On January 13, 1733, the ship Ann (sometimes spelled “Anne”) sailed into Charles Town harbor and was met by South Carolina Governor Robert Johnson and the Speaker of the Commons House of Assembly. Aboard the ship were James Oglethorpe and the first 114 colonists of what would become Georgia. Later that year they would land at a high bluff on the Savannah River and found the city of Savannah.
On January 13, 1959, Ernest Vandiver was inaugurated as Governor of Georgia.
On January 13, 1966, President Lyndon Baines Johnson appointed Robert C. Weaver head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), making Weaver the first African-American cabinet secretary in U.S. History.
On January 13, 1982, Hank Aaron was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
January 13, 1987 saw the inauguration of Governor Joe Frank Harris to his second term in office.
On January 13, 1998, Governor Zell Miller presented his $12.5 billion FY1999 budget to the Georgia General Assembly, including $105,000 to provide CDs of classical music for every baby born in the state. According to the New York Times,
“No one questions that listening to music at a very early age affects the spatial, temporal reasoning that underlies math and engineering and even chess,” the Governor said[]. “Having that infant listen to soothing music helps those trillions of brain connections to develop.”
Mr. Miller said he became intrigued by the connection between music and child development at a series of recent seminars sponsored by the Education Commission of the States. As a great-grandfather and the author of “They Hear Georgia Singing” (Mercer University Press, 1983), an encyclopedia of the state’s musical history, Mr. Miller said his fascination came naturally.
He said that he had a stack of research on the subject, but also that his experiences growing up in the mountains of north Georgia had proved convincing.
“Musicians were folks that not only could play a fiddle but they also were good mechanics,” he said. “They could fix your car.”
Legislators, as is their wont, have ideas of their own.
“I asked about the possibility of some Charlie Daniels or something like that,” said Representative Homer M. (Buddy) DeLoach, a Republican from Hinesville, “but they said they thought the classical music has a greater positive impact.”
“Having never studied those impacts too much,” Mr. DeLoach added, “I guess I’ll just have to take their word for that at the moment.”
In 2003, on January 13 at the Georgia Dome, Sonny Perdue took the oath of office as Georgia’s second Republican Governor, the first since Reconstruction.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Today is the first Legislative Day of the 2025 Session.
10:00 AM FLOOR SESSION (LD1) House Chamber
10:00 AM Floor Session (LD 1) Senate Chamber
State Senator Frank Ginn (R-Danielsville) notes some changes beginning at the top of the Capitol.
The 2025 Legislative Session officially begins this Monday, January 13, and I am honored to continue serving as your state Senator under the Gold Dome. Yes, it is real gold on the roof and was replaced in 2024, along with countless other amounts of maintenance work. Your trivia question of the day is: how much gold do you think it takes to cover the dome? It is right at 40 ounces and was last replaced about 50 years ago. I want to especially thank Sabastian Cobb with the Georgia State Finance & Investment Commission (GSFIC) for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to access the top of the Gold Dome. I always feel grateful when I re-enter the Capitol before each legislative session begins, and this biennium is no different.
This session, we will tackle the budget as we do every session. In addition, I expect movement on other issues like school safety, tort reform, measures regarding open records and many additional legislative priorities. I will also begin to participate on various Senate committees. And while this is one of the busiest parts of the legislative process, it is easily one of the most meaningful. Four new Senate members will also join the Senate body this biennium, and I’m eager to see the new perspectives they will bring to our body.
Multiple statewide office races are also beginning to take shape. While these races will surely draw interest from many around Capitol Hill, rest assured that I remain dedicated to serving Georgia’s 47th Senate District.
As the session begins, I want to invite students between the ages of 12 and 18 to serve as a Senate Page. This highly informative program allows students to participate in the legislative process at our State Capitol for a day during the legislative session. Interested students may apply for the program by contacting me or my administrative assistant at my office via email. (Frank.Ginn@senate.ga.gov.)
Please don’t hesitate to contact my office regarding any legislative matter as we begin another meaningful legislative session. I hope you and your family have a very successful 2025!
State House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) shared some thoughts on the upcoming Session.
House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) held a pre-session press conference at the Georgia State Capitol to outline his priorities and agenda for the 2025 legislative session.
“I am incredibly proud of the work the members of the House are doing to make a meaningful difference in this state,” said Speaker Burns. “This chamber will be both effective and impactful, driving forward strategic investments that will benefit all Georgians. Our goal is to continue prioritizing those policies which will create greater opportunities and a better quality of life for every citizen of our great state.”
During the press conference, Speaker Burns highlighted several priorities, including revisiting tax cuts, advancing child literacy initiatives with collaboration from the Senate and governor’s office and ensuring the protection of gender-specific sports participation. He also emphasized the need for investments in medical workforce residency programs, particularly in rural areas and reaffirmed protections for IVF. Speaker Burns also addressed prison safety, advocating for better security and conditions and supported the use of school zone camera revenue for school safety. Additionally, he announced plans to develop a statewide energy management plan.
To watch a recording of the full press conference, please click here.
The Georgia General Assembly convenes in the 2025 Legislative Session today. From the Capitol Beat News Service:
The General Assembly will convene under the Gold Dome on Monday with the usual mix of old and new business on its plate.
