On July 28, 1868, United States Secretary of State William Seward proclaimed that the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution had been ratified and was now part of the Constitution. The first section of the 14th Amendment often forms the basis for litigation and reads:
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Georgia initially rejected the 14th Amendment in 1866, later ratifying it on July 21, 1868 as a condition for readmission.
On July 28, 1978, Animal House was released, instantly becoming one of the greatest films of all time. In case you’ve never seen the film, there is a tiny little bit of adult language in the following clip.
On July 28, 1994, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating “The General” locomotive, which was stolen in 1862 during the Great Locomotive Chase. Today, The General may be viewed at The Southern Museum in Kennesaw.
On July 28, 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first female Presidential nominee for a major party.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Former U.S. Attorney BJay Pak has been cleared by the U.S. Justice Department to speak to Congress on some matters that took place during his service, according to the AJC.
Former Atlanta-based U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak has received the Justice Department’s permission to speak to congressional committees investigating his abrupt resignation and whether it had anything to do with attempts by President Donald Trump to interfere in the 2020 election.
Pak had already said he would be willing to speak to the House Oversight Committee if he had clearance to do so after a trove of emails released in June shed new light on his final days on the job. Monday’s letter from Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer said Pak was free to speak to that panel, as well as the Senate Judiciary Committee, which could also request his testimony.
The Wall Street Journal reported at the time that White House officials pressured Pak to resign because they did not feel he was pursuing voter fraud allegations aggressively enough.
Georgia State House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) said he’d like to see the GBI investigate election issues, according to the AJC.
House Speaker David Ralston said in an interview that he sees a piece of unfinished business in the way allegations of fraud are currently handled, in which Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office receives complaints and investigates them. Cases are then brought before the State Election Board, which can refer them to Attorney General Chris Carr’s office for further investigation.
“The GBI, I think, is the most professional, thorough investigative agency we have in the state,” he said. “The GBI shouldn’t have to wait on an engraved invitation from the county government or the Secretary of State’s office before they can come in and investigate.”
Last week, the Speaker also promised new funding for the GBI to initiate investigations in cases where election fraud is suspected. That would be tucked into a broader budget measure that would be difficult for Democrats to oppose.
Sen. Butch Miller, the president pro tem, said in a statement, “If the GBI suspects there’s fraud or any other illegal activity happening in our elections I want it to have jurisdiction to investigate- it protects against a Secretary of State who’s prioritizing his or her own politics.”
Raffensperger’s chief operating officer, Gabriel Sterling, called the moves, “Political payback, no question,” after months of power struggles between his boss and fellow Republicans.
Speaker Ralston also discussed mental health issues and crime, according to the AJC.
Georgia was just ranked 51st in the country for access to mental health services by Mental Health America. But you don’t need a list to tell you people here are in crisis, especially in towns so remote they don’t have a grocery store, let alone a therapist or in-patient mental health treatment center.
“I think we’ve relegated mental health to a second-tier part of our healthcare delivery system for way, way too long,” Ralston said. “If I can move the needle on that in measurable ways, then I can go home and feel like I got something really good done.”
“[Law enforcement officials] see it every day, in every community in Georgia,” he said. “They say, ‘If there’s one thing we could probably use more of, it’s having some way of making sure that the people that we have to deal with and arrest could get care and treatment.’”
As for the specific areas Ralston wants to address, he said he’s especially worried about early intervention for school-age children and unaffordable treatment options for Georgians at any age.
“One of the most heartbreaking things that I hear, and I see it even in Blue Ridge, is this issue of young people who are having so much pain, so little hope, that they’re taking their own lives,” he said.
The AJC’s James Salzer reported last week that Ralston will propose a $75 million funding package during the 2022 session for law enforcement and mental health.
Charlton County in Southeast Georgia has the nation’s highest rate of new COVID cases, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Charlton County — with only 14% of its population vaccinated against the virus — is the hardest-hit county in the nation, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed by Surgo Ventures, a nonprofit dedicated to solving health and social problems.
Bacon County is one of the top 20 counties nationwide in the “Delta Danger Zone,” which includes much of southeast Georgia, said co-founder and CEO of Surgo Ventures Dr. Sema Sgaier, who’s also an adjunct assistant professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Five more of the Peach State’s counties made that top 20 list, including Lanier, Telfair, Heard, Jeff Davis and Treutlen.
