by Dave Williams | Jan 17, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who presides over the Georgia Senate, said Friday that he won’t tolerate any future episodes like what happened Thursday when Sen. Colton Moore was arrested for trying to enter the state House chambers.
As members of the House and Senate gathered for Gov. Brian Kemp’s annual State of the State address, Moore, R-Trenton, was wrestled to the ground outside the chambers by a House staffer, then arrested and hauled away by Capitol Police.
House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, banned Moore from the House floor last March after the far-right senator from Northwest Georgia made disparaging remarks about the late Speaker David Ralston, whose memory was being honored in the House and Senate on what would have been his 70th birthday. Ralston died in 2022.
On Friday, two House members took different sides on the controversy, speaking on the House floor. One criticized Moore’s arrest as a violation of his constitutional rights, while the other defended the ban on Moore as appropriate considering what he had said about Ralston.
Jones left no doubt where he stands.
“What happened yesterday was an embarrassment for the General Assembly,” the lieutenant governor told his Senate colleagues Friday. “It shouldn’t happen again.”
Jones said he met with Burns after Moore’s arrest to defend the senator’s right to attend the governor’s speech.
Later Friday, Burns released a statement indicating that lawmakers would not be barred from future joint sessions of the General Assembly.
“While the senator’s actions were despicable and hurtful to all who knew, respected and loved former Speaker David Ralston, we know that Speaker Ralston’s first priority was always to serve the people of our great state, and he wouldn’t want that important work to be hindered,” Burns said.
“For this reason, the Ralston family has expressed to their family here in the House that they desire for our chamber to resume business as normal – with all members of the General Assembly present – for any future joint sessions with or without the apology they and the House deserve.”
Moore thanked Jones for his support and said he received many encouraging texts and phone calls from senators after the incident.
“I appreciate your willingness to support the Constitution of the United States,” Moore said. “The Constitution is sacred. I thank you for recognizing that.”
After his arrest, Moore was charged with a misdemeanor of willful obstruction of law enforcement officers and released after posting bail.
A former member of the House elected to the Senate in 2022, Moore has been a lightning rod, drawing criticism from fellow Republicans to the point that he was suspended from the Senate GOP Caucus in September 2023 after he unsuccessfully pushed for a special legislative session to investigate Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ prosecution of former President Donald Trump.
by Dave Williams | Jan 17, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp has established a state commission to promote the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next year.
Congress established the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission in 2016 and encouraged the creation of similar commissioners in each state.
“As the 13th colony, Georgia was represented by three courageous signers of the Declaration of Independence who pledged their very lives to support it,” Kemp said Friday. “We look forward to empowering our communities in celebrating Georgia’s unique role in our country’s founding as we honor and commemorate this historic observance with partners across the state.”
The Georgia US250 Commission will be chaired by Cameron Bean, chairman of the Georgia Humanities Council’s Board of Directors, with Georgia Historical Society President and CEO Todd Groce serving as vice chair.
The commission also will include Pat Wilson, commissioner of the state Department of Economic Development; and Mark Jaronski, the agency’s chief marketing officer. Georgia Humanities Council President Mary McCartin Wearn will serve as the commission’s administrator.
The new commission is calling on local and county groups in both the public and private sectors to develop a calendar of events to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary. Organizers will receive access to the state’s Georgia US250 marketing toolkit, including the official logo and a template press release.
“The American Revolution and our experiment in self-government is an ongoing process,” Groce said. “The commission asks Georgia organizations and communities to plan and share information on their plans for civic activities that will inspire Georgians and renew their commitment to the lofty and timeless ideals embodied in the Declaration of Independence.”
by Dave Williams | Jan 17, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – The Justice Department has filed a voting rights lawsuit against Houston County challenging its at-large method of electing county commissioners.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court, alleges that electing the five commissioners at large rather than by districts gives Black citizens less opportunity to elect candidates of their choice in violation of the Voting Rights Act.
While Black residents account for more than 31% of the county’s voting-age population, Black-preferred candidates for the county commission have routinely lost.
“The Voting Rights Act guarantees that all eligible citizens have an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process and to elect representatives of their choice, regardless of race or ethnicity,” said Kristen Clarke, assistant U.S. attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
“The Justice Department has a solemn duty to protect the right to vote by enforcing the Voting Rights Act and ensuring that all communities have a fair and equal chance to participate. We look forward to working with Houston County officials to bring the county into compliance with the Voting Rights Act.
In a statement, county officials said they have had discussions with Justice Department officials.
“If we agree with DOJ regarding a possible violation of the Voting Rights Act after reviewing all of the documents and evidence, we will take appropriate action at that time,” the commissioners said.
The lawsuit seeks a federal court order implementing a new method of electing county commissioners.
by Dave Williams | Jan 16, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – With tax relief, disaster assistance, infrastructure investments and prison upgrades on his agenda, Gov. Brian Kemp Thursday proposed major budget increases, particularly in the spending plan covering the rest of this fiscal year.
Kemp’s $40.5 billion fiscal 2025 mid-year budget, $4.4 billion above the spending plan the General Assembly adopted last spring, dips into the state’s healthy surplus to bankroll a $1 billion one-time tax rebate, $615 million storm recovery package for victims of Hurricane Helene, and $1.7 billion for transportation and water projects.
A $603 million allocation for improvements to Georgia’s prison system is spread out over both the mid-year budget and the governor’s more modest $37.7 billion fiscal 2026 spending plan. The 2026 budget, which takes effect July 1, also includes most of the funding for a $1 billion rollback of the state’s income tax rate from 5.39% to 5.19%.
“At the end of the day, that’s your money – not the government’s,” Kemp said Thursday during his annual State of the State address to a joint session of the Georgia House and Senate. “We believe you should keep more of it.”
