On January 29, 1779, British forces captured Augusta, Georgia.
On January 30, 1788, the Georgia legislature passed a resolution calling for a state Constitutional Convention in Augusta to adopt a state Constitution that conformed to the new Constitution of the United States.
Walter F. George was born on January 29, 1878 in Preston, the county seat for Webster County, Georgia. Ron Daniels has a brief bio of the United States Senator who gave his name to a Law School, a courthouse, and a lake. The photo above is a bust in the town square of Vienna, Georgia, in Dooly County, where George made his home.
On January 30, 1862, the United States launced its first ironclad warship, USS Monitor.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, New York. In 1942, Roosevelt ordered Japanese-Americans on the west coast of the United States into concentration camps, leaving German and Italian Americans free.
On January 29, 1892, the Coca Cola Company was incorporated in Georgia in Fulton County Superior Court.
On January 30, 1935, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. protested segregated elevators at the Fulton County Courthouse.
On January 30, 1948, Mohandas K. Gandhi was assassinated.
On January 29, 1955, Georgia Governor Marvin Griffin signed legislation granting the power to take land needed for the Stone Mountain Park through condemnation if negotiations to buy it fell through.
On January 30, 1956, six members of the Georgia State House of Representatives introduced House Bill 98 to replace the red and white stripes on Georgia’s flag (above) with a Confederate battle flag (below). That same day, a bomb was thrown at the Birmingham, AL home of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 30, 1972 is remembered as Bloody Sunday in commemoration of the shooting of 26 civilians by British troops in Northern Ireland.
On January 29, 1977, Congressman Andrew Young resigned his seat to accept the nomination by President Carter as United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
On January 29, 1998, a bomb exploded in a Birmingham, Alabama abortion clinic, killing a police officer. Eric Rudolph would later admit to setting that bomb, along with the Centennial Park bombing in 1996, and the bombing of a Sandy Springs abortion clinic and an Atlanta bar in 1997.
On January 30, 2001, the Georgia State Senate passed a house bill changing the state flag from the 1956 version to one that aggregated the State Seal and five former state flags, pictured below.
On January 29, 2020, Georgia Congressman Doug Collins announced he would run against Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed to the United States Senate by Gov. Brian Kemp.
“We’re in for the Georgia Senate race down here. I’ve still got a lot of work left to do to help this president finish this impeachment out, and we’re going to make a bigger announcement down here in Georgia,” he told the “Fox & Friends” hosts.
“The shortsightedness in this decision is stunning,” NRSC Executive Director Kevin McLaughlin said in a statement. “Doug Collins’ selfishness will hurt David Perdue, Kelly Loeffler, and President Trump. Not to mention the people of Georgia who stand to bear the burden of it for years to come. All he has done is put two senate seats, multiple house seats, and Georgia’s 16 electoral votes in play. The NRSC stands firmly behind Sen. Kelly Loeffler and urges anyone who wants to re-elect President Trump, hold the GOP senate majority, and stop socialism to do the same.”
Collins’ entrance into the race makes a runoff far more likely, which could potentially decide the balance of the Senate in a vote held in January, a month when most people are not accustomed to going to the polls.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Under the Gold Dome Today & Tomorrow
Wednesday – January 29, 2025
8:00 AM HOUSE WAYS & MEANS 406 CLOB
8:00 AM HOUSE AG & CONS AFF 606 CLOB
10:00 AM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD8) House Chamber
10:00 AM Senate Floor Session: (LD 8) Senate Chamber
Upon Adjournment Senate Rules 450 CAP
2:00 PM Senate Ins & Labor MEZZ 1
3:00 PM HOUSE HIGHER ED 406 CLOB
3:00 PM HOUSE GOVTAL AFFAIRS 606 CLOB
3:00 PM Senate Health &Human Svcs 450 CAP
Thursday – January 30, 2025
8:00 AM HOUSE NATL RES & ENVT 606 CLOB
1:00 PM HOUSE ECON DEV & TOURISM 403 CAP
Governor Brian Kemp issued Executive Order #01.28.25.01, extending the State of Emergency for winter weather through Tuesday, February 4, 2025.`
Federal immigration and law enforcement agencies began operations in Atlanta, Cartersville, and Savannah, according to the Savannah Morning News.
On Sunday, multiple federal law enforcement agencies participated in an operation related to “immigration enforcement efforts” in Savannah, Cartersville and Atlanta, according to a post on X by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta.
The federal law enforcement agencies that conducted the Jan. 26 enforcement included the DEA Atlanta Division, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, according to the X post.
In a phone call, Lindsay Williams, U.S. Immigrations Customs and Enforcement (ICE) Southeast spokesperson, said “We’re not releasing operational details just yet on our routine enforcement actions.”
Williams characterized the efforts as everyday, routine operations, but said they are taking “a whole of government approach.”
In a phone call, Savannah Police Department (SPD) Neil Penttila declined comment on whether SPD was or would be involved in immigration enforcement actions, referring questions to the city of Savannah government.
City of Savannah Mayor Van Johnson addressed the immigration enforcement efforts during his weekly press briefing Tuesday morning. Johnson declined comment on whether he knew of any raids or arrests happening in Savannah.
