Coronavirus has sickened hundreds of thousands people and killed thousands more in Georgia. (Image: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
ATLANTA – The University System of Georgia is stopping short of requiring students returning to classes during the next couple of weeks to wear masks or get vaccinated against COVID-19.
With confirmed cases of the virus, hospitalizations and deaths on the rise in Georgia, the university system issued guidelines this week urging but not mandating masking and vaccinations.
“The University System of Georgia recognizes COVID-19 vaccines offer safe, effective protection and urges all students, faculty, staff and visitors to get vaccinated either on campus or with a local provider,” the guidelines stated.
“Additionally, everyone is encouraged to wear a mask or face covering while inside campus facilities. The system continues to work closely with the Georgia Department of Public Health to prioritize the health and safety of our campus communities.”
With the particularly contagious Delta variant of the virus spreading, about 600 of the nation’s 4,000 colleges and universities have ordered students to get fully vaccinated in time for the fall semester, while hundreds also have imposed mask mandates.
The schools have cited new guidelines from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending that even fully vaccinated Americans mask up indoors.
The University System of Georgia policy is in keeping with Gov. Brian Kemp’s position on virus mandates. Like other Republican governors, Kemp has resisted calls to require Georgians to mask up or get vaccinated throughout the course of the pandemic.
Kemp criticized Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Wednesday for ordering the wearing of masks inside buildings.
“Atlanta police don’t have time to be enforcing an unnecessary mask mandate,” the governor wrote on Twitter. “We trust people to do the right thing, talk to their doctor, and get vaccinated.”
Kemp has been getting pressure from both sides of the mandates debate. Some Republicans have urged him to prohibit local school systems from imposing mask mandates – as officials have ordered in the Gwinnett County and city of Decatur school districts.
On the other hand, state Sen. Michelle Au, D-Johns Creek, urged the governor to impose a statewide mask mandate.
“You can’t just talk about personal liberties and not take into account personal responsibility,” Au said. “You shouldn’t run for office if you don’t want to make the hard calls and take the unpopular stances.”
As a Tuesday afternoon, the state Department of Public Health had confirmed 942,887 cases of coronavirus in Georgia since the pandemic began. The virus was responsible for 67,309 hospitalizations and 21,734 confirmed or probable deaths.
ATLANTA – Three Georgia-based labor unions are getting behind the nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill now being considered by the U.S. Senate.
In a letter late last week to Republican members of the state’s congressional delegation, executives from the Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 732 urged passage of the legislation to repair and replace Georgia’s aging roads and bridges, boost investment in public transit and broadband and create good-paying jobs.
“For too long … Georgia workers and commuters have weathered poor road, bridge, and highway conditions — from metro Atlanta all the way to the Florida-Georgia line,” wrote James Williams, president of the Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council, and Sandra L. Williams, the union’s executive director.
“Thankfully, President Biden is bringing both sides of the aisle to the table to make historic investments in Georgia jobs, transportation, and connectivity. We are urging you to put aside Washington partisanship, support President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, and make critical investments in Georgia’s infrastructure.”
The Senate bill contains $550 billion in new spending over five years. The package is expected to provide $110 billion for roads and bridges, $66 billion for rail and $39 billion for public transit.
Another $65 billion would go to expand high-speed broadband connectivity, while $55 billion would fund water and sewer projects.
With substantial bipartisan support, the legislation stands a good chance of passing the Senate by the end of this week. Congress is scheduled to begin its annual August recess next week.
However, the bill could run into difficulty in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wants to link it to a larger measure funding “human” infrastructure including child care and health care programs. That $3.5 trillion investment plan lacks Republican support.
ATLANTA – U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., introduced legislation Tuesday aimed at making the installation of rooftop solar panels more affordable for American businesses and homeowners.
The RAISE the Roof Act (Revamping Appropriate Incentives for Solar Energy) would expand solar tax credits to cover roof repairs and replacements necessary to accommodate solar panels. It also would help property owners pay for integrated solar roofing systems, a cutting-edge technology that involves making solar panels a part of the roof rather than using brackets to attach them.
