Lyman Hall was elected to the Continental Congress on March 21, 1775 from St. John’s Parish; the next year he would sign the Declaration of Independence as a representative from Georgia.
On March 21, 1941, Governor Eugene Talmadge signed legislation establishing the Eastern Standard Time Zone as the only Time Zone in Georgia. Prior to that, Georgia observed two different time zones.
On March 21, 1965, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. led more than 3000 protesters in a march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery.
On March 21, 1980, President Jimmy Carter announced the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
Former Georgia Governor and United States Senator Herman Talmadge died on March 21, 2002.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Under the Gold Dome Today – Legislative Day 32
TBD Senate Rules Committee upon Adjournment- canceled 450 CAP
10:00 AM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD 32) House Chamber
10:00 AM Senate Floor Session Senate Chamber
1:00 PM HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE 341 CAP HYBRID
1:00 PM HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE 132 CAP HYBRID
1:00 PM Senate Finance Committee 450 CAP
1:00 PM Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee Mezz 1
2:00 PM HOUSE Public Safety & Homeland Security Subcommittee A 406 CLOB HYBRID
2:00 PM HOUSE Governmental Affairs General Government Subcommittee 506 CLOB HYBRID
2:00 PM Senate Judiciary Committee 307 CLOB
3:00 PM HOUSE HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE 403 CAP HYBRID
3:00 PM Senate Health and Human Services- Mental Health Parity Subcommittee Mezz 1
3:00 PM Senate Education and Youth Committee 307 CLOB
4:00 PM Senate Ethics Committee 307 CLOB
United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a Georgia native, has been hospitalized, according to 13WMAZ.
Thomas, 73, has been at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., since Friday after experiencing “flu-like symptoms,” the court said in a statement.
[The Court] provided no additional details about the infection, but said Thomas is being treated with antibiotics and his symptoms are abating. He could released in the next couple of days, the court said.
The Supreme Court is meeting this week to hear arguments in four cases. Thomas plans to participate in the cases even if he misses the arguments, the court said.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall has enjoined Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gaston from enforcing her opinion about some cannabis-derived products, according to the Associated Press via WSAV.
Two owners of Gwinnett County vaping stores sued, seeking to have the extracts declared legal in Georgia.
The chemicals are similar to the main intoxicating ingredient in marijuana but cause milder highs.
Austin-Gaston says they’re illegal and directed two wholesalers be raided.
A lawyer says one person is facing felony marijuana charges.
The District Attorney’s Office announced in January that it would begin prosecuting store owners and employees for selling Delta-8-THC and Delta-10-THC.
Attorneys for the vaping stores, Bloom Smoke and Vape and Great Vape, responded by filing a lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court on March 10 to stop the DA’s office from prosecuting people for selling either Delta-8 or Delta-10. The lawsuit also seeks clarity over the legality of products that sell the substances.
“We are asking the Court to declare that Delta-8 and Delta-10 products are legal under Georgia law, and to immediately stop the DA from raiding any stores or making any arrests,” said Page Pate, an attorney for the store owners.
The ruling in Fulton County Superior Court on Friday at least temporarily sets back Austin-Gatson’s office in its effort to prosecute store owners and employees for selling Delta-8 and Delta-10. The outcome of the case will have significant implications across Georgia and provide some clarity for prosecutors, law enforcement and store owners, however.
Georgia law does not address Delta-8 or Delta-10, which are THC products. The law was amended in 2018 to address another for of THC, Delta-9, by allowing possession of small amounts of that product.
But, that doesn’t cover Delta-8 or Delta-10 and its left store owners and prosecutors to draw their own differing conclusions about the legality of either product.
“The law seems to be unclear on the legality of these sales,” Gwinnett County Commissioner Kirkland Carden said. “The current law is open to debate as to the legality of Delta-8 substances in general.”
“District Attorney Austin-Gatson appears to have justified this abrupt change in policy based on an incorrect interpretation of the definition of ‘hemp’ and ‘hemp products’ under O.C.G.A. § 2-23-3,” the lawsuit states.
“Specifically, District Attorney Austin-Gatson reasons that, because ‘the Georgia code specifically exempts ‘delta-9-THC under certain concentrations, not delta-8-THC,’ then Delta-8-THC and other cannabinoids derived from hemp remain illegal … At the same time, the district attorney has taken the position that CBD products are legal.”
