Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for March 1, 2022

On March 1, 1778, the Georgia legislature confiscated property owned by 117 people after labeling them traitors.

The Articles of Confederation were ratified on March 1, 1781.

The nation was guided by the Articles of Confederation until the implementation of the current U.S. Constitution in 1789.

The critical distinction between the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution —the primacy of the states under the Articles—is best understood by comparing the following lines.

The Articles of Confederation begin:

“To all to whom these Present shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of the States”

By contrast, the Constitution begins:

“We the People of the United States do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

On March 1, 1875, Governor James Smith signed legislation making cruelty to animals a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $50.

Paul Broun, Sr. was born on March 1, 1916, in Shellman, Georgia, and served 38 years in the Georgia legislature.

Broun was first elected to the state senate in 1962 in a historic election that took place after the federal courts struck down Georgia’s long-established county unit election system. Broun was one of several new senators elected in a class that included Jimmy Carter, the future president of the United States; Leroy Johnson, the first black legislator elected in Georgia since Reconstruction; and politicians like Hugh Gillis, Culver Kidd, and Bobby Rowan, who would have a lasting impact on legislative politics.

Broun was elected to nineteen consecutive terms in the senate, where he served as the chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the University System Committee.

Dorothy Felton was born on March 1, 1929, and served as the first Republican woman elected to the Georgia legislature.

Dorothy Felton was the first Republican woman elected to the Georgia General Assembly and eventually became the longest-serving Republican and the longest-serving woman of either party in the state legislature. She also worked for more than a quarter of a century for the right of the Sandy Springs community of Fulton County to incorporate as a municipality, a goal that was not achieved until four years after she retired from elective office.

Felton was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 1974 from a district in Sandy Springs.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Republican Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler announced he will not run for reelection this year, according to the Associated Press via WSAV.

The Republican made the announcement Monday in a memo to staff at the state Labor Department.

Butler says he’s leaving politics to “concentrate on family and new opportunities.”

The three-term incumbent was beset by challengers who criticized his agency’s handling of unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald:

Butler, whose agency has faced huge obstacles processing the deluge of unemployment claims filed during the pandemic, informed employees in a memo that he is stepping down to focus on his wife’s battle with cancer.

“I’m extremely proud of how the men and women of the Department of Labor stepped up and put in long hours taking on unbelievable odds during this pandemic,” he wrote.

State Sen. Bruce Thompson, R-White, launched a primary challenge to Butler. The commissioner’s decision not to run leaves Thompson alone on the GOP ballot for the May 24 primary, barring someone else stepping forward before the qualifying period ends next week.

Democrats seeking the statewide post include Georgia Sen. Lester Jackson of Savannah and state Rep. William Boddie of East Point.

Governor Brian Kemp said his administration will fully divest from Russian companies, according to the AJC.

Gov. Brian Kemp’s administration said Monday that the state will “fully divest” from Russian firms after the invasion of Ukraine, setting the stage for Georgia to join other U.S. states that have taken similar steps since Vladimir Putin ordered the attack.

Kemp spokeswoman Katie Byrd said the governor’s office last week began “reviewing and taking actions to ensure Georgia taxpayer dollars are not being used to subsidize Russia.”

When House Speaker David Ralston said Monday that the state wants to distance itself from Russia amid its “barbaric” invasion of Ukraine, lawmakers responded with a standing ovation.

“I don’t want one penny of a Georgian’s money going to subsidize Vladimir Putin,” said Ralston, a Republican from Blue Ridge. “While our role in international affairs is limited, we make clear that our people stand with those who want to live in peace.”

And in the state Senate, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan condemned members of the far right who have cheered Putin.

Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger warned Georgians about scams that say they’re raising money for Urkaine, according to WTVM.

“As Secretary of State, it is my duty to warn the people of Georgia about the scams and frauds looking to take advantage of their good will and generosity,” said Raffensperger. “I encourage my fellow Georgians to support the people of Ukraine in their fight for freedom. But they should make sure their support is going to real charities who will actually send their dollars to the right cause.”

Secretary Raffensperger also called on Georgians to boycott Russia, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Gwinnett Daily Post.

