The British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act on February 22, 1766.
Georgia’s first Governor Archibald Bulloch died mysteriously on February 22, 1777.
[Bulloch] became a leader in the state’s Liberty Party and was elected to the Commons House of Assembly in 1768, to the post of speaker of the Georgia Royal Assembly in 1772 and finally to the Continental Congress in 1775.
On June 20, 1776, Bulloch was elected the first president and commander in chief of Georgia’s temporary government, posts he held until February 5, 1777, when Georgia adopted its state constitution. Just over three weeks later, on February 22, 1777, Georgia faced a British invasion, and the state’s new government granted Bulloch executive power to head off the British forces. A few hours later, Bulloch was dead. The cause of his death remains unknown but unsubstantiated rumors of his poisoning persist.
[H]e is also known as the great-great-grandfather of America’s 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt.
The first Georgia state law allowing divorce was signed on February 22, 1850 by Governor George Towns.
The Cyclorama painting of the Battle of Atlanta went on display on Edgewood Avenue on February 22, 1892. The Atlanta History Center recently began the process of moving the Cyclorama to a new building from its long-time home in Grant Park.
On February 22, 1976, a series of U.S. Postage stamps commemorating the Bicentennial was issued, featuring the state flags.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Three months from today, voters will go to the polls for the May 22d General Primary Elections.
Governor Nathan Deal yesterday appointed Tricia Pridemore to the Public Service Commission seat vacated by the resignation of Stan Wise.
“I would like to thank Stan Wise for his more than two decades of dedicated service to our state and I wish him the best in his future endeavors,” said Deal. “Tricia has significant experience in both the private and public sectors, and I am confident she will be an effective member of the Public Service Commission.”
Tricia Pridemore – Public Service Commission, District 5
Pridemore is a businesswoman with experience in technology, consulting and workforce development. She is a co-founder of Accucast, a software company. Pridemore is the former executive director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development and helped to establish Georgia’s skilled trade initiative, which encourages workforce growth in the fields of energy, transportation and construction. She is a former member of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority Board of Governors and the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority. Pridemore was a member of Deal’s 2011 transition team and co-chaired Deal’s Inaugural Committees in 2011 and 2015. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Kennesaw State University. Pridemore and her husband, Michael, reside in Marietta and attend Mount Paran Church in Atlanta.
Under the Gold Dome
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS
8:00 AM HOUSE GAME, FISH AND PARKS 403 CAP
8:00 AM HOUSE NATL RES & ENVT 606 CLOB
9:00 AM HOUSE RULES 341 CAP
UPON ADJOURNMENT SENATE RULES 450 CAP
1:00 PM SENATE HEALTH AND HUMAN SVCS 450 CAP
1:00 PM SENATE EDUCATION AND YOUTH 125 CAP
1:00 PM HOUSE JUVENILE JUSTICE 406 CLOB
1:30 PM HOUSE JUDY (NON-CIVIL) 415 CLOB
2:00 PM SENATE BANKING AND FINANCE MEZZ 1
2:00 PM SENATE AGRICULTURE 125 CAP
2:00 PM SENATE REGULATED IND 450 CAP
2:00 PM SENATE STATE AND LOCAL GOVTAL OPS 307 CLOB
2:00 PM HOUSE Transportation Sub Resolutions 506 CLOB
2:00 PM HOUSE EDUCATION 606 CLOB
2:00 PM HOUSE JUDY (CIVIL) 132 CAP
2:00 PM HOUSE Ways & Means Sub Public Finance 133 CAP
2:00 PM HOUSE BANKS & BANKING 341 CAP
2:00 PM HOUSE Insurance Life & Health Sub 515 CLOB
2:15 PM HOUSE Transportation Sub Transit 506 CLOB
3:00 PM SENATE GOVT OVERSIGHT 125 CAP
3:00 PM SENATE ETHICS 307 CLOB
3:00 PM HOUSE WAYS & MEANS 406 CLOB
3:00 PM HOUSE ENERGY, UTILITIES AND TELECOM 403 CAP
3:00 PM HOUSE DEFENSE AND VETERANS AFFAIRS 515 CLOB
3:00 PM HOUSE TRANSPORTATION 506 CLOB
3:30 PM SENATE ECON DEV & TOURISM 450 CAP
4:00 PM SENATE TRANSPORTATION 450 CAP
4:00 PM SENATE JUDY 307 CLOB
4:00 PM SENATE NATL RES & ENVT 310 CLOB
4:00 PM HOUSE SMALL BUSINESS DEV 515 CLOB
SENATE RULES CALENDAR
SB 397 – Real and Personal Property; municipalities to hire state licensed real estate brokers to assist in sale; allow (SLGO(G)-1st)
SB 401 – Individual Graduation Plans; guidance in career oriented aptitudes and career interests; provide (Substitute) (ED&Y-37th)
HOUSE RULES CALENDAR
Modified Open Rule
HB 714 – Motor vehicles; reference date to federal regulations regarding the safe operation of motor carriers and commercial motor vehicles; update (Substitute)(MotV-Rogers-10th)
HB 743 – Jeremy Nelson and Nick Blakely Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act; enact (Substitute)(Ed-Clark-98th)
HB 785 – Solid waste management; certain definitions; modify and enact (Substitute)(NR&E-Nix-69th)
HB 814 – Coroners; county governing authority may establish salaries and benefits; provide (Substitute)(GAff-Williams-145th)
HB 876 – Buildings and housing; counties and municipalities proscribing the use of wood in the construction of certain buildings when state minimum standard codes are met; prohibit (A&CA-Corbett-174th)
Modified Structured Rule
HB 695 – Special license plates; Georgia Forestry Foundation; establish (MotV-Epps-144th)
HB 721 – Motor vehicles; criteria by which the Department of Driver Services shall authorize licensed driver training schools to administer on-the-road driving skills testing; revise (Substitute)(MotV-Powell-32nd)
HB 787 – Education; certain provisions relative to charter schools; revise (Substitute)(Ed-Hilton-95th)
HB 826 – Law enforcement; alarm monitoring company may contract out certain requirement; provide (Substitute)(RegI-Cauble-111th)
HB 835 – Revenue and taxation; issuance of special event tobacco permits to licensed dealers; provisions (RegI-Lott-122nd)
HB 853 – Quality Basic Education Act; children placed in psychiatric residential treatment facilities may not be charged tuition; provide (Ed-Dempsey-13th)
HB 907 – Public officers and employees; appointment and election of successor in event of vacancy in the office of district attorney; provide (GAff-Fleming-121st)
Structured Rule
HB 840 – Revenue and taxation; penalties and interest in the event of military service in a combat zone; provide exemption (Substitute)(W&M-Hitchens-161st)
HB 918 – Revenue and taxation; Internal Revenue Code; provisions (Substitute)(W&M-Efstration-104th)
Moms Demand Action rallied at the Capitol yesterday seeking stricter gun laws. From The Signal:
Over 1,500 protesters gathered outside of the Georgia Capitol on Feb. 21, 2018 to protest for stricter gun laws in the wake of the Parkland massacre. The protesters were mostly mothers and grandmothers representing the organization Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. They protested outside until around 11:30 a.m., and then entered the golden domed building to bring their claims to representatives, at the time breaking from session.