“We respond to emergencies,” Johnson said when asked by city and county government reporter Evan Lasseter whether SPD would assist federal law enforcement agencies, such as ICE, with immigration enforcement efforts. “So, if it’s an emergency, we’ll be able to deal with that.”
Johnson reiterated that Savannah does not enforce federal laws. “Again, we’re not in the immigration business, so we won’t be in the immigration business. So, we’ll leave it to our law enforcement team if emergent conditions exist, then we’ll address the emergent conditions. But in terms of the city of Savannah doing raids, that ain’t happening.”
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson acknowledged the raid at this Tuesday press briefing.
“President Trump is doing what he said he would do, so I don’t know why we would be surprised that this is playing out the way it’s playing out,” said Mayor Johnson.
“Whatever ICE does is what ICE does,” said Johnson, “My continued call is that all people are treated with dignity whether they are citizens or not.”
When it comes to enforcement, Johnson said the city cannot enforce federal immigration laws, but will let agencies, such as ICE, handle business.
The Savannah-Chatham County School System released a statement, according to the Savannah Morning News.
The District has no current knowledge of ICE actions that involve any of our schools. We understand that, at this time, ICE enforcement actions are targeted towards undocumented individuals who have committed other unlawful acts and/or are considered a risk to public safety. And while the District is required to comply with federal law, we continue our work to ensure that families feel safe sending their children to school. Our building leaders have been reminded of proper procedures that any law enforcement agencies, including immigration officials, would need to follow if they seek to enter our schools. The following points are provided as guidance:
- ICE agents are not authorized under current law to enter the school without a valid judicial warrant, consent, or exigent circumstances, such as a risk to public safety or destruction of evidence. It is SCCPSS’s policy not to provide general consent for ICE agents to enter or conduct enforcement actions in the school. Because of this, the school will only permit ICE enforcement actions on school grounds on the specific advice of the school’s legal counsel in cases where there is a valid judicial warrant or where ICE agents have determined that exigent circumstances exist. SCCPSS schools are legally prohibited from obstructing or otherwise interfering with a lawful ICE enforcement action.
- All children who reside in the U.S., regardless of their documentation or citizenship status, have the right to a public education.
- SCCPSS does not have any special policy or practice that prohibits or restricts its officials or employees from communicating or cooperating with federal officials or law enforcement officers with regard to reporting immigration status. (See O.C.G.A. § § 36-80-23.) However, pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), SCCPSS and its schools do not provide legally-protected personally-identifiable information about students to any law enforcement agent, including ICE agents, without express written parental consent or a valid judicial warrant.
- The law and federal guidelines regarding ICE enforcement actions are subject to change. SCCPSS is committed to complying with all applicable federal and state laws.
- SCCPSS has issued a protocol to school administrators for interacting with immigration enforcement officials on school grounds. This protocol involves seeking legal counsel as needed.
- Unless specifically prohibited by ICE, school administration will immediately attempt to contact the parents of any student who is the subject of an ICE enforcement action.
Cairo Mayor Booker Gainor released a statement, according to WALB.
“While we are not directly involved in federal immigration operations, we are closely monitoring the situation to understand its impact on our community. As of now, we cannot confirm whether ICE operations are ongoing, but we will continue to communicate with local authorities to stay informed.”
Local farmers say right now they haven’t seen immigrant workers impacted by the raids but they’re hoping Trump’s administration can fix a broken system.
“I hope right now they’re just going to focus on these people that have come across the borders that have come illegally, that are fleeing from bad things,” said Sam Watson, local farmer and state senator for District 11.
President Trump today will sign the Laken Riley Act, named for a Georgia student who was murdered, according to the Associated Press via AccessWDUN.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday will sign the Laken Riley Act into law as his administration’s first piece of legislation. It mandates the detention and potential deportation of people in the U.S. illegally who are accused of theft and violent crimes before they’ve actually been convicted.
The measure swiftly passed the Republican-controlled Congress with some Democratic support, despite immigrants rights advocates decrying it as extreme enough to possibly trigger mass roundups of people for offenses as minor as shoplifting.
Trump has made a promised crackdown on illegal immigration unprecedented in the nation’s history a centerpiece of his political career, however, and is now suggesting the law might only be the beginning.
“This shows the potential for additional enforcement bills that will help us crack down on criminal aliens and totally restore the rule of law in our country,” the president said at a conference of House Republicans held at his Doral golf club in Florida.
The law is named for Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who went out for a run in February 2024 and was killed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national in the U.S. illegally. Ibarra was found guilty in November and sentenced to life without parole.
“To have a bill of such importance named after her is a great, a great tribute,” Trump said. “This new form of crime, criminal, illegal aliens, it’s — it’s massive, the numbers are massive and you add that to the crime we already had.”
The speed at which the act cleared Congress — and the fact that Trump is preparing to triumphantly sign it at the White House surrounded by lawmakers and other supportive, invited guests just nine days after taking office — adds to its potent political symbolism for conservatives. Critics say the measure is using a tragedy to effectively unleash chaos and cruelty while doing little to fight crime or fix an antiquated federal immigration system that hasn’t been overhauled in decades.
