Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for March 27, 2023

Thomas Jefferson was elected as a Virginia delegate to the Second Continental Congress on March 27, 1775.

Colonel James Fannin, a Georgia native and Colonel in the Texas Regular Army and more than 300 other members of the Georgia battalion were executed on March 27, 1836 after surrendering to Santa Anna’s Mexican Army. Fannin County, Georgia is named after Col Fannin.

On March 27, 1912, the first Japanese cherry trees were planted on the northern bank of the Potomac River near the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC.

On March 27, 1941, Governor Eugene Talmadge signed legislation outlawing the handling of venomous snakes in such a way as to endanger another person or to encourage another person to handle a snake in such a way as to endanger them. The legislation resulted from a six-year old handling a venomous snake during a church service in Adel, Georgia, during which she was bitten and died. Under that act you could still handle snakes yourself as long as you didn’t endanger someone else.

On March 27, 1947, Governor Melvin Thompson signed legislation that made Georgia a “Right to Work State,” meaning that employees cannot generally be forced to join a union or pay dues in order to take a job. On the same day, gambling on sporting events was outlawed by another bill signed by Gov. Thompson.

Lazaretto Day in Tybee Island celebrated the area’s African history and heritage, according to the Savannah Morning News.

For the second year in a row, Tybeeans and locals celebrated Lazaretto Day on Saturday, a day of remembrance of the history of enslaved Africans brought to this part of Georgia’s coast.

The celebrations, organized by Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization, also commemorated African heritage and this region’s Gullah Geechee, descendants of the enslaved who created their own unique culture that “evolved from the conditions of slavery that characterized their lives.” Through colorful song, dance and poetry, people observed both the dark history of American slavery and the beauty of the culture that endured throughout the centuries.

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, more than 12 million Africans were captured from their homes and forced into slavery as part of the transatlantic slave trade.

After slavery was legalized in the colony of Georgia in 1750, Savannah became one of the most active slave trading ports in the U.S. Tybee Island played a part in the largest forced migration in human history as well.

“In the late 1760s, the lucrative slave trade had grown to the point that a physical building was required on Tybee Island to facilitate the quarantine process that was required before slave ships could proceed to the Port of Savannah,” said James Hilleary, founder of the grassroots Lazaretto Coalition.

Between 1795 and 1803, about 667 enslaved Africans survived the Middle Passage voyage and landed on Tybee Island’s shores. Those who were healthy were taken to Savannah to be sold. Those who died were buried in unmarked graves along the Lazaretto Creek.

Lazaretto Day is a tribute to those people who were taken from their homeland. This year, the festivities took place at Tybee’s Memorial Park. About 100 people attended including city officials, the mayor and community leaders.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Yesterday, Governor Brian Kemp signed Executive Order #03.26.23.01, declaring a state of emergency for tornadoes and thunderstorms through April 3, 2023 at 11:59 PM. From WSAV:

“I have issued a State of Emergency order following the severe storms and tornadoes that struck this morning. As we continue to monitor the weather and work with local partners to address damage throughout the day, I ask all Georgians to join us in praying for those impacted.”

“As severe weather continues in these and other parts of our state, we urge Georgians to be mindful of how they can best keep themselves and their families safe. Stay tuned to local news outlets and take necessary precautions throughout the day.”

From 13 WMAZ:

Two tornadoes blew through Troup County and Baldwin County early Sunday morning with several reports of damage. Kemp said he would be touring both areas on Monday.

The Troup County Emergency Management Agency said they have “multiple crews out on search and rescue missions, reports of multiple buildings damaged or destroyed, power lines down, trees down blocking roads.”

Some Middle Georgia schools are changing their schedules after tornadoes hit the area, according to 13WMAZ.

In Bibb County, school will continue on as normal according to Chief Commutations Officer Stephanie Hartley.
She says the district will continue to monitor the forecast and make changes as needed.

In Monroe County, schools will have a delayed start schedule, according to a tweet from Mary Persons High School’s twitter.  Staff will report to school at 9 a.m. and school will begin at 9:30 a.m.

