On January 17, 1733, Georgia’s Trustees in London voted to ban Jews from the colony.
Martin Luther King, Jr. began the Chicago civil rights campaign on January 17, 1966.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
House Resolution 779 by State Rep. Chuck Efstration (R-Dacula) sets the schedule for the 2024 Legislative Session.
Monday, January 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 1
Tuesday, January 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 2
Wednesday, January 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 3
Thursday, January 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 4
Friday, January 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 5Monday, January 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 6
Tuesday, January 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 7
Wednesday, January 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 8
Thursday, January 25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 9
Friday, January 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .convene for legislative day 10Monday, January 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 11
Tuesday, January 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 12
Wednesday, January 31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 13
Thursday, February 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 14Monday, February 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 15
Tuesday, February 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 16
Wednesday, February 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 17
Thursday, February 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .convene for legislative day 18
Friday, February 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 19Monday, February 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 20
Tuesday, February 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 21
Thursday, February 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 22Tuesday, February 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 23
Wednesday, February 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 24
Thursday, February 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 25Monday, February 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 26
Tuesday, February 27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 27
Wednesday, February 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . committee work day
Thursday, February 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Crossover) convene for legislative day 28Monday, March 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 29
Tuesday, March 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 30Wednesday, March 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . committee work day
Thursday, March 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 31
Friday, March 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 32Monday, March 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 33
Tuesday, March 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . committee work day
Wednesday, March 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 34
Thursday, March 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 35Monday, March 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 36
Tuesday, March 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . committee work day
Wednesday, March 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 37
Thursday, March 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 38Monday, March 25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . committee work day
Tuesday, March 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . convene for legislative day 39
Thursday, March 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Sine Die) convene for legislative day 40
Yesterday, Georgia State Fiscal Economist Dr. Bob Buschman told legislators a recession is likely this year, according to the Associated Press via WSAV.
Georgia’s state economist is warning lawmakers that a recession could drive down state tax collections in coming months, while Gov. Brian Kemp is again portraying his budget as a way to spur further economic growth.
But state economist Robert “Bob” Buschman told lawmakers that he expects the national and state economies to shift into reverse in the coming months.
“A mild recession is more likely than not, beginning in the first half of this year,” Buschman warned.
He said it’s still possible that the economy will avoid a recession, but said growth is likely to be very weak under that scenario. “It won’t be a recession,” Buschman said. “It will just feel like one.”
The economist said there are other factors that could drive down tax revenue, including the income tax cut and people cutting consumption after spending money they saved during the pandemic. He also said people could spend less on goods, which generate sales taxes, and more on untaxed services.
“As budgeters, you have to be conservative,” Buschman said, noting that predicting too much revenue could lead to painful cuts.
“In summary, the economic outlook that went into the budget estimates is this: A mild recession is more likely than not beginning in the first half of this year,” Buschman said.
Buschman said the revenue estimate is “conservative for good reason.”
“The scenario I’ve outlined suggests pull-backs from the unprecedented revenue growth since 2020. A slowdown in the economy and a modest increase in unemployment along with much lower inflation will be a drag on nominal taxable incomes,” he said.
State revenues, which surged in the wake of the pandemic, are showing signs of slowing.
“How we protect the budget going forward is to maintain those reserves at a reasonably high level. That’s also how we maintain AAA bond rating,” he said.
Rep. Carolyn Hugley, a Columbus Democrat, also asked Buschman to justify the wisdom of accelerating planned income tax rate cuts.
Buschman said he does not expect the huge surpluses to continue but said the unprecedented revenue growth justifies the spending bumps and tax cuts.
“Where y’all draw that line – how much you give back to taxpayers versus how much you increase spending – is a political choice,” he said.
Before Kemp named Buschman the state economist, he was the interim director of Georgia State University’s Public Finance Research Cluster and associate director for the university’s Fiscal Research Center, where he had a key role in examining the revenue impact of bills under the Gold Dome.
