Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for February 10, 2024

On February 10, 1787, the Georgia House of Assembly named William Few, Abraham Baldwin, William Pierce, George Walton, William Houstoun, and Nathaniel Pendleton to the Constitutional Convention called to revise the Articles of Confederation at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

On February 10, 1861, Jefferson Davis of Mississippi received word that he was chosen as President of the Confederate States of America.

On February 10, 1972, David Bowie made his first appearance as Ziggy Stardust.

On February 10, 2015, on the anniversary of the United States House of Representatives passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Gov. Nathan Deal signed legislation proclaiming February as Black History Month.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Under the Gold Dome Today

TBD Senate Rules: Upon Adj 450 CAP

7:00 AM Senate Appropriations: Transpo Sub 450 CAP

10:00 AM Senate Floor Session (LD 14) Senate Chamber

1:00 PM HOUSE BUDGET & FISCAL AFFAIRS OVRSITE (Upon Adj) 515 CLOB

1:00 PM HOUSE Ways & Means Sub Inc Tax (Upon Adj) 406 CLOB

1:00 PM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD14) House Chamber

1:00 PM Senate Public Safety 450 CAP

1:15 PM HOUSE Ways & Means Sub Ad Val (Upon Adj of Income Tax) 406 CLOB

1:30 PM HOUSE Ways & Means Sub Sales Tax (Upon Adj Ad Valorem) 406 CLOB

1:45 PM HOUSE Ways & Means Sub Pub Fin & Local Pol (Upon Adj of Sales Tax) 406 CLOB

2:00 PM HOUSE EDUCATION (Upon Adj) 506 CLOB

2:00 PM HOUSE CODE REV (Upon Adj) 132 CAP

2:00 PM HOUSE Natl Res & Envt Sub Envtal Qual (Upon Adj) 415 CLOB

2:00 PM HOUSE REG IND (Upon Adj) 606 CLOB

2:00 PM HOUSE HEALTH (Upon Adj) 403 CAP

2:00 PM Senate Health & Human Svcs 450 CAP

3:00 PM Senate Finance MEZZ 1

4:00 PM Senate Judiciary 307 CLOB

Former State House Appropriations Committee Chair Terry England (R-Auburn) was hospitalized, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

A former state representative from Auburn who is currently serving as Georgia Speaker of the House Jon Burns’ chief of staff sustained a serious spinal cord injury in an accident at his home this weekend, according to Burns.

Terry England was recovering in a hospital Sunday after he was injured by a piece of heavy machinery while working on his farm in Barrow County on Saturday morning. Burns said his chief of staff underwent a procedure Saturday night as part of his treatment.

From the AJC:

England retired from the House in 2023, but returned shortly after that to become chief of staff for House Speaker Jon Burns. We’re told England is on the mend after a successful surgery.

“He is currently receiving treatment from an incredible team of doctors and medical professionals,” Burns wrote on X. “Dayle and I ask everyone to join us in lifting up Terry, Mrs. Cindy, all of his family and loved ones, and his doctors in prayer during this time.”

Senate Bill 34 by State Senator Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome) seeks to prevent Georgia Power ratepayers from subsidizing data centers, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Savannah Morning News.

Georgia Power would not be allowed to pass on the costs of providing electricity to data centers under legislation before the state Senate.

“I support data centers coming to Georgia. … They can be a significant contributor to property taxes,” Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, the bill’s chief sponsor, told members of the Senate Regulated Industries Committee Friday during an initial hearing on the measure. “But they do require considerable resources. I want them to pay their fair share of those investments.”

The rapid growth of the data center industry in Georgia has prompted concerns among state lawmakers and energy regulators during the last couple of years. When Georgia Power executives asked the state Public Service Commission (PSC) in 2023 to approve 6,600 megawatts of additional electrical generating capacity for the Atlanta-based utility, they said 80% of that new demand was coming from energy-intensive data centers.

The commission voted last month to prohibit Georgia Power from passing on the costs of providing electricity to large-load customers including data centers to residential and small-business customers. The new rule also requires contracts with customers using more than 200 megawatts of electricity to be submitted to the PSC for review.

