Proposals to raise the age Georgia children can drop out of school from 16 to 17 and to nix discipline reporting from a required school performance rating were the focus of debate between Georgia Senate lawmakers on Wednesday.
Students in Georgia public, private and home-school programs may drop out when they turn 16 under current state law. A bill sponsored by state Sen. Lester Jackson, D-Savannah, would raise the mandatory attendance age to 17.
Separately, state law also requires Georgia schools and school districts to publish ratings based on a five-star scale showing a school’s climate including student health, safety, attendance and discipline rates. A bill introduced by Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, would remove discipline from that evaluation criteria.
Both bills’ fates look up in the air after state lawmakers on the Senate Education and Youth Committee flashed signs of support and opposition at hearings Wednesday. No votes were taken to send the bills to the Senate floor or kill them in committee.
Backers of Jackson’s bill raising the dropout age argued it would keep kids who abandon school from landing in jail and costing the state millions of dollars annually to incarcerate them. Jackson estimated it would cost the state magnitudes less to keep more 16-year-olds in school than to house them in jail.
“I’m not saying this is a cure-all,” Jackson said. “But it is one more step in the process for giving kids more opportunities for improvement.”
Other lawmakers from both parties questioned whether older students who drop out to work jobs to support their families or are simply not cutting it performance-wise should be forced into classes. Truancy officers tasked with tracking down kids who cut classes could also see their caseloads shoot up.
“I really don’t believe the people dropping out of high school are on a college or university track,” said Sen. Lindsey Tippins, R-Marietta. “If we can give them career training, give them a truncated high school experience … we’ll actually get a much greater return on the investment.”
Supporters of the second bill Wednesday said removing discipline reporting from school-climate ratings would encourage teachers to actually punish bad-acting students rather than shirking that responsibility. Many schools skip disciplining students to avoid facing poor scores that could hurt future enrollment, Mullis said.
“We believe more discipline actions will be taken to help the teachers, to help untie their hands and allow the administrators to actually discipline students that are in problematic arenas,” Mullis said during a hearing earlier this week.
Several lawmakers were skeptical about clouding over discipline data from school climate ratings, even though an amendment to the bill Wednesday would still make that data publicly available on its own. Doing so could also prevent holding schools accountable for frequent behavioral issues among students.
“The fact is that school discipline is related to school climate,” said state Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta. “If you divorce these two things, then it’s like throwing the baby out with the bath water.”
Senate Education and Youth Committee Chairman Chuck Payne, R-Dalton, did not say Wednesday when he might schedule the two bills for committee votes.
Coronavirus has sickened hundreds of thousands people and killed thousands more in Georgia. (Image: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
More cases of a highly contagious COVID-19 variant originating from Europe have been identified in Georgia, leading public-health officials to reason the strain is likely spreading fast.
Twenty-three cases of the COVID-19 variant have been reported as of Wednesday, up from 19 cases confirmed earlier this week, according to Georgia Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey.
The quick-moving variant is “probably widespread” throughout Georgia since test results lag behind by a week, Toomey said at a news conference Wednesday.
She and Gov. Brian Kemp urged Georgians to double down on wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing despite positive case rates and hospitalizations from COVID-19 trending down after winter outbreaks.
“The vaccine is here,” Kemp said. “We are getting more shots in arms every day. But we also are still in a deadly race against a highly contagious virus.”
About one million Georgians have received COVID-19 vaccines so far, including more than 500,000 people ages 65 and older who have received their first of two doses, Kemp said. He called those numbers “encouraging milestones” amid the state’s slow vaccine rollout.
Demand for vaccines is still far outstripping supply with only 154,000 doses coming each week from the federal government and more than two million Georgians currently eligible for shots, Kemp said. He added the Biden administration is not expected to increase vaccine shipments for at least a few more weeks.
Teachers and other groups not yet eligible for the vaccine will have to wait until more weekly doses are delivered even as state public-health officials start opening regional vaccine drive-thru sites able to serve thousands of people per day once supplies match demand, Toomey said.
“We want everyone vaccinated,” Toomey said. “I think the problem is always going to be adequacy of vaccine and ensuring a risk-based approach.”
Kemp and Toomey spoke at a vaccine drive-thru site at Jim Miller Park in Cobb County where cars pulled up to tents for drivers to receive their shots. The governor said several sites like the one in Cobb will be ready for a stream of cars once vaccine shipments increase.
“We want nothing more than to expand the criteria” for who is eligible, Kemp said. “Our current supply does not make that feasible at this time, but it is high on our radar.”
Public-health officials are close to launching an online booking portal for scheduling vaccine appointments, Toomey said. It should roll out in mid-February.
More than 755,000 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in Georgia as of Tuesday afternoon, with about 160,000 more reported positive antigen tests indicating likely positive results. The virus has killed 12,772 Georgians.
ATLANTA – Legislation legalizing online sports betting in Georgia passed a committee in the state House of Representatives Tuesday.
The House Economic Development & Tourism Committee voted 20-6 in favor of moving forward a bill that enjoys the backing of a coalition of Atlanta’s four pro sports teams, the Braves, Falcons, Hawks and Atlanta United.
The teams need a way to lure fans back to the games after losing millions of dollars during the coronavirus pandemic, said committee Chairman Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, chief sponsor of House Bill 86.
“The stands are empty,” he said. “That’s major losses for these folks. Fan engagement is what sports betting is all about.”
Under Stephens’ bill, at least six operators such as FanDuel or DraftKings would be licensed by the Georgia Lottery Corp. to run online sports books in Georgia, paying application fees of $50,000 and annual licensing fees of $900,000.