Kemp first responded to Hurricane Helene by repurposing $100 million to the Georgia Development Authority last November to provide direct financial support for farmers and timber producers who suffered losses from the massive storm.
The $615 million relief package the governor requested Thursday includes $200 million to cover cleanup costs already incurred by the Georgia Department of Transportation, $150 million to help both the state and local governments match federal disaster assistance, $100 million to the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission to offset the agency’s disaster relief costs, $50 million to the state Department of Administrative Services to cover storm-related damage to state properties, and $15.7 million for the Georgia Forestry Commission.
The $1.7 billion infrastructure package includes $530 million for the DOT for highway projects critical to statewide economic development and $250 million in grants to local governments for road projects.
Another $502 million would be used to build surface water-supply projects in Coastal Georgia as an alternative to dipping into environmentally fragile groundwater to supply the huge Hyundai electric-vehicle manufacturing plant now under construction west of Savannah. A new water intake on the Savannah River is expected to deliver 20 million gallons a day by 2030.
Another $250 million would go to support water and sewer projects across the state through low-interest loans to local communities.
The prison package follows release of a Justice Department audit last fall that accused the Georgia prison system of violating inmates’ constitutional rights by failing to protect them from widespread violence. It includes 4% pay raises for correctional officers, 8% increases for mental health professionals working in state prisons, and funds to hire an additional 330 guards.
Another $371.7 million in the mid-year budget and $68.2 million in the fiscal 2026 spending plan would go toward infrastructure upgrades, while $97 million would be used to improve inmate health care.
The two budgets also fully fund Georgia’s Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula for students in grades K-12, something the state has only been able to do in recent years after building up a $16 billion surplus.
The new private-school vouchers program will be funded in fiscal 2026 for the first time at $141 million, equivalent to 1% of the QBE, a limit set by legislation the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed last year establishing the program.
For the second year in a row, the state can afford to fund building projects with cash rather than borrowing. The $1.5 billion capital projects budget would be split between this year and next.
The House and Senate Appropriations committees will conduct three days of joint hearings on the spending proposals next week during the legislature’s annual budget recess.
by Dave Williams | Jan 16, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp delivered a not-so-veiled threat to members of the General Assembly Thursday: Pass significant tort reform during the 2025 legislative session – or else.
“There is always room for compromise, but there will be no room for excuses, half-measures, or failure,” Kemp said during his annual State of the State address to a joint session of the Georgia House and Senate. “Whether it’s this legislative session, or perhaps a second one later this year, we will achieve meaningful, impactful tort reform.”
After punting on tort reform for years, lawmakers passed a bill last year directing the state insurance department to gather data on legal trends affecting insurance premiums and identify reforms that could stabilize costs.
During the months after the 2024 legislative session, Kemp hosted three roundtables across the state to hear from business owners saddled with soaring insurance premiums that threatened their ability to keep their doors open.
“Even though each person at those roundtables came from a different part of our state, represented a different industry or business, told a unique story or had a different perspective, the call for action was unanimous,” he said. “It’s abundantly clear that the status quo isn’t working.”
Legislative Democrats have blocked tort reform for decades amid concerns it could deprive Georgians injured in a car crash or by medical malpractice of their day in court.
On Thursday, Kemp asked Democrats to support tort reform this year and promised a balanced approach to the issue. He cited examples from the recent past where lawmakers from both parties worked together to enact important laws.
“Passing hate-crimes legislation, repealing the citizens arrest statute, and supporting the victims of human trafficking are all tough issues,” he said. “But Republicans and Democrats accomplished them together because it was right thing to do.”
In a 35-minute speech, Kemp also vowed to push legislation reducing the state income tax rate from 5.39% to 5.19%, a move he said would save Georgia taxpayers $7.5 billion during the next 10 years.
The longest sustained applause during the governor’s address came when he recognized sitting in the gallery Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith and two school resource officers – Sgt. Chase Boyd and Deputy Brandon King – who quickly arrested the teenage gunman charged with shooting to death two teachers and two students at Apalachee High School last September.
Kemp said his spending proposals for this year will include an additional $159 million for school-safety grants on top of the $294 million the state allocated for that program in 2019 and 2023.
And the governor defended his limited expansion of Georgia’s Medicaid program against Democrats advocating a full Medicaid expansion as 39 states have done.
“We’re covering well over 200,000 more Georgians than traditional Medicaid expansion would cover,” Kemp said. “And those Georgians are on better plans that deliver better coverage, and lead to better health-care outcomes for them and their families.”
After Kemp’s address, Democrats pointed to Georgia’s dubious status as the state with the nation’s third highest rate of uninsured. While the Georgia-specific health-insurance exchange Kemp launched in November is showing early signs of success, the governor’s Georgia Pathways limited Medicaid expansion has only enrolled 8,385 Georgians since its launch in the summer of 2023.
“Georgia Democrats in the state legislature have outlined plans to … fully expand Medicaid to bring health coverage to nearly half a million Georgians,” according to a news release from the Democratic Party of Georgia.
In a sideshow to the main event, ultra-conservative state Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, was arrested for trying to enter the House chambers for the State of the State address. House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, banned Moore from the House floor last year after the senator made derogatory remarks about the late Speaker David Ralston.
During his speech, Kemp also thanked the first-responders and community volunteers who stepped up during and after Hurricane Helene ravaged a large swath of the state in late September.
“We saw neighbors helping neighbors, lending a hand or a chainsaw, even when their own homes and farms were in need of attention,” he said. “We saw brand-new church outreach programs feeding whole towns, and we saw first responders who put the lives of others ahead of their own.”