Khara Boender, senior manager of state policy for the Virginia-based Data Center Coalition, an industry association, said she considers Senate Bill 34 unnecessary because the PSC already has acted on the issue. Boender also complained that Hufstetler’s bill unfairly singles out data centers when there are other large users of electricity in Georgia, including the fast-growing advanced manufacturing sector.

But Hufstetler said legislation is needed to ensure Georgia Power’s residential and small-business customers don’t end up footing the bill for power-hungry data centers.

“This is just too huge an issue for us not to make sure we’re taking care of the citizens,” he said. “We need to protect the citizens of Georgia.”

The committee didn’t act on Hufstetler’s bill Friday. A vote could come at the panel’s next meeting.

Four Republican State Senators signed on to a bill to expand Medicaid, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Valdosta Daily Times.

Advocates seeking health insurance for more low-income Georgians are encouraged that Medicaid expansion is starting to draw support among what for years has been unified Republican opposition.

Although just four GOP state senators joined 17 Democrats when Senate Bill 50 was introduced late last month, it was still a milestone for Laura Colbert.

“This bill is really exciting because it’s Georgia’s first bipartisan legislation that would close Georgia’s coverage gap,” said Colbert, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future.

The measure would create PeachCare Plus, expanding Medicaid access for Georgians making less than 138% of the federal poverty level.

Currently, only Georgians who earn at or below the poverty level qualify for coverage. Unlike 40 other states, Georgia has not sought the expanded access – and associated federal money – that has been on the table for more than a decade.

To qualify in Georgia now, a single person must earn less than $15,650 and a family of four is capped at $32,150.

To qualify for the state’s Pathways to Coverage program – a limited form of Medicaid expansion Gov. Brian Kemp rolled out in 2023 – adults must work, go to school, volunteer or do other qualifying activities for 80 hours a month.

No other state has such a requirement. The upshot: a tiny fraction of eligible Georgians are covered.

“If you take away the 6,500 people in Pathways, we have over 200,000 people living in the health insurance coverage gap, without access to affordable health care,” said Leah Chan, an analyst with the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.

Expanding Medicaid to allow access for those earning up to 138% of the poverty level would add hundreds of thousands to the eligibility list.

The federal government would cover 90% of the cost, but Kemp has consistently questioned the longevity of that funding stream, worried about the cost shifting to Georgia taxpayers.

Grant Thomas, deputy commissioner with Georgia’s Department of Community Health, said at a recent hearing for SB 50 that Kemp’s approach is saving taxpayers money.

“Because we only expanded to 100% of the federal poverty level, we were able to keep 816,000 Georgians on private insurance in which the state does not pay a dollar,” Thomas said. “So that’s 816,000 people we’re not paying 10% of those costs as a state had we fully expanded Medicaid.”

Kemp has said he will petition the federal government to extend Pathways another fire years. His extension request will also ask for changes that would expand access a little by waiving the work requirement for impoverished parents of children 6 and under.

The sweeping changes advocates seek aren’t part of his plan, and there aren’t great odds that lawmakers will force his hand.

One of the four Republicans who signed onto SB 50 has since dropped off. That leaves three Republicans. There are 23 Democrats in the 56-member Senate, and even with those three there are not enough votes for passage.

And it would still have to get through the House of Representatives, where no Republicans have signed onto similar legislation by Democrats

Still, everyone knows about spiraling health-care costs, including residents in Republican-leaning rural areas, said Sen. David Lucas, D-Macon, the chief sponsor of SB 50.

“Now rural legislators who are Republicans, they’ve got to consider who they represent and how they’re going to help the folks that they do represent,” he said.

Sen. Russ Goodman, R-Cogdell, is one of the Republicans who signed SB 50.

He said he doesn’t know that he would vote for the measure, but he worries about the finances of rural hospitals.

It’s personal: his son was electrocuted at age 11.

“He lived, but he had to be life flighted,” Goodman said. “If we didn’t have a rural hospital 12 miles from my house, I don’t know that he’d be here today. I live in a very, very, very rural area.”

Goodman said he just wants the Senate to discuss Medicaid expansion.

Sen. Carden Summers, R-Cordele, also signed SB 50 to have a discussion. He wants to talk about whether expansion would help rural hospitals.

“We’ve had some hospitals on the verge of closing for 10 years,” he said. There are millions and millions of dollars available, he added. “Let’s tap into it.”