“I have concerns that this may or may not be a rogue DA,” Judge Craig Schwall said. “I think there may be some prosecutorial priorities misplaced.”
Neighboring counties did not ban delta-8 or delta-10, the lawsuit said.
“There’s a lot of confusion,” Pate said. “Let’s not prosecute people and take all their stuff if there’s a legitimate question that it’s legal.”
Federal law allows hemp products that contain less than a certain concentration of delta-9 THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Georgia in 2019 adopted the federal definition of hemp.
But federal and state laws are silent on delta-8 and delta-10, which are similar chemical compounds, spawning opposing interpretations of what is legal.
The store owners’ lawsuit argues cannabinoids such as delta-8 and delta-10 are legal in Georgia as long as they’re made from hemp plants and don’t contain prohibited levels of delta-9. But Austin-Gaston’s news release said delta-8 is illegal because the hemp laws don’t explicitly allow it, as they do low concentrations of delta-9.
Gwinnett has an ordinance reflecting the state law that possession of an ounce or less of marijuana is a misdemeanor, but Solicitor General Brian Whiteside does not prosecute such cases and county police do not ticket or arrest people with small amounts of the drug. The county commission repeatedly tabled a vote last year to change the ordinance to reflect current practice.
Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 304, temporarily suspending the collection of state motor fuel taxes, according to a press release.
Governor Brian P. Kemp [on Friday] signed HB 304 to temporarily suspend the state’s excise tax on motor fuel sales. The law is now in effect and will remain in effect through May 31, 2022.
Governor Kemp, in addition to Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, Speaker David Ralston, and the many members of the House and Senate who voted in favor of this important measure, would like to thank the following bill sponsors of HB 304:
Floor Leader Jodi Lott
Chairman Chuck HufstetlerThe Georgia Department of Revenue created a FAQ and Motor Fuel Policy Bulletin with additional information. Both documents are posted on their website. For more information, contact Taxpayer Services at motorfuel@dor.ga.gov or at 1-877-423-6711 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Price gouging laws are currently in effect. To report a complaint to the Office of the Attorney General, click here.Chairman Chuck Hufstetler
From WSAV and the Associated Press:
The halt comes amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. In a video message released Friday, Kemp acknowledged the impact of the invasion but argued the Biden administration’s policies were driving inflation to begin with.
“We can’t fix everything that Washington has broken, but we are doing our part to lessen the impact on your wallet,” the governor said.
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.
“Maybe over the six weeks, I’d say…you’re going to see, in addition, the price of gasoline drift down because of the recent drop in the price of oil,” explained Ray Hill, an economics professor at Emory University.
“Given the current trends, it seems highly likely that we’re going to see the price go below $4,” Hill added.
The suspension will run through the end of May.
It could cost the state between $300 to $400 million in revenue. Georgia expects to make that revenue up with the rainy day fund.
Motor fuel taxes are excise taxes on distributors, rather than sales taxes on consumers.
Any fuel that gas stations already had before the fuel tax suspension took effect is fuel stations have already paid the tax on. And gas they ordered before the fuel tax suspension took effect is also taxed.
The dates when the untaxed fuel reaches pumps will vary for each gas station, depending on when they get new deliveries.
Kemp could extend the tax break via executive order that would have to be ratified later by lawmakers. Kemp abated gas taxes in 2021 during a pipeline shutdown, and former Gov. Nathan Deal suspended gas taxes multiple times.
Governor Kemp campaigned in Coastal Georgia, according to WTOC:
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is making the rounds in different parts of the Coastal Empire – all part of his 2022 re-election campaign.
The governor visited Richmond Hill on Friday morning and discussed why residents should vote for him to stay the state’s leader.
“I promised people when I run, I would get into office and simply go to work every day to put hard work into Georgians first as the status quo, the politically correct and that’s what I’ve done. I’m reminding people about that record of conservator leadership,” Gov. Kemp said.
Democrat Stacey Abrams campaigned in Albany, according to WALB.
Stacey Abrams stopped by the Good Life City Friday to speak with Georgians about her plans as she’s running for governor.
As part of her One Georgia Tour, she hosted a roundtable at Albany Museum of Art with students from Albany State University (ASU), taking questions and going over some of the policies on her agenda.
