First lady Marty Kemp looks on as Gov. Brian Kemp signs a human trafficking bill into law in Atlanta. (Photo credit: Rebecca Grapevine)
ATLANTA – Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law Tuesday a bill that increases the penalties for business owners who fail to post required notices about resources for human trafficking victims.
Kemp was joined by his wife, Marty Kemp, who has used her time as first lady to work on stopping human trafficking in Georgia and assisting victims of the crime.
The new law increases the penalty for business owners who fail to post notices that explain how victims of human trafficking can reach national and state hotlines to get help.
“This common-sense measure imposes minimum fines for failing to post required notices by public entrances, where they will be easily seen by the public, and in restrooms where victims of trafficking may be able to see the notice while away from their trafficker,” Marty Kemp said at a bill signing ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion.
“It may not sound like much, but the reality is this simple step could save lives if the notice reaches the right person. This is especially critical in busy areas where traffickers often hide in plain sight.”
Business owners who fail to post the notices in both English and Spanish can be fined $500 to $1,000 for a first conviction and from $1,000 to $5,000 for a second conviction. The law allows business owners up to 30 days to post the notices after being notified by law enforcement that they are in violation of the law.
Georgia law requires the notices to be posted in certain types of businesses, including truck stops, bars, adult entertainment businesses, hospitals, airports, rail and bus stations, hotels, and government buildings.
State Sen. Mike Hodges, R-Brunswick, sponsored the bill and it was carried in the House of Representatives by Rep. Will Wade, R-Dawsonville. Both served as floor leaders for Kemp during the 2023 legislative session and attended the bill signing along with other GOP legislators.
The measure passed with only one “no” vote in the state Senate and unanimously in the House of Representatives.
The bill signing ceremony was preceded by a meeting of the GRACE Commission, which is chaired by Marty Kemp. The commission is made up of government and business leaders as well as representatives of non-profit and faith groups that work to end human trafficking and help victims of the crime.
Attorney General Chris Carr is a member of the commission and has made fighting human trafficking a priority. His office assisted 116 victims, led or assisted 33 investigations, and secured six convictions in 2022, Carr said during the meeting.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – The Democratic National Committee (DND) Tuesday announced Chicago as host city for the party’s convention next year, ending a competition that also featured Atlanta, Houston, and New York City.
In a news release, the committee cited the Midwest as a critical Democratic stronghold, forming the “blue wall” that keyed President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory and Democrats’ successes in last year’s midterm elections. While Democrats lost control of the U.S. House in 2022, they held on to their slight majority in the U.S. Senate.
“Chicago is a great choice to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention,” Biden said in a prepared statement. “Democrats will gather to showcase our historic progress including building an economy from the middle out and bottom up, not from the top down.”
“The Midwest reflects America and will give Democrats an opportunity to showcase some of President Biden and Vice President Harris’s most significant accomplishments for American families,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison added. “I’m grateful to the leadership of Chicago’s bid for being great partners, as well as to the other cities for putting forward such strong bids.”
The convention will be held Aug. 19-22 of next year at Chicago’s United Center. Biden has said he plans to seek a second term in the White House, although no official announcement has been made.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, hosted a delegation from the DNC last summer to make the city’s case for hosting the 2024 convention. Atlanta hosted the Democratic National Convention in 1988, when the party nominated former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, who lost the general election to then-Vice President George H.W. Bush.
Chicago last hosted the Democrats in 1996, re-nominating then-President Bill Clinton, who went on to defeat Republican Bob Dole to win a second term.
The Midwest will be ground zero for presidential politics next year. The Republican National Convention will held in July 2024 in Milwaukee.
ATLANTA – The Hyundai electric vehicles plant being built near Savannah in Bryan County has attracted another automotive parts supplier, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday.
Seohan Auto Georgia will invest more than $72 million in a new manufacturing facility in nearby Liberty County, which will create at least 180 jobs.
“The Hyundai Metaplant is and will continue to be an economic driver for the entire region, creating more jobs for hardworking Georgians in communities like Liberty County,” Kemp said. “We’re proud to welcome Seohan as the latest supplier in a growing list to invest in Georgia and look forward to the continued growth of this fast emerging sector.”
Seohan Auto Georgia is a Tier-1 automotive parts supplier for Hyundai Motor Group America. The company is based in South Korea and has production facilities around the world, including multiple facilities in the United States.
“Sustained growth of the EV market over the past few years suggests that accelerated changes to the automotive market is inevitable,” said Jung Kee Koo, Seohan Auto Georgia’s CEO. “We believe Georgia will be the center of the EV industry and will be a new frontier for Seohan’s future with limitless opportunities and potential.”