Polls indicate most Georgians support legalizing sports betting, according to WTOC via WALB.

Right now, sports betting is illegal in the peach state, but a new poll from the University of Georgia shows a majority of Georgians want it legalized.

“There’s a real desire from both people in Georgia and from tourists who are coming to the state to bet on sports,” said Scott Ward with the Sports Betting Alliance.

Lawmakers have made multiple attempts to get it to the voters, leaving many to wonder why it’s still illegal.

“The legislation is going to have to come from the House. We’ve passed it a couple of times and it’s died in the House,” explained Sen. Brandon Beach.

The senator from Alpharetta is one of the sponsors of another attempt to bring sports betting to the peach state, he’s hoping Georgia’s House of Representatives can come together to get this issue on the ballot.

“They send us a bill, we’ll pass it,” Sen. Beach said.

Meanwhile Representative Ron Stephens from Savannah says he’s ready to do so.

“Folks want to vote on it. And let’s just do it, vote it and move on.”

Proponents of sports betting argue the state is losing money by not legalizing the form of gambling, and say Georgians are still doing it in places where it is legal. While others argue, gambling is a real form of addiction.

“This is the most addictive form of gambling that’s out there now. It definitely is being targeted toward our younger male adults as well…if you legalize it, you’re going to be pouring gasoline on a dumpster fire that you’ve already got,” said Mike Griffin with Georgia Baptist Mission Board.

Griffin also argues, it’s a slippery slope that could lead to bigger consequences down the line.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall upheld a railroad’s exercise of eminent domain, according to the Capitol Beat News Service.

A Fulton County Superior Court judge has upheld a ruling by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) granting Sandersville Railroad Co. the right to take land from several property owners for a planned rail spur.

However, Judge Craig Schwall also issued a partial stay preventing the company from invoking the power of eminent domain to start the project pending an expected appeal of this week’s ruling to the Georgia Supreme Court.

The case began in March 2023 when Sandersville moved to condemn and take land owned by Don and Sally Garrett, which has been in Don Garrett’s family for generations. Two months later, the Garretts, Blaine and Diane Smith, and Marvin and Pat Smith teamed up to challenge the condemnation. In July 2023, more property owners joined the suit.

The PSC sided with the company, voting unanimously last September that the company’s plans for the 4.5-mile Hanson Spur connecting raw material producers to a CSX rail line constitute a legitimate public use under the state’s eminent domain laws.

“A private railroad’s desire to build a speculative new line entirely for the benefit of a handful of private companies is not a public use under the U.S. and Georgia constitutions and Georgia’s eminent domain laws,” said Bill Maurer, senior attorney with the Institute for Justice, which represents the property owners.

“We look forward to the Georgia Supreme Court’s review, and we are thankful our clients will not have to deal with Sandersville building tracks on our clients’ property until the higher court weighs in.”

The company issued a statement praising Schwall’s ruling and defending the project.

“The Hanson Spur is a critical infrastructure project that will open new channels of trade for local businesses, reduce truck traffic, and serve the public with minimal impacts on our neighbors,” the company wrote.

Sandersville Railroad Co. asserted that the Hanson Spur is expected to generate more than $1.5 million in annual economic benefits for Hancock County and the city of Sparta.

From the AJC:

Fulton Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall wrote Tuesday that state regulators were correct to allow Sandersville Railroad to condemn portions of several parcels to build 4.5 miles of new tracks near the town of Sparta, about 100 miles east of downtown Atlanta. Since the controversy began two years ago, it has pitted a politically connected railroad against long-time property owners, some whose families have ties to their land dating to slavery.

The controversial plan tests the limits of eminent domain powers in Georgia and has the potential to set precedent for how railroads as a public utility are able to condemn property to expand their businesses.

Sandersville Railroad has reached agreements to buy at least half of the 18 parcels it seeks to condemn. About half of the property owners remaining in the litigation are Black. Sandersville said it was pleased the judge ruled in its favor.

“The Hanson Spur is a critical infrastructure project that will open new channels of trade for local businesses, reduce truck traffic and serve the public with minimal impacts on our neighbors,” the company’s statement said.

Eminent domain is when a government or utility forces a private property owner to sell some or all of their land for public use. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects against abuse of eminent domain and requires “just compensation” for seized property. Georgia law requires a court’s determination that a project serves a “public use,” adding that economic development alone is not enough.