Under the Laken Riley Act, federal officials are required to detain any immigrant arrested or charged with crimes like theft or assaulting a police officer, or offenses that injure or kill someone. It further gives legal standing to state attorneys general to sue the U.S. government for harm caused by federal immigration decisions — potentially allowing the leaders of conservative states to help dictate immigration policy set by Washington.
Ibarra had been arrested for illegal entry in September 2022 near El Paso, Texas, amid an unprecedented surge in migration, and released to pursue his case in immigration court. Federal officials say he was arrested by New York police in August 2023 for child endangerment and released. Police say he was also suspected of theft in Georgia in October 2023 — all of which occurred before Riley’s killing.
A funding freeze by the Trump Administration “paused” some payments to state and local governments, according to 13WMAZ.
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a push from President Donald Trump to pause federal funding while his administration conducts an across-the-board ideological review to uproot progressive initiatives.
The Trump administration plan plunged the U.S. government — and states and organizations that rely on federal funding — into panic and confusion and set the stage for a constitutional clash over control of taxpayer money.
The order from U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan came minutes before the funding freeze was scheduled to go into effect. The administrative stay, prompted by a lawsuit brought by nonprofit groups, lasts until Monday afternoon and applies only to existing programs.
Administration officials said the decision to halt loans and grants — a financial lifeline for local governments, schools and nonprofits — was necessary to ensure that spending complies with Trump’s recent blitz of executive orders. The Republican president wants to increase fossil fuel production, remove protections for transgender people and end diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
But a vaguely worded memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget, combined with incomplete answers from the White House throughout the day, left lawmakers, public officials and average Americans struggling to figure out what programs would be affected by the pause. Even temporary interruptions in funding could cause layoffs or delays in public services.
“This sort of came out of the blue,” said David Smith, a spokesperson for the Shawnee Mission School District in Kansas, one of countless districts that receive federal funding. Now they’re trying to figure out what it means “based on zero information.”
AliKhan, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, said in halting the freeze, “It seems like the federal government currently doesn’t actually know the full extent of the programs that are going to be subject to the pause.”
Jessica Morton, an attorney for the National Council of Nonprofits which brought the suit, said the group has tens of thousands of members around the country that could be affected.
“Our client members have reported being extremely concerned about having to shutter if there’s even a brief pause,” Morton said.
Just minutes after AliKhan ruled, Democratic attorneys general from 22 states and the District of Columbia filed their own lawsuit seeking to block and permanently prevent the administration from cutting off federal funding.
“There is no question this policy is reckless, dangerous, illegal and unconstitutional,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said.
Trump administration officials said programs that provide direct assistance to Americans would not be affected, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, student loans and food stamps. They also defended the funding pause, saying Trump was following through on his promise to turn Washington upside down if elected to a second term.
However, the effects were being felt far from the nation’s capital. Organizations like Meals on Wheels, which receives federal money to deliver food to the elderly, were worried about getting cut off.
“The lack of clarity and uncertainty right now is creating chaos,” spokeswoman Jenny Young said. She added that “seniors may panic not knowing where their next meals will come from.”
States on average receive about 30% of their revenues from the federal government, according to Federal Funds Information for States, a nonprofit that analyzes the affect of federal actions on states. Although the federal government has rescinded unspent funds in the past, it hasn’t normally halted grants on the front-end, said Marcia Howard, executive director of Federal Funds Information for States.
The grant pause is perhaps most similar to a federal government shutdown, when a congressional impasse on spending legislation delays federal payments for some state and local services. In most of those circumstances, a couple weeks delay “isn’t hugely disruptive,” Howard said.
But some state officials are nonetheless anxious.
“If the federal government coughs, Maryland catches pneumonia,” state Senate President Bill Ferguson said Tuesday, while discussing how the grant freeze could affect the state.
How much does Georgia receive in federal grants and loans? An analysis by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that tens of billions of dollars flows from federal coffers into Georgia.
Among the ongoing grants in the state are billions of dollars for broadband service to those without access; help for public health agencies to respond to infectious diseases; and money to improve teaching in high-poverty schools, expand child health assistance to uninsured, low-income children and provide special education to children with disabilities.
What programs are untouched? Social Security benefits, Medicare and food stamps are exempted from the freeze, according to a memo from the Office of Management and Budget.
“To individuals at home who receive direct assistance from the federal government, you will not be impacted by this federal freeze,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at news briefing.
What about Medicaid? Head Start? Perhaps the most confusion on Tuesday surrounded Medicaid, the massive federal health program which assists the poor and disabled.
While the White House said Medicaid would not be impacted, other officials insisted that online Medicaid portals which officials use to disburse funds were down in all 50 states.
Later in the day, Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, confirmed that the Medicaid’s online portal had experienced an outage but said no payments had been affected.
“We expect the portal will be back online shortly,” she said.
The same outage reportedly locked users out of the Head Start payment portal, fueling concerns that their funding was jeopardy. Officials with the early education program said late in the day that access to the federal money had been restored and that they had been told by the Office of Management and Budget that they were not on the list of those impacted by Trump’s review.
Roughly 23,000 low-income kids in Georgia participate in Head Start.