Supporters of perennial to-do items including tort reform and legalized sports betting will be back for another crack at getting their favorite causes through the legislature and to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk for his signature.
At the same time, new demands for funding for victims of Hurricane Helene and to improve conditions inside the much-maligned state prison system will vie for attention. Lawmakers also will be asked to respond to the school shooting in Barrow County last September with legislation aimed at ensuring safe storage of firearms.
Kemp has made tort reform a major priority for the second year in a row. The General Assembly passed a Kemp-backed bill last year directing the state insurance department to gather data on legal trends affecting insurance premiums and prepare a report.
At a roundtable with small business leaders last August, the governor vowed to use that data to help craft legislation aimed at reducing “runaway” jury awards that drive up premiums business owners struggle to pay.
Opponents warn that if carried too far, tort reform threatens to rob Georgians injured in car crashes or by medical malpractice of their day in court.
“Ensuring that Georgia remains the No.-1 state for business while also protecting the rights of consumers requires a balanced approach to litigation reform,” said House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington. “We will be driven by the facts, gather input from constituents and stakeholders from across the state and look at thoughtful, data-driven solutions to balance the scales.”
Legalized gambling is another issue the General Assembly has taken up repeatedly in recent years without passing. Armed with a new poll showing widespread public support for legalizing sports betting, an alliance of sportsbooks including FanDuel and DraftKings will be back asking lawmakers to legalize what already is legal in 39 other states.
“Illegal sports betting is happening in the state, but they don’t pay taxes,” said Scott Ward, a national expert on sports betting and counsel to the alliance. “People are realizing this is here. We need to put guardrails around it, regulate it, and tax it.”
Faith-based organizations also will be back at the state Capitol opposing legalizing sports betting on moral grounds and as an economic threat to Georgians addicted to gambling.
While tort reform and legalized gambling have sparked annual tussles in the General Assembly, new demands to tap into Georgia’s bulging budget surplus promise to play major roles in 2025.
In Athens last month, Kemp pledged to unveil a Hurricane Helene disaster relief package at the beginning of the legislative session. The massive storm struck South Georgia and spread north through the Augusta area in late September, killing 34 and causing heavy rainfall and widespread flooding as well as extensive power outages.
“We’ve gone through probably the most damaging storm in our history … lasting and generational damage,” the governor said. “We saw unbelievable damage and communities that will probably never be the same.”
The importance of improving conditions inside Georgia’s prison system was brought home Jan. 7 when Kemp and state Commissioner of Corrections Tyrone Olive asked lawmakers to pony up $372 million to hire more correctional officers, raise the salaries of those already on the payroll, and invest in infrastructure upgrades needed to improve the health and safety of inmates.
The spending request was highly unusual, coming before the start of this year’s legislative session, but Kemp and legislative leaders see the need as critical following the release of a U.S. Justice Department audit last fall accusing the prison system of violating inmates’ constitutional rights by failing to protect them from widespread violence.
“We need to make sure our guards are adequately compensated,” Burns said. “(Also, inmates) need to be protected when they go to prison.”
The legislature also is expected to respond to the mass shooting at Apalachee High School near Winder last September that killed two students and two teachers. A fellow student was arrested at the scene and charged with the murders, while his father faces criminal charges for allegedly letting his son possess the AR-15 style rifle used in the killings.
While the Republican-controlled General Assembly is not likely to support legislation requiring gun owners to buy trigger locks or gun safes to safely store their firearms, a proposal to offer tax credits as an incentive to those who do enjoys broad support.
But state Sen. Emanuel Jones, D-Decatur, who chaired a Senate study committee on safe firearm storage last year, said that’s not enough. Jones said lawmakers should require school districts to improve how they communicate with each other when a student moves into a new school.
Colt Gray, the 14-year-old student arrested in the Barrow County case, had recently transferred to Apalachee High.
“When a kid transfers to a new school system, any information his former school system has doesn’t automatically get transferred to the new school system,” Jones said. “That needs to be changed.”
The first day of a biennial is typically ceremonial. Lawmakers are sworn in, the Senate president pro tem and the House speaker are officially elected, and the day moves swiftly. Within the first week, legislators will learn their committee assignments, and as bills roll in, they will begin their work.
With several legislators eyeing higher political offices in the 2026 statewide elections, these next two years will also serve as grounds to test messaging, build alliances and gauge the strength of potential opponents.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who presides over the state Senate, is expected to make a bid for the Republican nomination for governor. Attorney General Chris Carr already announced his campaign to seek the Republican nomination for governor in November.
The Legislature runs for 40 working days, not calendar days, and each chamber’s leadership negotiates when exactly those days will be.
The one item that must be accomplished before the end of each year: the annual state budget.
Next week, leaders of state agencies will present members of each chamber with information about their financial needs and what they seek to accomplish with more money. For the rest of the session, lawmakers hammer out how much to spend and how much to reserve for economic hardships in the future.
Republican leadership remains unchanged from last year. Jones, as Senate president, plays a large role in deciding which bills get heard in committee and debated on the Senate floor. House Speaker Jon Burns leads the 180 state representatives and also heavily influences which issues get priority.
“We will consider voices from both sides of the aisle as we blend those voices together for the best, very best, policies that we can provide for Georgia,” Burns said during a news conference last week.