The judge found Sandersville’s plans constitute a public use and provide a new channel of trade, both of which were contested points during arguments last week in court. IJ attorneys argued Sandersville’s plans would only benefit the railroad and businesses it serves while providing an alternative to truck traffic, but the railroad’s attorneys said state law was on its side.

The judge agreed, writing, “There is no requirement that the channel of trade be ‘new’ or ‘exclusive’ channel of trade, such that if any other shipping route exists, the new route will not serve public purpose.”

Five private companies, including quarries and pulp mills, have said they will use the new rail connection, which will connect their businesses to the broader CSX rail network. Sandersville Railroad also said the spur will boost tax revenues, pump $1.5 million annually into the area economy and create 12 new jobs with average salaries of $90,000.

A pending case in Hancock County Superior Court is evaluating the value of the remaining parcels the railroad looks to condemn, which would determine the sales prices.

United States Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Extreme NW GA) will chair the first meeting of the Subcommittee on the Department of Government Efficiency, according to the AJC.

The federal budget-slashing initiative led by billionaire Elon Musk will hold its first legislative hearing this week, with a panel led by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia set to probe “improper payments and fraud.”

Greene told “Politically Georgia” that her subcommittee of the Department of Government Efficiency will not target Social Security or Medicaid benefits when it meets on Wednesday. Instead, she said, it would crack down on fraudulent payments “going to dead people” and “criminal rings around the world.”

“I really want to use my DOGE committee to take a deep dive and very transparent look at how Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars are being spent,” Greene said. “No matter where we agree or disagree on policies, we have to cut these expenditures or we’re just not going to make it.”

It’s unclear how closely Congress will work with DOGE, which was created by an executive order Trump signed hours after he was sworn in as president. The order spells out DOGE’s role to improve “quality and efficiency of government-wide software,” but it has rapidly embedded itself into all corners of Washington, drawing a flurry of legal challenges from critics who say it has far exceeded its authority.

Greene said she sees DOGE as an ally in retooling Washington and her subcommittee as a key tool to advance that agenda. She considers the agency, which formally reports to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, an extension of the executive branch.

Greene said she sees Musk and DOGE, assigned by Trump to discover and eliminate what the president’s administration has deemed wasteful government spending, as an extension of his authority in the executive branch.

“What they’re doing is basically an audit looking deeply into how these departments run and where there’s waste, fraud and abuse,” she said. “That falls in line with exactly what I’ll be doing in Congress on my committee.”

Greene added: “Congress has a significant role, and it’s very important Congress stays involved. We want to keep that balance of power in our government.”

The Democratic National Committee filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit over Georgia election rules, according to WSAV.

The brief, which has seen a long-fought battle in the state, urged a Georgia court to block new rules that required hand-counting of ballots and allowed local boards power to conduct “reasonable inquiry” into election results. The committee argues that the two rules violate rule-making processes and exceed the power of the state election board that implemented them.

This marks the committee’s first legal action under new chair Ken Martin, who was elected on Feb. 1.

“To the great annoyance of MAGA Republicans in Georgia, the DNC is making it clear: there are no off days when it comes to protecting democracy,” said Martin. “Politicians don’t decide our elections, voters do.”

Trump allies on the board voted to approve a series of controversial rules weeks before the 2024 election. A judge temporarily halted the rules before they could be fully implemented, pending further litigation. Republicans statewide and nationally later appealed the ruling.

Columbus City Council is considering opting out of the HB 581 Homestead Exemption, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

House Bill 581, which creates a statewide floating homestead exemption, overwhelmingly passed in Georgia and won 61.5% of the vote in Muscogee County. As part of the bill, local governments may opt out of participating in the floating exemption by passing a resolution and holding three public meetings before March 1.

About 85-90% of school districts in the state will opt out, Columbus Consolidated Government chief appraiser Suzanne Widenhouse told the council, and about half of the state’s counties and municipalities are estimated to opt out.

If one tax authority opts out, it does not require anotherone in the same jurisdiction to also opt out, Widenhouse said. So, the school district can opt out, while the city council does not.

This means if the floating homestead is more beneficial for someone, Widenhouse said, that’s what they would get on the city side. But they would still get the frozen homestead exemption for the school board.

