].
Greene took to social media on Monday to report that she was the subject of a bomb threat directed at her home. The congresswoman said the Rome Police Department’s assistant chief received the threat via email, prompting a bomb squad to be dispatched to her home.
Greene says that this is not the first time she has been the subject of a swatting call since being elected to Congress, noting that she has been “swatted at least nine times.”
A swatting call involves alerting 911 of a false threat to a specific location or person, which invokes a police response and can divert resources from real crimes or threats.
Greene said the email was traced back to a Russian IP address and her office will be working with local and federal law enforcement, including the FBI, to bring the perpetrator to justice.
Greene said she was “heartsick” over the deadly accident, which she said claimed the life of a woman and injured a police officer.
“I’m heartsick right now. I was just informed that an innocent woman died today in an auto accident involving a member of the Rome Police bomb squad who was responding to the threat at my home,” she wrote.
“These violent political threats have fatal consequences. It’s an undue strain on our law enforcement who must treat them seriously. The officer was responding to protect my life. And now, a woman has lost her life because of this despicable act,” the post said. “My prayers are with Tammie Pickelsimer, her family, the officer who was injured, and the entire Rome Police Department.”
“I’m sick to my stomach, but I’m also angry. This should have never happened and I pray it never happens again,” she said.
She went on to thank Rome PD for protecting the city and putting their lives at stake.
“We are pleased to report that Congresswoman Greene is safe,” her office said in a news release Monday. “She extends her heartfelt gratitude to the Rome Police Department for their swift and professional response in ensuring her safety.”
Deportation anxiety: Middle Georgia latino community considers what the Trump Administration will look like for them. From WALB:
Gigi Pedereza is the director of the Latino Community Foundation of Georgia. She said right now there is a lot of uncertainty from the Latino community in Georgia. Some people are fearful of the plan, while others doubt it will come to fruition.
“There is a lot of fear from some folks and some other folks think nothing is going to happen You have these competing thoughts,” Pedereza said. “What we know is that he has run on this platform. He’s the president-elect and we are expecting there will be changes in immigration. We don’t know how sweeping, how fast, and how that will be implemented, but at this point, it is very concerning. We have already seen hate crimes, we’ve seen physical attacks, and we know folks have received threatening text messages.”
Most of Georgia’s police departments and sheriff’s offices don’t have the power to enforce federal immigration laws.
According to the Georgia Sheriff’s Association (GSA), only a handful of Georgia law enforcement agencies are a part of the 287(g) Program, which can deputize state officers to act as federal immigration agents.
Law enforcement can detain an illegal immigrant if they commit a crime, but the GSA said that often doesn’t lead to deportation.
Last year, the General Assembly passed the Track Act, which requires county jails to report the immigration status of every inmate.
The GSA said despite the mandatory reporting, the majority of immigrants are released after serving their sentences before they can be taken into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“I’ve been in a couple of meetings where some of the administrators are concerned about already seeing drops in attendance from children because the parents are afraid, because the kids, when they are in high school, they are afraid of going to school, coming back, and not finding their parents,” said Pedereza.
Warner Robins Police Department hosted a session for their Hispanic and Latino residents, according to 13WMAZ.
After Monday night, the Hispanic and Latino community in Warner Robins is feeling a little more comfortable in the International City.
The police department held a special town hall to mend the relationship between the department and some of the people they serve.
“You’re a significant part of our community that we embrace and we’re proud of. You’re part of what makes us special in the community,” Police Chief Wayne Fisher said to attendees. “We don’t want you feeling as if you’re an outsider to it.”
During the meeting, members of the Latino community spoke about some of their concerns.
“The distrust of law enforcement is real,” Gabriella Machain Gilner told Warner Robins leaders.
As people spoke, it was evident that the hearts of the Latino community in Warner Robins were filled with worries.
They asked about the impacts of state House Bill 1105. The bill requires law enforcement to verify immigration information for those who’ve been arrested.
“The focus is not onto the victim, the focus is on the bad actor of the crime,” Fisher said.
Fisher reassured people that it does not give officers the right to discriminate against anyone. He said no one will ever directly be asked to prove their citizenship status to his deputies.
However, during interactions with officers, whether you’re the victim or the criminal, you will likely be asked to present a personal I.D. such as a driver’s license. He said that these ID’s don’t always have to be from Georgia.
He also said that officers are also able to look you up in their system to see if you have a drivers license.
Fisher also discussed their anti-discrimination policies, and read the House Bill out loud for visitor.
Detective Juan Garcia says the Hispanic community underreports crimes and he hopes Monday’s meeting can help change that.
“If they become victims of crimes or they are a witness, they come forward and assist us in being able to bring justice to, to people that have been victimized,” he said.
He said he was happy to see the full attendance, and be able to represent his community.
“One of the reasons I wanted to be a police officer, was to be able to help the Hispanic community. That’s a good satisfaction for myself as an accomplishment, but also helping the community is very important,” Garcia said.
Fisher also said they now have someone in every department that can speak Spanish to help with the language barrier. He added nearly 6% percent of the police department staff is of Hispanic decent.
State legislators are attending the Biennial Institute in Athens, according to State Affairs.