In Baldwin County, the school district says none of their facilities were damaged during the weekend storms and will move forward with a normal school schedule.

Schools in Lamar County will be closed on Monday for all students and staff, according to a Facebook post. In Upson County, school will be delayed by two hours according to their Facebook.

Troup County Schools are closed today, according to WTVM.

Baldwin County’s Emergency Management Agency opened a shelter for storm victims, according to 13WMAZ.

Governor Kemp will tour some areas hit by weather, according to 13WMAZ.

Gov. Brian Kemp will make a trip Monday to tour parts of western Georgia where severe storms and tornadoes ripped through several homes and businesses Sunday morning.

The Troup County Sheriff’s Office said there were 80-100 homes with damage after Sunday’s storm and that 20-30 homes had “major damage” or were “destroyed” and are now considered a complete loss in the West Point area.

A second tornado was reported in Baldwin County near Milledgeville.

On Monday, Kemp will tour those areas hardest hit. He will be joined by Georgia Emergency Management Agency Director Chris Stallings and other local elected and emergency officials.

Two tigers also briefly escaped from their enclosures at Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain, Georgia, near LaGrange, after the park sustained extensive damage. They were later captured.

From the LaGrange Daily News:

The governor, First Lady Marty Kemp, and GEMA Director Chris Stallings will tour communities in Milledgeville and West Point damaged by severe storms and tornadoes.

They will then join local elected and emergency management officials to provide an update on the state’s ongoing recovery efforts. A press conference will be held Monday afternoon.

Under the Gold Dome Today – Legislative Day 39

8:00 AM JOINT HOUSE & SENATE APPROPS CONFERENCE – 403 CAP

8:30 AM HOUSE JUDICIARY (CIVIL) – 132 CAP

9:00 AM HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE – 341 CAP

10:00 AM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD 39) – House Chamber

10:00 AM Senate Floor Session (LD 39) – Senate Chamber

“Zombie” alert for all at the Georgia State Capitol as dead bills may be brought back to life, according to Atlanta News First via WRDW.

The final day the 2023 legislative session, also called ‘Sine Die’, is March 29.

These ‘zombie bills’ failed earlier in the session.

“It’s part of the process, for better or for worse,” said Rep. Leesa Hagan, R-Lyons.

“I think frequently it’s a good thing because it allows something that didn’t get out [of committee] to maybe have a chance to get out, which is what happened in this case,” said Rep. Hagan.

This tactic of resurrecting ‘zombie bills’ is legal as long as the substitution language falls under the same Georgia code.

“It has to be in the same part of the Georgia code. So you couldn’t say for example, inject a bill dealing with education into something dealing with transportation. That wouldn’t work,” explained University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock.

Within a week’s time, Hagan went from ‘zombie bill’ victim to ‘zombie bill’ sponsor.

Bullock said this tactic is used most approaching the final hours of a session.

“This becomes especially important in the very last hours of a legislative session,” said Bullock.

House Bill 520, the mental health reform bill, may be dead, or only mostly dead. From the AJC:

There’s a line in the 1980s film “The Princess Bride” where Billy Crystal’s character declares that the protagonist is “mostly dead.”

That appears to be the status of this year’s legislation to expand on a mental health overhaul the Legislature passed last year, a priority of then-House Speaker David Ralston, who died in November.

Current House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Springfield, has put his support behind House Bill 520 and the bipartisan team of lawmakers who ushered last year’s measure to the governor’s desk.

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee discussed changes to HB 520 but did not vote on the bill before that chamber’s deadline for a panel to pass legislation and still have it be considered for the Senate floor this year. That deadline was Thursday, before the Senate convened at 1 p.m.

Part of the holdup seems to be the butting of heads between Burns and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. Jones had been pushing House leaders to support a measure that would pave the way for more hospitals to be built in less-populated counties as part of a pending overhaul of health care rules that could financially benefit his family’s business.