The state’s top budget writers offered up Tuesday that good economic times can easily translate into a difficult budget process.
“This might be the hardest one we’ve looked at yet,” said Sen. Blake Tillery, a Vidalia Republican who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“I’ll agree because everybody in here keeps asking for funds,” said Tillery’s counterpart in the House, Dublin Republican Rep. Matt Hatchett.
Governor Kemp told legislators they should remain cautious in the budget process, according to the Capitol Beat News Service.
Kemp kicked off three days of legislative hearings on the budget proposals he outlined last week by touting $5 billion in tax relief he has steered through the General Assembly and pitching his plan to accelerate additional tax cuts that took effect this month.
“We chose a smart fiscally conservative path,” Kemp told lawmakers in a remote video hookup from Switzerland, where he is attending the World Economic Forum. “We need to stay on that path.”
“There are a lot of needs around our state, but revenues are not as strong as they’ve been in the past,” added Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia. “We need to be sure we’re prudent with the state’s money.”
State Economist Robert “Bob” Buschman said the nation is likely to suffer a mild recession during the first half of this year, with the U.S. Gross Domestic Product expected to decline by 0.1% during the first quarter and 0,7% during the second quarter.
While Georgia continues to fare better than the nation as a whole in key economic indicators including inflation and unemployment, Buschman noted that much of the state’s revenue growth of the last few years was fueled by capital gains. He said he expects a significant drop in capital gains this year due to an economic slowdown.
“In a down cycle, these gains can drop very quickly,” he said.
Buschman said a mild recession likely would lead to rising unemployment in Georgia, which in turn would affect the state’s tax collections. The trend already has started, with the state reporting declining tax revenues during the first half of the current fiscal year.
From the Savannah Morning News via the Athens Banner Herald:
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s proposal for the state’s 2025 budget could mean big news for Athens. The proposed budget includes hefty investments in education, as well as in public safety and public health institutions in the area.
Kemp’s proposals for this year include sweeping one-time salary raises for teachers and other state employees, allocations to community and behavioral health programs, and a wide variety of funds for law enforcement agencies throughout the state.
“Instead of expanding the size and scope of government, we’re putting state dollars to work in targeted, efficient ways to recruit, retain, and thank employees in vital roles from corrections officers to case workers,” Kemp said in his State of the State address. “By doing so, we’re continuing our efforts to wisely use every penny taxpayers send us, from state agency personnel, to our schools, public safety, and the healthcare marketplace.”
Residents of the Classic City can expect to see it become even bigger in the next few years. Kemp’s proposal includes a $50 million grant in the Amended Fiscal Year 2024 budget to create a new medical school on UGA’s campus in response to the state’s growing medical needs. The current medical school in Athens is run through a partnership with the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
The proposal will now go to the state House of Representatives, who will use its recommendations to draft their appropriations bill. Once the bill passes in the House, it will go to the state Senate, who will modify it and send it back to the House for approval. After the revised bill passes in the House, it will go to the governor’s desk, and must be signed into law within 40 days.
Senate Bill 335 by State Sen. Randy Robertson (R-Cataula), which is supported by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, would ban ranked choice voting, according to The Center Square.
In a news release, Lt. Governor Burt Jones and state Sen. Randy Robertson, R-Cataula, who announced Senate Bill 355 on Tuesday, called out “those on the Left” as among the proponents who want ranked-choice voting. Such a move would open “the door for voter confusion, political manipulation, and increased polarization.”
“Ranked-choice voting is designed to cause confusion and fatigue among voters,” Jones, a Republican, said in an announcement. “This type of voting system, pushed by dark money groups, could cause a drastic increase in the number of ballots being thrown out, disenfranchising Georgia voters. Georgians deserve to have the utmost faith in their elections, and those pushing Ranked-choice voting are only hindering that faith. I am proud to ban this electoral disaster and work to make Georgia’s elections the safest in the nation.”
However, Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has called on lawmakers to eliminate runoffs. Raffensperger did not respond to a request for comment on the proposal.
However, on Tuesday, Raffensperger said his office had referred 17 cases of people suspected of voting twice in the 2022 general election. The people suspected of double-voting cast ballots in Georgia and another state during the election, and prosecutors will decide whether to pursue charges, according to a release from Raffensperger.
I don’t believe the Secretary of State has yet proposed eliminating all runoffs, just General Election runoffs.
Some state legislators want more focus on education in the budget, according to the Capitol Beat News Service.
An ad hoc committee of Georgia House lawmakers is recommending smaller class sizes, higher teacher pay, and more money for operating and capital costs to beef up the state’s pre-kindergarten program.
A report released by the House Working Group on Early Childhood Education Tuesday blames the decline on an inability to find teachers willing to work at state-funded salaries and inadequate state funding for opening and operating classrooms.
“We know when our children start fast in school, educational outcomes are improved dramatically,” said House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, who formed the ad hoc committee last spring. “One of the best predictors of educational success is having a strong pre-kindergarten program.”
“This is very much a workforce development issue,” added Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones, R-Milton, who chaired the committee. “The more children have access to pre-k, the more parents can reenter the workforce.”
The committee is recommending reducing the average pre-kindergarten class size from 22 – a move the state made during the budget crunch the Great Recession brought on more than decade ago – to 20.
The report also proposed raising the salaries of assistant teachers in the pre-k program from $20,190 per year to $25,700, which would align their pay with K-12 paraprofessionals, and increasing pay for lead pre-k teachers to the state’s salary schedule for K-12 public school teachers.
“There’s no substitute for equalizing salaries, to recognize the great important work these folks are doing,” Burns said.
The various recommendations in the report would cost just more than $100 million per year, funds that would come from the Georgia Lottery Corp.’s healthy budget reserves.
Jones said the goal is to put the state in a position to offer pre-k to every parent in Georgia who wants to enroll their 4-year-olds in either a public or private pre-k program.
From the Associated Press via WSAV:
“We’ve got to continue to up our game,” House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, a Milton Republican who led a study of Georgia’s prekindergarten program for 4-year-olds.
Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington and Jones said Tuesday that they would seek to implement recommendations in the current legislative session, although Gov. Brian Kemp didn’t budget for most of them. Jones said leaders would ask Kemp to increase spending or they would seek money from elsewhere in the budget.
Georgia uses lottery money to offer preschool to any 4-year-old whose parents want it, funding classes for 84,000 children statewide. Enrollment has only partially recovered since the pandemic, to about 73,000 last year. But officials say it’s a struggle to hire teachers, in part because of low state-paid salaries.
About 2,700 children are on waiting lists statewide, though Jones said she believes more children could be served. She said better funding would encourage more public school districts to offer classes while bolstering the sometimes-thin finances of private operators. Right now, half the classes statewide are provided by public districts and half are provided by private child care operators.
“We have too few offerings to serve the needs of all parents who want to avail themselves of public pre-K,” Jones said.
Kemp agreed to the group’s top recommendation, to cut class sizes from 22 back to 20, proposing almost $11 million for his budget beginning July 1. Class sizes would fall over four years, costing $43 million annually once complete.
Gwinnett County Commissioners voted to record their intent to place a transit referendum on the ballot, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
The commission voted unanimously to declare their intent to vote in May on whether to call for a referendum on a 1% transit special purpose local option sales tax. Tuesday’s decision does not constitute an actual call for a referendum, however.
The “intent” vote is a step that state law requires the commission goes through in order to put the transit referendum on the November general election ballot.
The decision just puts county staff, elections officials and the Atlanta Transit Link Authority, also known as The ATL, on notice that the commissioners will be voting in late May on wether to call for a referendum.