“We believe these 20 counties are delta danger zones, which means they represent the strongest convergence of COVID-19 vulnerability, underlying community barriers to vaccine uptake, and low vaccination rates of all counties in the United States at this point in time,” Sgaier said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised their guidance on mask use, according to WTOC.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course Tuesday on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling infection surges.
Citing new information about the variant’s ability to spread among vaccinated people, the CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status.
The CDC’s new mask policy follows recent decisions in Los Angeles and St. Louis to revert to indoor mask mandates amid the spike in COVID-19 infections. The nation is averaging more than 57,000 cases a day and 24,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations.
The guidance on masks in indoor public places applies in parts of the U.S. with at least 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the last week. That includes 60 percent of U.S. counties, officials said. New case rates are particularly high in the South and Southwest, according to a CDC tracker. In Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida, every county has a high transmission rate.
The Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics supports mask use in schools, according to the Albany Herald.
“Ensuring that students safely return to in-person learning is a high priority for Georgia pediatricians,” Dr. Hugo Scornik, a practicing pediatrician in Conyers and president of the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said. “We urge school districts around the state to be proactive in implementing these guidelines and ensure they are consistently followed.”
Specifically, the Georgia AAP is emphasizing the need for schools to require all K-12th-grade students, as well as teachers and staff, to wear masks while at school.
“We recommend universal masking because a significant portion of the K-12 student population is not yet eligible for vaccination, and masking is a critical measure for protecting whose who are not vaccinated,” Scornik said. Masks are especially important as no COVID-19 vaccine is yet approved for children under the age of 12; and less than 20 percent of adolescents 12 to 17 are vaccinated in Georgia. Vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Savannah-Chatham County public school system will perform a “pandemic pivot” and now require masks inside all facilities, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Superintendent Ann Levett said on Tuesday morning the district has to do a “pandemic pivot.” That pivot means now all staff and students will be required to wear masks inside the school buildings.
“We ask for full cooperation with the requirement for masks, and all other public safety, guidance,” Levett said at a press conference held at Formey Early Learning Center on Tuesday morning. “We are approaching this new academic year with hope and with a great deal of relief. We are happy to see our young people.”
School officials continue to monitor the COVID transmission index for Chatham County, but are committed to its plan to return to full in-person learning on Aug. 4.
If conditions warrant, Levett said district staff are prepared to employ other safety measures up to and including a return to hybrid learning, if necessary. To avoid that scenario, she is asking that the community do its part to keep everyone safe — up to an including receiving the COVID vaccine, wearing masks while indoors, and especially keeping children home when they feel sick or have symptoms.
Students can take mask breaks while at recess outdoors.
Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson says the city will not mandate mask use at this time, according to WTVM.
“Right now I don’t have any plans to reinstitute a mask mandate. When we put that on last year we didn’t have any weapons to combat this virus. Well we’ve got the weapon, we just need people to access it and use it.”, said Henderson. ”We’ve seen a slight uptick in the number of people in this community. Probably about a 30-40% increase on a daily vaccinations rate. We were at about 100. Its gone up to about 140 to 150 a day. It’s not nearly quick enough to achieve herd immunity, but it is making some strides.”
Mayor Skip Henderson added, about 34% of people in Muscogee County have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 shot.
Mayor Henderson also told News Leader 9, COVID-19 hospitalizations are up in Muscogee County following the Fourth of July Holiday. He’s encouraging more people to get vaccinated here in Muscogee County.
Gwinnett County Public Schools will require masks, according to AccessWDUN.
Gwinnett County Public Schools issued a statement this afternoon requiring masks for all students, teachers and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, as part of its back-to-school plan.
“The facts and recommendations are clear…masks do make a difference and we must do all we can to keep students in school, in person,” said GCPS Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks in the statement.
Students and staff will also be required to wear a mask while riding a school bus.
As a result of the decision, parents have until August 2 to change their child’s schedule from in-person to digital learning, or vice versa. Parents are encouraged to contact their child’s school to request the change.
