by Dave Williams | Sep 18, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – The U.S. postmaster general would be subject to term limits and Senate confirmation under legislation introduced Wednesday by Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.
Ossoff has been highly critical of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy since reports surfaced earlier this year of months-long delays in delivering mail processed at a new regional distribution center in Fulton County.
The senator said during a committee hearing in April that only 36% of inbound mail processed at the center was being delivered on time, holding up prescriptions, delaying rent and mortgage payments, and preventing businesses from being able to ship products or receive supplies in a timely manner.
“What we have seen in the state of Georgia in the last year has been abysmal performance,” Ossoff said Wednesday. “We must hold the postmaster general accountable.”
The Postmaster General Reform Act would limit those who serve in that office to two consecutive five-year terms. The Senate would hold confirmation hearings on the president’s nominee for postmaster general both before his or her first term and between their first and second terms.
Postmaster general was a Cabinet position nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate until 1971, when the U.S. Postal Service was converted into an independent agency. Since then, the postmaster general has been selected by the agency’s Board of Governors.
But Ossoff said the office is too important to leave to unelected officials.
“This is a job that so impacts our day-to-day lives the elected representatives of the people need the opportunity to ask questions,” he said. “There needs to be a real job interview.”
DeJoy testified at the April hearing that the delays in mail processing and delivery in Georgia were the result of problems encountered during the rollout last winter of a restructuring plan aimed at making the postal service economically self-sufficient.
Shortly after the hearing, DeJoy put the restructuring plan on hold to give the postal service time to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.
He also announced specific solutions for the Fulton County center in Palmetto, including bringing in more than 100 personnel from other centers and revising transportation schedules between the Palmetto facility and other local mail processing centers.
In June, DeJoy reported improvements in service, but Georgians have continued to complain about delays sending and receiving mail.
by Dave Williams | Sep 18, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia’s mental health agency is partnering with the University System of Georgia to place decals listing the 988 suicide and crisis hotline number in the dorm rooms of every public college and university campus.
“Partnering with the University System of Georgia on this vital initiative underscores our commitment to the mental health and wellbeing of young adults across the state,” said Kevin Tanner, commissioner of the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD).
“The placement of 988 decals in residence hall rooms will serve as a constant reminder to students that confidential help is always available, and they are not alone.”
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 18 and 24 in Georgia, according to recent statistics.
The 988 decals are part of a broader effort under the university system’s Mental Health Initiative, a program launched in 2020 to significantly expand mental health services for students.
“Our students’ mental health is a top priority,” said Scot Lingrell, the system’s vice chancellor for enrollment management and student affairs. “This partnership with DBHDD helps raise awareness and get them help when they need it.”
Besides residence halls, the decals also will be placed at student activity centers and health centers to reach an estimated 200,000 students. In addition, 988 wallet cards will be distributed to faculty, staff, and students.
by Dave Williams | Sep 18, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Lake Oconee-area property owners complaining of exorbitant water rates urged Georgia lawmakers Wednesday to bring private water systems in Georgia under the same regulations that apply to municipal systems.
Piedmont Water Co., the state’s second-largest private water system, is charging the second-highest water rates in Georgia, lower only than the private system serving the community of Big Canoe, property owner Mike Hartman told a Georgia House study committee at a hearing in Greensboro. Hartman said he was charged $19,250 to connect his new home to the Piedmont system in 2022.
“Private water systems must be regulated,” he said. “That’s the only way to fix this problem.”
State Rep. Trey Rhodes, R-Greensboro, chairman of the House Study Committee on Private Water Systems, introduced legislation this year requiring the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) to regulate private water systems. The bill made it through the House Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications Committee but failed to reach the floor for a vote.
“City and county water systems have public oversight. Private water systems do not,” Rhodes said Wednesday. “We need them, but we need to see if there needs to be oversight.”
Brent Hurst, Piedmont Water’s chief operating officer, said the company has spent almost $40 million on capital projects to keep up with growing demand for water in its fast-growing service area covering Greene and Putnam counties, including $15 million for a new water treatment plant.
Hurst said much of that new investment has been driven by a huge spike in demand every summer for irrigation needs.