“This bill will make it more affordable for all Americans to install rooftop solar panels, saving them money on their electric bills and boosting renewable energy production nationwide,” Ossoff said. “I will continue leading Senate efforts to scale up renewable energy production.”
The rooftop solar bill follows legislation Ossoff introduced in June providing tax credits to U.S. manufacturers of solar panels. Both bills enjoy widespread support across the solar energy industry.
“We need millions of new solar installations to decarbonize the economy, and that starts with equal tax treatment for solar built on new home construction, manufactured homes, and existing homes,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association.
“This legislation will make sure that homes that have solar built into the original design are eligible for the same [investment tax credit] benefits as any other residential solar installation and will extend the cost-saving benefits of solar energy to all Americans.”
A companion bill to Ossoff’s legislation is being introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, sponsored by Democratic Reps. Bill Pascrell Jr. and Mikie Sherrill, both from New Jersey.
The U.S. Senate infrastructure bill could help fund MARTA’s plans to build bus-rapid transit lines.
ATLANTA – The nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill now before the U.S. Senate would be a good fit for public transit in Georgia, officials with Atlanta’s MARTA bus and rail system said Tuesday.
The legislation, which contains $550 billion in new spending, would increase funding for MARTA and other transit agencies across the country by 65%.
A key provision in the bill for transit systems would raise the project eligibility for federal Small Starts program grants from $300 million to $400 million. The federal share of those projects would increase from $100 million to $150 million.
Most of MARTA’s capital projects are expected to cost between $300 million and $400 million.
The first two MARTA capital projects in the pipeline to receive federal support if Congress passes the bill are a planned bus-rapid transit line (BRT) in Clayton County connecting College Park, Riverdale and Morrow, and the Campbellton Corridor, either a BRT or light-rail line to be built in southwest Atlanta. Both already have secured matching local funds.
“We have at least a dozen projects on our wish list that need federal funding, and this bill will have a major impact on eligibility and amount awarded per project,” MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker said.
The Senate bill also would raise federal formula funds for transit, increasing MARTA’s annual share from about $108 million to $140 million.
The legislation also provides additional support for transit systems to transition to zero-emission electric buses, modernize bus and rail fleets and improve accessibility for seniors and passengers with disabilities.
The infrastructure bill enjoys rare bipartisan support in the Senate and, thus, stands a good chance of passing. However, its fate in the House is uncertain amid Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s attempts to link it with a larger bill boosting funding for “human infrastructure” including child care, health care and climate change measures.
ATLANTA – Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is leaving elective office next year to try to restore bipartisanship to the search for solutions to the problems facing America, the Republican from Cumming told a business audience Monday.
“Both sides are guilty of trying to politicize every issue,” Duncan said during a luncheon speech before the Rotary Club of Atlanta. “It’s this type of mindset that drove me in a new direction.”
Duncan announced in May he would not seek a second term as Georgia’s lieutenant governor to focus on creating a national nonprofit called “GOP 2.0” aimed at rebuilding the Republican Party in the aftermath of former President Donald Trump’s ongoing claims of widespread voter fraud following his defeat last November.
“It’s not about winning elections,” Duncan said Monday. “It’s about creating a movement that lets us focus on real problems with real solutions.”
Duncan was outspoken after Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden about the need for the GOP to move on from 2020 and stop dwelling on lawsuits charging election fraud that were dismissed in court after court. On Monday, he called the controversies that swirled after Election Day a “post-election disaster” that was unnecessary.
While Duncan puts together his new organization, he vowed to continue working on the key challenges facing Georgia during his last 17 months in office.
He plugged a proposal he unveiled last month calling for a $250 million state income tax credit to raise money for fighting crime. The money raised through donations made in exchange for the tax credit would go to police officer pay raises, to hire more officers and to increase training.
“Crime is something that’s been politicized way too much,” Duncan said. “[But] crime affects Democrats and Republicans equally.”
Duncan also pledged to continue his efforts to make Georgia the technology capital of the Southeast. He launched a public-private partnership last year dedicated to that goal.
“Every business in the 21st century is a technology company,” he said. “We want to make sure they have a safe home here in Georgia.”