A watershed moment? Four Republican State Senators joined Democratic members in sponsoring Senate Bill 50, the “PeachCare Plus Act of 2025,” which would expand Medicaid eligibility to more Georgians, according to Georgia Recorder.
A handful of Senate Republicans from rural Georgia have signed onto a new bipartisan attempt to fully expand Medicaid through a conservative-friendly option that gained traction last year after a decade of firm GOP resistance.
Four state senators hailing from south Georgia lent their names to a new Senate bill filed Tuesday that would expand health care coverage through a program that uses federal funding to purchase private insurance for individuals on the marketplace instead of adding more people to the state-run Medicaid program.
The bill would create a program called PeachCare Plus that would expand income eligibility to those who would be covered by traditional expansion, and it would create an advisory commission that would help guide the development of the program.
“We believe that this bipartisan legislation can actually get passed,” Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones, an Augusta Democrat, said at a press conference Tuesday.
Sen. Sam Watson of Moultrie said Tuesday that he is “open to the debate,” and Sen. Russ Goodman of Cogdell made no promises that he would vote for the bill if it makes it to the Senate floor but said he wants to have an “an open and honest debate about it.”
Cordele Sen. Carden Summers, who supported a similar proposal last year, and Statesboro Sen. Billy Hickman also signed the bill.
Goodman said his son was electrocuted in their swimming pool several years ago when he was 11 after lightning struck the pump house and damaged safety features. He credits his local hospital, which is about 10 miles from his blueberry farm, for saving his son’s life.
He said hospitals back home have told him that expanding Medicaid would help them ease the burden of indigent care.
“I think the main thing is to have it be argued on the merits,” Goodman said. “Isn’t that kind of what we’re supposed to do up here?”
Like last year’s bill, this proposal is patterned after the Arkansas model that intrigued the state’s GOP leaders, like House Speaker Jon Burns. But those same leaders had appeared to publicly cool to the idea.
Speaking to reporters early this month, Burns pointed to two factors that are shaping his current outlook on the issue: the governor remains a “steadfast” supporter of Georgia Pathways and the change in administration on the federal level.
Georgia Pathways to Coverage was approved by the Trump administration and then challenged by the Biden administration over its work requirement. Gov. Brian Kemp announced this month that the state will apply to renew the program, which would otherwise expire this September.
“We’re focused on what’s politically possible,” Burns said early this month. “And what we want to do in the House is help as many Georgians as we can, and if that’s the Pathways program, we’re all in.”
The state submitted its application to keep Georgia Pathways going for another five years last week.
Kemp has proposed a few changes, including making parents with children younger than six exempt from the requirement that participants complete 80 hours of work, job training, community service or another qualifying activity.
Two hearings, on Jan. 31 and Feb. 10, have been set to gather public input on the proposal.
Natalie Crawford, the executive director of Georgia First and a former Republican commissioner in Habersham County, said the governor’s revised Pathways plan is an improvement but said it still forgoes billions of federal dollars and misses out on the economic perks of full expansion.
She also argued the plan still omits key groups of Georgians.
“We’ve got a qualifying activities exemption for caregivers of children six and under, but what about family caregivers for aging and ailing parents? I mean, we Republicans are the party of family values. That’s a pretty big miss,” Crawford said.
Democrats also argue Kemp’s program cannot be fixed and say it’s time for Georgia to join the other 41 states that have fully expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act signed by former President Barack Obama in 2010.
“One of the issues about the governor’s plan is you’re basically trying to create a job program and a health insurance program combined,” Jones said. “That’s really the key part about that plan that becomes difficult. It’s an administrative nightmare.”
As of early January, about 6,500 people were enrolled in the program – which is well short of the nearly 100,000 the state said could sign up and the 345,000 total people who were thought to be eligible.
House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, a Columbus Democrat, said Democrats have a “moral obligation” to continue to push the issue.
“The greatest failure of Republican leadership is the lack of providing access to health care to Georgia citizens,” Hugley said.
Both Democratic chamber leaders said they believed the governor could be convinced to change his mind. But Kemp, whose term ends next year, has repeatedly reiterated his staunch opposition to full Medicaid expansion, including as recently as this month.
Georgia is one of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid. Kemp’s plan provides Medicaid coverage to adults making below the federal poverty line who work at least 80 hours per month, attend a technical college or perform another state-approved activity.
Lucas said Medicaid expansion would support existing and new hospitals by providing them with more financial return from patients coming into emergency rooms, he said.
“They would not be dealing with (costly) uncompensated care,” said Lucas.
This year’s version is likely to face almost impossible hurdles, as Kemp has emphatically said he opposes a full-scale Medicaid expansion as long as he’s in office.
“The old system is not working,” Kemp said, in a news conference earlier this month. “And the other side, their only answer to this is they want government-run health care. And I am not in that boat.”
When asked Tuesday whether he would support an effort, House Speaker Jon Burns said he is committed to Pathways.
“That gets the job done,” he said.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has not completely shut down the idea.
“I don’t know where I am on it, to be honest with you,” Jones said on the AJC’s “Politically Georgia” radio show Nov. 7.
“I voted for it last year because I live in rural Georgia and this would help rural hospitals,” Summers said.
