by Dave Williams | Dec 30, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Flags flew at half-staff across the nation Monday, a day after former President Jimmy Carter died at age 100 at his home in Plains.
Gov. Brian Kemp issued two executive orders following the passing of the longest living ex-president, one ordering all U.S. and Georgia flags to fly at half-staff at all state buildings and grounds for 30 days and the other declaring a state of emergency in Carter’s home county of Sumter through Jan. 12 to bring all state resources to bear for the influx of visitors expected to attend funeral services.
President Joe Biden ordered an official state funeral for fellow Democrat Carter to be held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 9, a national day of mourning, while Congress extended an invitation to the Carter family to have the former president lie in state inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
“Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend,” Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said in a statement late Sunday. “But what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well.
“With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us. He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe.”
Carter was born in Plains in 1924 to James and Bessie Carter, owners of a local peanut farm and warehouse. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland and went on to serve seven years as a naval officer, rising to the rank of lieutenant.
After his father’s death, Carter resigned from the Navy and came home to manage the family business. From there, he ran for the state Senate, serving two terms before being elected Georgia’s 76th governor in 1970.
He won the presidency in 1976, running as a Washington outsider in a post-Watergate era that found voters tired of the scandal and corruption that had led to the resignation of then-President Richard Nixon in 1974.
After a single term marked by inflation at home and the Iranian hostage crisis overseas, voters turned to Ronald Reagan in 1980, sending Carter back to Georgia.
But the nation’s only president from the Peach State thus far was nowhere near done with his career. He founded the nonprofit Carter Center in Atlanta in 1982, which continues to promote international human rights and global health initiatives.
Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts as a humanitarian and philanthropist.
Carter entered home-hospice care last February, several months after traveling to Atlanta to attend former First Lady Rosalynn Carter’s funeral.
Georgia Republicans and Democrats alike praised Carter Sunday for his contributions to the nation both during and after his presidency.
“President Carter was an exemplary statesman who was respected by many and served our nation with skill and experience,” GOP Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said. “President Carter’s legacy will live on in the numerous nonprofits, charities, and organizations Rosalynn, his family and he started.”
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., called Carter one of his heroes.
“His leadership was driven by love, his life’s project grounded in compassion and a commitment to human dignity,” Warnock said. “For those of us who have the privilege of representing our communities in elected office, Jimmy Carter is a shining example of what it means to make your faith come alive through the noble work of public service.”
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, who also chairs the Georgia Democratic Party, named her son, Carter, after the former president.
“Throughout his extraordinary life, President Jimmy Carter was a force for peace, human rights, and a voice for marginalized communities,” Williams said. “The once peanut farmer from Plains, Ga., became a Nobel Peace Prize winner, reminding us that everyday people have the power to change the world.”
by Dave Williams | Dec 29, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, died Sunday afternoon at the age of 100 at his home in Plains.
Carter, a Democrat and the only Georgian to serve as the nation’s chief executive, served a single term in the White House from 1977 until 1981, losing to Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980 after a presidency marred by high inflation, an oil crisis, and the kidnapping of 53 U.S. diplomats and other American citizens held hostage by Iranian militants for 444 days.
“He showed the world the impact our state and its people have on the country,” Gov. Brian Kemp said Sunday. “And as a son of Plains, he always valued Georgians and the virtues of our state, choosing to return to his rural home after his time in public office.”
Carter, the only former U.S. president to live to 100, made important contributions for decades after leaving the White House. The Carter Center in Atlanta continues to address global health issues, while Carter worked to support various charities including Habitat for Humanity.
“President Carter’s lifetime of work and dedication to public service changed the lives of many across our state, our country, and around the world,” said U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. “Among his lifetime of service and countless accomplishments, President Carter will be remembered for his commitment to democracy and human rights, his enduring faith, his philanthropic leadership, and his deep love of family.”
Carter’s most significant accomplishment as president was bringing together the leaders of Israel and Egypt in 1978 to hammer out the Camp David Accords, a pair of peace agreements between the two countries that have held up for nearly half a century.
Before running for president, Carter served as a state senator and as Georgia’s 76th governor.
Carter entered home hospice care in February 2023. His wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, died in November of last year at the age of 96.
Carter is survived by sons Jack, Chip, and Jeff, as well as daughter Amy. Grandson Jason Carter ran for governor in 2014.
by Dave Williams | Dec 27, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – A judge has ruled that the state Senate can subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in its investigation of her role in the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Fulton Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram filed the order on Monday, giving Willis until Jan. 13 to submit arguments over whether subpoenas issued by a Senate special committee to investigate allegations of misconduct against Willis are overly broad. Willis’ office has indicated she will ask the Georgia Supreme Court to review the ruling.
Ingram heard arguments in the case early this month, when former Gov. Roy Barnes appearing as her lawyer argued Senate Republicans were conducting a vendetta to punish Willis for prosecuting the Republican former president. A Fulton grand jury indicted Trump in August of last year on charges of participating in a conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia that saw Democrat Joe Biden capture Georgia’s 16 electoral votes.
Last week, the state Court of Appeals disqualified Willis from the case, ruling that her sexual relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired to lead the prosecution, constituted an appearance of impropriety.
However, state Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, has announced he will introduce a resolution at the beginning of the 2025 General Assembly session next month to reestablish the Senate Special Committee on Investigations despite the decision removing Willis from the case.
“(The) ruling by the Georgia Court of Appeals … in removing Fani Willis from the election interference case only further validates our body’s justified concerns about the potential need to legislatively address such conduct and decision-making,” Dolezal said the day after the appellate court’s ruling. “These developments confirm the pressing need for continuing legislative action.”
