ATLANTA – The Republican-led Georgia House of Representatives adopted new boundaries for the 180 House districts Wednesday.
After nearly two hours of debate, the House approved a map proposed by GOP leadership 99-79, voting mostly along party lines.
The General Assembly redraws Georgia’ legislative and congressional district lines each decade to accommodate changes in population reflected in the U.S. Census.
The map crafted by House Republicans not only keeps House districts as close to equal in population as possible – the goal being 59,511 residents – Rep. Bonnie Rich, chairman of the House Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment Committee, told her House colleagues.
The map also creates 49 majority Black House districts, an increase of one district over the current House map lawmakers adopted in 2011, as well as 27 “minority-opportunity” districts where minority candidates should be competitive, said Rich, R-Suwanee.
The Republican map splits 69 counties, compared to 73 under the current map, Rich said.
It also pairs only eight incumbent House members in four districts, she said. The House map Democrats drew in 2001, the last time they held a majority in the chamber, paired 37 Republican incumbents and nine Democratic incumbents, she said.
“This is a map that complies with the law, first and foremost, with the Voting Rights Act and the United States Constitution,” Rich said. “The map is fair to Georgia.”
But Democrats complained the map favors Republicans in a state that has evolved into a 50-50 split between the two parties, which is reflected in the outcomes of recent statewide elections.
“Georgia has grown more diverse and urban,” said Rep. Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus. “This map ignores the fact the Georgia is equally divided politically.”
Other Democrats accused Republican leaders of diluting minority voting strength by “packing” minority voters into certain districts in order to reduce the minority voting-age populations of surrounding districts.
Rep. Winfred Dukes, D-Albany, who is paired in a House district with Rep. Gerald Greene, R-Cuthbert, cited District 153 in the city of Albany adjacent to his redrawn district as an example of such packing.
Rich objected to Dukes’ characterizing of Republicans’ strategy as packing.
“We didn’t have any packing in our map,” she said. “We have drawn legal districts that comply with the Voting Rights Act.”
The Republican map’s opponents also repeated complaints over the rushed pace of the special session they have raised frequently during the past week.
Hugley argued the 11 public hearings the committee held across the state during the summer were of little use when they came before the 2020 Census data was released and before the release of any proposed maps.
House Minority Leader James Beverly complained that the final version of the House map Republican leaders proposed was being voted on just two days after its release to the public.
“The people of Georgia deserve better,” said Beverly, D-Macon. “The people demanded a fair and transparent redistricting process. What they got instead was a rushed and secretive process.”
But Rich said the 2022 election schedule requires the General Assembly to act without delay.
“We have deadlines,” she said. “The elections officials are going to have to rush to implement this. … We have a job to get done now.”
The House map now heads to the state Senate, which approved its new map on Tuesday.
ATLANTA — A $340-million copper smelting and recycling plan is coming to Augusta.
Germany-based Aurubis, one of the world’s largest recyclers of copper and precious metals in the world, is building a 150-acre metal recycling plant in Augusta Corporate Park. The plant is expected to open in 2023, with hiring to begin next summer.
The company said the new facility will be the first of its kind in the U.S., and will create 125 jobs in the Augusta area.
Aurubis company processes complex metal concentrates, scrap metals, organic and inorganic metal-bearing recycling materials, and industrial residues into high-quality metals.
It produces more than 1 million tons of copper cathodes annually, and from them, makes a variety of products such as wire rod, continuous cast shapes, profiles, and flat rolled products made of copper and copper alloys.
“Aurubis will now join more than 500 German companies with operations in Georgia, and this project underscores the strengths of our exceptional state and local economic development teams,” Gov. Brian Kemp said Wednesday.
From Augusta, the company plans to produce materials found in lithium-ion batteries and other electronics.
“With this investment, we are setting a clear example of sustainable growth and will become a forerunner for multi-metal recycling in the U.S. as well – a role that we already have in Europe now,” said Roland Harings, CEO of Aurubis AG.
“The Georgia Ports Authority is happy to play a role in bringing jobs and investment to Georgia,” GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch added. “Exports produced by the Aurubis recycling operation will strengthen the state’s global position via Savannah – already one of the nation’s most balanced ports in terms of import-export trade.”
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp has solidified the support of one of the most important conservative groups for his reelection bid: Georgia’s sheriffs and law enforcement officials.
Kemp announced endorsement from 107 sheriffs across the state Tuesday at his Cobb County campaign headquarters.
“It has never been more dangerous to put on a uniform, and we’ve seen that during this once-in-a-century pandemic, civil unrest and the radical defund the police movement that continues to gain steam in Washington, D.C., and other liberal cities across the country,” Kemp said. “Despite being vilified by many, these men and women get up every day and put the uniform on and serve and protect us.”
Attorney General Chris Carr and state Insurance Commissioner John King appeared with Kemp, along with about a dozen sheriffs.