Goodman, who lives in Clinch County, one of the poorest counties in Georgia, said his support of the bill is to “keep the conversation going.”
Almost a quarter of the people in Clinch County live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And nearly 1 in 5 are uninsured.
Goodman said he was moved to his position by reviewing data that showed states that expanded Medicaid have seen lower rates of hospital closures.
“Since 2012, no rural Arkansas hospital has closed without being reopened or replaced,” said Goodman, quoting an interview with Dr. Joe Thompson, who was Arkansas’ surgeon general under Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Kemp’s office has often disputed this information.
Garrison Douglas, a spokesperson for Kemp, posted on X in July that six out of the top 10 states with the highest percentage of their rural hospitals at risk of closing had also expanded Medicaid.
Both Goodman and Summers said they don’t want expansion to be seen as a Republican or Democratic issue.
“There are 40 states that have expanded Medicaid, including red, conservative states as well,” Goodman said.
“President Trump knows rural health care in America needs to be revamped and he wants to help,” said Summers.
Republican Sen. Chuck Hufstetler has supported Medicaid expansion since 2014, but the uncertainty in Washington gives him pause.
“We don’t know what the federal government is going to do,” he said.
“This is the first bill by Republican cosponsors that would also fully close Georgia’s coverage gap,” says Laura Colbert, who directs the group Georgians for a Healthy Future.
While Colbert’s organization supports traditional Medicaid expansion, which she maintains would be cheaper for Georgia taxpayers, she says PeachCare Plus would cover many more people than Georgia Pathways.
The governor has also called for further extending Pathways eligibility to low-income parents and legal guardians of children up to age 6. The proposed additional eligibility would need approval from the Trump administration. Without federal action, Pathways is set to expire Sept. 30, 2025.
“Increasing access to quality, affordable health care for every Georgian, regardless of zip code, has been, and will continue to be, a top priority for the Georgia House,” House Speaker Jon Burns said earlier this month.
Kemp says he is committed to growing Pathways and has reiterated that he will not support fully expanding Medicaid.
Jones, the Senate minority leader, says it was a watershed moment when a proposal similar to PeachCare Plus fell just short of advancing out of committee last year with some GOP support.
“We came so close last year and that gives you the momentum, and we didn’t want to lose that,” Jones says.
Georgia has the third-highest uninsured rate in the United States, according to the Georgia Health Initiative.
Natalie Crawford, executive director and founder of the group Georgia First, estimates the PeachCare Plus Act could cover nearly 300,000 uninsured Georgians.
And she says more state lawmakers are seeing the effects of Georgia’s insurance gaps on rural hospitals, which are struggling to stay afloat.
“We’ve seen nine hospitals permanently close in Georgia,” she says. “We have 18 more that are at risk. And, rural communities in particular are disproportionately affected by the lack of expansion because oftentimes — and I saw this firsthand in my own community when I was a county commissioner — that rural payer mix is a lot less diverse. It is oftentimes very high in Medicare, Medicaid, self-pay and indigent.”
Sen. Russ Goodman, like other GOP cosponsors of the new bill, represents a rural district. He says the one near his farm proved critical when his son nearly got electrocuted after lightning struck the house.
“If that rural hospital hadn’t been there, I don’t know that my son would be here today,” Goodman told WABE. “It’s something I think about often when we have these discussions.”
Goodman says he wants to have the debate about Medicaid expansion, even though he’s not sure he would ultimately vote yes on the bill he sponsored and despite the reality that the governor is not in favor.
“I probably agree with my wife 80% of the time and I sleep in bed with her,” Goodman says. “And I probably agree with Brian Kemp 95% of the time. I may very well vote against it on the floor; I just want to have the debate.”
Democrats like House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley hope they can convince enough Republicans to come along.
“Under the gold dome, a ‘no,’ might mean, ‘not now,’” Hugley says. “And windows are never really closed.”
But that window may not really swing open again until Kemp has left the building.
Georgia State House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) announced that the House will continue to prioritize government transparency, according to AccessWDUN.
Burns (R-Newington) said the House Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee will conduct reviews of state agencies to determine their compliance with code and to ensure that legislative intent was considered during the rule-making process.
It’s a similar move to what President Donald J. Trump and the Republicans are trying to enact in Washington.
“Our government works best when it’s working for the people—and that includes our departments and agencies,” Speaker Burns said. “Since 2013, the Georgia House has championed efforts to identify and eliminate barriers to business growth across the state. (The Committee) has been tasked with leading our efforts to cut through burdensome bureaucratic regulations (and) demand transparency and efficiency from our state agencies.”
“I’m honored that the Committee on Assignments has entrusted me to conduct this important work on behalf of the citizens and businesses who call Georgia home,” said Chairman Steve Tarvin (R-Chickamauga). “We will work to eliminate regulatory burdens and ensure our great state maintains our designation as the No. 1 place to do business.”
A catchy title: State Rep. Joseph Gullett (R-Cobb County) introduced House Bill 140, the “End Local Taxation by Citation Act,” according to Atlanta News First via WALB.
State Rep. Joseph Gullett (R-Dallas) filed a bill Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, that would cap the amount of revenue cities can collect from fines and forfeitures through traffic enforcement to 10 percent of their annual budgets.