Columbia County will continue its mask-optional policy for now, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
The district has already had three positive cases last week among band and football participants. It will resume its public weekly count of COVID cases on July 30. Flynt said the district will continue to monitor the number of cases in the community and the school system to determine whether further action needs to be taken.
Flynt said the district continues to recommend vaccines to eligible students and employees to help mitigate the spread of the virus and encourages social distancing when possible.
The Gwinnett County Board of Education will vote Friday on hiring Calvin Watts as the new Superintendent, according to AccessWDUN.
The Richmond County Board of Education approved a $75,665,000 bond issue in anticipation of Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) proceeds, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
The school district was approved up to $161,425,000 of money from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax back in November, but finance committee chairman Jimmy Atkins explained that they issued bonds because they don’t expect to receive those funds until July 1, 2022.
“Most of our projects on our current SPLOST are wrapping up,” Atkins said. “So, we wanna keep the ball rolling. We’ve got a desperate need for two additional schools, one in south Augusta, one to support Fort Gordon directly. So we needed to go ahead and get that money.”
Tallapoosa Circuit Chief Judge Meng Lim has been charged with judicial misconduct, according to the Polk County Standard Journal.
The state Judicial Qualifications Commission filed the charges on July 22 with the Georgia Supreme Court, accusing Lim of 16 separate violations of the state Code of Judicial Conduct.
These charges stem from accusations related to Lim allegedly having a romantic relationship with a former Polk County Court Clerk’s Office employee, and using his influence and personal relationship with a participant in the Tallapoosa Circuit Drug Court program to get him preferred treatment.
Lim, who began practicing law in 1998, was voted into office as superior court judge in July 2014 and began to serve in January 2015. He is the first elected Asian American superior court judge in the state of Georgia. He was reelected to a second term in 2018.
Proceedings held by the commission, which investigates complaints against judges, are private and not subject to the Georgia Open Records Act until they are officially filed with the high court.
The Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit serves Haralson and Polk Counties.
Democratic state legislators are calling for the inclusion of Medicaid expansion in the Special Session that will be called for redistricting, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald.
A letter dated Tuesday signed by 67 Democratic members of the Georgia House and Senate called the need for legislative action to expand Medicaid coverage “urgent.”
“This governor has made it clear he wants to expand the scope of the session beyond redistricting,” said Rep. Matthew Wilson, D-Brookhaven, the chief signatory to the letter, referring to Kemp’s announcement last week that he will add tackling the recent rise in violent crime to the special session agenda. “If we’re going to include other items in the special session, Medicaid expansion must be a top priority.”
State Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, said the governor’s limited coverage plan isn’t going to pass muster with either the Democratic president or in the courts.
“[Medicaid] is a health care program,” she said. “When you throw in work requirements on top of that, it is not only outside the aims of the statute, it doesn’t serve the purpose of the program.”
The Democrats’ letter claims a full-blown Medicaid expansion for those with incomes up to 138% of the poverty level would cover nearly 500,000 Georgians who make too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid but can’t afford to buy private health insurance.
Georgia’s two U.S. senators, Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, introduced a bill this month to let the 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid do so through a new Medicaid “look-alike” program.
State legislators held a redistricting meeting in Albany, according to the Albany Herald.
The seventh of 11 reapportionment hearings being held around the state drew more than 20 speakers when Georgia House and Senate members stopped in Albany on Tuesday.
“I’m here with concerns for representation for Vadosta, Lowndes County and south Georgia in particular,” Christie Moore, president of the Valdosta Chamber of Commerce said during the evening hearing at Albany State University’s West Campus. “The first thing we ask is you don’t draw an 8th (congressional) District that goes from the Florida line to metro Atlanta.”
United States Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Atlanta) prompted U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to commit to visiting Georgia to discuss increasing exports of Georgia crops, according to the Albany Herald.
“With the Chairman’s indulgence, my final question for you, Mr. Secretary. Grateful for your recent trip to Georgia, your visit in particular to Fort Valley State University and your continued expressed commitment to Georgia farmers. Will you commit that the next time you come to Georgia you’ll sit down with me, local agricultural leaders, as well as those who are leading Georgia’s trade efforts –– of course, we have the Port of Savannah, one of the fastest growing ports in the country –– to discuss how we can work together to expand Georgia farmers’ access to export markets around the world?”