Senate Bill 99 would allow the construction of new hospitals in counties of fewer than 50,000 people without what is known as a “certificate of need” from state regulators, even if they’re close to existing hospitals.

That would benefit a proposed private hospital with 100 beds that could be fast-tracked for Jones’ native Butts County if the measure is adopted. It’s not clear where the hospital would be built, but some local and state health care officials expect it to be located on land the lieutenant governor’s father, Bill Jones, owns near the sprawling River Park development along I-75 in the Middle Georgia county.

On Saturday, Jones indicated he was abandoning his effort to rewrite health care regulations this year.

House leaders had not expressed interest in passing SB 99 — the certificate of need bill — and Gov. Brian Kemp had indicated he doesn’t support the legislation.

State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, a Decatur Democrat and one of the sponsors of HB 520, said the version of the bill that the Senate panel proposed was “very close to being acceptable.”

“The message that keeps coming back to us from the Senate is that the lieutenant governor wants his certificate of need bill,” she said Friday. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I am discouraged.”

But Burns spokesman Kaleb McMichen said they want the bill to pass this year.

“We know our friends in the Senate share the House’s commitment to meaningful mental health reforms and trust they will act to ensure House Bill 520 is passed,” he said.

Mental and behavioral health advocates such as Jeff Breedlove, a lobbyist for the Georgia Council for Recovery, say they, too, are trying to remain hopeful as they head into the last two legislative days.

“We continue to be optimistic that over the weekend and on Monday the lieutenant governor and the speaker will work together to make certain that HB 520 doesn’t get caught up in the politics of the Georgia Legislature,” he said. “We understand there’s a tradition of taking certain bills hostage for various reasons. We also understand that they traditionally don’t kill the hostage.

“I hope they remember that there are millions of families across the state who are relying on them to fix a broken behavioral health care system.” Breedlove said. “Lives are literally at stake here.”

Georgia’s unemployment rate stayed at 3.1% for the seventh consecutive month, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Dalton Daily Citizen News.

Joblessness in the Peach State stood at 3.1% last month for the seventh month in a row and was half a percentage point lower than the national unemployment rate of 3.6%. Georgia had the highest labor force participation rate in the Southeast at 61%.

“It is clear that Georgia means business,” state Commissioner of Labor Bruce Thompson said of the latest numbers. “Due to sustained investments in the state’s economy and talented workforce, Georgia remains a top destination to live, work, and raise a family.”

The number of jobs in Georgia rose by 3,200 in February to nearly 4.8 million, an all-time high. Job sectors reporting all-time highs included private education and health services at 648,900 jobs, and leisure and hospitality at 510,900.

First-time unemployment claims declined last month from January by 45% to 23,055. However, initial jobless claims were up 4% from February of last year.

The ACLU said it will sue to block enforcement of Senate Bill 140’s restrictions on medical procedures for transgender minors, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Dalton Daily Citizen News.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill into law Thursday that prevents Georgians under 18 from obtaining gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy or surgery.

Federal courts have blocked, at least preliminarily, similar laws banning gender-affirming care in Arkansas and Alabama, said Katie Eyer, a professor of law at Rutgers University. Neither of those cases has reached a full conclusion yet, but preliminary injunctions indicate the courts are likely to find the laws invalid, Eyer said.

“Federal courts have been pretty protective of transgender rights recently,” added Scott Skinner-Thompson, a professor at the University of Colorado Law School. “(The laws) are targeting trans kids and their parents and therefore discriminating against them on the basis of sex.

“(It) interferes with the parents and children’s right to make medical decisions about their lives, which the courts have also recognized as a fundamental right under the due process clause of the Constitution.”

The Georgia law, which takes effect July 1, is likely to face similar arguments.

In the Peach State, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr will be tasked with defending the new Georgia law when it goes to court.

Governor Brian Kemp spoke with the Wall Street Journal.