“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin has made clear his designs to roll back the progress of democracy and freedom in the world, and the people of Ukraine are bearing the brunt of his violent revisionism. I am calling on the people of Georgia to cease any business with Russia or investment in Russian assets, or companies that support Russia, to demonstrate our resolve on the side of liberty and freedom from tyranny.”

Floyd County Public Schools will mark “mature” books to make the more popular among students, according to the Rome News Tribune.

Locally, one group of parents has been in constant contact with White about a selection of books they found at Coosa High School they deem inappropriate and believe should be banned. The group has been distributing out-of-context excerpts from the books, which include “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood and “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Piccoult.

“This is being portrayed like we’re out here promoting these books — and one of these books that was brought to our attention had been in the library for years and had never been checked out,” White said. “The rest hadn’t been checked out since March 2021.”
In response to this protest, Director of Online Learning and Innovation Celena Arrington completed a “professional collection analysis” through a program called Tidal Wave to find books that are on a “mature level.”

Arrington said this analysis was done at all four high schools and the media specialists will begin to mark all of those books with a red “M” to mark them as mature.

The school system plans to send out an “opt out” form to parents that they can sign if they don’t want their children checking those books out from the media centers.

Moving forward, FCS also plans to do this at the middle schools and the elementary schools, although Arrington said she highly doubts any mature books are in the elementary schools.

Under the Gold Dome Today – Legislative Day 22

TBD Senate Rules upon Adjournment 450 CAP

8:00 AM HOUSE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE 506 CLOB HYBRID

8:00 AM HOUSE MOTOR VEHICLES COMMITTEE 606 CLOB HYBRID

8:00 AM HOUSE CANCELED Energy Utilities, & Telecommunications EV Charging Subcommittee 406 CLOB HYBRID

9:00 AM HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE 341 CAP

10:00 AM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD 22) House Chamber

10:00 AM Senate Floor Session LD 22 Senate Chamber

1:00 PM HOUSE Insurance Property & Casualty Subcommittee 606 CLOB HYBRID

1:00 PM Senate Higher Education Committee 450 CAP

1:00 PM Senate Insurance and Labor Committee Mezz 1

1:30 PM HOUSE Ways & Means Subcommittee 403 CAP HYBRID

1:30 PM HOUSE Insurance Life & Health Subcommittee 606 CLOB HYBRID

2:00 PM HOUSE REGULATED INDUSTRIES COMMITTEE 506 CLOB HYBRID

2:00 PM HOUSE HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE 606 CLOB HYBRID

2:00 PM Senate Health and Human Services Committee – canceled 450 CAP

2:00 PM Senate Public Safety Committee Mezz 1

3:00 PM HOUSE ENERGY, UTILITIES & TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE 403 CAP HYBRID

3:00 PMHOUSE Judiciary Non-Civil Smith SubcommitteeHOUSE 132 CAP HYBRID

3:00 PM Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee 450 CAP

4:00 PM Senate Judiciary CommitteeHOUSE 307 CLOB

4:00 PM Senate State and Local Government Operations CommitteeHOUSE 310 CLOB

Senate Rules Calendar

SB 496 – Death Investigations; medical examiner’s inquiry when a pregnant female dies and an inquest; require (Substitute) (H&HS-11th)

HB 1361 – Civil practice; Attorney General is to be served and heard in defense of all Acts of the General Assembly when challenged in any court action; clarify (JUDY-18th) Leverett-33rd

SB 337 – Public Officers; suspension of compensation because of indictment for a felony; provide (GvtO-20th)

SB 500 – Commerce; a litigation bar on governmental entities regarding certain statewide opioid litigation; provide (Substitute) (JUDY-17th)

SB 511 – County Boards of Equalization; handling of appeals of property tax assessments; revise certain deadlines (Substitute) (FIN-24th)

SB 514 – “Unmask Georgia Students Act”; enact (ED&Y-45th)

SB 456 – Health; requirements relating to the use of abortion-inducing drugs; provide (Substitute) (H&HS-14th)

HOUSE RULES CALENDAR

Modified Structured Rule

HB 974 – Property; deeds; require electronic filing (Substitute)(Judy-Gullett-19th)