Democrats, who are in the minority in both chambers, have changed their leaders after both Sen. Gloria Butler and Rep. James Beverly retired from office. State Sen. Harold Jones, a six-term Augusta legislator, will lead Democrats in the Senate, and state Rep. Carolyn Hugley, who represents Columbus and has served in the House for 32 years, will helm the party’s top job in the House.
Both Harold Jones and Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch of Dahlonega say they look forward to expanding their relationship. Jones previously served as the Senate Democratic whip.
“I look forward to working with Harold Jones as a new minority leader,” Gooch said. “I think he’s going to be fun. And obviously he’s very talented and smart and articulate, so he’ll keep us on our toes.”
State Rep. Rob Leverett (R-Elberton) announced he will introduce legislation to reform Georgia’s pay for judges.
State Representative Rob Leverett (R-Elberton), chairman of the House Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, today announced two proposed bills he intends to file during the upcoming 2025 legislative session. The bills would be aimed at reforming the structure of judicial pay for both Superior Court judges and state-wide judges in Georgia.
“It is necessary that we ensure judicial compensation in Georgia is both fair and aligned with the scope of responsibility each court carries,” said Rep. Leverett. “By introducing these changes, it is my hope that we can bring greater consistency to judicial salaries, reduce disparities and create a more transparent and equitable system for our state’s judiciary. The goal is to enhance fairness in pay across the state, making Superior Court judges’ salaries more consistent across the judicial circuits, and ensuring that the pay of all state-paid judges, including appellate and other statewide judges, correlates with the responsibilities of their respective positions. I am committed to working closely with my legislative colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure the success of this much needed reform and look forward to continuing the discussion on the topic during the legislative session.”
The proposed bills would aim to establish a more standardized approach to judicial salary adjustments. The bills would not establish specific judicial salaries. Instead, they would remove the set salary amounts for judges on the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Statewide Business Court, new Tax Court and Superior Courts from the Code, replacing them with a statutory maximum salary cap and allowing the specific salary for each court to be set in the annual appropriations process. This cap for each court would be set as a percentage of the salary paid to federal district court judges in Atlanta. The cap percentages would differ for each court, with the Supreme Court having the highest cap. Additionally, the bills would limit the local supplements that counties can pay to superior court judges and would aim to phase out these supplements as the state-paid portion of their salary increases.
Judge Ann B. Harris, President of the Council of Superior Court Judges, welcomed the legislative initiative. “The inadequacies in the current compensation structure, and the resulting burden that has fallen on the counties to try to address these problems, have been years in the making. We are grateful to our legislators for a bill that addresses the issues in a comprehensive, fair manner, which is good for the judiciary and good for the people of this state, who need and deserve well-qualified, experienced judges.”
Once the proposed legislation has been filed with the Clerk of the House, the full text of each bill will be made available here. The 2025 legislative session begins Monday, January 13, 2025.
State Senator Greg Dolezal (R-Forsyth County) announced he will introduce legislation to re-create the Senate Special Committee on Investigations.
Sen. Greg Dolezal (R–Cumming) announced his intent to file a resolution at the beginning of the 2025 Legislative Session to re-establish the Senate Special Committee on Investigations. Current committee chairman, Sen. Bill Cowsert (R–Athens), has been a key player in addressing concerns about prosecutorial misconduct, with strong support from Lt. Governor Burt Jones, who has prioritized transparency and accountability in state government. This decision follows the Georgia Court of Appeals’ ruling to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney (DA) Fani Willis from prosecuting the election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump and others.
Sen. Dolezal spoke on the proposed legislation, stating, “Yesterday’s ruling by the Georgia Court of Appeals citing the ‘significant appearance of impropriety’ in removing DA Fani Willis from the election interference case, only further validates our body’s justified concerns about the potential need to legislatively address such conduct and decision-making. In addition to Judge Scott McAfee’s earlier reference to the ‘odor of mendacity,’ these developments confirm the pressing need for continued legislative action.
Despite our committee’s lawful subpoena, DA Willis has refused to testify. This, coupled with troubling revelations of apparent violations of Georgia’s open records laws, paints a disturbing picture of an office operating as though it is above the law. This behavior undermines public trust and raises serious questions about the integrity of her office.
In January, I will refile legislation to establish the Senate Special Committee on Investigations to ensure that we continue our efforts to get to the bottom of this and prevent similar abuses of power in the future. The people of this great state deserve a justice system that operates with integrity, transparency and respect for the rule of law.”
Lt. Governor Burt Jones and Sen. Bill Cowsert echoed their support for Sen. Dolezal’s resolution, emphasizing the need for legislative action to restore public trust and hold public officials accountable. Both leaders underscored the significance of the court’s ruling and reaffirmed the importance of the committee’s work in ensuring transparency, accountability, and integrity in Georgia’s justice system.
“The Senate will not back down in its fight for accountability of taxpayer dollars,” said Lt. Governor Burt Jones. “The appeals court decision to disqualify DA Willis from the case based on a ‘significant appearance of impropriety’ was the right decision. The Senate will continue to fight for transparency and accountability. DA Willis’s refusal to come before the committee is unacceptable and addressing these issues to require accountability will be a priority for the Senate. I want to thank Chairman Dolezal for continuing the work on this important issue.”
