by Dave Williams | Jul 25, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Legislation U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., first introduced two years ago to prohibit members of Congress from stock trading has cleared a key hurdle.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the bill Wednesday, sending it to the Senate floor.
“This is essential ethics reform that is long overdue,” Ossoff said Thursday. “Georgians of all political persuasions and Americans of all political persuasions agree that members of Congress should not be playing the stock market while we’re in office.”
Ossoff’s bipartisan bill – which is cosponsored by committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. – would prohibit members of Congress from buying stocks and other covered investments and ban lawmakers from selling stocks 90 days after enactment. Spouses and dependent children would be banned from trading stocks starting in March 2027.
The legislation also would require members of Congress, the president, and the vice president to divest from all covered investments starting in 2027.
Since members of Congress are in a position to influence policy choices that affect U.S. businesses and industries, they should not be able to steer those decisions in a way that would benefit their own financial interests, Ossoff said. Also, lawmakers allowed to engage in stock trading enjoy an unfair advantage over rank-and-file Americans because they have access to information not available to the public, he said.
While Ossoff’s bill enjoyed bipartisan support in the Senate committee, it faces a difficult path moving forward in the Senate, where 60 votes are required to pass legislation. Even if it gets through the Senate, it faces an uncertain future in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a narrow majority.
However, the legislation is popular with the American public. Polls have shown most Americans – Democrats, Republicans, and independents – overwhelmingly support banning stock trading by members of Congress.
Ossoff said he hopes to get a floor vote on his bill in the Senate before Election Day in November.
by Dave Williams | Jul 25, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp is questioning State School Superintendent Richard Woods’ decision not to recommend adding an Advanced Placement African American studies course to the state’s curriculum offerings during the upcoming school year.
In a letter to Woods dated Wednesday, Kemp posed 10 questions asking the schools chief to explain why he made that recommendation. Specifically, the governor wanted to know how much it cost the state to pilot the course this year, why Woods opted not to move forward with the course when it passed an initial review made before the pilot, and how many other pilot courses have not been recommended for continuation in the last decade.
“The wellbeing of Georgia’s children and their educational opportunities is one of my top priorities,” Kemp wrote. “As a long-time believer that families should ultimately make the decisions which best meet their child’s academic needs and futures, I would appreciate your attention to the above questions and answers you and your staff can provide in a timely manner.”
Woods’ recommendation this week not to move ahead with the AP African American studies course touched off a firestorm of protests from Georgia educators and legislative Democrats. The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus released a statement Wednesday calling the decision a “detrimental step backwards” in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in education.
Woods also put out a statement Wednesday defending his recommendation. Essentially striking a blow for local control, Woods wrote that local school districts are free to offer African American studies using an existing course code if they choose to do so. Those districts that opt to offer the course will receive state funding, he wrote.
In his letter, Kemp also asked Woods which specific parts of the AP African American studies curriculum prompted his decision not to recommend state Board of Education approval of the course, how many students took the pilot and how many school districts offered it.
by Dave Williams | Jul 24, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia Power should delay building three new “dual-fuel” turbines at Plant Yates near Newnan to allow time to consider potentially less expensive alternatives, an independent energy consultant said Wednesday.
The Atlanta-based utility received bids late last week in an all-source procurement request for proposals (RFP) to expand its electrical generating capacity to meet Georgia’s rapidly increasing needs for power. Taking the time to evaluate those bids could help Georgia Power reduce its reliance on natural gas, Albert Lin testified during a hearing held by the state Public Service Commission (PSC).
“The amount of dependency on natural gas generation by Georgia Power is higher than the national average,” Lin said. “Further increasing the company’s dependence on natural gas will only expose the system and its users to greater incidence of price shocks. … It will show up in customers’ bills.
Georgia Power is seeking PSC certification to build the three turbines, which would run mostly on natural gas but switch to ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel when and if gas is unavailable, typically on cold winter mornings.
The project’s opponents are concerned not only about Georgia Power becoming more reliant on carbon emitting fossil fuels. They also argue natural gas prices are highly volatile.
“The monthly price swings for natural gas often exceed 50%,” said Lin, who testified Wednesday on behalf of the Sierra Club and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “Moreover, the volatility is increasing over time.”
But Preston Thomas, a lawyer for the PSC’s Public Interest Advocacy Staff, said worries over price volatility with natural gas are exaggerated. The staff has recommended approval of the project.