HB 1009 – Motor vehicles; use of personal delivery devices to transport cargo; authorize (Substitute)(MotV-Jones-25th)

HB 1188 – Criminal procedure; each act of child molestation charged as a separate offense; provide (JudyNC-Lott-122nd)

HB 1194 – Motor vehicles; federal regulations regarding safe operation of commercial motor vehicles and carriers; update reference date (MotV-Crowe-110th)

HB 1292 – Education; prohibit students who participate in 4-H sponsored activities or programs from being counted as absent from school (Ed-Jasperse-11th)

HB 1303 – Education; transition a pilot program for elementary agricultural education to an ongoing program (Ed-Dickey-140th)

HR 732 – Local government; date temporary loans are payable from end of calendar year to fiscal year; change – CA (Substitute)(GAff-Martin-49th)

Structured Rule

HB 1302 – Income tax; one-time tax credit for taxpayers who filed returns for both 2020 and 2021 taxable years; provide (Substitute)(W&M-Bonner-72nd)

The Georgia Senate Appropriations Committee approved the $29.9 billion dollar supplemental budget for the current fiscal year, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Savannah Morning News.

The mid-year budget covering state spending through the end of June represents a $2.7 billion increase over the fiscal 2022 budget lawmakers adopted last spring.

“Georgia’s economy is resilient,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia. “Georgia’s economy has continued to grow.”

The Senate panel put its stamp of approval on a $5,000 pay increase for state employees and a $2,000 raise for Georgia teachers Gov. Brian Kemp recommended in January. The increase for teachers completes the $5,000 raise Kemp promised on the campaign trail four years ago.

The election-year tax refund would be worth $250 for single state income tax filers and $500 for joint filers.

The mid-year spending plan also includes $388.2 million to fully fund the state’s K-12 student funding formula, $93 million to accommodate an increase in student enrollment last fall, $188 million to replace aging school buses and $432 million to begin a “state prison transformation” that includes buying a private prison and building a second one.

Other Senate changes include $189.2 million to provide a 20% state match to the federal funds Georgia is due to receive from the infrastructure spending bill Congress passed last November, $20 million for economic development grants to downtown areas of rural communities and $5 million in equipment and operating grants to college nursing programs.

“It’s no secret that our state needs nurses,” Tillery said.

The full Senate is expected to adopt the mid-year budget later this week.

From the AJC:

Kemp — who is up for reelection this year — was able to request big increases in salaries, education and health care because tax collections are running 17.9% ahead of last year for the first seven months of fiscal 2022.

Typically, the midyear budget is used to fund rises in school enrollment and increased costs for Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for the poor, disabled and nursing care.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, said his chamber is proposing increasing the raise to $9,000 for officers who work in the Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile Justice facilities, which have seen high turnover rates for years.

Full-time k-12 employees — such as teachers and staff — would receive a $2,000 bonus payment, while part-timers would get $1,000. Teachers are expected to be offered a $2,000 raise in fiscal 2023, allowing Kemp to meet his 2018 campaign promise of giving them a $5,000 increase over the course of his first term.

The Senate added money to make sure school nurses would receive the same bonus money.

The midyear plan includes big increases for Medicaid, the health care program for the poor and disabled and nursing homes, which were hit hard by the pandemic. The Senate also added $5 million to help nursing schools produce more nurses.

The State Senate did give a haircut to a raise for legislators that was contained in the budget, according to the AJC.

The midyear budget that Senate leaders approved Monday includes the cost-of-living raise for most state employees. But it removes $3,750 of the $5,000 that lawmakers, statewide elected officials and judges would receive, maintaining that it is an unconstitutional bonus because of the way raises would be handed out.

The midyear budget runs through June 30.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, also isn’t making any promises his chamber will back lawmaker pay raises in the budget for fiscal 2023, which begins July 1.

“We haven’t taken up that budget yet,” Tillery said.

The Georgia Senate passed Senate Bill 319 by Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-Paulding) to allow the carry of concealed weapons without a permit, according to 13WMAZ.

The election year bill passed on a strict party line vote Monday.