The 34th Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators, essentially a crash course for legislative newcomers and a refresher for veterans, will focus largely on demographic trends, workforce challenges, the state budget and what legislators need to know about the State Ethics Commission.
Hundreds of legislators, lobbyists, staffers and vendors are attending this week’s event, hosted by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, in hopes of gaining some insight into issues ahead of the General Assembly’s upcoming session on Jan. 13.
Bryan Thomas, the Atlanta-based chief communications officer for the National Conference of State Legislatures, said that Georgia takes a relatively unique approach to introducing lawmakers to the inner workings of state government.
“NCSL has team members that travel to attend new member orientations [in various states] every two years, and introduce ourselves and our support for state legislatures,” said Thomas. “It’s very clear that Georgia’s is exceptionally well-organized. It’s unique in that all [legislative] members are here. A lot of times, these orientations are done only for new members or just within caucuses. So having all of the members present gets Georgia on the good first foot in the new legislative session.”
The relationship-building has been particularly “invaluable” for senator-elect Rashaun Kemp, D-Atlanta. He’ll represent District 38, which covers Sandy Springs, Atlanta, South Fulton and Palmetto.
“It’s been helpful in preparing me as a new legislator,” he told State Affairs. “We have to work in a bipartisan fashion.”
When Rep. Lynn Smith, R-Newnan, entered the Legislature 28 years ago, she said she was not prepared for the “intense” lobbying that goes on in the Statehouse. “How does a new legislator handle this?” she asked during one session. “It’s complicated. A lot of times [the public] feel the legislators aren’t making the decision, the hallway is.”
Brad Vaughan, legislative director and counsel in the Office of the Lieutenant Governer, promptly responded. “People in the hall have no power. Be selective about what bills and projects you take on. Be cautious. Rely on the staff and other legislative members.”Among Monday’s highlights:
Demographic trends
With 11 million residents, Georgia is the nation’s eighth most populous state in the nation.
Meanwhile, birth rates are falling. The years between 2020 and 2023 were among the lowest rates in the past 24 years.
“This impacts education and the workforce,” in the future, Taylor Hafley, an applied demographer at the University of Georgia, told lawmakers.
Some 1 in 3 Georgians — about 3.5 million — live in just four counties: Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb and Gwinnett. Another third live in counties just outside those four, said Hafley. He said Georgia’s population growth is coming mostly from people moving into the state from 10 nearby states.
State House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) discussed his priorities for the legislative Session, according to the AJC.
House Speaker Jon Burns repeated his support for a measure to ban transgender girls from competing in girls sports in school but said he wouldn’t back other measures to impose restrictions on trans Georgians.
The Republican said the House would study an Arkansas-style Medicaid program, but his focus revolves around boosting federal-qualified health centers and increasing medical training rather than enacting a full-scale expansion that Gov. Brian Kemp firmly opposes.
And Burns downplayed the idea of broader election changes, such as an “instant runoffs” or limiting primaries to voters who register as party members, though he said legislators could take up some “tweaks” to election rules.
Burns outlined his approach to the upcoming legislative session in an interview Monday with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the Biennial Institute, a three-day session in Athens for new and returning lawmakers.He told the AJC he endorses Kemp’s approach to Georgia’s growing surplus, which now tops $16.5 billion. The governor has said the surplus shouldn’t be used for recurring expenses, particularly amid recent reports of declining tax revenue.
And Burns expressed support for Kemp’s Pathways program, the governor’s signature health policy initiative that ties work and academic requirements to expanded health care coverage under Medicaid.
On his budget outlook:
“We’re in a good fiscal position, and we want to make sure we make great investments. … The governor has indicated he didn’t want recurring expenses and investments with that surplus, and we support that. We know that we’re looking at $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion in additional investments in transportation infrastructure, and that’s a key to quality of life.”
On Hurricane Helene aftermath:
“The other challenge we’re going to have now is a result of Helene. There will be additional costs that won’t be met by the federal government when it comes to cleanup on state highways, and that’s also a challenge with assisting our local governments.”
On whether he supports reviving a conversation over Medicaid expansion:
“We’ll continue to look at the Arkansas-type model to see if there are some fits there for Georgia, and we’ll continue to be in conversation with Gov. Kemp’s office. They’ve given a great deal of study to the Pathways program, and certainly we recognize that — and we support what he’s doing there. We believe our job is to look at different alternatives on how you provide health care, so we’ll continue to do that.”
On calls for election changes, such as closed primaries or instant runoffs:
“I don’t anticipate any major changes. We had very successful elections in 2022 that ran very smoothly, and again in 2024. We believe we worked very diligently over the years to make sure we have open and transparent reliable elections, and I think the citizens of Georgia have recognized that. We’ll continue to learn from the administration of elections and we’ll listen to the grassroots. And we may make some tweaks, but I don’t see major overhauls coming.”
More women are leaving Georgia to get abortions under the “Heartbeat bill,” according to the AJC.
They are among the thousands of women who have left the state for elective or medically necessary abortions since Georgia enacted one of the country’s strictest abortion laws, state data shows. The law, which took effect in 2022, bans the procedure after fetal cardiac activity is detected — typically around six weeks of pregnancy and before many know they are pregnant.
