ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp signed a series of public safety bills Wednesday, including a controversial measure aimed at illegal immigration.
House Bill 1105, which the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed primarily along party lines, requires local sheriffs and the Georgia Department of Corrections to notify the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) when they have a suspected illegal immigrant in custody.
The bill gained momentum after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was murdered on the University of Georgia campus in Athens. A 26-year-old Venezuelan man allegedly in the country illegally has been charged with the crime.
“The Biden administration has failed in its duty to secure our southern border, and as a result, we do not know who is entering our country or where they are going,” Kemp said during a bill-signing ceremony at the Georgia Public Training Safety Center in the city of Forsyth.
“In Georgia, we will do everything in our power to ensure criminals are not allowed to walk free and terrorize our communities.”
During the debate over the bill, legislative Democrats argued the bill would lead to racial profiling and divert local law enforcement agencies’ attention from going after all violent criminals, not just those in the country illegally.
Democrats also opposed Senate Bill 63, which adds a lengthy list of offenses that are ineligible for no-cash bail, ranging from murder and rape to such non-violent crimes as possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
The bill’s opponents said it will force suspects charged with minor crimes to remain in jail even if the offenses they have been accused of don’t carry a prison sentence if they’re convicted.
“Research shows that sweeping people into incarceration only increases crime and taxpayer costs, and yet Georgia locks up a higher percentage of its people than any other state in the country,” the ACLU of Georgia wrote in a statement, vowing to file a lawsuit to stop the bill from taking effect.
“SB 63 doubles down on that position, forcing even more people to languish in jail because they are poor or mentally ill.”
But Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who made the bill a priority, said banning no-cash bail will keep Georgians safe.
“We will not allow criminals to roam free in our streets,” he said.
Another bill backed by Jones that Kemp signed Thursday – Senate Bill 421 – increases penalties for “swatting” and drive-by shootings. Swatting became an issue during this year’s legislative session after a surge in false reports of criminal activity sent police to the homes or offices of targeted victims, wasting law enforcement resources and potentially threatening safety.
The governor also signed Senate Bill 159, which increases penalties for smuggling prohibited items including cellphones into prisons, and Senate Bill 10, which creates the crime of facilitating a drag race and stiffens penalties for operating a vehicle while drag racing.
ATLANTA – Several members of Georgia’s congressional delegation introduced legislation Wednesday to create the Peach State’s first national park.
The bill would establish the Ocmulgee Mounds in Middle Georgia as a national park and preserve, upgrading the site from its current status as a national monument.
The area is the ancestral home of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and has been inhabited continuously by humans for more than 12,000 years. The Muskogean people built mounds there during the Mississippian Period, which began around 900 AD, for meeting, living, burial, and agricultural purposes.
“Ocmulgee Mounds are a living testament to our intertwined histories and a robust source of economic and cultural vitality,” said U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., one of four members of Georgia’s congressional delegation sponsoring the bill.
“The Ocmulgee Mounds are of invaluable cultural, communal, and economic significance to our state,” added U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, who represents the area in the House of Representatives. “Designating them as the first national park and preserve in Georgia is a great bipartisan and intragovernmental effort.”
Other sponsors of the legislation include Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany. Eleven other House members from Georgia have signed on as cosponsors.
The National Park Service released a study last year defining the boundaries of the proposed park that incorporated feedback from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, local elected officials, and community leaders.
“The Ocmulgee Corridor is a special place, recognized as one of America’s most important wildlife habitats, tribally significant landscapes, and archaeological sites,” said Seth Clark, executive director of the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative and mayor pro tempore of Macon-Bibb County.
“Conserving the series of ecological and cultural assets as a national park and preserve is vital to the region.”
ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp signed a package of bills Tuesday aimed at improving agriculture, by far Georgia’s No.-1 industry.
Kemp touted the economic development successes his administration has brought to rural communities throughout the Peach State since taking office in 2019.
“The vast majority of the jobs and the vast majority of the investment that have been created by these great private-sector companies … have been located outside the metro-Atlanta counties, creating opportunities for Georgians to succeed no matter what their zip code,” the governor said during a ceremony in Valdosta.
One of the bills Kemp signed Tuesday is expected to help nurture hemp farming in Georgia, a fast-growing industry.
Senate Bill 494, which passed the General Assembly with strong support, establishes licensing requirements for growing hemp as well as manufacturing and selling low-THC hemp products. It also limits the possession and sale of hemp products to adults at least 21 years of age.
