On February 16, 1923, Howard Carter and his archaeology party entered the burial chamber of King Tutankhamen.
The steps led to an ancient sealed doorway bearing the name Tutankhamen. When Carter and Lord Carnarvon entered the tomb’s interior chambers on November 26, they were thrilled to find it virtually intact, with its treasures untouched after more than 3,000 years. The men began exploring the four rooms of the tomb, and on February 16, 1923, under the watchful eyes of a number of important officials, Carter opened the door to the last chamber.
Inside lay a sarcophagus with three coffins nested inside one another. The last coffin, made of solid gold, contained the mummified body of King Tut. Among the riches found in the tomb–golden shrines, jewelry, statues, a chariot, weapons, clothing–the perfectly preserved mummy was the most valuable, as it was the first one ever to be discovered. Despite rumors that a curse would befall anyone who disturbed the tomb, its treasures were carefully catalogued, removed and included in a famous traveling exhibition called the “Treasures of Tutankhamen.”
On February 16, 1948, the United States Air Force renamed Robins Air Field to Robins Air Force Base. Robins AFB and the City of Warner Robins are named for Air Force General Augustine Warner Robins.
Fidel Castro was sworn-in as Prime Minister of Cuba on February 16, 1959.
On February 16, 1968, Speaker of the Alabama House of Representative Rankin Fite placed the first 911 call from Haleyville City Hall to Congressman Tom Bevill at the Haleyville police station.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Under the Gold Dome Today
Today is a Committee Work Day with no session.
8:00 AM HOUSE JUDICIARY NON-CIVIL – 132 CAP HYBRID
8:00 AM HOUSE CANCELED Appropriations General Government Subcommittee – 506 CLOB HYBRID
9:00 AM HOUSE Appropriations Economic Development Subcommittee – 506 CLOB HYBRID
9:00 AM HOUSE CANCELED AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS COMMITTEE – 406 CLOB HYBRID
9:00 AM HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE – 341 CAP
10:00 AM HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE – 132 CAP HYBRID
10:00 AM HOUSE Education Academic Support Subcommittee – 406 CLOB HYBRID
10:00 AM HOUSE INSURANCE COMMITTEE – 606 CLOB HYBRID
10:00 AM Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee – 450 CAP
11:00 AM HOUSE Regulated Industries Regulatory Subcommittee – 415 CLOB
11:00 AM HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE – 406 CLOB HYBRID
12:00 PM HOUSE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE – 506 CLOB HYBRID
12:00 PM Senate Rules Committee – 450 CAP
12:30 PM Senate Finance Committee – 307 CLOB
1:00 PM HOUSE BUDGET & FISCAL AFFAIRS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE – 341 CAP HYBRID
1:00 PM HOUSE CANCELED HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE – 606 CLOB HYBRID
1:00 PM HOUSE STATE PROPERTIES – 403 CAP
1:00 PM HOUSE Public Safety & Homeland Security Subcommittee A – 406 CLOB
1:00 PM Senate State and Local and Governmental Operations Committee – 310 CLOB
1:00 PM Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee – canceled – 307 CLOB
1:00 PM Senate Health and Human Services Committee – canceled – 450 CAP
1:30 PM HOUSE Ways & Means Ad Valorem Subcommittee – 403 CAP HYBRID
2:00 PM HOUSE Ways & Means Income Tax Subcommittee – 403 CAP HYBRID
2:00 PM HOUSE GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE – 406 CLOB HYBRID
2:00 PM Senate Retirement Committee – 310 CLOB
2:00 PM Senate Education and Youth Committee – canceled – 307 CLOB
3:00 PM HOUSE ENERGY, UTILITIES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE – 403 CAP HYBRID
3:00 PM HOUSE Public Safety & Homeland Security Subcommittee B – 406 CLOB HYBRID
3:00 PM Senate Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee – 450 CAP
3:00 PM Senate Finance Committee- canceled – 450 CAP
4:00 PM HOUSE Appropriations Public Safety Subcommittee – 341 CAP HYBRID
4:00 PM Senate Transportation Committee – 450 CAP
Governor Brian Kemp will tour North Georgia on Friday, according to the AJC:
Gov. Brian Kemp will make five campaign stops during a north Georgia swing Friday. Look for him in Gainesville, Cornelia, Toccoa, Clayton and Cleveland.