Like Mr. DeSantis, Mr. Kemp, 59, was elected narrowly in 2018 and re-elected handily in 2022. Anyone who has met both men can attest to their differences in personality and style: Mr. Kemp is affable and keeps a low profile; Mr. DeSantis is cerebral and seems to relish both the political limelight and a good battle of wits. But an hourlong conversation with Mr. Kemp makes clear that Mr. Brooks’s comparison is unfair, although whether it’s unfair to Mr. DeSantis or Mr. Kemp will depend on your partisan leanings.

In Mr. Kemp’s telling, his substantive differences with his southern neighbor are minimal. “DeSantis has been a great governor,” he says, “but my point is, we’ve been right there the whole way. He’s been ahead of us on some things and we’ve been ahead of him on some.” Most notably, Mr. Kemp was ahead on reopening during the Covid-19 pandemic—and that put him and Mr. DeSantis on opposite sides of then-President Trump.

In April 2020, businesses in Georgia were shuttered by government decree as in most of the rest of the country. Mr. Kemp was hearing from desperate entrepreneurs: “ ‘Look man, we’re losing everything we’ve got. We can’t keep doing this.’ And I really felt like there was a lot of people fixin’ to revolt against the government.”

The Trump administration “had that damn graph or matrix or whatever that you had to fit into to be able to do certain things,” Mr. Kemp recalls. “Your cases had to be going down and whatever. Well, we felt like we met the matrix, and so I decided to move forward and open up.” He alerted Vice President Mike Pence, who headed the White House’s coronavirus task force, before publicly announcing his intentions on April 20.

“Look, the national media’s all over me about letting you do this,” Mr. Trump said. “And they’re saying you don’t meet whatever.”

Mr. Kemp replied: “Well, Mr. President, we sent your team everything, and they knew what we were doing. You’ve been saying the whole pandemic you trust the governors because we’re closest to the people. Just tell them you may not like what I’m doing, but you’re trusting me because I’m the governor of Georgia and leave it at that. I’ll take the heat.”

“With all due respect, those are our people,” Mr. Kemp said. “They’re the people that elected us. They’re the people that are wondering who’s fighting for them. We’re fixin’ to lose them over this, because they’re about to lose everything. They are not going to sit in their basement and lose everything they got over a virus.”

Georgia voters seem to like Mr. Kemp’s record. He beat Ms. Abrams in a 2022 rematch by 7.5 points—a wide enough margin that even she conceded, and an improvement of roughly 7.8 points over Mr. Trump’s losing margin in 2020, when Georgia was the closest state in the country. Mr. DeSantis did even better, winning by 19.4 points in a state Mr. Trump carried by 3.3. Contrary to Mr. Brooks, the obvious lesson is that conservative culture warriors can win resoundingly in close states, provided they aren’t crazy. Republican primary voters in 2024, take note.

Mr. Kemp won’t be on the ballot that year. He answers with a flat no when I ask if he’s thinking of a presidential run. So how does he size up the field?

“I have a great relationship with Pence and a really good relationship with DeSantis. Chris Christie came and campaigned for us multiple times, along with a lot of other governors. I know Tim Scott real well. Nikki Haley came and campaigned for us. I’ve known her over the years, and I’ve gotten to meet [Mike] Pompeo a couple of times. So I’m kind of like everybody else, I’m just seeing how things are playing out and keeping an open mind.”

United States Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Extreme Northwest Georgia) got a shout out from former President Trump, according to the AJC.

Former President Donald Trump helped persuade David Perdue to run for governor, Herschel Walker to run for Senate and Jody Hice to compete for secretary of state. All three strategic choices failed spectacularly.

Now, he’s suggesting that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the nation’s most polarizing Republicans, run for U.S. Senate. At a rally in Waco, Texas, over the weekend, Trump called Greene “brilliant.”

“Would you like to run for the Senate?” Trump said, turning to Greene from the podium. “I would fight like hell for you.” It wasn’t clear if Trump knew that Georgia’s next Senate seat won’t come up for election until 2026.

As for Greene, she has more frequently been discussed as a potential running mate for Trump.