The Senate committee sent subpoenas to Willis in August ordering her to testify at a September meeting and bring documents related to the case. She refused to comply, asserting the subpoenas were unlawful.
Barnes argued the committee lacked the authority to subpoena Willis, a power he said rests only with the full General Assembly. He also contended the subpoenas did not serve any legitimate legislative purpose but were simply to embarrass Willis and discover the details of her case against Trump.
But Josh Belinfante, a lawyer representing the committee, said investigating Willis’ handling of the election interference case might show existing state laws governing the hiring and compensation of district attorneys in Georgia to be inadequate for addressing “legal and fiscal issues” raised by her alleged misconduct.
by Dave Williams | Dec 27, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Most new laws the General Assembly enacted this year took effect in July.
But some significant legislation or portions of legislation lawmakers passed pertaining to elections, taxes, and health care don’t become operative until New Year’s Day.
The list includes Senate Bill 189, a controversial election reform measure the legislature’s Republican majorities passed along party lines. While most of the 24-page bill took effect in July, three of its provisions don’t kick in until Jan. 1.
The most far-reaching of those provisions requires homeless Georgians to use their county registrar’s office as their mailing address. While Republicans said the homeless registration provision would help fulfill the overall bill’s broader goal of restoring integrity to the voting process, Democrats and civil rights groups said it would disenfranchise eligible voters who happen to be homeless.
“Ill-conceived laws like Georgia’s SB189 are a bad solution in search of a non-existent problem,” said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, one of the civil rights groups that filed a lawsuit challenging the bill. “The people of Georgia, especially its most vulnerable, deserve better.”
The other two portions of Senate Bill 189 that take effect Jan. 1 allow voters in local elections in the smallest rural counties to use paper ballots and require county election offices to take steps to prevent tampering with absentee ballots.
Two tax measures about to take effect will provide both property tax relief and greater accountability surrounding the various tax incentives the state offers businesses as bait to lure jobs to Georgia.
Georgia voters ratified an amendment to the state constitution last month with 63% of the vote that prohibits local governments from raising residential property assessments in a given year by more than the annual rate of inflation, even if a home’s market value has gone up more.
Cities, counties and school districts will be allowed to opt out of the measure if they choose. However, any local government that wishes to take that step will be required to file its intent to do so with the Georgia secretary of state’s office by March 1 and hold at least three public hearings.
The Tax Expenditures Transparency Act of 2024 will require the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts to complete at least 12 analyses each year of state income tax credits or sales tax exemptions. Those reports must include how much the incentives covered by the audits cost in lost tax revenue and whether the tax breaks are delivering the intended economic benefits to the state.
One provision tucked inside a 40-page bill reforming Georgia’s certificate of need law governing hospital construction and new health-care services is aimed at helping rural hospitals keep their doors open. Among other things, House Bill 1339 will raise the annual cap on the state’s rural hospital tax credit from $75 million to $100 million, starting Jan. 1.
The program, launched in 2016, allows donors to contribute to hospitals in counties with populations of 50,000 or less and reduce their state income tax liability by the amount they donate. Taxpayers may choose a specific hospital or, if one is not designated, the hospital will be chosen based on a ranking of need.
Two other new laws that take effect Jan. 1 with health-care ramifications are intended to help military families and first responders.
House Bill 880, which passed the Georgia House and Senate unanimously, will allow military spouses to use an existing professional license “in good standing” from another state to obtain a license in Georgia. Supporters said making it easier for military spouses to get jobs in Georgia could help put a dent in the state’s nursing shortage.
Another measure that made it through the General Assembly without a single “no” vote – House Bill 451 – will require insurance companies to cover mental-health services for first responders suffering post-traumatic stress disorder from being exposed to traumatic events in the line of duty.
by Dave Williams | Dec 26, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – A tech startup business launched in Coastal Georgia is about to expand to Atlanta and Dallas.
GAGE, a web platform designed for service workers to show their credentials and skills to potential employers, already is operating a pilot program in Dallas and soon will move into Atlanta, a tech hub that’s a natural fit for the company.
Serial entrepreneur Justin Henshaw of Brunswick founded GAGE to serve workers at a series of restaurants he owned.
“It started as a spreadsheet, an algorithm with a scoring component,” said the Marine veteran, who now serves as GAGE’s CEO. “The employees liked it and said they wished they could take it with them. … So, I built a platform they’re able to take with them from job to job and replace the resume. That’s never been done before.”
The tech industry took notice. GAGE was one of 12 early startups chosen to participate in Techstars Accelerators, a three-month program that helps entrepreneurs obtain seed capital and find markets for their products.
“GAGE is a truly transformative concept with massive potential,” Keith Camhi, Techstars’ managing director, told The Brunswick News this month. “Unlike many disruptive platforms that require significant funding and large user bases before they can monetize, GAGE has developed a uniquely clever go-to-market strategy. … It’s a game-changer.”
GAGE began expanding beyond Coastal Georgia with a pilot program at multiple Smoothie King locations in Dallas. Atlanta is next up in the company’s plans.
“Techstars has an incredible presence in Atlanta,” Henshaw said.
With the Techstars program completed, GAGE is preparing to launch an improved version of the platform next spring, a second generation of the product designed for hourly and shift workers not served by existing platforms that cater primarily to white-collar executives.
“This was built for restaurants, but we’re in banking now and health care … multiple industries that employ entry-level work staff,” Henshaw said. “If this goes the way we hope, it really could be an impactful resource for the most underserved component of our workforce.”