FFD Holdings says its Macon-area facility could employ up to 100 residents in its state-licensed marijuana production, according to 13WMAZ.
“FFD GA Holdings, LLC (“Fine Fettle”) is incredibly excited to have been selected as one of the six companies to provide low-THC oil to the patients of Georgia. We are confident Georgia can and will become the premier medical marijuana program in America,” said CEO Jeremy Fort.
He says they expect to hire nearly 100 full-time workers.Fort said FFD will be secure and monitored inside and out. Only employees and law enforcement will have access, and there will be NO retail on site.
According to a statement from the Macon-Bibb Planning and Zoning commission, the FFD site is zoned for industrial use. That means the company can grow marijuana and extract cannabis oil on the property, and no hearing was required for the project.
A bus shortage delayed the launch of Statesboro’s new transit system, according to the Statesboro Herald.
A delay in manufacturing and delivery of the buses is now expected to stretch into the late fall and possibly January, say staff members with the city and the Coastal Regional Commission. The CRC ordered Statesboro’s four 10-passenger buses, on Ford chassis, through the Georgia Department of Transportation.
“They’re quoting us November, but don’t hold your breath, because it might be longer than that,” CRC Transportation Director Don Masisak said Monday. “It’s the one part that’s universal. That’s even in the car industry – you notice there’s not a lot of new cars on the lots – and the same thing applies to the buses.”
An Augusta Commission committee did not approve a Non-Discrimination Ordinance, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
First proposed by Mayor Hardie Davis in 2019, Augusta’s draft ordinance bans discrimination based on race, religion, color, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, ancestry and military status, sexual orientation or gender identity. It applies to employment, services and the sale or rental of housing, while churches are excluded.
The ordinance provides a way to file a complaint, which is through the city Compliance department. Headed by former Procurement contract administrator Phyllis Johnson, the office oversees equal employment, disadvantaged business opportunities and disability accessibility.
Commissioner Sammie Sias said he was concerned about the “enforcement piece” of the proposed ordinance.
“The Compliance Department becomes in my view, investigator and enforcement department, all in the same place,” he said.
Commissioner Francine Scott motioned to create a committee to review the ordinance, to include the city departments, the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce and LGBTQ activist Matthew Duncan, who has lobbied for months to win commissioners’ support for the ordinance.
The committee, which Scott agreed to chair, will return in 60 days with “something to approve,” she said at the meeting.
Several commissioners said Monday they expected the ordinance to pass and were surprised by the delay Tuesday.
Floyd County Commissioners voted to restart the search for a new elections department head, according to the Rome News Tribune.
“It’s become evident that the limitations we approved for the position has produced only one applicant,” Commissioner Scotty Hancock said. “Our intention for this is to make the process more inclusive and cast a wider net.”
Commissioners declined to follow the recommendation of the Board of Elections and Registration to permenently appoint longtime clerk Vanessa Waddell to the chief clerk position. Waddell has been serving in that role on an interim basis and oversaw the Jan. 6 runoff elections.
Glynn County may raise solid waste fees by $60/year, according to The Brunswick News.
Members of the county finance committee decided at Tuesday’s meeting to defer making a recommendation after discussing two options.
The first choice would be to keep the current annual rate of $125 for solid waste collection, but that would mean an end to recycling bins. The other option would be to keep the existing service, including recycling, at a cost of $185 a year.
Columbus City Council voted to waive one month’s residential garbage collection fee, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
The Columbus Council approved the measure by a 7-1 vote with Evelyn “Mimi” Woodson casting the sole “no.” Councilors Jerry “Pops” Barnes and Gary Allen were not present for the meeting.
The ordinance amends the 2022 fiscal year budget’s integrated waste fund to allow fund reserves to cover the fees. The Columbus Water Works would then issue a fee waiver to each residential customer for solid waste collection for the month of September, according to the ordinance proposed by Councilor Glenn Davis earlier this month.
Lawrenceville City Council member Bob Clark announced he will not run for reelection, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Chamblee Mayor Eric Clarkson announced via Facebook that he will not run for reelection.
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