“This bill makes changes to the framework for hemp regulations in Georgia … ensuring products are safe for our consumers,” Kemp said.
Senate Bill 420 prohibits the ownership or acquisition of Georgia farmland by agents of foreign adversaries. The legislation also applies to any type of land located within 10 miles of a military installation.
“We cannot allow foreign adversaries to control something as critical to our survival as our food supply,” Kemp said. “Georgia will do everything in our power to prevent bad actors from threatening our national security.”
The governor also signed several bills not related to agriculture, including legislation named in honor of Austin Walters of Valdosta, who died of a fentanyl overdose in 2021 at the age of 30. Senate Bill 465 makes it a felony to manufacture or sell any substance containing fentanyl that causes a death.
“Austin’s Law will help save the lives of Georgians by fighting back against the criminals that traffic in these deadly substances,” said Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who presides over the Senate. “Today’s signing of Austin’s Law marks a pivotal moment in our efforts to help end this deadly epidemic.”
ATLANTA – A leading provider of business aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul services has begun a $33 million expansion in Augusta that will create 90 new jobs, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday.
StandardAero currently supports more than 170 jobs in the area, servicing about 425 aircraft and 500 turbine aircraft engines each year.
“The new facility will add over 60% of new space to our existing footprint,” said Chris Bodine, vice president and general manager of StandardAero’s Augusta operation.
“The new facility will allow us to support additional super mid-size to large cabin aircraft for airframe and avionics while also significantly expanding our engine shop to further support many of those aircraft.”
StandardAero will build a new hangar and engine shop adjacent to the Augusta Regional Airport. The expansion will add 80,500 square feet to the company’s footprint in Augusta.
Construction on the expansion is expected to be completed next year. The company will be hiring for roles in administration, management, and operations.
Georgia exported $11.1 billion of aerospace products last year alone, including products sent to Augusta for repair and maintenance before being shipped to international customers, state Commissioner of Economic Development Pat Wilson said.
The state agency’s Global Commerce team worked on the project in partnership with the Augusta Economic Development Authority and Augusta Regional Airport.
ATLANTA – The second of two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle has entered full commercial operation, Georgia Power officials announced Monday.
Unit 4, which went online nine months after the completion of Unit 3 at the plant south of Augusta, can produce enough electricity to power an estimated 500,000 homes and businesses.
“The new Vogtle units are a key piece of our strategy to meet the energy needs of our customers not only tomorrow, but 20 years from now,” said Kim Greene, Georgia Power’s chairman, president and CEO. “I’m so proud of the teams who have worked tirelessly to deliver the first newly constructed nuclear units in the U.S. in more than 30 years.”
The nuclear expansion at Plant Vogtle was a long time in coming. The project originally was due to be completed in 2016 and 2017 but encountered a series of delays that drove up the cost to more than double the $14 billion anticipated when the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) signed off on the work in 2009.
The PSC voted late last year to let Georgia Power pass on to customers almost $7.6 billion of the project’s costs, which will increase the average monthly residential customer’s bill by $8.95.
Representatives of environmental and consumer advocacy groups complained as the costs escalated that Georgia Power and its utility partners in the project – Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power, and Dalton Utilities – should have more aggressively pursued renewable energy as a less costly alternative to nuclear power.
Georgia Power executives countered that nuclear energy is the only zero-emission baseload energy source available today – offering high reliability around the clock. Last year, nuclear energy produced at plants Vogtle and Hatch provided more than 25% of Georgia Power’s electrical generation.
“We have added new nuclear generation to the diverse energy resources that enhance the reliability, resiliency, and affordability of our system as we work to achieve our goal to be net zero (in greenhouse gas emissions) by 2050,” said Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO of Atlanta-based Southern Co., Georgia Power’s parent company.
“The completion of the Vogtle expansion project signifies the culmination of a remarkable journey filled with dedication, perseverance and a commitment to a cleaner energy future for Georgians,” Oglethorpe Power President & CEO Mike Smith added. “We celebrate not only the completion of this important emission-free resource but also the historic achievement it represents.”
In addition to the 800 permanent jobs created by the two new reactors, the nuclear expansion at Plant Vogtle employed more than 9,000 construction workers at the peak of the project, including engineers, welders, electricians, pipefitters, and plumbers.