Citation revenue collected above that threshold would be sent a state fund. Details of how that money would be used has not been determined, but Gullet said it could be used to aid crime victims or for public safety measures.
Gullett’s bill doesn’t prevent law enforcement from writing tickets, but it would provide less financial incentive for issuing tickets.
“If it’s a public safety issue, they can still write tickets because that’s important,” he said. “But they won’t financially gain from continuing to write tickets.”
The proposed legislation follows a series of Atlanta News First investigations published over the past year entitled Taxation through Citation that uncovered at least 17 municipalities relying on 25 percent or more of their revenue from fines and forfeitures.
We didn’t really mean the “opt out” part. Some state legislators may introduce legislation to force local governments to accept the HB 581 Homestead Exemption, according to WRDW.
More than 60% of Georgia voters in November said yes to the homestead exemption question on the November ballot, which could put a cap on tax hikes on your home.
The law establishes a floating homestead exemption, which limits the annual increase in property tax assessments on homestead properties to the rate of inflation for the previous year. The law also allows local governing bodies a one-time opportunity to opt out of the exemption.
While some cities and counties are considering whether to opt out, school districts appear much more likely to exempt themselves. That’s in part because schools only raise revenue from property taxes and state and federal aid, while cities and counties have other options. The law also gave cities and counties the ability to increase sales taxes by a penny on every $1 of sales to replace property taxes, but did not give school districts that power.
Some state lawmakers are threatening to introduce legislation to force their local governments to comply if they opt out.
Mike Goff of Lilburn told the Gwinnett County school board in a Jan. 16 hearing that property taxes on his home have more than doubled in three years and neighbors he talked to are equally against opting out.
“Not one single neighbor was thrilled with what we’re doing here,” Goff said. “Not one single neighbor said ‘Let’s opt out and let us double our taxes every three years.’ Not a one of them was interested in that.”
But school leaders were alarmed that revenues wouldn’t keep up with future expenses. Needing votes from lawmakers sympathetic to school concerns to reach the two-thirds majority needed for a constitutional amendment, leaders in the House and Senate granted cities, counties and school districts a one-time chance to exit the cap that must be completed by March 1.
But lawmakers who represent some districts that are considering opting out say they will pass local legislation to place them back under the cap. Such a move would require a second local vote to make the cap mandatory. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Hufstetler, a Rome Republican who helped lead the writing of the amendment last year, has said he will do so if any of the districts exit the cap.
“My feeling was that in areas like mine, in Floyd County, where over 70% of the voters said they wanted it, that would convince the schools that they needed to do this,” said Hufstetler, who published his objections in The Rome News Tribune on Thursday. “That’s not necessarily going to happen, in which case there’s going to be a second vote that says it will be mandatory.”
Primary jurors in the Jackie Johnson prosecution have been seated, and selection continues with alternates, according to The Brunswick News.
Savannah is preparing for their yearly “Atlanta takeover” at the General Assembly, according to WTOC.
Savannah and Chatham County leaders are making their way to the state capitol to push their priorities for Savannah-Chatham Day.
“We call it the Atlanta takeover,” said Savannah’s Mayor Van Johnson.
Mayor Johnson said a big priority this year is preparing for the city’s continued growth. To make sure Savannah is ready, he’s hoping state legislators will support Governor Brian Kemp’s proposed water investment.
“Governor Kemp has proposed $500 million in funding that will help establish a coastal Georgia water supply partnership between the city of Savannah, Effingham County and Bryan County,” said Mayor Johnson.
City officials said another big priority is trying to gain local control of current state issues.
“Local governments and people who live in their own communities throughout the state [should] have the ability to make decisions about things that affect them locally, as opposed to the state making a decision for everyone,” said Joe Shearouse, the Chief of Information and Public Affairs for the City of Savannah.
As local leaders lobby their priorities, Shearouse said Wednesday’s discussions could be what it takes to win over state officials.
“Laws and legislation are all written on paper, but they impact and change people’s lives,” said Shearouse. “And, when you’re up here and talk about the impacts that a potential law could make on our community, both sometimes in a positive way and other times in a negative way, it resonates more when you connect a legislation to the lives that it impacts.”
Senate Bill 29 by State Senator Rick Williams (R-Milledgeville) would require law enforcement agencies to take DNA samples of suspected felons, according to the Macon Telegraph.
A Middle Georgia lawmaker Monday filed a bill that would require law enforcement agencies to swab for DNA of people arrested with felony charges before they are actually found guilty.
This is currently only required at individual agencies’ discretion, and is not a statewide mandate.
State Sen. Rick Williams, R-Milledgeville, represents District 25, which includes Baldwin, Butts, Jones, Jasper and Putnam counties, and parts of Bibb and Henry counties. He said Senate Bill 29 would link suspects to unsolved cases and help investigators avoid mistaken arrests.
“This is not to invade someone’s privacy, but actually could prove them innocent,” Williams told The Telegraph.
Surrounding states including Florida, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina already mandate this practice. The same applies in Tennessee for sexual or violent felony arrests.
He mentioned a Georgia man, Dennis Perry, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2003 for the 1985 killing of a couple at a Baptist church in Woodbine.