“Criminals… do not care about having a carry permit,” said state Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas), sponsor of the bill during Senate debate.

It would still be illegal for convicted felons to carry weapons, as well as anybody adjudicated to have a mental illness.

Republicans say it’s to help Georgians defend themselves against violent crime.

“It’s the young mom who just heard on the radio in her car there was another carjacking at her neighborhood gas station,” Anavitarte told his colleagues Monday.

“What about folks who might have mental problems, folks involved in family violence,” state Sen. David Lucas (D-Macon) asked Anavitarte.

“Senator, if you’re a law abiding citizen, you can carry your weapon,” Anavitarte answered.

“How do you know?” asked Lucas.

From the Associated Press via AccessWDUN:

Facing a primary challenge from Republicans including former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has backed the revocation. He says Georgia residents should have their constitutional rights protected and be able to protect themselves and their families amid a spike in violent crime.

More than 20 other states allow concealed weapons in public without a permit, according to Stateline, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Republican Sen. Chuck Payne of Dalton, another bill sponsor, recalled flashing his pistol when his family was approached by men who appeared high during a camping trip in eastern Georgia and wondered what would have happened if he had been unable to afford the fee for a gun permit.

“What would have been the outcome that day?” he asked.

Republican Sen. Matt Brass of Newnan cited the invasion of Ukraine.

“Ask yourselves, ‘What would a Ukrainian citizen say about their right to take up and bear arms?’” Brass said.

Sen. Nan Orrock, an Atlanta Democrat, suggested those who voted for the bill would have blood on their hands because the legislation would continue “the bloody trail of people injured and killed with gun violence here in our state.”

From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald:

“Access to firearms increases the likelihood of suicide,” said Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler, D-Stone Mountain. “The presence of a firearm in a domestic violence incident raises the likelihood of homicide, no matter who owns the gun.”

Senators defeated an amendment introduced by Sen. Michelle Au, D-Johns Creek, to require background checks of Georgians seeking to buy firearms in private transactions, including at gun shows or flea markets. Current state law only covers guns bought from firearms retailers.

Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, accused Republicans of pushing “cultural wedge issues” like enhancing gun rights during this election-year session to gain votes.

“This is a dangerous agenda of right-wing gun groups,” she said. “We have a majority that is in thrall to gun extremists.”

Governor Brian Kemp signed the redistricting plans for Augusta Commission districts and Richmond County Board of Education districts, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Senate Bill 457 which outlines the commission districts and Senate Bill 458, which forms the identical school trustee lines become state Acts 519 and 520, said Carter Chapman, a communications specialist with the governor’s office.

The lines are controversial on local and state levels.

Two Republican senators, Max Burns and Lee Anderson, had the maps drawn by the state Reapportionment Office after a local committee approved a set that removed most of the Summerville Historic District from District 3.

Sen. Harold Jones, D-Augusta, represents most of the affected residents. Jones, who opposes the plan said the senate map appears to pack Black voters into District 5 to create a slim white majority in District 3. An attorney, Jones said the moves violate the Voting Rights Act.

“Eventually this will go to court” he said.

From WRDW:

Republicans like Senator Max Burns argue the approved version of the maps keep more neighborhoods intact.

“It is fully compliant with all laws, all regulations, all numbers, it maintains virtually every existing boundary, and it protects as many neighborhoods as possible,” he said.

Senator Harold Jones II says the next step for those opposed to the new redistricted maps is for someone to sue the state.

“They may come from district 309, which is the district that was moved. It also could just be a plaintiff in Augusta. That talks about the fact that they believe that the new lines violate the voting rights act. It could be multiple plaintiffs,” said Jones.

Augusta Commissioner A.K. Hasan, who was drawn out of his district, will run for Mayor, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Mayor and commission candidate qualifying – with commission seats based on the new district lines – starts Monday. The school board elections are in November. Map opponents say they’ll challenge it in court.