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents named former Governor Sonny Perdue as the sole finalist for Chancellor, according to the Associated Press via AccessWDUN.
Board Chair Harold Reynolds of Greensboro said Perdue was the best choice because he has “extensive background in public service” including “leadership at the highest levels” and “has a passion for higher education, and specifically for this state’s public colleges and universities.”
Perdue, 76, said in a statement released by the board that serving as chancellor would “be a wonderful capstone to a career of public service.” He said it was a second chance to shape the state’s university system.
“Higher education is where I wanted to have a real impact as governor, only to be stymied by twin recessions. It is what I benefited from as Agriculture Secretary, where I saw daily the benefits of university research,” Perdue said in a statement. “I want to make a difference by providing leadership and resources so that faculty can thrive in their teaching, research and service and students are inspired and supported so they graduate, find rewarding careers and become productive citizens.”
When asked if Kemp encouraged his choice, Kemp spokesperson Katie Byrd said regents chose Perdue in an “independent vote.” The governor called Perdue “exceedingly well qualified” in a statement.
“As a cabinet level official who was confirmed with overwhelming, bipartisan support, he managed a budget roughly 15 times that of USG and navigated challenging times of disruption that required innovative thinking,” Kemp said. “Georgians will benefit from his decisive and creative leadership over a system which now serves more than 340,000 students.”
From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Athens Banner Herald:
Matthew Boedy, president of the Georgia Association of University Professors, is asking the accrediting body for Southern colleges and universities to issue a second warning letter to the regents. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSOC) issued a letter last year when Perdue’s name surfaced as a candidate cautioning the regents against allowing political interference in the hiring process.
“It is clear that Governor Kemp’s shuffling of the board by appointing two new regents in January played a massive role in the speed at which Mr. Perdue’s chances of getting the job were resurrected,” Boedy wrote in an email to SACSOC. “While legally allowed to appoint regents, the governor’s move could be read as pushing off the board those who blocked Perdue’s path.”
“I consider being named the finalist as the Chancellor of the University System of Georgia to be a wonderful capstone to a career of public service,” Perdue said in a statement released after Tuesday’s vote.
“Education is the most important issue at the federal, state and local level and it’s why, as a legislator, I sought to be chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee to work on important initiatives with Gov. Zell Miller and former USG Chancellor Steve Portch.” [said Perdue.]
The system has about 340,000 students and roughly 48,000 employees and consists of schools such as the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State, Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State universities. The board must now wait 14 days before taking a vote on appointing the Republican to the post.
“I want to make a difference by providing leadership and resources so that faculty can thrive in their teaching, research and service and students are inspired and supported so they graduate, find rewarding careers and become productive citizens,” [Perdue] said in a statement. “I am honored to be considered for such an important role.”
Perdue’s critics are preparing a final effort to stop the appointment. The American Association of University Professors denounced the search process as secretive and politically motivated, adding that “Perdue has absolutely no experience in higher education leadership.”
On Tuesday, [Gov. Kemp] called Perdue “exceedingly qualified for the position.”
“Georgians will benefit from his decisive and creative leadership over a system which now serves more than 340,000 students,” Kemp said. “I look forward to working with future Chancellor Perdue to ensure the quality of our higher education continues to be worthy of the best place to live, work, learn, and raise a family.”
Critics say Perdue is not qualified because he has no higher education administrative experience. Supporters say his eight years as governor and four years in the Trump administration show Perdue has experience in leading large, complex organizations. They also feel his name recognition could help with fundraising and building relationships with state and federal lawmakers.
