On March 18, 1766, the British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, which required American colonists to purchase a stamp for every legal or printed document they obtained. Revenue would be used to support the British army in America.
The Stamp Act led Patrick Henry to denounce King George III, the British Monarch at the time of the passage of the Stamp Act and the ensuing Revolutionary War; Henry’s later “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech to the Virginia Assembly at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, listed by Time magazine as one of the top ten speeches of all time. Henry later opposed adoption of the Constitution, arguing it was incomplete without a Bill of Rights; after the Bill of Rights was adopted, Henry was satisfied.
On February 19, 1807, Aaron Burr was arrested in the Mississippi Territory, in what is now Alabama. Burr had served as Vice President during the first term of President Thomas Jefferson, leaving the administration after the 1804 election; later Jefferson issued a warrant accusing Burr of treason. Burr spent part of his time on the lam in Georgia.
March 20, 1854 saw a meeting in Ripon, Wisconsin that is generally considered the founding of the Republican Party.
[F]ormer members of the Whig Party meet to establish a new party to oppose the spread of slavery into the western territories. The Whig Party, which was formed in 1834 to oppose the “tyranny” of President Andrew Jackson, had shown itself incapable of coping with the national crisis over slavery.
The Civil War firmly identified the Republican Party as the party of the victorious North, and after the war the Republican-dominated Congress forced a “Radical Reconstruction” policy on the South, which saw the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution and the granting of equal rights to all Southern citizens. By 1876, the Republican Party had lost control of the South, but it continued to dominate the presidency until the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933.
The Georgia State Capitol was completed on March 20, 1889. Ron Daniels, the Poet Laureate of GaPundit, has written an ode to the Gold Dome:
Well I guess it was back in eighteen eighty nine,
When a couple of boys in Dahlonega went down in a mine,
And found it was slap full of gold.
Then these folks in Atlanta wanted to keep growing,
So they told the legislature the Capitol had to be going,
And so those politicos said “Good Bye Milledgeville! Our attorneys will be in touch.”
Now the Capitol had been moved before,
Savannah, Louisville, and more,
They’d even moved it down to Macon on an overloaded poultry wagon.
Atlanta sure wanted to lend the State a hand,
Giving the legislature plenty of land,
Hammers started swingin’ and, boy howdy, they sure were buildin’.
The architect of this here building was feeling bold,
Covering the building’s dome all in beautiful gold,
Leaving the gold mine empty, and leaving someone with the shaft.
Well, Governor Gordon was slap full of delight,
When his eyes did recognize that impressive sight,
On March 20, 1889, a completed Capitol building.
He grabbed the keys and a few words he spoke,
The words he uttered were no joke,
“Boys when you’re hot, you’re hot! Now thanks a lot.”
On March 19, 1916, the first American military air combat mission began in support of an incursion into Mexico under President Woodrow Wilson.
On March 18, 1939, the State of Georgia ratified the Bill of Rights, which were proposed 150 years earlier in 1789. Georgia initially declined to ratify the Bill of Rights arguing that the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution were unnecessary. Governor E.D. Rivers signed the joint resolution six days later, but under federal court decisions the ratification is marked as of the date the second house of the state legislature adopts the legislation (assuming a bi-cameral state legislature).
On March 18, 1942, the United States government, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, created the War Relocation Authority to “Take all people of Japanese descent into custody, surround them with troops, prevent them from buying land, and return them to their former homes at the close of the war.” More than 120,000 Japanese Americans, many of them citizens of the United States were moved from the west coast into concentration camps in the western United States.
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, composed entirely of Japanese Americans, many of whose families were interned at the camps, became the most-decorated unit of World War II, with members being awarded 4,667 medals, awards, and citations, including 1 Medal of Honor, 52 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 560 Silver Stars; eventually 21 members of the 442nd would be awarded the Medal of Honor. The late United States Senator Daniel Inouye, a member of the 442nd from 1941 to 1947, was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton for actions during WWII. First elected to the United States Senate in 1962, Inouye became President Pro Tem in 2010.
On March 20, 1943, Governor Ellis Arnall signed legislation authorizing a referendum to amend the Georgia Constitution and make the Public Service Commission a Constitutional agency.
On March 18, 1947, Herman Talmadge surrendered the Governor’s office, ending the “Three Governors Affair.” Earlier this year, the General Assembly honored the late Governor Melvin Thompson, who was elected the first Lieutenant Governor of Georgia and became Governor at the conclusion of the Three Governors Affair.