“The ruling from the court of appeals is not surprising given the misconduct of District Attorney Willis,” said Sen. Bill Cowsert (R–Athens), current Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Investigations. “I applaud Sen. Dolezal for extending the committee so we can complete our work. Our hearings have revealed serious prosecutorial misconduct and legislative remedies are needed. I look forward to finishing our investigation and passing legislation that restores confidence in the criminal justice system.”
Several Middle Georgia legislators discussed their priorities in the coming Session, according to 13WMAZ.
The session will begin with the swearing-in of all newly elected officials. Sen. John F. Kennedy, who represents District 18, told us in a Central Georgia Focus that he’d like to work on the legislature that could help fix chronic absenteeism among students.
“There’s 360,000 children in the state of Georgia, are chronically absent. If they’re not in seats, they can’t learn to read. If they can’t learn to read, they can’t graduate. If they don’t graduate they don’t have a chance for the American dream,” Kennedy said.
In that same Central Georgia Focus, 13WMAZ also spoke with Rep. Patty Marie Stinson, who represents District 150. She said she wants to provide more financial help for families.
“How to better improve the low-income home energy assistance program. Better known as LIHEAP. We are in the winter months right now, and that program is designed to help families across the state with their energy assistance bills,” Stinson said.
In a previous interview, Rep. Shaw Blackmon, who represents District 146, said he wants to lower income income tax rates for residents.
“We used to be at 6.0. So we’re, we’re at a flat tax, we’re moving to 4.99, and we raised that standard deduction significantly. So we took a bunch of people off the tax rolls entirely,” Blackmon said.
Sen. Larry Walker told 13WMAZ in a previous interview that he wants to help folks save even more money.
“We’re gonna return another billion dollars in tax to the Georgia taxpayers. So that’ll be coming in 2025. We’ll ratify that early in the session,” Walker said.
The Georgia General Assembly will begin meeting Monday, Jan. 13, and will go through late March. You can watch our full interview with Rep. Stinson and Sen. Kennedy here.
The 2025 state legislative session that begins this week will include plenty of local issues, including requests from Albany Technical College and the Albany Museum of Art totaling $25 million, as well as funding for the county’s Westtown Library.
But the biggest spending proposal is coming from Gov. Brian Kemp: $372 million in spending for the state’s prison system.
Based on an independent assessment, the proposal calls for more staff and pay raises for current employees, as well as repairs to prison facilities and $40 million for planning and design costs for a new prison.
With two prisons located in southwest Georgia, in Calhoun and Mitchell counties, the spending will impact the region.
“We think it’s more than the ($372 million),” state Rep. Gerald Greene, R-Cuthbert, whose District 154 includes a portion of Dougherty County, said. “I have a feeling it’s not enough.
“We just had another murder in a prison due to these gangs. We are just sick and tired of what’s going on in these prisons. We are concerned for the correctional officials. It’s dangerous for these workers in these prisons.”
With average salaries of about $30,000, the salaries of those who work in such dangerous conditions need a boost, the representative said. Prisons also need programs that will allow inmates who leave those facilities to have a chance at rehabilitation.
“We’ve got to have professional people,” Greene said. “Our position should be one where (for) prisoners, I know we’re mad at you when we put you in there … but we’ve got to be at the point of looking at rehabilitation. A lot of times we turn them loose, and they’re worse the next time they come in there.”
Rehabilitation should include programs to give inmates skills for when they leave prison, and their day should be more structured instead of mostly free time, state Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, D-Dawson, said. Inmates should also have the opportunity to learn skills that are relatable to today’s economy.
“There needs to be more of a schedule, an agenda for the day every day,” she said. “There’s too much idle time. There are some jobs programs, but the world has changed drastically since prisons became what they are. The programs now are antiquated.”
In speaking with her constituents, Sims said, opinions vary from those who think prison should be tougher to those who think punishments are too harsh. The reality is that those who go into the system, for the most part, will return to their local communities.
“Usually it’s our communities that are afraid to have criminals coming in and out of them,” she said. “Communities are the ones who suffer the most. We need to get it right. We need to frame this around we are a successful country, we are a brilliant country, and we can figure this out.”
Pay for prison employees is inadequate, the senator said, and that should be addressed. Facilities also should be made safe.
“I believe if you have committed a crime, you don’t ask for a Ritz Carlton to live in every day,” she said. “I think there’s too much free time in prison for you to get into trouble.”
Some of the other big statewide issues legislators will consider this year are more spending on mental health, health care and schools.
Both Greene and Sims are retired educators, and for Sims a big concern is how the state education dollars are spent. Most of the 13 counties in her district do a good job in using the funds for the purposes they were allocated, Sims said, but there is room for improvement.
In some systems, funding for wraparound services that include mental health and other programs meant to improve the learning environment for students and families are not being used effectively, according to Sims. Many of her constituents have told her that services in programs that have been funded are not available in their area, she said.
“We have administrators across the state who do not have a good grasp on what is needed in the schools,” she said. “There are state dollars that are supposed to be going to mental health, health services and the like. If you look at education, the accountability is not there. I would like to see more accountability for all the agencies in the state. We do a decent job, but we can do better. Let’s see where the dollars are going.”
Rural school systems have struggled in recruiting and retaining educators, despite recent investments in boosting teacher pay, and some systems have cut the number of days students are in school as a perk to entice teachers, Sims said. That increases the “brain drain” students experience from being away from the learning environment.
