by Dave Williams | Sep 9, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia’s net tax collections rose by 3.2% last month compared to August of last year, the state Department of Revenue reported Tuesday.
The agency brought in $2.41 billion in tax revenue in August, an increase of nearly $74.1 million over the same month a year ago.
Individual income tax receipts were up by 1.8% during the month, driven largely by a 9.7% decrease in tax refunds issued. Tax payments in August were up slightly by 0.8%.
Net sales tax collections also rose in August, by 8.2%. On the down side, corporate income taxes – a much less significant factor in overall tax revenues – fell by $4.5 million to $39.8 million compared to August of last year, representing an 11% decrease.
Collections of gasoline and other motor fuels taxes rose by $6.3 million last month, representing a 3.2% increase over August 2024.
by Dave Williams | Sep 5, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday that he is sending 316 members of the Georgia National Guard to Washington, D.C., to support President Donald Trump’s use of troops to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital.
The Georgia Guard contingent heading to Washington will include 300 soldiers and 16 support staff.
“Georgia is proud to stand with the Trump administration in its mission to ensure the security and beauty of our nation’s capital,” Kemp said. “We share a commitment to upholding public safety and are grateful to these brave Guardsmen and women, for the families that support them, and for their dedication to service above self.
“As they have demonstrated again and again, our Georgia Guard is well equipped to fulfill both this mission and its obligations to the people of our state.”
With Kemp’s announcement, Georgia becomes the eighth state to deploy more than 2,200 Guardsmen from around the nation to provide a visible presence in support of local law enforcement in Washington. All eight are led by Republican governors.
Trump issued an executive order last month declaring a crime emergency in the District of Columbia, which has prompted criticism from Democrats who argue violent crime rates are higher in other cities that have not drawn the president’s attention and that using the military to police U.S. civilians is illegal.
“The uniform should never be used to intimidate and divide but to protect and serve,” said state Sen. Kenya Wicks, D-Fayetteville, one of several military veterans in the General Assembly who spoke out against the deployment Friday at a news conference inside the state Capitol. “Not only is it unconstitutional. It is a violation of the oath Guard members are sworn to uphold.”
“This is not about public safety,” added state Rep. Eric Bell, D-Jonesboro. “It’s an erosion of American freedom.”
Kemp said Friday that sending Georgia National Guard troops to Washington is a separate mission from his decision late last month to deploy about 75 soldiers and airmen to help support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations across Georgia.
The 300 Georgia Guard troops heading to Washington will relieve service members who have been stationed in the District of Columbia from the start of the mission. They are scheduled to mobilize by the middle of this month and will be on active duty in Washington shortly thereafter, barring any changes to the schedule that may arise.
The 16 support staff personnel were sent earlier this week to Joint Base Anacostia-Boiling in Washington where they will work with other military personnel providing support for the broader mission. They are not expected to have any direct interaction with civilians.
by Dave Williams | Sep 5, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Federal law enforcement authorities are defending the detention Thursday of 475 workers at Hyundai’s electric vehicle battery plant west of Savannah – most Korean nationals – amid complaints from the South Korean government and Democrats.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security executed a search warrant on a construction site as part of a monthslong investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices at the battery plant involving both Hyundai employees and workers for a variety of contractors and subcontractors, Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of homeland security investigations in Georgia and Alabama, said Friday during a news conference in Savannah.
“This operation underscores our commitment to protecting jobs for Georgians and Americans, ensuring a level playing field for businesses that comply with the law, safeguarding the integrity of our economy, and protecting workers from exploitation,” he said.
“We are sending a clear and unequivocal message that those who exploit our workforce, undermine our economy, and violate federal laws will be held accountable.”
Schrank said there was no use of force in Thursday’s operation at the Hyundai plant, and there were only two minor injuries. No one has been charged with a crime at this point in what he described as an ongoing investgation.
But the South Korean government expressed “concern and regret” Friday after what Schrank described as the largest single-site operation in the homeland security agency’s history.
“The economic activities of our companies investing in the U.S. and the rights and interests of our nationals must not be unfairly violated,” Korean foreign ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said in a press briefing, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported Friday. “We conveyed our concern and regret through the U.S. Embassy in Seoul today.”
Georgia Democratic Party Chairman Charlie Bailey condemned the federal operation at the battery plant.
