by Dave Williams | Nov 15, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins of Gainesville to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, Trump announced on social media Thursday.
“Doug is a veteran himself, who currently serves our nation as a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command, and fought for our country in the Iraq war,” Trump posted on his Truth Social site. “We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our active duty servicemembers, veterans, and military families to ensure they have the support they need.”
After a stint in the General Assembly, Collins served four terms in Congress from 2013 until 2021 representing Georgia’s 9th Congressional District, which stretches from Gainesville and Athens northeast to the South Carolina border.
As ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, he gained national attention as one of then-President Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters during Trump’s first impeachment inquiry in 2019.
Collins was Trump’s preferred pick for the U.S. Senate following the retirement of the late Sen. Johnny Isakson. But Gov. Brian Kemp instead appointed Kelly Loeffler to fill the vacancy.
Collins ran for Loeffler’s seat in 2020 but failed to make the January runoff. Democrat Raphael Warnock defeated Loeffler in the runoff to win election to the Senate.
Georgia politicians have a long track record of leadership on veterans’ issues. Isakson served as chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Before that, the late Max Cleland served as administrator of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs during the administration of Jimmy Carter.
Trump’s nomination of Collins will be subject to confirmation by the Senate.
by Dave Williams | Nov 14, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia House Democrats Thursday elected longtime Rep. Carolyn Hugley of Columbus to serve as House minority leader during the two-year term starting in January.
Hugley, who was elected to the House in 1992 and served as the Democratic whip from 2003 until 2018, will succeed Rep. James Beverly as minority leader. Beverly didn’t seek reelection this year to his Macon-based House seat.
House Democrats also voted Thursday to retain Rep. Sam Park, D-Lawrenceville, as minority whip.
Rep. Tanya Miller, D-Atlanta, was chosen to succeed Rep. Billy Mitchell, D-Stone Mountain, as chairman of the House Minority Caucus.
In other leadership elections, Democrats picked Rep. Spencer Frye, D-Athens, to serve as minority caucus vice chairman. Rep. Park Cannon, D-Atlanta, will return as minority caucus secretary.
Democrats gained two seats in the House in last week’s elections, but Republicans retained a comfortable majority with 100 of the chamber’s 180 seats.
The 2025 session of the General Assembly will convene at the state Capitol on Jan. 13.
by Dave Williams | Nov 14, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – A legislative study committee chairman exploring ways to foster safe firearm storage in Georgia Thursday recommended a carrot-and-stick approach to an issue that has taken on greater urgency since September’s mass school shooting in Barrow County.
Sen. Emanuel Jones, D-Decatur, chairman of the state Senate Study Committee Study Committee on Safe Firearm Storage, proposed legislation providing civil and criminal penalties for parents or caregivers who allow children access to a loaded firearm and lowering insurance premiums for homeowners who buy safe storage devices such as trigger locks or gun safes.
“Having laws like this on the books is critical to us curbing this senseless act of gun violence,” Jones said Thursday.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who presides over the Senate, created the study committee last March, but several of the panel’s meetings have taken place since two students and two teachers were shot to death at Apalachee High School near Winder in September.
Another student, 14-year-old Colt Gray, was arrested at the scene and charged with the murders, while his father, Colin Gray, also faces criminal charges for allegedly letting his son possess the AR-15 style rifle used in the killings. The two were indicted last month and are due to be arraigned next week.
Jones also is recommending creating a director position inside state government to coordinate training and technical assistance to schools looking to create a safe and secure environment, review schools’ emergency operations plans, and produce educational materials on safe firearm storage. He said the position could be created within the governor’s office without the need for legislation.
Jones also suggested the General Assembly pass legislation requiring a 10-day waiting period before purchasing an assault rifle, unless the buyer has a state-issued license to carry firearms.
“Sometimes in those 10 days, cooler heads can prevail,” he said.
Jones’ recommendations will be forwarded to the full study committee for consideration.
by Dave Williams | Nov 14, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – The Georgia Ports Authority experienced its third busiest October on record, handling 494,261 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), the agency reported Thursday.
That number fell short only of October 2021 and October 2022, when more than half a million TEUs crossed the docks at the Port of Savannah.
Last month’s numbers were driven in part by record trade though the Appalachian Regional Port near Chatsworth. The inland port set an October high of 3,666 rail lifts, up 4.4% over October of last year.
The Georgia ports of Savannah and Brunswick were shut down in late September and early last month by a labor dispute involving the union representing dockworkers along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. A tentative agreement suspended the strike until Jan. 15 to allow the parties to negotiate a settlement allowed the ports to reopen.
“Despite the cargo increases this year, many customers continue to divert to the U.S. West Coast while the contract negotiations are ongoing,” said Griff Lynch, the ports authority’s president and CEO.
In other news, the ports received a $46 million federal grant through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Ports program in October to install electrification infrastructure to support ships at berth to plug-in to shore power and turn off auxiliary-powered diesel engines.
The grant also will pay to replace diesel terminal tractors with electric models and charging infrastructure.
by Dave Williams | Nov 14, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia’s unemployment rate was 3.6% last month for the third month in a row, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.
The state’s labor force rose by 1,370 in October to a record-high 5.4 million, while the number of employed Georgians increased slightly to another all-time high of 5.2 million.
“While job growth has slowed nationwide, Georgia continues to drive job creation and workforce participation,” state Commissioner of Labor Bruce Thompson said Thursday. “This stability shows what’s possible with a state government that puts hardworking Georgians first.”
The number of jobs also went up last month by 1,500 to nearly 5 million.
Job sectors showing the most over-the-month gains were accommodation and food services, which gained 4,300 jobs, and health care and social assistance, posting a jobs gain of 2,200.
On the down side, the administrative and support services sector lost 3,700 jobs in October, while transportation and warehousing was down 1,400 jobs, and the information sector – which includes the motion picture and sound recording industries – lost 1,300 jobs.
Initial unemployment claims were up by 9,042 last month to 28,642.
