U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler speaks at the State Capitol after qualifying for the 2020 election on March 2, 2020. (Photo by Beau Evans)
U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., is pushing legislation to create a federal database of criminal street gang members and broaden what actions would be considered a gang-related federal crime.
The bill, called the “Cracking Down on Gangs and Deporting Criminals Act of 2020,” would add 10 years to a convicted gang member’s sentence for certain acts including recruitment, witness intimidating and threatening members who want to leave a gang.
The bill also would create a gang database logging information on gang members from federal, state and local police agencies and refer undocumented persons with gang convictions to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for deportation.
Loeffler sponsored the bill with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
“We must not only work to prevent the formation of gangs, but also to track their members and hold them accountable for their vile actions so we can end the violence and keep the American people safe,” Loeffler said.
Loeffler, an Atlanta businesswoman running in a heated race to hold her Senate seat, introduced the gang legislation earlier this week as she seeks to craft an image as a law-and-order candidate in contrast to her Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Doug Collins.
Recently, she has slammed Collins’ record as a former defense attorney, releasing campaign ads and social media posts highlighting certain clients Collins’ former law firm assisted in court. Collins’ campaign has called her a wealthy appointee out-of-touch with voters, routinely mocking her use of a private jet.
The bill drew praise from top Georgia officials including Gov. Brian Kemp, Attorney General Chris Carr and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s director, Vic Reynolds. Kemp, who appointed Loeffler, has made cracking down on gangs a pillar of his first term as governor.
“Her bill will strengthen penalties against convicted gang members, aid in the deportation of illegal aliens engaged in criminal gang activity and support law enforcement in their efforts to track and defeat criminal organizations,” Kemp said.
But gang databases in states like New York, California and Georgia have drawn criticism from advocacy groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, which warn the databases could be unconstitutional or increase racial profiling.
Kosha Tucker, an ACLU of Georgia staff attorney, said earlier this year Georgia’s gang database could pose due-process issues if someone is denied bail who was never told they were placed on the database. Not knowing who is on the database could also become a terrorizing influence in communities, Tucker said.
“Communities of color shouldn’t have to live in fear that at any given moment a police officer could be walking in their neighborhood, walking down their street, and assume that this community’s child or family member is gang-affiliated,” Tucker said in a February interview.
Loeffler was appointed to fill retired U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson’s seat until the free-for-all special election set for Nov. 3. Nearly two dozen candidates are vying to beat Loeffler including Collins and Democratic front-runner Rev. Raphael Warnock.
ATLANTA – Both environmental groups and businesses are hailing congressional passage this week of legislation aimed at preserving the scenic beauty of America’s public parklands into perpetuity.
The Great American Outdoors Act, passed by large bipartisan majorities in the U.S. House and Senate, will support the Land and Water Conservation Fund with $900 million a year and provide $9.5 billion over five years to repair deteriorating infrastructure in the nation’s public spaces.
“Protecting and enhancing our public lands is an essential part of the American ethos,” said Jeannette Gayer, executive director of Environment Georgia.
“Whether it’s parks along the Chattahoochee, Georgia’s national forests or the Cumberland [Island] National Seashore, Georgians love and utilize public lands. This bill is not only an investment in outdoor space but also in our health and psyche.”
Business leaders say the legislation also will boost the nation’s economy, creating 100,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Outdoor recreation plays a major role in Georgia’s economy, accounting for 144,000 jobs and $12.3 billion in annual economic impact.
“In the wake of this economic crisis, supporting conservation and the local economies in Georgia and beyond is more important than ever before, said Ben Speciale, president of Yamaha’s U.S. Marine Business Unit based in Kennesaw. “We applaud Congress for passing this historic legislation.”
The bill now heads to President Donald Trump, who has pledged to sign it.
ATLANTA – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff called on Congress Thursday to extend a moratorium on evictions that took effect with the coronavirus relief package lawmakers approved in March.
The Coronavirus, Aid and Relief Economic Security (CARES) Act included a 120-day moratorium prohibiting landlords from evicting tenants. The moratorium is due to expire on Saturday unless lawmakers extend it.
“Congress must not allow families to be made homeless by this pandemic,” said Ossoff, an investigative journalist who won last month’s Democratic primary for the right to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue in November.
“Today I am calling on Congress to take action to prevent evictions nationwide, help families keep the lights on and provide more direct financial assistance to those in need. Policy makers have a basic obligation to help everyone get through this crisis.”