The companies would pay a tax of 14% of their adjusted gross revenues. The money would go toward education, including the popular HOPE Scholarships program.
With demand for scholarships outstripping the lottery’s income, HOPE has fallen $300 million in the hole, Stephens said. Based on the 14% tax, sports betting could be expected to generate more than $50 million a year in tax revenue.
“It will not fill the hole completely, but it will help” he said.
The legislation would prohibit Georgians under age 21 from engaging in sports betting. Wagering on high school or college games also would be forbidden.
Bettors would have to be physically located in Georgia to place a bet, a requirement that would be enforced with geofencing technology.
The bill got some pushback Tuesday from committee members concerned that legalized gambling in Georgia would create more problem gamblers.
“We really need to have something in place for people who get caught up in this trap,” said Rep. Miriam Paris, D-Macon. “People are going broke.”
Stephens said the Georgia lottery already spends more than $400,000 a year on programs targeted to gambling addiction, and a portion of the revenue from sports betting also would go to help problem gamblers.
The bill also discourages bettors from getting in over their heads by requiring that they use debit cards to place bets.
“You have a stopgap built in,” he said.
The bill’s opponents also argue that legalizing sports betting requires a constitutional amendment, as is the case for casinos and pari-mutuel betting on horse racing.
Supporters say a constitutional change isn’t necessary because sports betting can be incorporated into the existing legislation that created the lottery.
The bill moves next to the House Rules Committee to schedule a vote of the full House.
The House version of the measure won’t be the final say. A competing version of the legislation is expected soon in the Georgia Senate.
Gov. Brian Kemp (at podium) rolls out his “Teacher Pipeline” bills package at the State Capitol on Feb. 2, 2021. (Photo by Beau Evans)
Gov. Brian Kemp unveiled a legislative package Tuesday aimed at recruiting more teachers from the ranks of retired educators and military veterans to boost the quality of Georgia schools.
Tops among the governor-backed bills is a measure allowing retired teachers to return to work at full pay while they continue drawing retirement benefits. Returning teachers would be slotted into vacant positions in “high-needs areas” picked by regional education officials, according to Kemp’s office.
“These hard-working men and women have a wealth of experience and knowledge with decades spent raising up the next generation of leaders,” Kemp said at a news conference. “This initiative will help our retirees, retirement systems and education as a whole.”
Other bills would give military veterans with certain degree and testing requirements better access to teacher certificates; boost training, resources and mentorships for new teachers; and require the state Professional Standards Commission to work with historically Black colleges and universities to increase the number of minority teachers in Georgia schools.
The bills – dubbed the “Teacher Pipeline Package” – will be carried by state Rep. Dominic LaRiccia, R-Douglas, and state Sen. Russ Goodman, R-Homerville, both of whom are floor leaders for Kemp in their respective chambers during the 2021 legislative session.
Teacher-focused bills follow moves by Kemp to avoid more budget cuts to K-12 public schools through June 2022 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, add liability protections for schools from lawsuits brought by virus-infected persons and give educators a one-time $1,000 check.
Many schools across Georgia have struggled after shuttering in-person classes last spring due to the pandemic and battling bouts of COVID-19 outbreaks among students and teachers this past fall. Some school districts are still holding online-only classes or “hybrid” models involving a mix of in-person and virtual instructions.
More than $2 billion in federal aid has been allocated for Georgia schools through two separate relief packages dating to March of last year. Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan said Tuesday the new bills package for teachers aims to help struggling schools keep rebounding from the pandemic.
“We have to continue to prioritize education here in Georgia,” Duncan said.
Fracking involves injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rock.
ATLANTA – Legislation environmental advocates fear would prohibit Georgia cities and counties from setting clean energy goals for their communities has been introduced in the General Assembly.
Under House Bill 150, local governments in Georgia would not be allowed to adopt building codes based on the source of energy they use. The legislation also would apply to state agencies.
More than 40 cities across the country have banned gas in new construction in an effort to encourage clean energy. Natural gas derived from fracking, which involves injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rock, has been a particular focus of environmental groups.
While cities in Georgia haven’t gone that far, Atlanta, Augusta, Athens, Savannah and Clarkston have adopted measures committing to a goal of 100% clean energy tied to certain target dates in the future.
“ I would think that the local governments that have passed 100% clean ordinances will strongly oppose House Bill 150,” Mark Woodall, legislative chair for the Georgia chapter of the Sierra Club, wrote in an e-mail. “You can’t get to 100% clean without moving homes and commercial locations off of fracked gas.”
An identical “preemption” bill was introduced in the Georgia Senate last year shortly before the coronavirus pandemic struck the state, forcing the General Assembly to take a two-month break. As a result, the legislation failed to make headway.
Georgia Power Co. has long championed an “all-of-the-above” approach to power generation that includes coal and gas, but also wind and solar as well as nuclear power.
“Georgia Power supports House Bill 150 and similar legislation that promotes and maintains a diversified mix of energy supply options for local communities,” said John Kraft, a spokesman for the Atlanta-based utility.
For local governments, the bill cuts both ways. Cities that run their own utilities – members of either the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia or the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia – would see it as beneficial to have preemptive legislation that ensures gas remains part of the fuel mix, said Charlotte Davis, deputy director of governmental relations for the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA).
But philosophically, the GMA opposes legislation at the state level that takes away local control, Davis said.
“We’re the first to scream when it comes to preemption,” she said.
Davis also noted that none of the Georgia cities that have set 100% clean energy goals has imposed an outright ban on gas or any other forms of energy.
House Bill 150 has been assigned to the House Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committee. The committee’s chairman, Rep. Don Parsons, R-Marietta, is among its cosponsors.