The Georgia State Board of Elections may eventually hear a case involving 2021 Albany City Commission Elections, according to the Albany Herald.

A state investigation of a 2021 Albany City Commission election in which early vote totals were disseminated before the close of election day is still active, and a hearing on the case could come before election officials in the summer.

The Georgia Election Board could take up the case during its June 6 meeting, Mike Hassinger, the Georgia Secretary of State’s public information officer for elections, said.

Vote totals in the Ward V race were displayed to an Albany Herald reporter on the morning of Nov. 2, 2021, outside the Shiloh Baptist Church voting precinct.

A television reporter also reported seeing tapes of early vote totals on that Election Day, and a state official was sent to Albany that day to begin an investigation. In addition to the Ward V contest, there also were elections that day for Wards II and III.

Georgia’s legal code states that it is unlawful to disclose to another person or receive any results of vote tabulation of absentee ballots prior to the close of polls.

Glynn County Commissioners set their priorities for the 2024 Fiscal Year, according to The Brunswick News.

Commissions boiled down their lists of priorities to focus on starting with timely execution of Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax projects, including a juvenile justice center, the roundabout at the intersection of Sea Island and Frederica roads, an emergency access road to the Fancy Bluff subdivision and District 1 contracts.

The second priority on the list was public safety, including recruitment and retention, salaries and stability in leadership.

Next on the list was addressing the homeless issue, including treatment for mental health and addiction, as well as housing and ordinances to help deal with the problem. Concerns were raised about violent crime, drugs and partnerships and policies to better deal with the problem.

Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones (D)asked for a continuance in a murder case after an ADA quit, according to the Savannah News.

The case was scheduled for criminal jury trial March 20 through March 24, one of 23 cases scheduled during that period, Jones noted in her motion. The case had been assigned to assistant district attorney Nick Sheppard Patel.

Jones wrote in the motion that on March 16, at 9:59 a.m., Patel announced his resignation, effective immediately. At the time of his resignation, Patel was prosecuting 12 criminal cases scheduled for trial, eight of which were serious violent felonies and another malice murder, including the Rashiid Wright case.

“Given the gravity of Attorney Patel’s cases, the fact that he provided no notice, made no mention of his departure prior to today, and made no preparations for the proper and professional transition or reassignment of these matters, the State has no choice but to request additional time to take over this assignment, locate and prepare witnesses, review evidence, notify the victims and take all other steps as would be necessary to get this case and others ready for trial.”

The Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office is requesting funding for higher pay, according to the Statesboro Herald.

In addition to more personnel, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office and Jail could use better pay – especially for certain positions such as jailers – to help recruit and retain them, Chief Deputy Bill Black told the county commissioners during this week’s county budget retreat.

“Right now we’ve got a serious staffing issue, especially for jail staff,” Black said to the group Wednesday afternoon. “I think our health insurance is good, I think our new retirement helps, but  everybody’s complaining about their pay.”

One slide in his presentation reported the starting wage of a Bulloch County jailer as $16.18 an hour and that of an equivalent Effingham County jailer as $19.69 an hour, and the starting pay of a Bulloch patrol deputy as $18.69 and that of an Effingham patrol deputy as $22.63.

“They really let us know that, too,” Black said.  “They remind me every day that Effingham gets paid more than us.”

Black said the department needs to add two court services officers since the Ogeechee Circuit Superior Court has added three judges, counting the two Juvenile Court judges plus the one new regular Superior Court judge in the previous three-judge circuit.

A new court services corporal would supervise the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office transport unit. The other proposed new court services deputy would augment  courthouse security for the Superior Court and Bulloch County State Court. That position could not be filled until Jan. 1, 2024 to spread out the budget impact.

The Columbus City Attorney’s Office released a proposed severance package for Police Chief Freddie Blackmon, according to WTVM.

The city attorney’s office released the four-page document to the media in response to an open records request. The package includes a lump sum of $250,000 in severance money with a termination date effective April 5.