Investigators took a fresh look at evidence in 2020 that revealed Perry’s DNA did not match DNA left at the scene. A superior Court judge dropped all charges and he was released from jail in 2021.
Williams argued this would not happen if the state took DNA tests upon Perry’s arrest.
“If we can stop the innocent from being sent to prison and get the bad guys, then we have accomplished a lot,” Williams said.
The Republican-backed bill would also keep a database of felony suspects’ DNA profiles to help investigators archive their history of charges. Similarly, the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System tracks profiles of convicted felons, unsolved crime scene evidence and missing person cases from local, state and federal forensic laboratories.
“It goes into the database and that’s where they’ll see hits from other crimes … because its almost instantaneous,” Williams said.
Former Dean of the Georgia General Assembly State Rep. Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus) was honored with a portrait unveiling at the State Capitol, according to WTVM.
Retired State Representative Calvin Smyre of Columbus served his constituents for nearly a half-century, retiring in 2022 to work in the Biden administration.
“I felt overwhelmed to join the ranks of other Georgians in the state of Georgia is a tremendous honor and I’m thankful for Speaker John Burns and the members of the Georgia House of Representatives,” Smyre said.
State Representative Teddy Reese, who replaced Smyre in a newly formed district, highlighted the significance of this moment. He emphasized that the capitol is more than just a place of government.
“It’s one of the greatest joys to see people here at the capitol in Atlanta,” Reese said. “You see them pointing at the big portraits and they’re asking questions, ‘Who is this? Who is that?’ That’s why this is a museum; it’s not just our place of government, it’s a place where Georgians all over the state can come and learn about the great history of our state.”
Minority Leader Representative Carolyn Hughley noted the portrait’s inspirational value.
“He is going to be the first person from Columbus to be so honored,” Hugley said. “And so when our children come to this capitol in the years to come, they will see there was a man from Columbus named Calvin Smyre and get to learn about all the things that he has done.”
“After 50 years—48 in the state and two in the federal—I’m just going to continue to do community work,” Smyre said. “I’m still chairman of the Fountain City Classic, which is an annual event in Columbus held every year. This will be our 35th year coming up, benefiting Albany State University and Fort Valley State University. So, my heart is in higher ed.”
Retired state Rep. Calvin Smyre of Columbus made history as the longest-serving member of the Georgia House of Representatives, and now his likeness will grace the state Capitol for years to come.
There are 233 portraits, sculptures and other memorials celebrating notable Georgians at the Capitol, but Smyre is the first from Columbus and only the seventh African American with such a distinction.
“I am grateful beyond words to see this happen in my lifetime,” Smyre said after his former colleagues spent more than an hour sharing praise and humorous and endearing stories about him on the floor of the House.
Columbus artist Steven Tette painted his portrait using several photographs. The painting depicts Smyre seated in a dark suit, his hands clasped in front of him, a slight smile crossing his face. The crowd was pleased.
Smyre was 26 in 1974 when he was elected as a Democrat to the Georgia House. He served 48 years until 2022, stepping down at age 74. He’d planned to serve 50 years, but President Joe Biden had nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic.
But he would not take that post. The U.S. Senate never confirmed his nomination, nor did it confirm him when the Biden administration switched the posting to the Bahamas.
Biden’s State Department named him in 2023 to serve as the U.S. representative to the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Smyre also was tapped to join Biden’s Intelligence Advisory Board.
Dalton is waiting for state approval of their speed cameras, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.
“They are not operating yet,” said Dalton Communications Director Bruce Frazier. “And no, we do not have dates when they will begin. We are still waiting on permits from the state (Department of Transportation) on them.”
“There will be an information campaign from my office announcing when the cameras go into operation including a press release that will be sent to the Daily Citizen as well as postings on all of our social media accounts,” said Frazier. “And when the cameras do begin operating, there will be a 30-day grace period when warnings are sent instead of citations.”
In February 2024, City Council members approved a two-year contract with Blue Line Solutions, which provides speed enforcement cameras for cities and counties across the nation, to provide and maintain the enforcement system. That contract says the city will receive “65% of all paid Notices of Liability” and Blue Line Solutions’ “portion shall be 35% of all paid Notices of Liability.”
At that time Police Chief Cliff Cason said he did not have enough officers to enforce the school zone speed limits “the way we would like to.”
We’re not paying for your lawyer to sue us! Burke County Commissioners rejected a request by Sheriff Alfonzo Williams for funding to sue the county, according to WRDW.
Burke County commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday for Sheriff Alfonzo Williams to find independent counsel if he decides to follow through with suing the county.
The board also said the sheriff cannot use the county attorney because of a conflict of interest.
Commissioners said that if the sheriff feels that he wants to sue the county and taxpayers, then they will have to pay for the attorney at the rate of $175 per hour, which is the county rate. Significantly lower than the $400 per hour rate Williams is asking for.
Georgia law requires the county to pay for a constitutional officer’s attorney but only at the rate of the county attorney. He’s not allowed to pay extra with county funds, according to county officials.
The board said they didn’t feel like they had a dispute with Williams and the sheriff’s office because they say they have properly funded his department since he’s been in office in 2017.
