Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for February 25, 2020

The United States Congress pass the Legal Tender Act on February 25, 1862, allowing the government to pay its bills with paper money it printed.

On February 25, 1870, Hiram Rhoades Revels (R-Missippi) was sworn in as the first African-American Congressman in history.

In 1867, the first Reconstruction Act was passed by a Republican-dominated U.S. Congress, dividing the South into five military districts and granting suffrage to all male citizens, regardless of race. A politically mobilized African American community joined with white allies in the Southern states to elect the Republican party to power, which in turn brought about radical changes across the South. By 1870, all the former Confederate states had been readmitted to the Union, and most were controlled by the Republican Party, thanks in large part to the support of African American voters.

On January 20, 1870, Hiram R. Revels was elected by the Mississippi legislature to fill the Senate seat once held by Jefferson Davis, the former president of the Confederacy. On February 25, two days after Mississippi was granted representation in Congress for the first time since it seceded in 1861, Revels was sworn in.

On February 25, 1876, the first Georgia state law against abortion was passed.

On February 25, 1999, Johnny Isakson was sworn into Congress from the Sixth District, a seat vacated by the resignation of then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Under the Gold Dome Today – Legislative Day 18

8:00 AM HOUSE MOTOR VEHICLES 515 CLOB

9:00 AM HOUSE RULES 341 CAP

10:00 AM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD 18) House Chamber

TBD SENATE RULES UPON ADJOURNMENT 450 CAP

1:00 PM SENATE ETHICS – CANCELED 307 CLOB

1:00 PM HOUSE STATE PLANNING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS 506 CLOB

1:00 PM HOUSE SPECIAL RULES 515 CLOB

2:00 PM SENATE STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT 310 CLOB

2:00 PM SENATE REGULATED INDUSTRIES & UTILITIES 450 CAP

2:00 PM HOUSE RETIREMENT 515 CLOB

2:00 PM HOUSE JUDICIARY 132 CAP

2:00 PM HOUSE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 606 CLOB

2:00 PM HOUSE Academic Achievement Subcommittee of Education 514 CLOB

2:00 PM HOUSE REGULATED INDUSTRIES 506 CLOB

2:00 PM HOUSE Sales Tax Subcommittee of Ways and Means 133 CAP

2:00 PM HOUSE JUVENILE JUSTICE 406 CLOB

2:30 PM HOUSE Tax Expenditure Subcommittee of Ways and Means 133 CAP

3:00 PM SENATE BANKING & FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS MEZZ 1

3:00 PM SENATE NATURAL RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENT 310 CLOB

3:00 PM HOUSE ENERGY, UTILITIES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS 403 CAP

3:00 PM HOUSE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 506 CLOB

3:00 PM HOUSE Public Finance and Policy Subcommittee of Ways and Means 133 CAP

4:00 PM SENATE AGRICULTURE & CONSUMER AFFAIRS 450 CAP

4:00 PM SENATE TRANSPORTATION – CANCELED 310 CLOB

SENATE RULES CALENDAR

SB 352 – Online Provider Directories; certain coverage requirements concerning providers that become out-of-network during a plan year; provide (Substitute) (I&L-11th)
SB 294 – Teachers Retirement System of Georgia; invest in alternative investments; permit (RET-8th)
SB 303 – ‘Georgia Right to Shop Act’; greater transparency of prices for nonemergency healthcare services; provide (Substitute) (I&L-1st)
SB 308 – Abandoned Vessels; unattended vessels in public waters; remove certain redundant processes (PUB SAF-32nd)
SB 340 – Childhood Cancer Awareness Day; September 1 of each year; provide (H&HS-21st)
SB 342 – Local Fire Departments; procedures for organization, issuance and revocation of certificates of compliance; provide (PUB SAF-25th)

HOUSE RULES CALENDAR

Modified Open Rule
HB 819 – Motor vehicles; veterans’ license to any person who is a United States citizen and resident of this state who served in the military for an ally of the United States during a time of war or other conflict; authorize issuance (MotV-Hitchens-161st)