“Gov. Kemp is the exact leader we needed during very challenging times,” Carr said. “He remained steady and calm during the pandemic to both protect lives and livelihoods. He knows it’s a tragedy to lose your life, and it’s also a tragedy to lose your job.”
Carr cited Kemp’s support of laws and measures to prosecute gangs, human traffickers and street racers.
“He knows it’s the paramount duty of government to protect its citizens,” Carr said.
Specifically, Kemp pointed to his support of House Bill 286, which he signed earlier this year to prohibit cities and counties from reducing their law enforcement budgets by more than 5% in one year or collectively across five years.
“Defunding the police is simply an insane idea in an insane time that we’re seeing in places around our country,” Kemp said.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – Georgia’s redistricting process took a major step forward Tuesday, as the Republican-controlled state Senate adopted a new map that redrew that chamber’s legislative lines for the next decade.
Shortly before Tuesday’s 34-21 Senate vote, which occurred along party lines the Georgia House Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment Committee cleared its new House map for action on the House floor as early as Wednesday.
Lawmakers are meeting under the Gold Dome to redraw legislative and congressional districts in accordance with the latest U.S. Census data. The Senate map is the first to gain passage by the full chamber.
With Republicans holding majorities in the House and Senate, both maps were drawn by GOP legislative leaders. Democrats continued to complain the Republican-led map-drawing processes have been rushed and have not allowed sufficient public input.
“This has not been the fair process Georgia deserves,” said state Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta. “This map was released the night before this special session began, as municipal polls were closing throughout Georgia and as the Atlanta Braves were playing in the World Series.
“This map was released when no one was looking. There has not been sufficient time to comment on these maps.”
State Sen. John Kennedy, R-Macon, who chairs the Senate Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, continued to stress the map was thoroughly vetted by his committee and complies with federal voting laws and regulations.
Kennedy said the Senate map was the product of weeks of public hearings across Georgia, but he conceded the process of creating the new maps has been compressed because 2020 Census data wasn’t released until August.
The Peach State grew during the last decade by about 1 million to 10.7 million, primarily the result of increasing numbers of minority residents.
An independent analysis has predicted Democrats likely would gain one seat under the proposed map. Republicans currently hold 34 Senate seats, to 22 for the Democrats.
Democrats and members of civil rights and voting rights groups have argued Democrats could gain more seats if Republicans were willing to pass a fairer map that takes minority population growth into account.
But state Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, said Democrats weren’t willing to pass fair maps when their party was in control of the General Assembly. He pointed to heavily gerrymandered 2001 maps drawn by a then-Democratic majority, which a federal court subsequently ruled an unconstitutional violation of the Voting Rights Act.
In the House, the committee in charge of redistricting passed a map proposed by Republican leaders along party lines Tuesday, sending it to the House floor for a vote.
As in the Senate, Democrats raising the timing issue, arguing the substitute version of the House map the committee passed wasn’t introduced until Monday.
“I do not feel we have given the people enough time to review these maps,” said Rep. Sandra Scott, D-Rex.
But Rep. Bonnie Rich, R-Suwanee, the committee’s chairman, said the committee has taken into account the hundreds of comments Georgians have made about the House map on an online portal as well as testimony from two days of hearings this week.
Rich said redrawing district boundaries to satisfy the public and individual lawmakers while meeting guidelines set by the committee, general redistricting principles such as keep cities and counties together and complying with the federal Voting Rights Act is challenging. She compared it to solving a Rubik’s Cube puzzle.
“It’s difficult if not impossible to take one or two districts in a vacuum,” Rich said. “We have a job … to draw a map that complies with the law.”
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA — Former Georgia U.S. Sen. and Secretary of State Max Cleland died Tuesday at the age of 79.
The Washington Post reported Cleland, who also served as head of the U.S. Veterans Administration, died at his home in Atlanta from congestive heart failure.
President Joe Biden called Cleland “an American hero whose fearless service to our nation, and to the people of his beloved home state of Georgia, never wavered.”
On April 8, 1968, during the Vietnam War, Cleland lost his right forearm arm and both legs after a grenade exploded near his unit during the Battle of Khe Sanh. The grenade had fallen off a flak jacket of one of Cleland’s fellow soldiers during a helicopter landing.
“As a 25-year-old serving in the 1st Cavalry Division of the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, Max lost both of his legs and his right arm in a grenade explosion at Khe Sanh,” Biden said. “After grueling months in the hospital, enduring multiple surgeries and a long road back to recovery, Max turned his pain into purpose.”
Cleland returned to Georgia after his injuries, and served as a state senator from 1971 to 1975. He was the administrator of the U.S. Veterans Administration under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981.
Cleland then served 14 years as Georgia secretary of state from 1982 to 1996. When longtime Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn retired, Cleland ran for the seat, defeating Republican Guy Millner. Cleland and Biden served together at that time.
Cleland served one term in the Senate, losing his seat in 2002 to Republican Saxby Chambliss.