Nia Kimbro is a senior nursing major at ASU. Because of that, she brought up an issue many rural communities in South Georgia face.
“What are your plans to ensure everyone can not only have access to primary care physicians and or clinics but be able to afford it as well,” Kimbro asked the democratic gubernatorial candidate.
Abrams’ answer was Medicaid expansion.
“Medicaid expansion provides insurance for 500,000 Georgians who currently do not have it. In Dougherty County, that’s 7,100 people who would suddenly have health insurance,” said Abrams.
She also said Medicaid expansion would also bring more jobs to rural areas.
“In rural communities without health care, you cannot bring manufacturing, you can’t bring advance energy, you can’t bring a finance company, because people aren’t going to locate if they know there’s no one there to help their community. They know their workers aren’t going to stay. We have to do Medicaid expansion for that purpose,” said Abrams.
Abrams also spoke about fully funding education, adding that she wants to restore full, free tuition at technical colleges and cancel up to $50,000 of student debt.
“Then you have the ability to make choices because your student loan debt has been canceled up to $50,000. And I’m going to work with our senators to push that at the federal level,” said Abrams.
”While Gov. Kemp has overseen historic growth in jobs, investment and opportunity in rural Georgia, Stacey Abrams spent the last three years chasing the covers of style magazines, courting liberal dark money and championing the policies that have ruined the economies of places like New York and California. Gov. Kemp will continue fighting to put hardworking Georgians first,” the statement [from the Governor’s campaign] reads.
“Sixty-four counties in the state have no pediatrician, 79 counties have no OB-GYN,” she told the audience of about 200 gathered for the campaign event held at the Albany Museum of Art. “In Dougherty County, 7,100 people would suddenly have health insurance” if Medicaid was expanded in the state.
“Cuthbert would still have a hospital if Georgia had expanded Medicaid. Cuthbert doesn’t have a hospital because the governor is too mean to take the money. We know it would put money into health care facilities like our hospitals.”
If the state decided to participate in the federal program, it would incur costs of about $2.7 billion, but would receive some $3.5 billion, the candidate said. That money would go to improve facilities and provide health care professionals in underserved areas and provide a huge economic boost across the state by creating thousands of jobs.
“That’s why we’ve got to expand Medicaid, to save lives, create jobs and grow our economy,” she said.
“We’re in a state where 40 percent of the children live in poverty,” Abrams said. “We can’t be a state that’s good for business if there are people (left behind).
“I’m running for governor of all of Georgia. I’m running to be a governor who believes your zip code or your access to power doesn’t decide your future, where people aren’t dying in small towns because they don’t have access to health care.”
Note again the shift in Stacey Abrams’s rhetoric to talking about healthcare as an economic development issue.
Abrams spoke for roughly 19 minutes Friday morning at midtown restaurant Jarfly before taking questions from audience members and reporters for roughly half an hour. Her visit wrapped a busy week in Columbus politics that saw incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp, Republican gubernatorial candidate David Perdue and Republican senate Candidate Herschel Walker make stops in the Columbus area.
“We are going to use the 2022 primary to test out the system to understand what it means,” she said. “This is going to exacerbate the big lie, and it’s going to make it harder and harder to recruit and retain election workers in what will likely be the single highest turnout of a midterm in Georgia history.”
“I need us to treat May like a dress rehearsal,” she said. “In May, we need to test out these systems so we can show them what they broke. And in November, we need to overwhelm the system and show them what they are going to do next.”
“I need Muscogee County to rise up,” she added. “I need southwest Georgia to rise up. I need rural Georgia to rise up. I need Georgia to rise up. …We will win.”
Abrams spent large portions of Friday’s event discussing healthcare and full medicaid expansion in Georgia. Medcaid expansion is a key portion of her 2022 platform.
Abrams also campaigned in Midway, Georgia, according to WTOC.
It’s part of her “One Georgia” campaign tour around the state. Around 400 voters came to the event.
Abrams addressed her key platform issue of Medicaid expansion, as well as what she calls division within Georgia.
“We also know that it’s the tale of two states. Coastal Georgia has some of our highest highs, but unfortunately some of the challenges we face are in Liberty County and South Georgia, coastal Georgia. My responsibility is to make sure I’m going everywhere and talking to everyone. This is a place I’m excited to be back in, and I’m going to be back again and again,” said Abrams.