Democrat Stacey Abrams and former Senator David Perdue criticized the rewrite of House Bill 333, which would block them from fundraising during the legislative session, according to the AJC.
The rivals for governor have rallied donors and supporters against a proposal that would ban challengers from raising campaign money during the three months that state legislators are in session.
Perdue, a former U.S. senator running against Kemp in the GOP primary, called the proposal a brazen “incumbent protection act” designed to help the governor and other vulnerable Republicans. And Abrams’ campaign held a virtual press conference Monday to sharpen its opposition to the measure.
“If there is a campaign finance law change that protects incumbency and is clearly unconstitutional, we are ready to fight it,” Abrams campaign manager Lauren Groh-Wargo said, while another deputy urged donors to give “very quickly” in case the changes take effect soon.
Supporters say Mullis’ rewrite of House Bill 333 would level the playing field for lawmakers and statewide incumbents banned from raising money during the session, which this year lasts from January to early April, while their opponents are free to collection contributions.
“This brings parity and makes fairness for all,” Mullis, who chairs the agenda-setting Senate Rules Committee, said as he introduced the measure last week.
House Bill 1134, giving the Attorney General a greater role in gang prosecutions, passed the State House, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Henry Herald.
House Bill 1134, which passed 101-56 and now moves to the Georgia Senate, follows Gov. Brian Kemp’s proposal to fund the creation of a new Gang Prosecution Unit in the attorney general’s office.
The fiscal 2023 state budget includes more than $1.3 million to add a dozen prosecutors to the attorney general’s staff to handle gang cases.
“Sixty percent of all violent crime committed in the state of Georgia is gang motivated,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Efstration, R-Dacula, told his House colleagues Monday. “Addressing the gang issue is addressing violent crime.”
Rep. William Boddie, D-East Point, said the money earmarked for the attorney general would be better spent locally.
“All crimes, including gang crimes, should be prosecuted locally by locally elected district attorneys,” he said.
House Bill 1150, the “Freedom to Farm Act” is designed to protect agricultural facilities from nuisance lawsuits, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald.
Supporters of the Freedom to Farm Act have inserted changes into the original bill targeting hog farms and chicken houses, livestock operations that tend to draw the most complaints from neighbors of foul smells, dust and water pollution.
Under a substitute measure presented to the House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee, any existing farm converted to such a “confined animal-feeding operation” (CAFO) would be subject to a nuisance lawsuit within one year of that conversion regardless of how long the original farm was there.
“I heard the problems with CAFOs,” committee Chairman Robert Dickey, R-Musella, said. “This takes the CAFO out of that protection.”
“People who are not farming are moving into agricultural areas,” Mike Giles, president of the Georgia Poultry Federation, said. “It’s very difficult to find a place in Georgia where there’s not non-farming.”
Supporters say the legislation would protect small farmers who may have been farming their property for years from nuisance suits filed by non-farmers who have just moved into a new subdivision.
Senate Bill 393 the “Common Carrier Non-Discrimination Act” would apply to large online platforms and attempt to prevent viewpoint discrimination, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Rome News Tribune.
Senate Bill 393 would apply only to social media platforms with more than 20 million followers, Sen. Greg Dolezal, the legislation’s chief sponsor, told members of the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee.
“Those are the ones that have near-monopoly status,” said Dolezal, R-Cumming. “They’re the public comment square.”
Dolezal said the slanting of information by social media platforms is cutting both ways.
“People on the left and right are concerned about who is doing the censoring,” he said. “I don’t like giving that much power to high-tech people.”
Gwinnett County Commission Chair Nicole Love Hendrickson asked Governor Brian Kemp to veto the GOP-drawn redistricting map for Gwinnett Commission seats, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Hendrickson sent a letter to Kemp asking for the veto on Monday. Republicans in the Georgia General Assembly sidelined a redistricting map that the all-Democrat county commission drew up, which had the backing of Democrats in the county’s legislative delegation.