“He continued his distinguished public service, becoming a lifelong champion of the dignity and rights of working people and America’s wounded veterans,” Biden said. “His leadership was the essential driving force behind the creation of the modern VA health system, where so many of his fellow heroes have found lifesaving support and renewed purpose of their own thanks in no small part to Max’s lasting impact.”
Cleland supported fellow Vietnam vet John Kerry in his 2004 presidential bid. In 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Cleland to serve as secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission. Cleland served in that position until Obama left office.
Upon news of Cleland’s passing, tributes immediately began pouring in from elected officials and others across the country.
Senator Max Cleland sometimes quoted Nietzsche – “To live is to suffer. To survive is to find meaning in the suffering." What happened to Senator Cleland in Vietnam could have destroyed him, but he used it to find purpose during a lifetime of public service. He will be missed. pic.twitter.com/pBjlu5H2PI
“Senator Cleland was a hero, a patriot, a public servant, and a friend. His advice as I entered the Senate and in the early months of my tenure have been invaluable. Georgia and the nation will deeply miss him. Alisha and I are keeping Senator Cleland’s family in our prayers.” — U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.
“Marty, the girls, and I join Georgians in mourning the loss of a great patriot, Max Cleland. Senator Cleland’s service to our state, nation, and his fellow veterans was defined by his optimism, grit, and determination to give hardworking Georgians a better chance to achieve the American dream. Max’s example of persevering through adversity will continue to inspire generations of Georgians for years to come.” — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp
“Max Cleland was a hero of mine. I am very sad we have lost such an amazing American. He said. ‘To live is to suffer. To survive is to find meaning in the suffering.’ ” — U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.
RIP Max Cleland. I bought your book in 2009 & I thank you for it & for your courage on so many fronts. I will never forgive the @GOP for how they worked so hard to trash you. Fair Winds. #Respectpic.twitter.com/myMBZVZRfH
“U.S. Senator Max Cleland was a great American and a great Georgian. He served our nation honorably both abroad and domestically. I’m grateful to have been able to call him a friend and will miss his leadership and wisdom.” — Robb Pitts, chairman, Fulton County Commission
“U.S. Senator Max Cleland will be deeply missed. He was a pillar in the Democratic Party, a defender of democracy, and an advocate for our veterans. A treasure has moved on to glory. Praying for his family and friends and all those whose lives he touched.” — Felicia Moore, Atlanta City Council president, mayoral candidate
“Senator Cleland epitomized the values of service and patriotism. As a Georgian and as the daughter of a veteran, I know that our nation is better for his leadership. Praying for his family and loved ones.” — State Sen. Jen Jordan, D-Atlanta
Senator Max Cleland sometimes quoted Nietzsche – “To live is to suffer. To survive is to find meaning in the suffering." What happened to Senator Cleland in Vietnam could have destroyed him, but he used it to find purpose during a lifetime of public service. He will be missed. pic.twitter.com/pBjlu5H2PI
“U.S. Senator Max Cleland sacrificed for and served Georgia and our nation with true integrity. He defended democracy, spoke up for veterans and embodied a quiet dignity that lifted all who knew him. God’s peace to his family and friends as he takes rest from his labors.” — Stacey Abrams, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate
Max Cleland was a true hero, a remarkable and honorable statesman and friend who was in the Georgia Senate from 1971-1975. He was a tireless advocate for veterans who never stopped serving his fellow citizens. He was loved, and he will be missed. #gapol
“The nation has lost a true giant of public service, and Georgia has lost one of our fiercest champions. My prayers are with Senator Cleland’s family and all those who loved him. Senator Cleland was a passionate patriot with a big heart for our veterans, and he always put the people of Georgia first. Georgians will long remember and admire his honorable life, legacy and contributions to our state and nation.” — U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia
“The indefatigable Senator Max Cleland of Lithonia, Georgia, was a giant of a human being who, in overcoming all adversity, showed us how to build a winning life. Although our paths did not cross frequently, often when we saw each other Max would grab me and bestow a big hug, and I would hug him right back. Highly accomplished, Max also exuded warmth and positivity, and treated all with kindness. I salute Max for a life well lived, and we will miss him greatly. My prayers go out to his entire family.” — U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Stone Mountain
Heartbroken at the death of our beloved war hero and Senator Max Cleland. Despite sacrificing 3 limbs in Vietnam he was maligned by the right, and implored Democrats to defend our patriots as he led the creation of our “Fighting Dems” and @DNCVetsMilFams Council. #RIPMaxClelandpic.twitter.com/DL6UrpaQtq
“Senator Max Cleland was an American hero who overcame unimaginable adversity and dedicated his life to serving others. His patriotism, commitment to public service, and love for Georgia were unmatched, and his contributions to our state and nation – particularly for our servicemembers, veterans, and their families – will be felt for generations to come. All Georgians join Senator Cleland’s family, friends, and those who loved him in mourning his passing. He will be truly missed.” — U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