Modified Structured Rule
HB 664 – Georgia Judicial Retirement System; membership for certain persons employed in certain full time positions requiring admission to the State Bar of Georgia as a condition of employment; require (Substitute) (Ret-Fleming-121st)

Structured Rule
HB 715 – Revenue and taxation; gross receipts as a criterion for classifying businesses and practitioners for purposes of calculating the occupation tax levied by local governments; eliminate (W&M-Blackmon-146th)
HB 779 – Alternative ad valorem tax; motor vehicles; revise distribution of the proceeds of such taxes among local governments (Substitute) (W&M-Blackmon-146th)
HB 846 – Revenue and taxation; interest paid on refunds of overpayments of taxes and past due taxes shall be equal to the bank prime loan rate; provide (Substitute)(W&M-Corbett-174th)

Governor Brian Kemp will accept the surrender of meet with the French Ambassador to the United States, according to the AJC.

France’s ambassador to the United States, Philippe Etienne, will meet with Gov. Brian Kemp and other political and business leaders to strengthen France’s business ties with Georgia on a three-day trip to Atlanta.

The trip, Etienne’s first to the state, will also highlight France’s cultural ties with Georgia, the Consulate General of France in Atlanta announced in a news release.

The French ambassador’s scheduled visit comes a month after the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company announced a $1 billion investment in France that would help introduce new products in the country. Etienne will meet with business leaders at Orange Business Services and Coca-Cola.

Senate Bill 367 by Sen. P.K. Martin (R-Gwinnett) was recommended for passage by the Senate Education Committee, according to the Albany Herald.

Senate Bill 367, which would nix five tests and give the state Department of Education more leeway on how and when to administer two dozen other tests, passed unanimously out of the Senate Education and Youth Committee.

Under the bill, four tests would be yanked from the roster of exams Georgia high schoolers would have to take. Another test in social studies would be nixed for fifth graders.

The bill’s sponsor, Education Committee Chairman P.K. Martin, said end-of-year testing in Georgia has grown too rigorous.

“The testing has been too much,” said Martin, R-Lawrenceville.

Representatives from several teachers’ groups voiced support for the bill at Monday’s committee hearing, including the Professional Association of Georgia Educators and the Georgia Association of Educators (GAE).

They highlighted how easing test requirements would help relieve stress on both students and teachers.

The bill has backing from both Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Schools Superintendent Richard Woods.

Senate Bill 359 by Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome) addressing surprise medical bills, passed the State Senate, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Senate Bill 359, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, would prohibit hospitals from handing patients unexpectedly large bills for emergency procedures done by specialists who are outside that hospital’s coverage network.

If passed, the measure by Hufstetler, R-Rome, could save patients thousands of dollars in surprise costs for specialty procedures like anesthesiology. It would require medical providers and insurers to work out how to pay for costly out-of-network procedures performed at a patient’s in-network hospital.

Despite the limitations, supporters have hailed Hufstetler’s bill and an identical measure winding its way through the Georgia House as a means to protect many Georgia patients from crippling surprise hospital charges.

Rather than dropping the full cost for specialty procedures on a patient, the two measures would force insurers and doctors to work out how to pay the extra costs for out-of-network procedures done at in-network hospitals.

The identical measure to Hufstetler’s, House Bill 888, was scheduled for a second committee hearing Monday afternoon. It was sent back to the House Special Committee on Access to Quality Health Care after barely passing out of that committee by a 5-4 vote last week.

From AccessWDUN:

Roughly 1 of every 6 emergency room or hospital visits results in a surprise medical bill, according to a study released last year by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.

Over half the states in the U.S. have laws that prohibit or limit surprise billing. But like the proposal in Georgia, their reach is limited because states don’t have jurisdiction over most health plans sponsored by large employers. Those plans cover about 100 million people and operate under federal law.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger set qualifying dates for the Loeffler seat in the United States Senate and four special elections for district attorneys.