To help boost smaller counties’ ability to bring in teachers and other needed employees like first responders, the state needs to look at increasing affordable housing, she said.
“When we talk about housing, we need to talk about affordable housing for teachers, for police, for service workers, for firefighters,” she said. “We should help teachers with continuing education. We don’t really do that anymore.”
Dougherty County was selected for one of the first two projects funded through Kemp’s Rural Workforce Housing Initiative last year. The 29-unit housing development on Gillionville Road was made possible through a $923,000 grant that allowed the city of Albany to improve sewage infrastructure in the area.
From the Associated Press via WALB:
Georgia’s General Assembly is being sworn in for a new two-year term on Monday, with 180 state representatives and 56 state senators taking office after winning election in November.
Republicans will continue to control both chambers, returning to the Senate with the same 33-23 majority they had in the previous term. Republicans’ majority in the state House narrowed by two seats to a 100-80 edge after court-ordered redistricting.
There are only 18 new House members and four new senators taking their oaths.
Top issues will include Gov. Brian Kemp’s push to limit lawsuit verdicts and proposed responses to September’s deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder. Revenue growth is slowing, but Georgia has an $11 billion surplus lawmakers can spend if Kemp, a Republican, lets them.
Georgia leaders are generally applauding a relief package that Congress passed in December. But they say more needs to be done after Hurricane Helene cut a swath from Valdosta to Augusta in September, causing billions in damage.
State officials have already approved a plan for $100 million in loans to affected farmers and timber owners.
House Speaker Jon Burns in particular wants more money to clean up downed timber, saying fallen trees will become a wildfire risk if not removed.
Georgia Republicans in both chambers, including Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Burns, have promised to prioritize banning transgender women and girls from competing in women’s school sports.
The General Assembly in 2022 left it up to the Georgia High School Association to make decisions about transgender women and girls in sports. The association, mostly made up of public high schools, then banned transgender women and girls from participating in its sports events.
Top Republicans now say that’s enough, after Donald Trump and others have made opposition a political issue.
“I have four granddaughters, and they’re engaged in athletics, and they work hard spending hours a week preparing themselves to participate,” Burns said at a recent press conference. “We want them to have the opportunity to excel and to win and to be first.”
Jones has said Senate Republicans will seek a ban at the college level as well as in high school athletics, but it is unclear if the House will go that far.
Lawmakers could also consider some of the State Election Board rules that a court blocked. Those include include counting the total number of ballots by hand on election night and making it easier for county election board members to refuse to certify an election.
Other possibilities include requiring voters to fill out ballots by hand and having election officials count those ballots by hand, reflecting distrust of Georgia’s electronic voting system. Some lawmakers may want to make it easier to challenge a voter’s eligibility.
Despite support from Jones, the Metro Atlanta Chamber and Atlanta’s pro sports teams, legalizing sports betting in Georgia has gone nowhere in recent years. Proponents will certainly try again to legalize it.
There are multiple issues that need to be resolved before legislation can move forward. Some argue that legalization requires an amendment to the Georgia Constitution, which would require a two-thirds vote in each chamber, followed by approval from a majority of those voting in a statewide referendum. Others say only a simple majority vote would be required if sports betting is regulated by the Georgia Lottery.
There are also disagreements about how the proceeds should be spent, and how heavily the state should tax the activity.
Lawmakers – including more than a dozen new state representatives and four freshman senators – will be sworn in Monday alongside their more seasoned colleagues.
There won’t be any dramatic change in the partisan make-up of the Legislature, but House Democrats did increase their numbers by two seats last year, though one of those races is being contested in court. Both chambers remain firmly under GOP control.
Some bitter debates await this year, with leadership in both chambers backing further restrictions for transgender athletes, but for now, it’s all about the pomp and circumstance of the new session.
In the meantime, Gold Dome observers are left to speculate over which issues and debates will ultimately define the 2025 legislative session as the state’s most powerful leaders continue to slowly roll out their legislative priorities for this year.
Here’s a look at some of the issues that, at this point, are expected to dominate:
Access to reproductive care:
House Speaker Jon Burns, a Newington Republican, says passing protections for in vitro fertilization will be a priority for him this year after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling last year upended access in Georgia’s neighboring state. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has also signaled support for protecting access. But it remains to be seen how Republican leaders specifically plan to do that. Some ultra conservative advocates have already objected, even conceptually. Democrats are also expected to renew a push to repeal the state’s six-week abortion ban after revelations that two Georgia women died in 2022 while trying to terminate their pregnancy.Tort:
Gov. Brian Kemp has said one of his priorities will be a push for more limits on lawsuits, often referred to as “tort reform.” Kemp has argued that changes are needed to protect Georgia’s economy and pro-business climate, and other high-ranking state leaders have lined up with the governor on the issue. No specific proposal has emerged yet, but the push is being met with concerns from trial lawyers and other advocates for public access to the courts.Guns:
Campus safety will likely be a dominant issue after a school shooting in Barrow County in September killed two students and two teachers and injured nine others. More funding for campus security is likely, but there’s also talk about creating a statewide database that would improve information sharing among school districts. The 14-year-old suspect in last year’s Apalachee High School shooting was allegedly interviewed by the FBI in connection with shooting threats at a different school more than a year before the attack. But Georgia Democrats favor gun safety measures, like requiring a 10-day waiting period for the purchase of assault rifles unless the person has a weapons carry license. Last year, GOP-backed bills that would have encouraged safe firearm storage practices through tax breaks stalled.Hurricane relief:
Kemp has also said providing additional disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Helene will be a top priority this coming session. Helene tore a wide path up the eastern side of the state, killing 34 people here and devastating communities along the way. The state has already set aside $100 million in loans for agricultural and timber producers, and Georgia farmers will also receive federal aid through a package passed late last year.Prisons:
The governor and the Georgia Department of Corrections unveiled plans last week to spend an additional $600 million on the state prison system. Last year, the federal government accused the state of being “deliberately indifferent” to the unsafe conditions of Georgia’s prisons and threatened to file a lawsuit. Kemp has not yet released his full spending proposals for this year and next year’s budgets.