“While there have been spikes, there have also have been sustained periods of low prices,” Thomas said.
Jeffrey Grubb, director of resource policy and planning for Georgia Power, testified that waiting until the company completes the all-source RFP process would delay its plans to add energy capacity that is sorely needed to service a growing number of power-hungry data centers cropping up in Georgia.
“Delaying the certification proceeding or decision is simply not an option,” Grubb said. “The RFP process, while generally beneficial, is time consuming and does not allow for the rapid deployment necessary to meet the company’s near-term capacity needs.”
Grubb also pointed out that the first of the new turbines Georgia Power plans to build would go into service during the winter of 2026/2027, while the RFP is geared toward the winter of 2029/2030 and beyond.
The PSC is scheduled to vote on the project on Aug. 20.
by Dave Williams | Jul 24, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – State School Superintendent Richard Woods Wednesday defended his decision not to recommend adding an Advanced Placement African American studies course to the state’s curriculum offerings during the upcoming school year.
Woods’ decision, which was announced Tuesday, drew a barrage of criticism from education groups and Democrats, who argued that failing to move forward with an AP course that was piloted in several school districts this year would deny students an inclusive education that tells the full history of America.
The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus condemned the decision as a “detrimental step backwards” in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in education.
“African American Studies play a pivotal role in fostering understanding, empathy and appreciation of our shared history and cultural heritage,” the group wrote in a statement released Wednesday. “Removing this course deprives our students of a vital opportunity to learn and engage with important aspects of our society.”
In a two-paragraph statement, Woods countered that schools will retain the ability to teach some or all of the standards in the AP African American studies course if they choose to do so.
“When I reviewed the AP course, I had concerns about the state endorsing the totality of the course,” he wrote. “It’s my position that districts should use the existing course code – which offers them the flexibility to develop their own curriculum based on local priorities – or to use standards from the AP course if they choose and in consultation with their communities.”
Woods also stated that districts that choose to use the African American Studies course code that has been in the Georgia Department of Education’s catalog since 2020 will receive state funding.
The superintendent’s decision touched a nerve with educators and Democratic lawmakers, who mounted intense opposition to “divisive concepts” legislation pushed through the General Assembly by Republican legislative leaders two years ago.
The 2022 bill, which passed along party lines, prohibited teaching U.S. history in a way that might make any student feel guilty or that they are superior or inferior to anyone else based on their race.
While Republicans argued the measure did not ban the teaching of slavery or the civil rights movement in Georgia schools, Democrats said the potential penalties included in the bill would have a chilling effect on teachers.
by Dave Williams | Jul 24, 2024 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are locked in a tight race in Georgia, according to a new poll.
Trump held a slight lead over Harris among 400 likely voters surveyed by Landmark Communications, 48.0% to 46.7%. But that’s well within the poll’s 5% margin of error.
Harris, who has become the presumptive Democratic nominee for president since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last Sunday, is polling better than the incumbent in Georgia. Before Biden quit the contest, he was trailing Trump in the Peach State by a solid margin.
Trump’s razor-thin advantage over Harris didn’t change significantly when Landmark gauged support for other candidates in the race. In a six-way contest, Trump led with 45.8% of the vote to 44.3% for Harris. Independent Robert Kennedy Jr. was next at 4.0%, with independent Cornel West at 1.1%, and Libertarian Chase Oliver and the Green Party’s Jill Stein each getting just 0.3% of the vote.
Harris’ showing was strongest among younger, Black and female voters. While she trailed Trump slightly among voters ages 18 to 35, she led among voters ages 36 to 50 by more than 3 points. Trump led Harris among voters age 51 and older.
The racial divide between the two was pronounced. Harris, vying to become the first Black woman elected president, led Trump among Black voters by 79.7% to 11.0%. Trump held a large advantage among white voters, 61.1% to 28.4%.
Trump held a slightly larger lead among male voters than Harris among women surveyed by Landmark. Among males voters, Trump dominated at 54.7% to 35.1% for Harris. She led among female voters, 52.1% to 38.1%.
Not surprisingly, each candidate cornered the market among voters affiliated with their party, with Trump favored by 87.8% of Republicans and Harris supported by 88.8% of Democrats. Harris led among independents, 40.9% to 31.8% for Trump.