We spoke to some county commissioners after the meeting and they said they feel it is very likely that the sheriff will go through with suing.
They said they wanted to get the point across that it is not just between the sheriff and the board of commission, but also between the taxpayers.
Webster said Williams is a constitutional officer and is entitled to his budget. He also said they want the commission to accept the sheriff’s letter that they sent last week saying this is a way for both parties to move forward.
“I hate it’s come to this,” said Evans Martin, District 3 commissioner. “It’s the job of the board of commissioners to provide him a budget. We provided him a well budget. The sheriff’s office does a great job policing. We just feel like they have the appropriate budget and that he needs to stay within that budget”
Houston County upgraded their 911 system and is waiting for legislative appropriation of funding for a statewide upgrade, according to 13WMAZ.
Houston County’s 911 center stands equipped and ready to enter the digital age, but state lawmakers must first approve funding for a statewide upgrade that would revolutionize emergency response in Georgia.
The current 911 system, designed in 1968 for landline phones, struggles to meet modern emergency needs. More than 80% of emergency calls now come from cell phones, creating challenges for dispatchers trying to locate callers.
“Literally Uber can find you sometimes easier than we can. And people don’t understand that,” said Captain Mikki Quinones, Houston County’s 911 division commander.
The proposed Next Generation 911 system would allow dispatch centers to receive photos and videos from callers, pinpoint locations more accurately, and create a seamless network between Georgia’s 155 dispatch centers.
While Houston County has already installed the necessary equipment for the upgrade, many rural counties lack the resources to modernize their systems independently.
“You have some of your more rural smaller counties who simply don’t have the funds to be able to move or purchase this type of technology,” Quinones said.
The Georgia Emergency Communications Authority (GECA) estimates the statewide implementation will take three to five years once approved. The project would be funded through state appropriations and possibly an increase to the current $1.50 fee that appears on phone bills.
The new system would enhance emergency response in several ways. Dispatchers could receive real-time photos and videos from crime scenes or accidents. These digital files could later serve as evidence in court cases. The system would also enable more accurate location tracking by utilizing modern cell phone technology.
“I think this will be huge for 911. Literally we deal in life and death situations every day, and public safety needs to be given the attention and the importance in updating this technology,” Quinones said.
The current system relies on cell tower locations to approximate a caller’s position, often providing less precise location data than common smartphone apps. Next Generation 911 would use internet protocol-based technology to track calls more accurately.
Brooklet City Council confirmed Michelle Reolegio as their new police chief, according to the Statesboro Herald.
Reolegio has served with the Brooklet Police Department for two years and three months. She joined it as an officer on Oct. 17, 2022, and was soon promoted to sergeant. Now 51, she previously retired from the Chatham County Police Department, based in Savannah, with the rank of corporal after 25 years service.
Brooklet’s interim City Manager Carter Crawford had asked Reolegio to serve as interim chief of police when the retirement of previous Chief Gary Roberts took effect Oct. 31, 2024.
During the mayor and council’s Jan. 16 meeting, Crawford recommended Reolegio for the permanent job and said she would need to complete some training for her certification. Councilman Keith Roughton made the motion to hire her, and Councilman Brad Anderson seconded. The vote was unanimous, and Mayor Nicky Gwinnett said, “Congratulations.”
In fact, Chief Reolegio has long been a Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council certified officer. What the city manager was referring to was two weeks of “chief’s school,” offered by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police in Duluth, which Reolegio said she is scheduled to attend in June.
As of mid-January, the Brooklet Police Department consisted of Reolegio and just two other officers.
“So we’ve got some recruiting to do,” she said, and the Statesboro Herald asked how many officers the department should have.
“Before we had four, but because of how our city’s growing, we should probably have between six and eight,” Reolegio said.
As she acknowledged, an expansion like that would require further support from Brooklet’s mayor and council on behalf of the taxpayers. But more immediately, the new chief was working on recruiting one replacement officer.
Bibb County Commissioners voted to spend $10.6 million dollars from a 2018 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) on projects, according to 13WMAZ.
Mayor Miller says the 10-year SPLOST originally approved in 2018 is now nearing its end, nearly three and a half years early.
“$10 million seems like a large amount but if you add all that up, it doesn’t go very far,” Miller said. “A lot of those items, each time we have them come up on this timeline, we have to go forth and begin the year and say, this is what we’re going to spend the money on this year. These are the projects that we’re going to be doing.”
The last day to register to vote for the SPLOST election is Tuesday, Feb. 18.
The SPLOST election is set for Tuesday, March 18.
The Georgia Ports Authority Board voted to approve a $73.5 million expansion of the Ocean Terminal in Savannah, according to the Savannah Morning News.
GPA is moving forward with a $73.5 million project to expand its gate capacity at the terminal, creating a new gate complex that will host 12 inbound truck lanes and six outbound lanes. The new gate complex will be a boost from the existing five-lane gate at the terminal.
The terminal’s expansion is set to increase its current 250,000 annual twenty-foot-equivalent units to more than 1.5 million TEUs. As GPA makes investments in boosting container capacity on Ocean Terminal’s docks, efficiency at the gates must keep up to avoid congestion and customer dissatisfaction, said GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch.
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