Raffensperger set the qualifying period for the upcoming special election in accordance with decades of past practice and precedent, in addition to Georgia law, that provide for the Secretary of State to set qualifying periods for special elections.

In addition to the state-wide Senate Special Election to fill the unexpired term opened when Sen. Johnny Isakson vacated the seat last year, District Attorney elections will be held in Clayton, Cobb, and Douglas Counties, and in the Southwestern Judicial Circuit, which includes Lee, Macon, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, and Webster Counties.

All of these elections will take place on November 3, 2020, in conjunction with the general election.

Qualifying for the special elections shall be held in the Elections Division of the Office of Secretary of State, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, West Tower Suite 802, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. The dates and hours of qualifying for all of these special elections will be Monday, March 2, 2020 beginning at 9:00 a.m. and ending at 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 3, 2020 beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 4, 2020 beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 5:00 p.m., Thursday, March 5, 2020 beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 5:00 p.m., and Friday, March 6, 2020 beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 12:00 p.m.

United States Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-Atlanta) spoke in Bartow County, according to The Daily Tribune News.

Sen. Kelly Loeffler made a stop at Doug’s Place in Emerson Thursday morning for a meet-and-greet with local diners. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Tribune News, she discussed her thoughts on a litany of hot-button issues, including potential gun control and health care legislation.

“First of all, and most importantly for our state in Georgia, one of the key drivers of our effort has been making sure the economy stays strong and preserving all the work that’s underway by this Administration,” she said. “The President has done a great job of creating an environment where we can have job growth, and in terms of that job growth, we’re seeing record-low employment across all sectors of the economy — African-Americans, women, Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans.”

She also touched upon the issue of possible federal gun control legislation.

“I’m a strong Second Amendment supporter, I think the Constitution outlines Americans’ right to bear arms and we need to protect that,” Loeffler said. “I’ve signed on to several pieces of legislation to not only protect the Second Amendment right, but also protect due process for veterans and make sure that we’re advancing this across all areas where gun rights come into play.”

When it comes to health care, she said she believes programs like Medicaid and Medicare are worth protecting.

“What I’m focused on in regard to health care is making sure that it’s accessible and affordable,” she said. “And what we’re seeing right now is really a discussion — do we want to keep our employer-provided health care, the good benefits that we get under Medicare and Medicaid, or do we want to move to a single-payer, government health care program where you have Medicare-for-all?”

Loeffler said she believes the latter option would “tear apart” the nation’s health care delivery system.

Congressman Doug Collins (R-Gainesville) spoke to a local Rotary club, according to the Gainesville Times.

U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, told the Rotary Club of Gainesville on Monday that “elections always have consequences.”

“Some consequences you’ll like, and some consequences you won’t, but that’s a matter of being involved,” Collins said.

“All of this happened because of one phone call in which the president released the transcript and nothing else came of it. What did we sacrifice during that time?” Collins said. “… We didn’t pass really anything of bigger substance that could actually get done and help the American people because we had simply been involved in investigations.”

Collins is running for a new position in the Senate, going against incumbent Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill the seat after former U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson retired at the end of 2019. He said Monday that even after the impeachment proceedings, he thinks civility in politics is possible.

“Civility is actually having ideas and vehemently discussing it from both sides and at the end of the day, never believing the other person is evil. I have never had someone on the other side that I believed was truly evil,” Collins said. “I believe they’re wrong, but not evil. The discourse in our country has to take a different level.”

Democrat Stacey Abrams continues to work on her future campaign for President, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

Abrams does want to run for public office again, including the White House, saying in an interview with McClatchy, “I will run for president when it’s appropriate, and I don’t know when that is.”

Between now and the 2024 presidential election much could change for Abrams, 46, and on the political landscape. She has been seen as a potential running mate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee for nearly as long as there has been a campaign. She has also signaled that she could challenge Kemp again for the governor’s mansion in 2022.