“We are standing in support of common-sense gun legislation being passed here in the Georgia General Assembly. We want to make our representatives aware that us as young people and also moms, parents around the country and specifically here in Georgia fighting to end the killing and end the violent and to prevent the bloodshed,” [Chamblee Charter High School Senior Jake] Busch said.
House Bill 673 by State Rep. John Carson (R-Marietta) passed out of the House Judiciary (Non-Civil) committee yesterday. From the Associated Press:
In Georgia, it is illegal to text behind the wheel, but drivers are currently allowed to dial and hold their phone. Law enforcement officers have testified that they often cannot tell whether a driver is texting or merely dialing, making it difficult to enforce the law.
Under Carson’s measure, drivers would still be allowed to use GPS navigation and talk via a hands-free device. Violators would be fined at least $300.
Carson said the issue caught his attention when he found out that auto insurance rates had been rapidly rising across the state, in conjunction with an increasing number of fatal crashes. In 2016, Georgia personal auto insurance rates went up an average of 12 percent, the most in the nation, Carson said. Drivers who are texting, surfing the internet or using social media apps behind the wheel, are largely to blame for the rise in accidents, Carson believes.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a federal lawsuit seeking to throw out 2015 district line changes in two Georgia State House districts.
Chatham County began demolishing the old jail to make room for a new courthouse.
Chatham County and local municipalities collected $60 in federal assistance after Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
Columbus has the state’s largest prison work camp. From the Ledger-Enquirer:
On any given weekday, hundreds of prisoners hit the streets to collect trash, clean city buildings, dig ditches, maintain roadways and other locations such as golf courses.
“You need to understand that our work camp yields about $17 million in value to this city,” [Mayor Teresa Tomlinson] said while answering a question at her last State of the City address. “So right now your garbage fee is $17 a month. That’s because the labor is largely free.
“If the work camps were to go away, you need to start thinking in the range of $32 to $35 a month,” she added. “And that’s just sort of the beginning.”
The Muscogee County Prison has 576 prisoners. Of that amount, 528 are state prisoners and 48 belong to the county.
Glynn County Commission candidate Julian Smith was led out of a public meeting in handcuffs, according to the Brunswick News.
Canton Mayor Gene Hobgood has called for the resignations of Canton Housing Authority members after staff misuse of agency credit cards, according to the Tribune-Ledger News.
Bleckley County Public Schools are considering allowing staff members to carry guns, according to the Macon Telegraph.
The Bleckley County school district is considering letting some employees carry guns on school property, according to a Twitter post from the district.
“In light of recent events in FL, we are reviewing security & emergency plans, booking active shooter training updates for all schools, and considering a policy to allow certain staff members at each school to be armed. Our prayers go out to everyone affected,” the tweet said.
Floyd County Public Schools are reviewing security policies and may fund security upgrades with E-LOST (Local Option Sales Tax for Education) proceeds, according to the Rome News-Tribune.
The Hall County Planning Commission adopted new regulations governing short-term rentals, according to the Gainesville Times.
New regulations for vacation rental properties being proposed by county planners make deep changes to the county code, including banning vacation rentals from the Residential-I zone and stepping up requirements to rent out homes in the Vacation-Cottage zone bordering Lake Lanier.
The new rules also try to address the fact that the vast majority of vacation rental properties are operating without business licenses or county oversight. If approved by the Hall County Board of Commissioners, the code changes would direct the Hall County Marshal’s Office to troll through popular rental sites like VRBO and AirBnb to make contact with homeowners renting their properties without licenses.
“It looks to me like it’s hard to hit everybody,” said Planning Commission Chairman Don Smallwood at the end of the meeting. “What we’re trying to do is cut out some of the problems that have surfaced.”
Homeowners operating without a license would face fines of up to $1,000 under the proposed regulations.
Democrat John Barrow campaigned for Secretary of State in Columbus.
Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp campaigned in Cartersville.
State Rep. Jan Tankersley (R-Brooklet) announced she is running for reelection.
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