From the AJC’s Greg Bluestein:
Policy fights that have simmered for years, even decades, are roaring back to the forefront with the campaign for the White House fading and high-stakes races for governor and other state jobs on the horizon.
And this time, there’s more than a passing chance that some of the thorniest issues could finally be resolved — but not without triggering new political clashes that could deepen divisions within both parties.
That could mean the arrival of sports gambling and additional protections for religious liberties that critics see as discriminatory — all familiar debates that have at raged and then sputtered in past years.
“Call it the session of the living dead,” said Neill Herring, a longtime lobbyist and veteran Capitol observer.
The most contentious battle of all could revolve around a long-standing push to overhaul litigation rules that has stretched across a generation. After an aborted attempt last year, Gov. Brian Kemp has made limiting lawsuits and curbing hefty jury awards an urgent priority.
Old fights have a way of resurfacing in Georgia politics, but this year feels different. The sheer number of perennial issues — and the political pressure to settle some of them — could not only define the session but also help shape the coming campaigns for top offices.
“Yes, these discussions have come up in the past,” House Speaker Jon Burns said in an interview. “But as I like to say, sometimes every deal is a new deal because the facts can change.”
Business groups and insurance firms have been lobbying for changes to litigation rules since the 1990s, and a rewrite became one of the first major victories for Republicans in 2005 after they took control of both chambers of the Legislature.
But the courts gradually chipped away at many of the changes, including a unanimous 2010 Georgia Supreme Court ruling that struck down a $350,000 cap on jury awards for pain and suffering in medical malpractice cases.
Reviving even parts of the law won’t be easy. Burns repeatedly warned of the “tough fight” ahead, with strong opposition from trial lawyers and patient advocacy groups who argue that a rewrite would strip Georgians of their legal rights to fight powerful corporations in court.
They will be up against an equally powerful lobbying force — well-financed business groups — who have long argued that changes would usher in lower insurance rates and encourage more economic growth.
“The governor has been clear that this is his top legislative priority next year and that he’s all in,” said Cody Hall, a key Kemp political adviser. “And there is a broad coalition fully behind him to get meaningful tort reform across the finish line.”
Then there’s the ongoing tug-of-war over whether to legalize sports betting. The issue has languished for years over disagreements over how to spend the revenue it would generate, tiffs about the scope of the legislation and objections from those who see it as a gateway to addictive, immoral behavior.
Some perennial debates, meanwhile, could fall further off the radar. Ahead of last year’s legislative session, Republican leaders publicly flirted with embracing Medicaid expansion and pushed a surprise Senate vote on the matter.
But Kemp has drawn a hard line, vowing to veto any effort to significantly grow Georgia’s Medicaid rolls this year. And with President-elect Donald Trump headed back to the White House, the federal incentives that once sweetened the pot are likely off the table. New government hurdles could emerge to block a broader rollout.
“It does feel like deja vu all over again,” said state Rep. Michelle Au, a Johns Creek Democrat and longtime advocate for a full-scale expansion of Medicaid, which provides health insurance for the poor and disabled.
“Am I sick of talking about Medicaid expansion and health care access for Georgians? Yes, I would love to move past it. But we can’t move past it until we solve these problems.”
When Georgia state lawmakers take office this week, they will belong to a slightly more diverse Legislature than the last two-year session which began in 2023.
And last term was likely the most racially and ethnically diverse on record.
With just 22 new members and 214 returning lawmakers, the changes this time around are incremental, and still fall short of proportionately representing Georgians across the state.
There will be 91 nonwhite legislators this year, five more than at the start of the last session. Black legislators will compose roughly 30% of the General Assembly with 74 members. An additional two members identify as Afro-Latino.
There will be five Hispanic members, eight members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, one member who is Asian and Hispanic and one Arab member, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of the 2025 Legislature.
The number of white lawmakers will shrink from 150 at the start of the last biennium to 145 this year, slightly decreasing their majority from 64% to 61%.
While the growing diversity of the Legislature is slow-moving from one session to the next, it adds up over time. Over a decade ago in 2012, there were 65 nonwhite members in the Legislature. That number has increased 40% over 15 years.
Women also are underrepresented. There are 81 women lawmakers in the Legislature, the same as two years ago. They account for 34% of lawmakers, but 51% of Georgians across the state are women.
Most of the diversity comes from Democratic members, and that hasn’t changed much since the last session.