Is it a coincidence that United Earth President Abrams is campaigning on the coast near Spaceport Camden?
Greg Bluestein of the AJC writes about how Democratic candidates are talking about economic issues.
As Georgia grapples with soaring inflation, Democrats are struggling to sharpen their response to the economic fallout to counter Republicans who are eager to frame the rising prices as the defining theme in November.
Republicans have good reason to think they’ve touched a political nerve. Annual inflation in metro Atlanta climbed into double-digit territory last month, the fastest increase in the region since the early 1980s, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll in January showed a plurality of Georgians — 45% — said rising prices have had a “noticeable” impact on their lives, while one-third said it took a “negative, significant” toll.
The poll also showed Biden’s approval rating plummeted by double digits, echoing other national surveys that show the Democrat’s approval ratings slumping in part over his handling of the economy.
In her second run for governor, Abrams has focused her message on the economic benefits of expanding Medicaid. Pressed on her plan to stem inflation, the Democrat said improving access to health care and leveling economic inequities will create thousands of new jobs.
“We are facing economic challenges. But people are also anxious and depressed, and we need a leader who acknowledges the legitimacy of their fears and their feelings,” she said. “But we also need a leader who has the vision of what comes next. And I have both.”
Stacey Abrams wants to raise funds through a state Leadership Committee, according to the AJC.
An attorney for Abrams said she could file a legal challenge that would require state officials to let her use the leadership committees that were approved last year by the Republican-controlled General Assembly designed to help Gov. Brian Kemp and top lawmakers.
The law lets the governor, the opposing party’s gubernatorial nominee and party caucuses raise as much cash as they can throughout the campaign, including during legislative sessions. It gave incumbents an added edge, since their challengers can’t use the funds until they win their party’s nomination.
Abrams’ lawyers are poised to argue that she should be treated as the Democratic nominee now, rather than wait for the May 24 primary, since she didn’t draw a primary opponent. U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, the chair of the state Democratic Party, staked that position in a tweet late Friday.
David Emadi, executive secretary of the ethics commission, said: “The commission does not determine whether someone is or is not a party’s nominee for office.”
“We are currently awaiting guidance from the secretary of state and Department of Law regarding whether someone may be considered the nominee before any actual votes are cast or elections certified, and what, if any, effect that would have on that particular election.”
The Georgia State Senate is working on House Bill 1013, the Mental Health Parity Act, according to the Associated Press via AccessWDUN.
A key part of the bill seeks to ensure that insurers provide the same level of benefits for mental health disorders as they do for physical illness.
State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, a Marietta Republican, sponsored a similar measure in the Senate.
“I think that the House bill does more than what my bill does, and we’ll decide if that’s a good idea or bad idea as we go through the process,” she said.
State Sen. Dean Burke, a Bainbridge Republican who is chairing the subcommittee studying HB 1013, said he is holding off for now on deciding what, if anything, he wants changed in the House bill.
“I’m still in the information gathering phase,” he said Thursday, according to the AJC. “I’m not looking that far ahead just yet.”
The Georgia State House passed House Bill 424, which would create a tax credit for donations to some charities supporting foster children who aged out of the system, according to the Rome News Tribune.
“I applaud the House for unanimously passing this critical priority – making Georgia the No. 1 state for foster youth,” said Duncan. “This dollar-for-dollar state tax credit is a significant step toward achieving that recognition by ensuring youth who have recently aged out of the system have the necessary support system to transition into adulthood.”
House Bill 424, filed Feb. 11, is essentially the same as Senate Bill 370, which passed the Senate unanimously on Feb. 8. It’s been assigned to the Senate Finance Committee chaired by Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome.
“These kids don’t have parents to make them successful and it’s a great way to give them some help,” Hufstetler said during the hearing on SB 370.
The Senate bill’s sponsor, Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, said he’s generally against tax credits but this legislation is a public benefit. Duncan said it’s modeled on the Rural Hospital Tax Credit program, but it’s more than just funding.
GOP 2.0 is contesting the narrative about the 2020 elections and the effectiveness of a Trump endorsement, according to the AJC.
Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has a welcoming gift ahead of Donald Trump’s visit to Georgia: A spate of statewide TV ads criticizing Trump and other Republicans who would “rather talk about conspiracy theories and past losses” than the upcoming November vote.
Duncan’s “GOP 2.0” conservative advocacy group launched the 30-second ad on Monday as Trump prepares to headline a weekend rally for six Georgia Republicans he’s endorsed.
“The failed presidency of Joe Biden has taught America the consequences of left-wing policies,” said Duncan. “It’s a mistake Georgia cannot afford under Governor Stacey Abrams, whose likelihood increases each day David Perdue remains in the race.”
The TV ad is the most aggressive step yet from Duncan’s “GOP 2.0″ group, which aims to refocus the party on conservative policies rather than pro-Trump ideology. The six-figure buy will run in cable, broadcast and digital in markets across the state.
An Athens-government homeless encampment has opened, according to the Athens Banner Herald.
First Step opened its gates Wednesday morning, inviting in its first batch of residents to the new, government-sanctioned encampment.
Charles Hardy, head of Athens Alliance Coalition Inc., which was tasked with running the camp, said upon arriving at the location on Barber Street some people were already waiting to get in.
By noon, there were already around 20 people moved in with tents set up, according to Charles Campbell, head of security at First Step. Residents of the new encampment worked alongside staff to put up tents and ensure everyone was situated.
Throughout the day, Hardy drove his organization’s van to pick up those remaining at “Cooterville” — a homeless camp on Willow Street scheduled to be cleared — who were willing to come. The camp was a major focus in starting the city-sanctioned encampment. Others along Willow Street who were open to the move were also brought to First Step.
Republican U.S. Congressional Candidate Chris West (Second District) toured Middle Georgia, according to WALB.
West toured Albany on Friday to meet business owners and community leaders.
The Bread House, Gieyric’s Auto Repair and Life Preparatory School For Boys were some of those businesses.
West is challenging incumbent Sanford Bishop who has held the seat since 1993.
“I was raised and born and grew up here in Southwest Georgia. I’ve been coming to Albany my entire life. I know it very well. I’ve worked here. I’ve lived and shopped here. So, Sanford Bishop has been in an office in the city for over 28 years and it’s time for a change and it’s time for a fresh perspective. And that’s what we offer,” West said.
West also said it’s Bishop’s party’s policies that have caused rising inflation and gas prices to go up. West said he thinks the solution to crime in Albany is to support law enforcement. He said that will be one of his top priorities if elected.
AccessWDUN lists statewide and local candidates on the May 24, 2022 ballot.
U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Atlanta) and U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-DeKalb) are co-sponsoring the “Access to Justice Act of 2022,” according to WTOC.
This bill would ensure that all districts have a public defender office or a community defender organization to make sure the Sixth Amendment guarantee of the right to an attorney is followed.
“Every Georgian, regardless of their income, deserves access to legal defense,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.
They say the Southern District of Georgia Federal is one of only three districts nationwide that lacks a public defender office making it challenging for defendants who cannot afford their own attorney to receive adequate assistance of counsel.
The Floyd County Board of Elections is hiring poll workers and poll managers ahead of the May 24 elections, according to the Rome News Tribune.
Lowndes County is renovating their historic courthouse, according to WALB.
County leaders plan to spend millions of dollars to make sure it stays the centerpiece of downtown Valdosta for years ahead.
County Manager Paige Dukes said this project will total $11 million.
“The basement of this building is being redesigned for restroom facilities, also some lounge facilities, so that whenever we have downtown events, we can open up the bottom of the building for those types of occasions,” she said.
When it’s finished, more employees will be able to work inside the courthouse.
Dukes said the facelift is more for visitors. The courthouse will also be used for marriage ceremonies.
Joe Mezzanotte was sworn in to the Flowery Branch City Council, according to AccessWDUN.
Mezzanotte defeated Jennifer Sudderth in Tuesday’s special election and took his seat for his first council meeting Thursday, although it was unclear initially if he’d be able to do so. The city had to wait for Hall County to finalize the results of the election, which wasn’t done until under than an hour before the meeting, meaning Mezzanotte was unsure if he’d be sworn in that evening or not.
“It’s exciting, especially because we were able to do it so quickly,” Mezzanotte said after the meeting.
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