On March 19, 1947, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled in Thompson v. Talmadge on the “Three Governors Affair.” The Court held that the Georgia General Assembly lacked authority to elect Herman Talmadge as Governor, and that because of the death of Eugene Talmadge before he took office, no successor to Gov. Ellis Arnall was in place until the newly-elected Lt. Governor Melvin Thompson was sworn in and became Governor, succeeding Arnall.
A couple years ago I was walking my dogs and found those two documents above on the street left out for the trash. Between them, they bear the signatures of all three men who claimed the Governorship during the Three Governors controversy, and a bonus 4th Governor.
On March 18, 1955, the Georgia Educators Association endorsed “equal but separate” schools for the races.
On March 18, 1961, the United States Supreme Court decided the case of Gray v. Sanders, which arose from Georgia. Three politically-important results come from the case.
First, the Court held that state regulation of the Democratic Primary made the primary election a state action, not merely that of a private organization; thus, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment applies.
Second, the Equal Protection Clause requires that every vote be given equal weight in electing officials, often stated as the “one person, one vote” rule. In Georgia at that time, each County had between two and six “county unit votes”. As a result,
“One unit vote in Echols County represented 938 residents, whereas one unit vote in Fulton County represented 92,721 residents. Thus, one resident in Echols County had an influence in the nomination of candidates equivalent to 99 residents of Fulton County.”
Third, because the County Unit System gave the votes of some Georgians greater weight than that of others, it violated the Equal Protection Clause. The “one person, one vote” rule is one benchmark of redistricting.
On March 20, 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson notified Alabama Governor George Wallace that Alabama National Guard troops would be called up to maintain order during a third march from Selma to Montgomery. Within five months, the Voting Rights Act would be passed by Congress.
On March 20, 1970, Governor Lester Maddox signed legislation designating the Brown Thrasher the official state bird, and the Bobwhite Quail the official state game bird.
On March 18, 1976, Governor George Busbee signed legislation recognizing the following official state symbols:
Staurolite – Official Mineral of Georgia
Shark’s Tooth – Official Fossil of Georgia
Clear Quartz – Official Gem of Georgia
Purple Quartz (Amethyst) – Official Gem of Georgia
On March 20, 1982, this song was #1 on the Billboard charts:
On March 19, 2003, President George W. Bush announced the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in order to depose Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and eliminate the country’s ability to produce weapons of mass destruction.
March 19, 2014 was “Bo Callaway Day” in Georgia and flags flew at half-staff in honor of the late Georgia Congressman and former Secretary of the Army.
“Few individuals throughout our history can match the legacy that Bo Callaway left on Georgia politics,” Deal said. “Bo blazed a trail that led to the dramatic growth of the Georgia GOP, which went from virtually nonexistent when he ran for governor to holding every statewide elected office today. Bo stood up for what he believed in even when the odds and the political system were stacked against him. Georgians are all the better for it. Sandra and I send our deepest sympathies to the Callaway family.”
March 19, 2014 was also the first time I wrote about the lack of an “Official State Dog of Georgia.”
Happy birthday to Georgia-born actress Holly Hunter (March 20, 1958, Conyers) and film director/actor Spike Lee (March 20, 1957, Atlanta).
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Under the Gold Dome Today – Legislative Day 31
TBD Senate Rules Committee upon Adjournment 450 CAP
8:00 AM Senate Insurance and Labor Subcommittee on Health and Workers’ Comp Mezz 1
9:00 AM HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE 341 CAP
10:00 AM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD 31) House Chamber
10:00 AM Senate Floor Session LD 31 Senate Chamber
Governor Brian Kemp will sign House Bill 304 in the coming days to suspend the collection of the state motor fuel tax, according to the Associated Press via WSAV.
The state Senate voted 55-0 on Thursday to give final approval to the measure.
Lawmakers sent House Bill 304 flying through the General Assembly in nine days after the Republican Kemp first proposed the measure on March 9.
Georgia’s gasoline price includes a federal tax of 18.4 cents per gallon and a state tax of 29.1 cents per gallon.
It could take some time for consumers to see relief, because gas stations now are selling fuel they were taxed on.
“On behalf of 11 million Georgians, thank you,” Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, the president of the Senate, said after the bill passed.
After it passed in the House, the governor thanked the state’s House of Representatives for “helping us bring relief to hardworking Georgians by temporarily halting the state gas tax!”
Kemp said he would sign the bill “as soon as it passes.”
From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Athens Banner Herald:
The governor and lawmakers acted after gas prices surged following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Suspension of the tax will save Georgians 29.1 cents per gallon of gasoline, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, said before Thursday’s vote.