While 83% of Democratic members are not white, just 4% of Republican members aren’t. Dallas resident state Sen. Jason Anavitarte, who is of Puerto Rican descent, is the lone nonwhite Republican member in the Senate. In the House, state Rep. Steven Sainz of St. Marys, state Rep. Rey Martinez of Loganville, state Rep. Soo Hong of Lawrenceville and state Rep. Charlice Byrd of Woodstock are the only nonwhite Republicans.
In 2023, the House began with 19 Republican women. This year there will be 20, which House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, the highest-ranking woman in the Legislature, said she believes is a record.
The Senate lost half its representation of Republican women, dropping from two in 2023 to one this year. State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick of Marietta is the party’s lone woman in the chamber.
Democrats have a total of 60 female lawmakers serving this year in both chambers.
United States Representative Buddy Carter (R-SSI) announced he has introduced legislation to replace the income tax system, according to The Brunswick News.
An effort by House Majority Leader Jerry Keen, R-St. Simons Island, to replace Georgia’s ad valorem taxes with a statewide sales tax during the first decade of this new century dried up when the General Assembly failed to support the switch.
Now, a congressman who hails from the Golden Isles wants to take a similar idea a lot further and for all 50 states.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-1, of St. Simons Island wants to replace the federal tax system with a national sales tax, dubbed by advocates as the Fair Tax, and in the process eliminate the IRS.
“The Fair Tax is exactly that — fair,” Carter said. “It is the only tax proposal out there that is pro-growth, simple and allows Americans to keep every cent of their hard-earned money, while eliminating the need for the IRS altogether.”
Carter is the second Georgia congressman to introduce a tax replacement measure in Congress. U.S. Rep. John Linder, also a Georgia Republican, sponsored a similar attempt in 1999.
Carter introduced House Resolution 25, the Fair Tax Act, on Friday.
“I’m proud to lead this Georgia-grown legislation that puts the American people, not bureaucrats, in charge of their tax rate,” Carter said.
In addition to replacing the current tax code, a single national sales tax — also known as a consumption tax — would eliminate all personal and corporate income taxes, the death tax, gift taxes and the payroll tax.
Carter says 23% would be comparable to the current income tax rate.
To alleviate pressure on impoverished individuals and families, households would receive a prebate based on the federal poverty level.
Social Security payments would no longer be taxed and taxes on investment income, pension benefits, and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) withdrawals would be eliminated.
Carter has plenty of co-sponsors. All Republicans, co-signers include Reps. Andrew Clyde, Rich McCormick and Barry Loudermilk, all of Georgia, John Carter of Texas, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Eric Burlison of Missouri, John Rutherford of Florida, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Dale Strong of Alabama and Andy Harris of Maryland.
Loudermilk said simplifying the tax code would enable more citizens to pursue the American dream.
“Hardworking Americans should not need a team of lawyers or accountants to fill out their taxes,” Loudermilk said. “They need a simple system that encourages growth and innovation. Taxpayers should not have IRS agents targeting them for wanting to keep more of their hard-earned money.”
For Clyde, it is a second stab at changing the tax code, having signed Linder’s bill before the turn of the century. He feels just as strongly about the consumption tax now as he did then.
“This legislation provides a common sense solution to eliminate the need for the weaponized IRS, simplify our tax code, and foster economic prosperity,” Clyde said. “It’s time to enact the FairTax so we can empower hardworking taxpayers and make the American dream affordable again.”
McCormick said a national sales tax would broaden the revenue base, ensure everyone contributes fairly while reducing tax loopholes and unnecessary complexity.
“By encouraging savings and generating stable, predictable income, it provides a sustainable path to reducing our national debt and setting the course for our country to get back on the right fiscal path,” he said.
HR 25 has the backing of Americans for Fair Taxation, a political group also known as FairTax.org that is based in Clearwater, Florida.
Columbia County will consider whether to opt-out of the new property tax homestead exemption created by House Bill 581 and approved by voters statewide, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Columbia County will hold the first of three public hearings this month seeking residents’ input and questions on changes in Georgia law that affect how residents pay property taxes.
Voters last November approved Amendment 1, a ballot measure to enact House Bill 581, which exempts part of a home’s assessed value from property taxes.
So what is a homestead exemption?
It’s a tax break that can reduce a homeowner’s tax burden. It also can protect a primary residence from creditors and from the threat of insolvency after the death of a spouse.
What’s different about Georgia’s new law?
Often homestead exemptions are flat sums that can apply to homes regardless of the homes’ value. A $200,000 house and a $100,000 house would be levied the same exemption amounts.
The new law connects assessment to the current inflation rate. If inflation raises costs by 2%, for example, your property taxes go up no more than 2%, regardless of increased home value.
If it’s already a law, why hold public hearings?
Governmental bodies − city councils, county commissions, school boards − can choose to opt out of the exemption, if they hold three public hearings before March 1. Columbia County leaders haven’t yet decided whether to opt out.
The hearings, in the auditorium at the Evans Government Center, will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 21, 10 a.m. Jan. 28 and 6 p.m. Feb. 4.
A couple things I’ll note: property taxes, generally speaking, are levied at the County (or consolidated city-county government), County (or City) Board of Education, and Municipality. Each of those entities levies a property tax, and each may opt out of the new homestead exemption.
Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education members were sworn in, according to the Savannah Morning News.
“We’ve got to keep public education alive in this country,” Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education member Cornelia Hall said during the board’s Oath of Office ceremony. “Knowledge is power, education is freedom,” she added along with stating that public education systems are being “assaulted from the top down.”
Hall was sworn in as the District 3 representative alongside fellow board members, Denise Grabowski (District 1), Dionne Hoskins-Brown (District 2) and Stephanie Campbell (District 7) by Chatham County Superior Court Judge Tammy Stokes Friday morning at the Eli Whitney Administrative Complex, 2 Laura Ave.
With three of the four members returning to their seats, they all will hold office leading up to the district’s largest five-year Educational Special Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) extension proposal ($705 million) to the public via a March 18 referendum vote. They will also serve as the district continues to manage its largest-ever budget ($884 million for fiscal year 2025) amidst ongoing demographic changes and exponential growth in western Chatham County.
Campbell was the only new board member sworn in on Friday following the May 2024 general elections.
Grabowski had narrowly fended off a challenge from retired Savannah-Chatham educator and Georgia Southern professor Barbara Hubbard. With a 2.04% margin of victory, Grabowski held onto her seat for a second term. At Friday’s ceremony she became emotional as she thanked God for instilling the skills necessary to serve and her family for their support of her in the role. She then shared appreciation for the unique perspectives of her board colleagues “who work together even if we don’t always agree.”
Conversely to Grabowski’s election performance, Hall had a strong showing in May’s District 3 race with over 65% of votes in favor of her retaining the seat. She faced a challenge from an alum of Savannah-Chatham’s public schools and higher education professional Tanet Taharka Myers who also experienced Savannah’s school system as a parent.
Campbell had won a three-way District 7 race over incumbent Michael Johnson. His votes combined with those of challenger Jay Jones would still not have overcome Campbell’s 1,686 votes, which was 52.31% of the turnout. Campbell, who attended Savannah Christian Preparatory School as do her children, started by thanking her family for their unwavering support and God for the “ability to put myself out there and jump in.” She also thanked board members who gave their time over the past few months to help her “understand the ropes.”
Hoskins-Brown was the only candidate last May to run unopposed. She did so for the third time and has served over 13 years as the District 2 representative. Friday morning, she said the fact that she had run unopposed does not mean she takes the role for granted. She noted that the District 2 chair has held “two mayors and a state representative” in the 10 years preceding her term, which has “set a bar to meet and a charge to keep.” She, too, thanked her family and became emotional briefly at the mention of her husband’s daily efforts to “make sure that I have a great day.”
School board members receive pay for serving in their roles. Last year, according to OpenGA.Gov, district 1-9 representatives earned $25,000 while Board President Roger Moss earned $34,999.
The Barrow County Board of Education voted to approve the acquisition and installation of a weapon detection system for schools, according to AccessWDUN.
The decision was made during a called meeting to discuss school safety enhancements. The board authorized up to $700,000 for the purchase with the system’s installations to begin next week.
“Our priority is to protect the wellbeing and safety of our students,” Lisa Maloof, Board of Education Chair, said in a release on the district’s website. “We know there is more work to do, and we’re committed to continuing the conversation with our community and safety experts to make our schools safe spaces where learning can thrive.
Barrow County Schools Superintendent Dallas LeDuff recommended the purchase to the board. LeDuff said the purchase of the system will be followed by additional safety measures as district officials speak with experts about other safety changes.
“We have carefully and thoughtfully evaluated different measures to enhance safety and security in our schools, and we are grateful for the Board’s support in the immediate purchase of weapons detection systems in our high schools,” LeDuff said. “Safety requires multiple layers of protection, and these enhancements will help make our schools more secure.”
Bulloch County Commissioners are beginning the search for a new county manager, according to the Statesboro Herald.
After Tom Couch, who been Bulloch’s county manager for 20 years, submitted his resignation in mid-October and made it effective Nov. 29, [Cindy] Steinmann, then assistant county manager, agreed to step up as interim manager. She intends to remain in the interim role while assisting with a search for a new county manager and will not apply for the permanent job.
The Lowndes County Board of Elections will meet on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at 4:30 PM, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
Hahira City Council will hold a called meeting on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 at 6 PM, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources kicks off a $2 million dollar project to upgrade facilities in Darien, according to WTOC.
If you come to Champney River Park in Darien often, you could expect a lot of changes soon. A two-million-dollar project is going to close the park and the dock for six months.
Paul Medders with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has spearheaded the project from the beginning. He says it will help with the flooding that comes during high tides and it’ll make it easier to access the docks.
“The boat ramp is going to be torn out and replaced with a new ramp and there will be another ramp beside it,” said Medders. “They’re technically two lane ramps so two boats can launch on each ramp at each time and then there will be a new dock.”
While this project has been in the works for a while, safety is top of mind for many in the community after last year’s fatal dock collapse on Sapelo Island.
Part of the funding being used for the Darien project came from a 1.1-million-dollar Georgia Outdoor stewardship program grant.
Medders calls the project a much-needed change.
“We know there’s a lot of people that use this for recreation like the duck hunters are right now and we know there’s a lot of fisherman, there’s actually a lot of crabbers or probably small shrimpers that head out of here,” said Medders.
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