“These raids are politically motivated fear tactics designed to terrorize people who work hard for a living, power our economy, and contribute to the communities across Georgia that they have made their homes,” Bailey said.
“The Trump administration breaking its promise to target violent criminals and instead targeting hardworking people does nothing to make Georgia stronger – it is political grandstanding at the cost of Georgia families, businesses, and livelihoods.”
Schrank said the 475 detainees have been turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ), with most being sent to an ICE processing center in Folkston.
by Dave Williams | Sep 4, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – A citizen activist from Fayette County asked state lawmakers Thursday to carefully consider the effects a wave of data centers is having on local communities.
Diana Dietz, a retired public health nurse, told members of a state House subcommittee “giant industrial poles” associated with a massive data center under construction in the county southwest of Atlanta are removing trees from what used to be scenic residential areas.
Project Excalibur, being built on a 615-acre site by global digital infrastructure leader QTS, is among a growing number of data centers springing up across Georgia primarily to serve the increasing demand for power artificial intelligence technology is placing on the nation’s electrical grid.
“This is not anti-AI. This is not anti-data centers,” Dietz said. “But you truly need to see the impact that is happening.”
House Speaker Jon Burns formed the Special Committee on Resource Management last January to develop a plan for meeting the anticipated effects of a growing demand for energy and water supplies in Georgia. Data centers use massive quantities of both resources.
While Burns, R-Newington, said the committee would not focus exclusively on data centers, the huge warehouses filled with servers are the most high-profile manifestation of the need for additional electrical generating capacity.
Both Dietz and Mark Woodall, legislative chairman for the Georgia chapter of the Sierra Club, complained that local development authorities are helping to underwrite the construction of new data centers through tax breaks without providing sufficient transparency or opportunity for public input.
To meet the increasing demand for electricity, Atlanta-based Georgia Power is asking the state Public Service Commission (PSC) to certify 9,900 megawatts of new generating capacity environmentalists including Woodall say would rely heavily on harmful fossil fuels.
“This invasion of data centers is killing our progress toward clean energy,” Woodall said Thursday.
Woodall said producing that additional generating capacity would cost an estimated $15 billion.
“We think consumers need to be protected from that $15 billion,” he said.
Aaron Mitchell, senior vice president of strategic growth for Georgia Power, told the special committee’s Subcommittee on Energy, the utility has put mechanisms in place to make sure “large-load” customers including data centers don’t pass on the costs of the power they need to residential ratepayers.
The PSC adopted a rule in January that requires Georgia Power customers using more than 100 megawatts of electricity to pay the transmission and distribution costs incurred as construction of their projects progresses.
“We’re ensuring (new) large-load customers are covering their costs,” Mitchell said. “Existing customers are protected.”
After Dietz complained that the Fayette County Development Authority and QTS haven’t been sufficiently forthcoming with details on Project Excalibur, Rep. Brad Thomas, R-Holly Springs, the special committee’s chairman, suggested she bring those concerns to local elected officials.
by Dave Williams | Sep 3, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – The U.S. subsidiary of a Korea-based manufacturer will invest $223 million to build a rare earth permanent magnet manufacturing plant in Columbus, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Wednesday.
The JS Link America project will create more than 520 jobs in Muscogee County.
“JS Link America strengthens Georgia’s role in securing the U.S. supply chain in industries such as aerospace, mobility, and energy,” Kemp said.
JS Link, founded in 2000, is a Korean biotechnology company specializing in research and development. Permanent magnets are a critical component in a variety of industries, including automobiles, wind turbines, elevators, home appliances, robotics, and consumer electronics.
“JS Link plans to be a part of a value chain focused entirely on Western nations to meet the growing demand for permanent magnets sourced from strategic allies such as Korea,” said Jun Y. Lee, JS Link America’s CEO. “This new chain will cover the entire process, from the procurement of essential rare-earth materials to the final manufacturing of the magnets.”
The Columbus plant will occupy 130,000 square feet, with a projected annual production capacity of 3,000 tons. Operations are expected to begin in late 2027.
The company will be filling positions in engineering, production, construction, administration, and management. Interested individuals can learn more about JS Link America at en.jslink.co.kr.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Global Commerce team worked on the project in partnership with the Development Authority of Columbus, Georgia Power, and the Technical College System of Georgia’s Quick Start program.