“You have to have the production capability to meet it,” he said. “It requires a lot of investment.”
Hurst said most of the complaints about Piedmont’s water rates have come from irrigation customers who use a disproportionately large amount of water, a remark that drew laughter from the large crowd on hand for the hearing.
“This is not about just a few people,” said Rhodes, pointing to the crowd. “All I want for my people is a fair price.”
The company disputed Hartman’s characterization of its rates. Piedmont charges $82.55 per month for a family of four using roughly 5,000 gallons monthly, less than the Social Circle and Sky Valley water systems, according to a Piedmont power point presentation.
Hurst said giving the PSC jurisdiction over private water systems would force Piedmont to spend $500,000 to $750,000 to prepare a rate case study, driving up the company’s operating costs.
Rep. Debbie Buckner, D-Junction City, a member of the study committee, said Piedmont could recover those costs from customers, just as electric and gas utilities regulated by the PSC recoup such costs from ratepayers.
Commission Chairman Jason Shaw, also a member of the committee, said adding private water systems to the PSC’s responsibilities would require increasing the agency’s budget to hire more staff. With the commission legally bound to set rates that provide regulated utilities a fair return on their investment, there would be no guarantee water rates would go down, he said.
“The regulated model is not always the cheapest solution,” Shaw said.
But Jacob Fried, who owns a car wash in Eatonton, said there are real-life consequences to allowing private water systems to set rates with no oversight. He said he was forced into bankruptcy during a legal dispute with Piedmont and had to sell his house.
Fried urged the study committee to push for legislation that would provide that oversight.
“They have no rulebook to play by,” he said. “Give them a rulebook and some guidelines.”
by Dave Williams | Sep 17, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia colleges and universities may directly compensate student-athletes for the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL) under an executive order Gov. Brian Kemp issued Tuesday.
Kemp cited a proposed settlement agreement between the NCAA and certain athletic conferences that, if approved, would allow postsecondary institutions to provide direct NIL compensation to their student-athletes.
“Until the settlement is approved and effective, legislative and executive actions across the country create a patchwork of inconsistent rules regulating intercollegiate athletics,” the governor wrote in the executive order. “Student-athletes in the state of Georgia should compete on a level playing field and not forego compensation available to student-athletes in other states.”
The General Assembly passed legislation in 2021 legalizing NIL agreements for student-athletes attending Georgia colleges, universities, and technical colleges. Payment of NIL compensation typically has come from advertisers of products such as sports apparel but not directly from the schools.
The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) board followed up on the 2021 legislation last year by expanding NIL compensation opportunities to high school student athletes.
The GHSA rule included a number of restrictions prohibiting high school students from wearing school logos, school names, school uniforms, or any items depicting school mascots or any trademarked GHSA logo or acronym in association with NIL advertising. High-school student athletes also may not promote products that conflict with a member school’s local school district policies, including tobacco, alcohol, or controlled substances.
Kemp’s executive order prohibits colleges and universities from using state funds to pay for NIL compensation.
The order will remain in effect until the effective date of the proposed settlement or the effective date of any federal law Congress passes regulating NIL payments, whichever comes first.
by Dave Williams | Sep 17, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia broke tourism records last year for the second year in a row, setting an all-time high for visitors, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday.
The number of domestic and international visitors to the Peach State increased by 5 million in 2023 to a record 171 million. Georgia maintained its No.-5 ranking among the states for the fourth year in a row.
Georgia travel and tourism generated $79.7 billion in economic impact, supporting more than 463,400 jobs, up more than 20,000 jobs over 2022. The tourism industry also produced a record $5 billion in state and local tax revenues in 2023, an increase of 7.2% over the record set the previous year.
“Georgia continues to grow as a top destination for travelers and businesses alike,” Kemp said Tuesday. “We’ve seen unprecedented visitation across all regions of the Peach State over the last couple years, a testament to the unique attractions, natural resources, and cultural institutions that make Georgia such a desirable place to visit.”
Kemp spoke at the Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference, the premier annual event for the state’s hospitality industry. The conference was held this year at the Georgia World Congress Center’s new hotel, the Signia by Hilton, in downtown Atlanta.