Hasan brings to 13 the number who have launched campaigns to replace term-limited Mayor Hardie Davis in the May election. He joins:

Donald Bradshaw
Charlie Hannah, Richmond County School Board president
Robert Ingham, tax preparer
Garnett Johnson, owner of Augusta Office Solutions
Lucas V. Johnson, employee at Thermal Ceramics
Steven Kendrick, Richmond County tax commissioner
Christopher Leggett
Brian Marcus
Lori Myles, retired educator
Albert Newson, food-service worker
Marion Williams, former Augusta commissioner
Dennis Williams, Augusta commissioner

State Senate Republicans announced the formation of two fundraising committees, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald.

The committees – Citizens for a Greater Georgia and the Georgia Republican Senatorial Committee – stem from legislation the General Assembly passed last year. They can raise and spend unlimited contributions on behalf of legislative candidates and accept donations throughout the year, including during the legislative session.

Citizens for a Greater Georgia is a partnership between the Senate Republican Caucus and former GOP U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, building on an existing voter mobilization group she formed last year.

“Real change happens at the local level, and the Left knows that, which is why they have been investing heavily in local elections, including state Senate races across the country,” added Sen. Dean Burke, R-Bainbridge, the caucus secretary and chairman of the Georgia Republican Senatorial Committee.

“With the creation of these new committees and our proven legislative track record, our caucus is leading the charge to defend Georgia’s conservative Senate majority.”

Two Democratic SuperPACs are targeting Governor Brian Kemp, according to the AJC.

Two Democratic super PACs will pump $2 million into an ad campaign assailing Republican Gov. Brian Kemp ahead of the midterm election.

The new advertising initiative announced Tuesday by Priorities USA and America Works USA targets Georgia voters who don’t regularly consume mainstream news, with a particular emphasis on Black voters across the state.

The campaign, which focuses on social media platforms, will slam Kemp and other Republicans for refusing to expand Medicaid, a priority of Democrat Stacey Abrams’ bid for governor.

The March 8, 2022 Special Election referendum on county spending for the Camden Spaceport may herald more legal challenges in the future, according to The Brunswick News.

A special election March 8 to determine the fate of a planned spaceport in Camden County could set a precedent in Georgia.

Dana Braun, a lawyer representing two plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit to stop the purchase of the proposed launch site, said he has researched case law and has been unable to find another case where citizens have mounted a drive to block the decision of a board of county commissioners in Georgia.

Braun said a reason the provision in the state constitution has never been used to his knowledge is because most legislative decisions are made too quickly for citizens to contest them.

A yes vote will prohibit the county from buying the property, in effect ending the county’s quest for a spaceport.

Republican Kent Henderson will run for Hall County Commission District 3, according to the Gainesville Times.

“We’ve got to get some industrial, some manufacturing, some commercial growth coming up through there, because that inland port is going to be a huge disturbance for that area as well,” he said. “We’ve got to have leaders that are going to figure out how to work with the state and see how we’re going to improve and keep that traffic going up 365, not just District 3.”

Henderson faces Republican opposition from Gregg Poole, a contractor from Gillsville.

The primary election will be held on May 24.

Lowndes County will received $5.2 million in federal COVID relief funding for water and sewer projects, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act as announced by County Manager Paige Dukes. The grant requires a 50% match in funds.

The Language Access Plan was approved which allows the county to receive federal financial assistance related to the needs of individuals with limited English language skills, according to the request.

This will allow for Lowndes County to provide “meaningful” access to its programs and activities for people with limited English proficiency. A resolution for federally funded grants and programs was included with the plan’s adoption.

Gainesville City Council will consider deploying electric vehicle chargers, according to AccessWDUN.

The council will vote on whether or not to authorize a resolution accepting more than $158,000 from Georgia Power as part of the company’s Make Ready Program. The funding will be used to build the electric chargers on all four levels of the parking deck.

According to documents on the city’s website, there are four charging stations proposed for each of the first three levels of the parking deck. Assistant City Manager Angela Sheppard said during the meeting the city plans to start with four charging stations and add on later.

An additional 16 stations are planned for the deck’s fourth level.

A third party, working with Georgia Power, will be responsible for building and maintaining the charging stations.

The Rome Board of Education plans to fill a Board vacancy, according to the Rome News Tribune.

The Rome school board met Monday afternoon to cement the process of appointing someone to replace resigning member John Uldrick by the end of March.

However, the seat will go up for special election in November.