“It has the potential to become very, very complex very, very quickly,” Widenhouse said.

HB 581 will not adversely affect Muscogee County’s local homestead assessment freeze, city attorney Clifton Fay said. So, whichever exemption is better for the taxpayer would be what’s selected.

A frozen homestead exemption means a property’s value is locked into place the year it becomes a homestead, with the assessed value being 40% of the fair market value of that year.

A floating homestead exemption means there will be a base year value, or the assessed value from the previous tax year, that can go up or down based on inflation in the housing market.

For example, a homestead could have been placed on a property in 2019. If the property had a value of $280,000 in 2019, its local value, or assessed value, was $112,000.

That means this $112,000 was locked in with the frozen homestead. It would increase only if significant additions were made to the property.

Under the floating homestead, the base year would be based on the property’s assessed value in 2024. So, the base value would be $160,000. This value may increase or decrease based on the inflationary index.

One reason the statewide floating homestead exemption would be complex in Muscogee County is because Columbus’ existing homestead tops out at two acres, Widenhouse said.

Properties that have more than two acres are called “H-accounts.” They receive the homestead freeze on the first two acres, she said, but everything above that is subject to fair market value.

“Under this (law), they would potentially have the floating homestead for the full acreage,” Widenhouse said.

There are also expenses involved in implementing the law, she said.

The software and programming the city uses to process homestead exemptions must be changed to account for how the frozen and floating homestead deal with the acreage cap differently and the potential tax district split. The ability to determine which homestead is better for taxpayers must also be added to the programming.

Another aspect of this law people should consider is that the inflationary index used to determine the floating homestead is set by the state, she said, and officials are suggesting that a national index be used.

“It won’t even be specific to the state or Georgia,” Widenhouse said. “It’s going to be a national (Consumer Price Index) as opposed to something that’s local and regional.”

Since this is a statewide law, that means control of the floating homestead goes to the state and not Muscogee County.

“They can change it,” she said. “They can tweak it. They can do whatever they want with it.”

There’s already some proposed legislation for the 2025 legislative session that could change the bill, she said. Opting out does not mean there will be no opportunity for a floating homestead in Columbus, Widenhouse said.

The council could petition for its own floating homestead controlled by the local government. But there will be no option to opt out later if it isn’t done now, she said.

“By opting out, we free up Muscogee County, to do what’s in Muscogee County’s best interest,” Widenhouse said.

A statewide floating homestead exemption may leave Columbus vulnerable if there is another downturn in the market.

Another factor that places Columbus at a bigger risk than other Georgia communities is that a measure in the law to protect against not generating enough revenue would not be available to Columbus, Mayor Skip Henderson said at the council meeting.

The law includes an optional sales tax for property tax relief that could be enacted when valuations go down, he said. Consolidated governments are allowed only two local option sales taxes, he said, and the city already is at the limit.

“That’s one of the major differences between Columbus and some of these other communities,” Henderson said.

Savannah Chatham County Public Schools will opt out of the HB 581 Homestead Exemption, according to the Savannah Morning News.

While school systems and municipalities have until March 1 to submit their decisions, the SCCPSS school board has called a special meeting for 5 p.m. Feb. 19 to hold a vote.

The main reason for the school district’s decision to opt out of HB 581, as articulated by Holmes, was that the “pros for opting in are not the same in Chatham County as most other counties.” That is because of Chatham County’s Stephens Day homestead exemption.

Holmes noted that the local legislation has been in place the last 25 years. It was named for the local legislators, Ron Stephens and Burke Day, who sponsored the law in 1998. The legislation allows primary residence owners to freeze property taxes on their homes based upon their purchase price.

Additionally, Holmes said the cons for opting in to HB 581 are the “enormous amount of time, additional staff, and work with county staff to prepare the calculations that could complicate the exemption process.” She also cited “uncertainties” about potential future amendments to the bill that, while designed to benefit taxpayers in other counties, could negatively impact Chatham County residents.

“Our local legislators can amend the Stephens Day bill when needed, as they have in the past, to benefit the residents of Chatham County,” she added, stating it is SCCPSS’s belief that is why all Chatham County municipalities are choosing to opt out.

