ATLANTA – Two veteran members of the Georgia House of Representatives announced Friday that they won’t seek reelection this year.
Reps. David Knight, R-Griffin, and Gregg Kinnard, D-Lawrenceville, addressed their colleagues from the House floor on the final day of Qualifying Week for legislative candidates.
Knight, now serving in his 20th year in the House, is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee’s Higher Education Subcommittee.
On the House floor Friday, Knight said the recent death of House Rules Committee Chairman Richard Smith convinced him it was time to leave office and spend more time with his wife and young son.
Knight praised Democrats and Republicans in the House for debating issues in a civil manner, even when they disagree.
“People are tired across this nation of bad politics and people being mean to each other,” he said. “If we treat each other with civility, we’ll all be better for it, and the people of Georgia will be better for it.”
Kennard, elected to the House in 2018, had indicated late last year he would not run for a fourth term after House Republicans redrew the House map during a special redistricting session.
The new map put Kennard in the same district as House Minority Whip Sam Park, D-Lawrenceville, and Kennard decided to step down rather than face Park in a Democratic primary contest in May.
ATLANTA – Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian will delay indefinitely plans to build a $5 billion EV plant east of Atlanta, the company announced Thursday.
Instead, Rivian initially will begin building its new R2 midsize SUV model at its plant in Normal, Ill.
“Rivian’s Georgia plant remains an extremely important part of its strategy to scale production of R2 and R3,” the company wrote in a news release. “The timing for resuming construction is expected to be later to focus its teams on the capital-efficient launch of R2 in Normal, Illinois.”
Rivian announced plans to build the $5 billion plant in Georgia in December 2021 amid much fanfare. It was the largest economic development project ever to come to the Peach State at the time, although it was surpassed five months later by an announcement that Hyundai would build a $5.5 billion EV plant west of Savannah.
In exchange for creating 7,500 jobs, state and local economic development agencies offered Rivian $1.5 billion in incentives including tax credits, a 25-year no-cost lease, and $198.1 million in site and road improvements on 1,978 acres.
Thus far, Rivian has made two payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to the Joint Development Authority (JDA) of Jasper, Morgan, Newton, and Walton Counties on the property totaling $3 million, the most recent on March 1.
The economic development agreement with Rivian requires that it meets 80% of its $5 billion investment commitment and 7,500 jobs commitments, and maintain those commitments by Dec. 31, 2030, through 2049. Rivian has committed to maintaining those timelines.
“Rivian has restated its commitment to Georgia, and the state and JDA are in steady communication with Rivian regarding its manufacturing plans at Stanton Springs North,” the state Department of Economic Development and JDA wrote in a joint statement.
Rivian estimated that shifting production of the R2 to Illinois from Georgia will save the company more than $2.25 billion. The savings are expected to come from capital expenditures, product development investment, and supplier sourcing opportunities.
ATLANTA – The Georgia House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a $36.1 billion fiscal 2025 state budget Thursday with generous raises for teachers and state employees made possible by a huge surplus.
“This is an awesome budget that addresses the needs of every Georgian from all walks of life,” House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, said following the 172-1 vote.
The budget, which takes effect July 1, would increase state spending by $3.6 billion – or 11% – over the original fiscal 2024 spending plan the General Assembly adopted last spring.
It includes 4% pay raises for most state employees, with an additional $3,000 one-time increase for state law enforcement and correctional officers. Workers in state agencies suffering from high turnover also would receive additional targeted raises above the 4% salary hikes.
“Agency attrition is a problem,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Matt Hatchett, R-Dublin. “The slow, steady increase in salaries … is moving the needle on state employee recruitment and retention.”
The budget also includes $2,500 raises for public school teachers. Separate legislation the House passed last month would provide salary increases to superior court judges, judges on the state Court of Appeals, and justices on the state Supreme Court.
With the state sitting on a $16 billion surplus, House lawmakers approved significant increases for education and health care, either agreeing with Gov. Brian Kemp’s budget recommendations or adding to the spending plan Kemp proposed in January.
The budget includes $249.6 million to account for public school enrollment growth, $204 million for more school buses, and $104 million in grants to improve safety on public school campuses. Each public school in Georgia would receive a $45,000 safety grant.
The spending plan also includes $146 million to fully fund reimbursement increases for health-care providers to Medicaid patients.
“We constantly are losing providers because we don’t reimburse them enough,” Hatchett said.
The fiscal ’25 budget now moves to the Georgia Senate.
ATLANTA – Georgia’s unemployment rate declined in January for the first time in more than a year, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.
The jobless rate of 3.1% was down from 3.2%, a rate that held steady throughout 2023.
“With low unemployment and a competitive job market, Georgia’s workers and employers are thriving together,” Georgia Commissioner of Labor Bruce Thompson said Thursday.
“Fostering innovation, investing in skills, diversifying our economy and supporting businesses, especially sectors experiencing hiring and labor challenges, ensures Georgia will remain a hub of opportunity and prosperity for all.”
The state’s labor force grew by 914 in January to more than 5.3 million, while the total number of jobs rose by 1,500 to more than 4.9 million. However, the labor force participation rate declined slightly from 61.5% in December to 61.4%.
The number of employed Georgians hit an all-time high of nearly 5.2 million, up by 4,814 from the December total.
However, initial unemployment claims increased by 51% in January to 37,331. The January over-the-month increase is typical coming out of the holiday season.
ATLANTA – There will be no Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) elections this year because a lawsuit challenging the system the state uses to elect commissioners is still pending, the secretary of state’s office announced Wednesday.
The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled last November that the five-member PSC may continue holding elections statewide rather than by district.
A lawsuit filed by four Black Fulton County residents had argued that electing the commissioners statewide diluted Black voting strength in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act, making it more difficult for Black voters to elect a candidate of their choice.
Specifically, the suit targeted a map of the PSC districts the General Assembly’s Republican majorities adopted two years ago.
The terms of two commissioners – Republicans Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson – expired at the end of 2022, but they were allowed to continue in their seats until the lawsuit was settled.
Because the plaintiffs have appealed the appellate court decision and the case remains pending, this year’s PSC elections have been postponed again.