“The vote today is really about checking the box as we continue to move forward with the next steps of this phase, even after having comprehensive consideration from all members of the board,” Gwinnett County Commission Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson said.
Under state law, any vote by commissioners to call a referendum for November would have to take place after the May 21 general election primary, according to county officials. If the referendum is called, it would be the third time in just over five years that Gwinnett voters have been asked to consider a tax to support transit expansion.
Woodstock Mayor Michael Caldwell will serve as Vice Chair of the Atlanta Regional Commission, according to the Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News.
Atlanta Regional Commission Board Chairman Andre Dickens made officer and committee appointments for 2024 Jan. 10, including Caldwell as vice chair.
The ARC officer appointments made by Dickens are:
Vice Chair — Michael Caldwell (Mayor, City of Woodstock)
Secretary — Alfred John (Chair, Forsyth County Commission)
Treasurer — Nicole Hendrickson (Chair, Gwinnett County Commission)“I am honored to collaborate with this group of dynamic and talented leaders and the entire ARC board to build a better, brighter future for all residents in the Atlanta region,” Dickens said. “We have a busy year ahead of us. I’m excited to roll up my sleeves and get started.”
Bibb County Commissioners voted 5-3 to appoint Brendalyn Bailey as District 9 Commissioner after Commissioner Al Tillman resigned, according to 13WMAZ.
After being the only challenger to Tillman in 2020, the lifelong resident of District 9 was appointed to the post after a 5-3 vote among the commissioners.
Bailey is a Democrat and could run as an incumbent if the elections came around.
During the hearing, some commissioners and Miller clashed over Bailey’s appointment.
Commissioner Elaine Lucas said that she thinks, if appointed, Bailey should be barred from running for re-election. She proposed an amendment that would do just that.
“I have no problem with the nominee,” Lucas said. “My only concern is fairness.”
Lucas said appointees to the commission would typically not seek re-election “some years ago.” Miller said that, while they may have been the case under the city council, he said that is not possible under the County’s charter.
The county attorney, Duke Groover, agreed.
“It would not be enforceable,” Groover said.
The Richmond County Board of Education will consider a year-round academic schedule, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
A tentative, adapted year-round calendar was presented to the Richmond County Board of Education on Tuesday as one of two options for the 2025-2026 school year.
Associate Superintendent of Academic Services Malinda Cobb explained that the year-round option would not mean more days of schools. Both it and the more traditional options include 180 instructional days (90 per semester), five days for pre-planning, two days for post-planning, and multiple breaks.
However, under the year-round option, summer vacation wouldn’t be as long, but most of the other breaks would be longer. There would be a 7.5-week summer (instead of 10 weeks), 10 days for spring break (instead of five), 10 days for winter break (instead of nine), 10 days for fall (instead of two or three); but there would be three days for Thanksgiving instead of five.
Cobb said her team could not identify another Georgia school district using this kind of calendar. After discussions with the Georgia Department of Education, they believe this is doable, but one potential obstacle is how this might affect school athletics.
Dalton City Council will consider an ordinance that would limit commercial poultry and swine operations in most parts of the cities of Dalton and Varnell, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.
The council members are set to vote on an amendment to the Dalton-Varnell-Whitfield County unified zoning ordinance that would limit commercial poultry and swine operations in the cities of Dalton and Varnell. Members of the Dalton-Varnell-Whitfield County Planning Commission unanimously recommended adopting the amendment at their December meeting. It has been approved by the Varnell City Council and the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners.
The amendment does not ban commercial poultry and swine operations in those cities, but it does add another level of scrutiny.
The amendment says commercial poultry and swine farming shall be allowed within the city limits of Dalton and Varnell if the city councils there grant a special use permit. It requires a minimum of 10 acres for such an operation.
Glynn County Board of Education members voted to approve a plan for raises for employees not covered by Gov. Brian Kemp’s state-funded proposal, according to The Brunswick News.