In its place was a map that created a northern Gwinnett commission district that will likely flip back to Republicans, and has a 51% majority white voting age population.
“This bill subverts the will of Gwinnett County voters by allowing the General Assembly to impose commission districts upon the county that opposed by the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners and by a supermajority of the members of the Gwinnett County Legislative Delegation,” Hendrickson said.
The State House Governmental Affairs Committee voted to recommend passage of legislatively-drawn district for Augusta Commission and Columbia County Board of Education, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Rep. Wayne Howard, D-Augusta, called a news conference on the Capitol steps to condemn the effort, comparing it to similar efforts in other Georgia counties.
“We cannot allow the same power grabs that have occurred in Gwinnett and Cobb County to reach Augusta,” Howard said Monday. “Local redistricting should be handled by those who know Augusta-Richmond County best, not the majority caucus that hails from across our state.”
Fair Fight Action, the voting rights group founded by gubernatorial hopeful Stacey Abrams, announced the news conference.
In the three counties, and in others around the state, Republican legislators have filed map legislation criticized by Democrats as partisan or racial gerrymandering.
State Rep. David Wilkerson let his emotions take control this week during an impassioned speech on the House floor opposing a Republican-led override of local maps in his county.
“I’m going to be honest with you: This s**t sucks,” the Cobb County Democrat said, before apologizing multiple times for violating decorum.
A few days earlier, Republican state Rep. Darlene Taylor threatened to call Capitol police after a testy exchange with Wilkerson over redistricting in the House committee she chairs.
State Senate Education Committee Chair Lindsey Tippins (R-Cobb County) announced he will not run for reelection, according to the AJC.
The Cobb lawmaker has spent his 12 years in the chamber as a leading voice on education issues.
He called serving in the Senate, “one of the most wonderful experiences I have had in my life,” but also said he knows he’s in the “fourth quarter” of life.
“I just don’t know how many minutes are on the clock, and I want to spend most of it with the folks that I love.”
United States District Court Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self, III held that an Air Force officer’s religious objection to the COVID vaccine cannot be used to punish her, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
The lawsuit, which names the Secretaries of Defense and of the Air Force as defendants, contends that “all of the COVID-19 vaccines currently available were derived from or tested on (as part of their development) aborted fetal tissue. For this reason, she is unwilling to receive one of the COVID-19 vaccines currently available.”
The officer, in her 31-page lawsuit, goes on to contend that “receiving a vaccine that was derived from or tested on aborted fetal tissue in its development would violate her conscience and is contrary to her faith.”
Self added that as the lawsuit proceeds, the “Defendants are also enjoined from taking any adverse action against Plaintiff on the basis of this lawsuit or her request for religious accommodation, specifically including forcing her to retire.”
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R-in exile) supports a plan to add GBI agents dedicated to election , according to the Associated Press via AccessWDUN.
Raffensperger made the announcement Monday as he also called on Georgia leaders to do more to provide security at polling places and election offices, including sending state troopers to stand guard against disturbances.
House Speaker David Ralston of Blue Ridge and Gov. Brian Kemp, both Republicans, have been backing a plan for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to hire agents devoted to election inquiries, saying it would provide greater confidence. The move is another slap at the embattled Raffensperger, who has been under fire by former President Donald Trump for refusing to overturn President Joe Biden’s November 2020 victory in Georgia. Trump’s pressure on Raffensperger is being investigated in Atlanta’s Fulton County.
Raffensperger announced that he would “fully support” the plan for the GBI to hire two agents and give the agency the authority to start investigations on its own.
He also called on Georgia officials to deploy state troopers to provide security at polling places, supplementing the security usually provided by county sheriffs, citing an expectation for hard-fought campaigns and close elections this year.