“The 29 cents is not going to completely solve the problem,” he said. “But it’s a start and a statement.”
Based on previous years’ collections, the move would save drivers more than $300 million in taxes. Kemp said the loss of revenue would be made up with surplus state funds.
Kemp can extend the suspension if gas prices remain high, senators said.
“Hopefully this will bring some much-needed relief,” said Sen. Jen Jordan, D-Atlanta. “My concern is whether the relief is actually going to get to the consumers.”
Hufstetler said the state will be watching closely to make sure gas stations pass the tax cut along to consumers. He said they could be fined $15,000 for price gouging if they don’t.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who, like Kemp, is up for reelection this year, has made his proposal to suspend the 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal gas tax until 2023 a staple of his message on the campaign trail.
Governor Kemp interviewed four lawyers shortlisted for potential appointment as District Attorney of the Chattahoochee Circuit, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
Two of the applicants told the Ledger-Enquirer on the record Thursday that they are among those the governor called back for followup interviews, and confirmed the names of the others, whom the newspaper already had contacted.
All are local attorneys hoping to serve as the chief prosecutor for the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit that besides Muscogee includes the counties of Harris, Chattahoochee, Talbot, Taylor and Marion.
It’s unclear when Kemp will make the appointment, and whether he may consider candidates he did not call to followup interviews. A Kemp representative said she could not comment on a timeline Thursday.
A group of school superintendents is asking Gov. Kemp for help in addressing safety issues, according to the AJC.
In Fulton County, a child brought a loaded gun to school on Wednesday. In Bibb County, four students died by suicide this school year, one of them an elementary student.
The superintendents from those school districts and others shared such stories with Gov. Brian Kemp Thursday to illustrate the seriousness of the safety issues they are confronting.
“There are more kids in crisis today than ever before,” said Jeff Bearden, superintendent of Forsyth County Schools. He blamed it on the social and emotional toll of the pandemic.
Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell, who has at least seven deputies assigned to local schools, blamed social media. He called out a platform where posts have prompted students to assault teachers and vandalize schools.
The governor acknowledged that more help is needed, though he didn’t offer any specific commitments.
“We don’t just recognize the physical dangers facing our students but also the mental and emotional ones as well, and especially after two years of an unprecedented disruption caused by the pandemic,” Kemp said. “We’ve seen that ourselves, with our daughters and their friends and other parents we’ve talked to across the state.”
Gov. Kemp has filed a personal financial disclosure that show his net worth increasing, according to the AJC.
Gov. Brian Kemp’s latest financial report reveals his wealth has grown by more than $3 million since he took office in 2019, thanks partly to a string of real estate holdings and business investments that appreciated in value.
The Republican filed paperwork Thursday that showed a net worth of roughly $8.6 million that included more than $4.6 million in various properties and a roughly $420,000 stake in a stone supply firm. In his 2018 disclosure, Kemp reported a worth of $5.2 million.
In his latest financial disclosure, Kemp reported nearly $8.8 million in assets that included a $675,000 house in Athens and $270,000 in cash.
Georgia Supreme Court Justice Shawn LaGrua spoke in Columbus, according to WTVM.
Shawn Lagrua visited the Chattahoochee River Club to speak before the Columbus Bar Association about her experience within the field.
She also served as the Chief Assistant District Attorney in the Tallapoosa Circuit and Chief Assistant Senior District Attorney in Dekalb and Fulton County.
During her stop in Columbus, she talked a little more about her program called ‘My Journey Matters’, which helps youth facing incarceration.
“It’s the only program where you can commit an armed robbery, walk away with no criminal history and a life.” said Lagrua.
She also presided over Atlanta’s first re-entry court, which also helped reintegrate prior offenders into the community.
United States Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Atlanta) is co-sponsoring legislation to cap the price of insulin at $35 per month, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald.
The bill would limit the cost of insulin to $35 per month. The measure would apply to private group or individual health plans as well as Medicare.
“I’m interested in lowering the cost of prescription drugs in the first place,” Warnock told Capitol Beat Thursday in an exclusive interview. “[But] in no place is the urgency of this clearer.”
Warnock explained that more than 12% of Georgia adults have diabetes, while diabetes patients account for $1 of every $4 spent on health care in the U.S.
“Insulin has doubled [in cost] over the last four or five years,” he said. “You have to ask yourself why? It’s not research and development. This disease has been around 400 years. … [Drug companies] will engage in price gouging if they can.”
Warnock said 20 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation capping patient copays for insulin, including the Republican-led states of Alabama, Oklahoma and Utah.
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