Ossoff also supports passage of a new round of stimulus checks to Americans to help offset the economic impact of the pandemic on individuals and families. The CARES Act provided checks of $1,200 for every adult whose income was less than $99,000 a year, or $198,000 annually for joint tax filers.
Additionally, the Democrat called for Congress to block utility companies from shutting off access to power, water, or gas if a family cannot afford to pay their bills.
In mid-March, the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) instructed Georgia Power Co. as well as the state’s gas utilities not to cut off services to customers for non-payment. However, the PSC lifted those moratoriums this month.
In response, Georgia Power began offering a special payment plan letting customers behind on their bills pay them back over time with no late fees.
Perdue, a close ally of President Donald Trump, opposed issuing stimulus checks.
“President Trump and Senator David Perdue failed to protect us from this crisis, and their denialism cost thousands of lives and millions of jobs,” Ossoff said.
Perdue spokeswoman Casey Black noted that Perdue voted for the CARES Act, which passed the Senate 96-0, while supporting the Paycheck Protection Act, which saved 1.5 million Georgia jobs.
“Senator Perdue is focused on helping Georgia families,” Black said. “Ossoff’s only goal is sowing division through false partisan attacks.”
A request to scrap end-of-year tests for Georgia public schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic drew overwhelming support from students, teachers, parents and others during a two-week comment period, state school officials said Thursday.
Per the waiver, the state is also seeking a pass on accountability requirements including the annual report card and the College and Career Readiness Index.
The waiver requires public input via a survey that fielded nearly 99,000 responses across the state in just two weeks, school officials said during at state Board of Education meeting Thursday.
Of those responses, roughly 96% supported the federal government giving Georgia a break from the year-end tests and reporting requirements. And 93% backed waiving the accountability requirements.
State officials are still awaiting word on whether the waiver will be approved.
Meanwhile, local school districts are hustling to wrap up safety plans allowing students to return for classes during the pandemic with both in-person and online instruction, depending on the district.
Education board members did not take up any discussion Thursday on whether to ask local districts to delay their fall semester start dates. Districts are largely scheduled to resume classes in early August.
State officials have issued guidelines and recommendations aimed at helping local school districts decide how to hold classes in the fall via a mix of regular in-person classes and online instruction options.
Several districts have elected to go online-only for the first few weeks, creating challenges such as how schools will track attendance but easing safety concerns expressed by many parents, teachers and public health experts.
Gov. Brian Kemp and State School Superintendent Richard Woods have said they favor in-person instruction over long periods of online learning but will support the decisions local districts make.
Standardized tests were suspended for the 2019-20 school year as in-person classes closed across the state and Georgia’s roughly 1.7 million students switched to online learning starting in late March, as positive cases of the virus began to swell.
School officials say resuming the tests would both complicate classroom learning already challenged by social distancing restrictions and hurt the budgetary bottom line for local schools as districts grapple with $950 million in spending cuts statewide.
ATLANTA – Initial unemployment claims in Georgia fell slightly last week, but the state paid out more in jobless benefits than during the last three years combined.
For the week ending July 18, 122,313 Georgians filed initial unemployment claims, down 16,139 from the previous week, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.
The agency paid out more than $1 billion in unemployment benefits last week, more than the $922 million paid out during the last three years.
Getting such a large volume of payments out the door in just five days was a huge accomplishment, Georgia Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler said.
“When you think that the average weekly benefit amount is $246, the sheer volume of payments we are issuing is phenomenal,” he said.
The labor department processed more than 3.2 million initial unemployment claims between March 21 and July 18, more than in the last seven years combined.
However, only about 1.1 million of those claims were deemed valid. The invalid claims could potentially be duplicate filed claims or those without enough earned wages to receive benefits, Butler said.
With initial claims still running at a high level, Butler said the agency is stepping up investigations into potential fraud.
“We are seeing suspected fraud in all shapes and sizes requiring us to split our time between valid claims and potentially fraudulent ones,” he said.
“We are working with state and federal law enforcement agencies to prosecute the bad actors who are monopolizing our time with fraudulent claims and keeping us from focusing on getting eligible Georgians paid their benefits.”
Since March 21, the accommodation and food services job sector has accounted for the most initial unemployment claims with 768,931 claims filed. The health care and social assistance sector is next with 376,269, followed closely by the 352,846 claims filed by jobless retail workers.
Today, more than 116,000 jobs are listed online at EmployGeorgia.com for Georgians to access. The labor department offers online resources for finding a job, building a resume, and assisting with other re-employment needs