Abrams is outspoken about her aspiration to be vice president. She cited her experience as Georgia state minority leader, tax attorney, and entrepreneur, as well as her travels to more than a dozen foreign countries for policy investigations.

“I believe I could be a very strong running mate,” she said.

Abrams said she believes that Georgia and its 16 electoral votes could for the first time since 1992 go to a Democrat this year.

If being on the Democratic ticket as a candidate for vice president is not in her immediate future, Abrams could decide after this November’s presidential election to challenge Kemp in a rematch.

“It is entirely possible,” she said of a 2022 run for governor. “I believe that the executive role of governor is a critical one, not only for the state of Georgia, but for the south and for the nation, and I believe that state policy matters in a very significant way and changing the trajectory of our country and so that remains an open opportunity, yes.”

Twenty-two lawyers completed applications for appointment to an open seat on the Georgia Supreme Court, according to the Daily Report.

The JNC is expected to interview some of the 22 remaining nominees and recommend a short list to Gov. Brian Kemp, who has been weighing a separate short list for an open Georgia Court of Appeals seat since last November. They would be his first choices for the state’s top two courts.

The high court opening wasn’t expected to exist when Justice Robert Benham indicated last year that he would finish his term, which ends Dec. 31.

Four candidates—former U.S. Rep. John Barrow, D-Georgia; Presiding Judge Sara Doyle of the Court of Appeals; former state Rep. Beth Beskin, R-Atlanta; and Judge Horace Johnson of Alcovy Circuit Superior Court—launched campaigns and raised more than $1 million combined. Eight other candidates started running for the Court of Appeals to replace Doyle.

But Benham announced late last year he’d resign on March 1. That made the race for his seat moot, shrank the appeals court race and left Kemp’s appointment as the path to Benham’s seat. Doyle and Johnson completed JNC applications, but after being nominated, Barrow and Beskin did not.

State Rep. Terry Rogers (R-Clarkesville) announced he will not run for reelection, according to The Northeast Georgian.

Rogers said it was his “honor and privilege” to represent Habersham and White counties during his time in the House, touting many accomplishments in the region during the last decade.

“During those years, Georgia has been named the number one state in the nation for business seven straight years, unemployment is the lowest ever in our state’s history, and we’ve helped create close to 850,000 new private sector jobs,” Rogers said Monday in a release. “Our education system has been fully funded through QBE, our prison and judicial system is the model for the nation, and we’ve seen tax cuts passed that impact every Georgian in a positive way. We’ve protected the life of the unborn, strengthened our Second Amendment rights, and helped to preserve Northeast Georgia’s conservative values. It truly is a great time to be a Georgian!”

“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, but in my heart I know it is the right one,” Rogers said of his decision, which he said he reached after much prayer and discussion with family and friends. He thanked his wife Laura for her “constant love, support, and patience,” as well as Governors Nathan Deal and Brian Kemp as well as Speaker David Ralston for their “guidance, mentoring, and most of all, friendship.”

Rogers thanked God for giving him the opportunity to serve.

“As I finish out my term, I only offer one bit of guidance for those who are serving or seeking to serve,” Rogers said. “The first motto of the colony of Georgia was ‘Not for self, but for others.’ James Oglethorpe set a guideline we would all be wise to follow.”

The Georgia Court of Appeals heard oral arguments at Albany State University last week, according to the Albany Herald.

Five Chatham County Commissioners announced they will seek reelection, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Five of the nine Chatham County Commissioners held a joint press conference on Monday, Feb. 24, to simultaneously announce their reelection bids in front of downtown Savannah’s Old Courthouse.

The gathered elected officials were Helen Stone (District 1), Bobby Lockett (District 3), Patrick K. Farrell (District 4), Tabitha Odell (District 5) and Dean Kicklighter (District 7). While the group is not running as a coalition in the upcoming election, they each stated that their joint appearance was a demonstration of the positive cooperation they established while working together during their shared time in office.

Chatham County Tax Commissioner Danny Powers is running for reelection, according to the Savannah Morning News.