The Glynn County Board of Education approved a $1,000 raise Tuesday for all district staff who do not fall under the required criteria to receive the raise promised by Gov. Brian Kemp this year.
Kemp promised all public school employees would receive this raise. However, some local school staff aren’t paid by the state.
Scott Spence, superintendent of Glynn County Schools, proposed at a school board work session Jan. 4 that federal pandemic-relief funds be used to give $1,000 raises to the 700 local employees who would not otherwise receive them under the governor’s directive.
“All of our employees are not paid by the state. A lot of our employees are paid 100% through local funds,” Spence said during the work session. “Only the folks who got money from the state are folks that he paid.”
Habersham County Commissioners reelected Commissioner Ty Akins (D5) as Chair and Commissioner Bruce Harkness (D1) as Vice Chair, according to AccessWDUN.
During Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners elected District 5 Commissioner Ty Akins as chairman. Akins also served in the role of chairman in 2023.
District 1 Commissioner Bruce Harkness was elected to serve as vice chairman. He also served as vice chairman in 2023.
Other returning members of the Habersham County Commission include Bruce Palmer, Dustin Mealor and Jimmy Tench.
Banks County Sheriff Carlton Speed announced he is running for reelection, according to AccessWDUN.
Speed made the announcement in a social media post.
He has served as Sheriff for the past 11 years.
“I pledge to continue to provide the citizens of Banks County with the professional law enforcement they have come to expect and deserve,” Speed said. “We have progressed into one of the most respected and professional agencies in the state of Georgia.”
Eric Edwards, a Houston County Chief Assistant District Attorney, announced he is running for the big chair, according to 13WMAZ.
If elected, Edwards says he hopes to help continue making the Houston County Judicial Circuit the state’s “most trusted and productive District Attorney’s Office,” the press release said.
“I’m proud to have worked alongside our current District Attorney, Will Kendall, to ensure our community is served with excellence,” Edwards said in a press release. “I’m dedicated to keeping high standards and providing Houston County with the safety and security our residents deserve.”
This is not the first time that Edwards has positioned himself for the top job in the DA’s Office.
He previously had stepped down from the Macon Judicial Circuit to put his hat in the ring when the former Houston County DA, George Hartwig, announced his retirement back in 2021.
In the press release, they emphasizes Edward’s focus on human trafficking trials, tackling complex homicides and prosecuting crimes committed against women and children.
“My focus will continue to be advocating for victims, holding criminals accountable, ensuring Constitutional rights are protected, and feverishly pursuing justice,” he said in the release.
Edwards, who lives in Perry, said that his goal is to keep the Houston County community safe.
“I consider it a privilege to live, work and raise a family in Houston County,” Edwards said in the press release. “Serving this circuit has been an honor and I hope to earn your vote so I can continue to defend the community we proudly call home.”
Hall County Clerk of Courts Charles Baker announced he will retire at the end of the year, sparking a race to succeed him, according to AccessWDUN.
Charles Baker has held office as Clerk of Court for State and Superior Court in the county since he was first elected in 2008.
Baker was most recently re-elected to his position in a June 2020 primary, securing about 58% of the vote.
“After much thought and prayer, I have decided to retire at the end of my current term at the end of 2024,” Baker said in a statement. “I have enjoyed my time in the Clerk’s Office and I appreciate your support and confidence in me as Hall County Clerk of Court for State and Superior Court.”
Chris Slate announced she is running for Hall County Clerk of Courts, according to AccessWDUN.
Chris Slate formally announced her candidacy for Clerk of Courts of the Hall County Court System Wednesday morning.
The owner of Southern Realty has been in real estate sales and marketing for 30 years. Slate believes the court system is the final appeal over property tax matters and that she has the awareness and knowledge needed to serve in the position.
Slate seeks the seat that will open when Baker retires at the end of this year. Baker has held the seat in Hall County since 2008.
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