She shared a chart that showed the comparison of the two homestead exemptions, using annual taxes from the last 10 years and duplicating the pattern for the next 10 years for a current homeowner. The calculation showed that HB 581, with 2024 as a base tax year, would not benefit a current homeowner.

“Over a 10 year period, [the homeowner] would end up paying an additional $9,574” with HB 581, Holmes said.

Opinions voiced by the three people who chose to speak at the hearings were that they did not want to lose Stephens Day. To be clear, HB 581 would not replace Stephens Day. Rather, whichever exemption turned out to be more in favor of taxpayers would supersede the other based on each year’s calculation.

The Bryan County Board of Education plans to opt out of the HB 581 Homestead Exemption also, according to the Savannah Morning News.

According to Bryan County Schools, the homestead exemption bill, which was passed in March 2024, “Is a law that changes how property taxes work for cities, counties and schools creating a floating homestead exemption which affects school districts by putting a limit on how much property taxes can go up based on the rate of inflation.”

Richmond Hill resident Betsy DeBry told the Savannah Morning News before the meeting her biggest concern is what will happen to residents who cannot afford a hike in their property taxes if the school board opts out.

“People are up in arms,” said DeBry. “They don’t seem to care that the residents of Bryan County are upset. It seems to be shortsighted – people have seen property taxes skyrocket. It is hurting our seniors too and those on a fixed income. People are not prepared for that. They cannot budget for that. For people on a fixed income or retired people, if their property taxes go up, where will they get that money from to pay for it?”

In the district’s December newsletter, it pointed to a number of reasons why it decided to opt out. One of which was that if this plan had been in place previously, Bryan County Schools estimate that its district would have lost over $4 million dollars over the last five years. That revenue loss would have equated to over 40 teachers the district would not have earned under current funding mechanisms.

A handout sheet at the meeting listed three negative consequences if the school district opts in:

• All new growth is funded locally for the first year. Partial funding by the state is not received until a year after new students enroll. For this reason, high growth districts need all funds available to support the increase of students.

• Funding Limits: A property tax cap would likely reduce the ability to provide adequate educational services through a reduction in the operational funds. Overall, this could lead to fewer teachers, larger class sizes, deteriorating facilities, fewer safety personnel and resources, and a decline in overall educational resources.

• Millage Rate Cap: State law dictates a millage rate cap of 20 mills for school systems (not including debt-service). Bryan County Schools is currently 15.075 mills. Not opting out of HB58l would require us to increase our millage rate to offset losses. With continued growth, it would be possible to reach the 20 mill cap.

Glynn County Commissioners will consider raising the hotel-motel bed tax, according to The Brunswick News.

The hearing will be held to consider a proposed 2% increase in the hotel, motel and lodging tax, a pay increase for county commissioners and for one member of the board of commissioners to serve on the Golden Isles Development Authority.

The proposed increase in the bed tax from 5% to the 7% requested would help create new opportunities for the county, including the establishment of a new Tourism Product Development fund. This would allow 14.2% of the fund to be dedicated toward tourism-related infrastructure improvements.

The Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau conducted careful economic analysis to ensure the lodging industry remains competitive and continues to stimulate the local economy. The measure allows the county to invest in other infrastructure improvements that will benefit the community, county officials said.

Input for a proposed pay increase for commissioners will also be discussed during a public hearing. County commissioners have not released any information regarding how much of a pay increase they are seeking.

Whitfield County Commissioners will vote on a deal for the Sheriff to provide school resource officers, according to the Dalton Daily News.

Members of the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners are scheduled to vote on a memorandum of understanding with the county sheriff’s office and the Board of Education to provide up to 24 sheriff’s deputies to the county school system as school resource officers, one detective as a school detective/school safety specialist and up to three deputies as Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officers.

There is no set dollar amount for the agreement. The cost would depend on the number of officers who actually work for the school system and the number of hours they work for the school system.

A Glynn County public schools vaping detection system appears to curb bathroom vaping incidents, according to The Brunswick News.

A graph presented by Senetra Haywood, director of Student Services & Compliance, showed that when the detectors were first activated, they detected around 350 instances of vaping. Over roughly two weeks, that dropped to around 150.

“We created a baseline to see how things are happening. We’re happy to report that after we installed them and started responding to them, that number was cut down to half,” she said. “… It’s been a huge deterrent. I’ll just say it that way.”