The number of Georgia women traveling for abortions spiked from 250 in 2021 to more than 9,000 in 2023. That’s just a snapshot from the four states — Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia — that willingly shared data with Georgia, and it is likely an undercount of the pregnant women who traveled out of state for the procedure. The changing political landscape and patchwork of abortion laws across the country will continue to shift where — and if — women are able to travel for care.
State Sen. Ed Setzler, an Acworth Republican who sponsored what became Georgia’s abortion law, said he’s not surprised to learn that residents are going elsewhere to get abortions.
“It’s no surprise that when we’re finally able to stand up for the helpless, there’s a residual effect of people who think abortion is a solution,” he said.
Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said the country’s changing laws make it difficult for women to know where they can go for an abortion or if they have the financial resources to get there.
“States’ rights are not sufficient for freedom,” she said. “Every time I land, I have a different set of rights. I’ve got to check the weather, and then I’ve got to figure out what I can do with my body.”
University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue said crackdowns on campus protestors are attracting more out-of-state applications, according to the AJC.
The state higher education system’s tough approach to pro-Palestinian protests has led to a sharp increase in out-of-state applicants seeking to attend Georgia colleges.
That’s according to Sonny Perdue, the chancellor of the University System of Georgia, who told lawmakers at the Biennial Institute that the clampdown on protests over the Israel-Hamas war has caught national attention.
“Did you see the differences between some of the universities in the country, and the universities here in the state of Georgia, with the Palestinian, Hamas protests there? You notice a difference?” he said.
To a smattering of applause from a few hundred lawmakers, lobbyists and state officials, he added: “You know what that’s done? That’s created a huge influx in out-of-state applications to our schools here in Georgia.”
Perdue said after the event he was relying on anecdotal evidence. Democratic state Rep. Ruwa Romman of Duluth, the lone Palestinian-American in the Legislature, said Perdue’s comments were “shocking to say the least.”
“Insinuating that our students are Hamas to justify violently arresting them is beyond the pale,” said Romman, who was in the audience during Perdue’s remarks.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-SSI) said Congress should consider cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, according to the AJC.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter told Politically Georgia that Congress should explore cuts to Medicaid and Medicare next year amid broader debates about how to rein in federal spending.
Carter, a coastal Georgia Republican who could seek statewide office in 2026, also signaled he was open to cuts to the Social Security program, but he said that would require bipartisan consensus.
“It cannot be done in a partisan fashion. That would be political suicide. Medicaid and Medicare, we can work on that, and we need to work on that, and we are working on that,” he said on Friday’s program. “But the Social Security part of it has got to be done bipartisan.”
Democrats saw his comments as a threat to the U.S. social safety net. Alex Yerkey of the Democratic Party of Georgia said it was “clear the GOP is gearing up for an all-out assault on the programs that have kept our seniors healthy and financially secure for generations.”
Carter’s comments echo Republican U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick of Suwanee, who said last week that both parties need to make “hard decisions” on Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security spending. McCormick joins Politically Georgia on Tuesday to elaborate.
File Under: Naughty Librarians? Columbia County public library guidelines may break state law, according to WRDW.
Columbia County libraries might be violating state law with their new library guidelines.
That’s according to the Georgia Public Library Service after new guidelines by county commissioners were made in September.
Guidelines addressing “age appropriateness” have already moved some books to a labeled “adult section.”
This might not seem like a big deal on the surface, but violating state law could mean libraries lose state funding.
In the letter from the state library, it says the regional library board is responsible for making library policy.
Columbia County Library is part of the Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library Board, which also includes libraries in Lincoln, Warren and Burke counties.
A petition with about 450 signatures defending the library’s guidelines says defending this policy is about encouraging age-appropriate literacy, education, and a love of reading.
On the other hand, another petition with 550 signatures says that these guidelines would be a step toward the censorship of information and the promotion of a limited worldview.
Columbia County voted on this in September, but the regional board has the final say.
Tuesday’s regional board meeting will mainly be about the guidelines and whether the regional board will adopt the guidelines.
Glynn County Commissioners are seeking people interested in applying to serve on boards, according to The Brunswick News.
The Glynn County Commission has plenty of board positions to fill for the upcoming year, including several for two of the most prevalent boards — the Mainland and Islands planning commissions.
The county put out a reminder Sunday on its Facebook page saying it was still seeking applications for people to serve on both.
The Mainland Planning Commission is composed of seven county residents who reside on the mainland. The board makes decisions and recommendations on matters concerning the growth and development of the county, specifically as it applies to unincorporated areas on the mainland.
The Islands Planning Commission features seven seats reserved for St. Simons Island and Sea Island residents. It, too, focuses on matters of growth and development for St. Simons Island, Little St. Simons Island and Sea Island.
Appointees serve four-year terms that will start Jan. 1 and end on Dec. 31, 2028.
Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese is retiring, according to 13WMAZ.
Deese’s last day on the job is Dec. 31. Peach County voters elected Buck Shannon to replace him, who starts his term as Peach County Sheriff on Jan. 1.
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