His health insurance benefits would continue for the next seven years. Additionally, a pension plan is also in agreement.

Don’t Drain That Swamp

Federal scientists said Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division erred in determining that Okefenokee Swamp water levels will be minimally impacted by a proposed mine, according to the Associated Press via the Statesboro Herald.

Scientists for the federal government say documents that Georgia state regulators relied upon to conclude a proposed mine won’t harm the nearby Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge contain technical errors and “critical shortcomings” that render them unreliable.

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division moved the project a big step forward in January by releasing a draft plan for how Twin Pines would conduct mining operations and mitigate any environmental damage. The agency said its own analysis “concluded that water level in the swamp will be minimally impacted.”

“Our analysis revealed a series of critical shortcomings in the modeling used for prediction of impacts” to the Okefenokee refuge, Park Service hydrologists Kiren Bahm and Rajendra Paudel wrote.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the Okefenokee refuge, said in a March 17 letter to Georgia regulators that because the problems are so significant, the agency will make a renewed push for federal oversight of the proposed mine.

The Army Corps of Engineers relinquished any permitting authority over the Twin Pines project following a rollback of environmental regulations under President Donald Trump. The Fish and Wildlife Service asked Georgia regulators to postpone further decisions on the mine until the Army Corps decides whether to reassert jurisdiction.

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division is working on a final mining plan for Twin Pines after a 60-day comment period on the project ended Monday. The mining plan must be finished for the agency to start drafting permits.

House Bill 71, the Okefenokee Protection Act by State Rep. Darlene Taylor is sponsored by a majority of House members but is almost uncertain to fail to pass this Session, according to the Macon Telegraph.

Since HB 71, or the Okefenokee Protection Act, was introduced in January, supporters have focused their efforts on the primary hurdle of getting it out of the Natural Resources Committee, whose chair, Rep. Lynn Smith (R-Newnan), stymied a similar effort last year to stop mining near the swamp.

This year’s bill would block the Environmental Protection Division from granting mining permits along Trail Ridge — a geologic feature forming the Okefenokee’s eastern boundary — near the swamp after July. It would not impact the ongoing permitting process for the controversial Twin Pines titanium mine in Charlton County.

Despite getting a long-awaited hearing in the Natural Resources Committee last week, HB 71 cannot pass this year, due to Smith’s decision not to hold a vote this year.

“It’s not gonna move this session” due to limited time left, Smith told reporters after last week’s hearing. She would not say whether she plans to schedule a vote on the bill next year, the second in the two-year cycle that makes up Georgia’s legislative session. “

Is the bill dead? No, it’s a two-year term,” Smith said. “But I will never commit to what happens to a bill. I chair the committee but the committee members make the decision.”

Rep. Darlene Taylor (R-Thomasville), the bill’s lead sponsor, told the Telegraph the bill’s unusually high number of co-sponsors meant it would pass if it could advance to a floor vote in the House.

The Georgia River Network will hold Paddle Georgia 2023, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Paddle Georgia 2023 is a seven-day, 84-mile paddling trip on parts of the Savannah River, Brier Creek, Ebenezer Creek and Abercorn Creek that takes place the last full week of June. And though you can do traditional, on-the-ground tent camping, you can also choose from platform tents, RV spots and some indoor accommodations.

Plus, this adventure is set up so you can have a hot shower every evening at the end of a long day on the river as well as catered breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Since 2005, Georgia River Network has been getting people out on the state’s waterways multiple times per year. The largest and most beloved opportunity is the annual Paddle Georgia, in which paddlers from across the country and around the world get together for one week in June to explore portions of one of Georgia’s 14 unique river systems. It’s the largest adventure like it in the United States, some years drawing as many as 400 participants. After a two-year hiatus, this well loved, affordable and family-friendly excursion returns in full-force beginning Saturday, June 24.

If you’re ready for your Georgia rivers rite of passage, visit the Paddle Georgia 2023 website and sign up for this summer’s adventure on the lower Savannah River watershed. Family discounts are available.