Seohan’s new facility in Georgia is scheduled to begin production late next year. The new manufacturing facility will produce H/shafts, axles, and brake systems.
Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America broke ground on the Bryan County plant last October. In addition to the $5.5 billion in direct economic impact the Hyundai plant will provide to the coastal region, the impact of offsite suppliers announced to date have reached nearly $2 billion.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Global Commerce team worked in partnership with the Liberty County Industrial Development Authority, the Georgia Ports Authority, and the Technical College System of Georgia’s Quick Start program to land the Seohan project.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., addressed national and state health concerns in Altanta on Monday. (Photo credit: John Arthur Brown)
ATLANTA – U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra addressed national and state health concerns Monday from senior drug prices to abortion during an Atlanta visit.
Becerra, joined by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., spent the morning visiting Ser Familia, a Latino community center in Norcross.
The Democratic duo touted a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act passed last year that sets a $35 monthly cap on the cost of insulin for Americans over age 65 enrolled in Medicare.
“No senior in Georgia, no senior in America will have to pay more than $35 per month for insulin,” Ossoff said about the new law, which took effect at the start of the year.
“There was fierce opposition from drug companies who are accustomed to making a lot of money. … We stood up in passing this law to save seniors in Georgia hundreds of dollars per year and helped them afford life-saving medicine.”
Becerra shared the story of a senior in Texas who purchased insulin at the new low price but returned to the pharmacy to settle up because she thought she had erroneously underpaid and felt guilty.
“You should not be paying more than $35,” Becerra said. “If you are, you’re entitled to your money back.”
“Save that money for other important things or some kind of gift … for your grandchild,” Becerra quipped.
Becerra and Ossoff added that under the new law, doctor-prescribed preventive vaccines such as the shingles vaccine are now free for seniors on Medicare.
Becerra and Ossoff also addressed a Texas federal judge’s ruling last week that a drug used in medication abortions, mifepristone, was improperly approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) back in 2000.
However, a different federal judge in Washington state issued a ruling blocking the FDA from removing mifepristone from the market.
“We feel very confident that, ultimately, we will prevail in court,” Becerra said Monday. “One judge in one court in one state should not have the ability to undermine safe and effective medicines that millions of Americans rely on.”
Both Becerra and Ossoff said mifepristone is still legal and available.
During an afternoon event in Atlanta, Becerra addressed Georgia health care, suggesting that the state fully expand Medicaid as 40 other states have done.
“What we can do in places like the state of Georgia is offer the chance to make this a unified system of health,” he said. “That’s why the Affordable Care Act allowed states to expand access to health care through Medicaid. We [the federal government] would pay for most of it.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and other state Republican leaders have opposed full Medicaid expansion, arguing it would be too costly and that a more limited expansion plan that offers Medicaid to some low-income Georgians who meet work or education requirements is a better fit for the state. That plan is set to take effect this summer.
Becerra also addressed the upcoming nationwide Medicaid “unwinding” in which pandemic-era Medicaid regulations will be relaxed and states will need to determine whether current Medicaid enrollees are still eligible for the program.
“We all want to do a good job because these are our kids,” Becerra said. “Let’s get to a wellness care system and move away from an illness care system.”
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – The nonprofit Atlanta Gas Light (AGL) Foundation announced a new partnership Monday with Gwinnett Technical College and Atlanta Technical College to train natural gas technicians.
The company and the two schools are launching a one-semester certification program for natural gas technicians, with classes set to begin May 22.
“This program will help build the workforce of tomorrow for students interested in this vital industry,” Atlanta Gas Light President and CEO Pedro Cherry said during a news conference at the company’s Atlanta service center.
The natural gas industry, like others in Georgia, is being hit with a large number of retirements, creating a need for a fresh crop of technicians to install, maintain, and repair gas pipelines; repair and test natural gas meters; perform carpentry, construction and landscape maintenance; and operate trucks and tractors.
“This program is a good example of what our technical colleges do across Georgia,” said Glen Cannon, president of Gwinnett Technical College. “We can meet Georgia’s needs, where they are, quickly.”
The Technical College System of Georgia has used a $400,000 grant from the AGL Foundation during the last couple of years to upgrade its facilities and equipment to prepare for the new program. Grant funds also are going toward helping students at risk of dropping out of school due to financial struggles.
The new curriculum will consist of 14 credit hours over one semester broken into four courses: construction trades core, gas heat, interpersonal relationships and professional development, and special piping. The program also will include ride-alongs with AGL crews to give students a first-hand view of what it’s like to be a natural gas technician.
Registration information can be found on the two colleges’ websites.