Glynn County and the City of Brunswick are discussing a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum for the November ballot, according to The Brunswick News.
[Glynn County Commission Chair David] O’Quinn said nearly 50% of the revenue generated by the 1-cent tax comes from the more than three million tourists visiting the Golden Isles each year.
It’s a way to pay for infrastructure and get the tourists to pay for it, he said.
For voters to approve a referendum, [Brunswick Mayor Cosby] Johnson said the project list has to be citizen driven, have a clear long-term vision of the future and be financially responsible.
County Attorney Aaron Mumford explained the timeline needed for a resolution to be on the ballot. A SPLOST resolution has to be adopted by Aug. 8 after the city and county’s project lists have been developed.
United States Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock (D-Atlanta) introduced federal legislation to extend the eligibility of Tybee Island beach renourishment programs for federal funding, according to the Savannah Morning News.
The Tybee Island Storm Risk Management Act seeks to add an additional 50 years to Tybee’s federal authorization, a contract that will continue to allow funding for periodic beach renourishment projects that reinforce the island’s coastline with additional sand.
“This bill will help protect the beautiful Tybee Island as part of my ongoing effort to support, protect, and invest in coastal Georgia,” said Ossoff in a press release.
Tybee’s current authorization is set to expire in 2024, prompting the low-lying barrier island to seek out other funding avenues in case the federal extension is denied
Statesboro City Council continues debating rules for liquor stores after residents passed a package liquor sales referendum, according to the Statesboro Herald.
The Columbus Consolidated Government is launching a program to distribute more than $4 million in federal COVID-relief funds to local businesses and nonprofits, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
Hall County will receive an additional $6.6 million in federal COVID-relief funds for rental assistance, according to AccessWDUN.
The funds were made available through the reallocation of funds from Georgia agencies. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs said a total of $78.6 million was given to five counties throughout Georgia to help fund their ERA programs.
Landlords and tenants in the county can request assistance by visiting the Hall County website. They must meet several requirements to be eligible for funding from the program. Specifically, households are asked to provide evidence of a COVID-19 related economic impact as the reason for their request.
As of Feb. 10, 2022, Hall County has approved 2,190 ERA applications and has provided $9.4 million in rental and utility assistance.
Houston County Commission Chair Tommy Stalnaker announced he will not run for reelection this year, according to 13WMAZ.
Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education member Irene Gadson-Hines will not run for reelection to her District 5 seat, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Jasmine Polley will run for District 8 on the Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Polley said she was motivated to run because of her family and wants more dialogue between the school board and the community.
She said over the last year she felt like there has been no communication from district whenever parents have raised concerns about new district policies or the purchase of CARES Act monies. “I am running because I strongly believe that a school board must be responsive to parents, staff, students and the community,” she said.
Polley is using the acronym ACT FAST which stands for accountability, communication, transparency and fiscal responsibility to address her platform. She said she wants the school district to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars and making sure the money is being used to benefit the needs of the students.
“We need to know where the money is being spent,” she said. She also wants more communication between the school district and the community.
Three Clarke County Board of Education members will not run for reelection, according to the Athens Banner Herald.
Greg Davis (District 1), Kara Dyckman (District 5) and Tawana Mattox (District 9) have announced they are not running again.
The four-year terms for odd-numbered districts end in December.
Statesboro native Reta Jo Lewis was confirmed by the United States Senate as president of the Export-Import Bank, according to the Statesboro Herald.
She is the first Black woman to head the Export-Import Bank, which assists American businesses export their goods by providing financial assistance in the form of loans, loan guarantees and insurance. The focus of the bank is to assist small businesses. Supporters say the bank helps put domestic manufacturers on a level playing field with corporations across the globe.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson presented a key to the city to OutKast rapper Big Boi, according to WTOC.
Lilburn City Manager Bill Johnsa will retire in May, to be succeeded by Assistant City Manager Jenny Payne-Simpkins, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
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