by Dave Williams | Apr 17, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – The recently completed multi-year overhaul of Georgia 400 at Interstate 285 is starting to pay off.
The heavily trafficked interchange has moved down the American Transportation Research Institute’s rankings from the nation’s ninth-worst freight traffic bottleneck to 29th, Georgia Commissioner of Transportation Russell McMurry told members of the State Transportation Board Thursday. Peak-hour speeds at the interchange have increased by 12 miles per hour, he said.
“We’re moving in the trajectory we want to move in,” he said.
The Georgia Department of Transportation has been working since 2016 on an ambitious plan to improve major highway corridors across the state to ease the flow of freight. The Georgia 400/I-285 overhaul is the first to be completed, although crews are still working to add toll lanes along 400 in Fulton and Forsyth counties.
McMurry said work is well underway on improvements to the interchange of I-20 and I-285 east of Atlanta, while a planned overhaul of the I-20/I-285 interchange west of Atlanta is about to enter construction. The DOT also is converting reversible toll lanes along I-75 south of Atlanta into non-reversible lanes, the commissioner said.
“We’re working toward solutions on many of these,” McMurry said. “It takes time to get there.”
by Dave Williams | Apr 17, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.6% last month, six-tenths of a percentage point lower than the national rate.
The number of jobs rose by 6,900 in March to 4.98 million.
“Georgia’s job market is full of opportunity, with nearly 5 million jobs and three openings for every Georgian,” said state Commissioner of Labor Barbara Rivera Holmes, who took over the reins of the agency at the end of last month.
“As labor commissioner, I’m committed to working alongside the governor, lawmakers, and job creators across the state to connect talent with opportunity.”
The job sector with the most gains in March was health care and social assistance, which gained 3,100 jobs. The information sector was next, posting a gain of 2,400 jobs.
The transportation and warehousing sector lost 3,200 jobs last month, while accommodation and food services was down by 1,100 jobs.
Also on the down side, Georgia’s labor force declined by 6,619 in March to 5.38 million, the number of employed fell by 6,654 to 5.19 million, and the state’s jobless ranks rose slightly – 35 jobs – to 192,143.
However, first-time unemployment claims declined by 1,168 during the month to 12,296.
by Dave Williams | Apr 16, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Student enrollment at Georgia’s public colleges and universities reached 345,823 this semester, an all-time record for the spring, the University System of Georgia’s vice chancellor of research and policy analysis reported Wednesday.
The spring enrollment numbers at the system’s 26 institutions increased for the second year in a row after declining in 2022 and 2023 as the system emerged from the pandemic, Angela Bell told members of the system’s Board of Regents meeting on the campus of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro.
“We outpaced the nation again in growth,” system Chancellor Sonny Perdue added.
The largest enrollment growth this spring occurred among undergraduates, whose ranks increased by 14.1% over last spring. The number of students enrolled in master’s degree programs grew by 12.6%.
Enrollment at the system’s four research universities – including the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech – rose by 6.5% compared to last spring, while enrollment at the system’s comprehensive universities – including Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State University – was up by 6.1%.
As university system campuses have become more diverse, white enrollment as a percentage of the student population has declined from 47% to 42% during the last five years, Bell said.
Hispanic enrollment has increased from 10% of the student population to 12% during that same period, while enrollment among Asian American students is up from 11% to 14%.
Perdue said he’s concerned by the rapid growth in the number of students taking classes online. The number of online courses being offered shot up during the pandemic, and the trend of more students taking a full course load online or a mix of online and in-person instruction has continued.
“I’m not sure if it’s driven by teacher demand or student demand,” Perdue said. “If it continues, we won’t need new buildings in the university system.”
Perdue said the growing popularity of dual enrollment students – high school students taking college courses – has stirred discussion among Georgia lawmakers of establishing three-year degree programs in the university system.
In other business Wednesday, the regents voted to name Georgia Tech’s School of Public Policy after Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. The late former president from Plains, who died last December at the age of 100, attended Georgia Tech in 1942.
by Dave Williams | Apr 15, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – For the seventh time in the last 10 years, the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents voted Tuesday to hold the line on tuition for in-state students.
Since 2016, tuition at the state’s 26 public colleges and universities has increased by less than 1% per year, Tracey Cook, the system’s chief fiscal officer, told the regents at a meeting on the campus of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro.
“USG and the Board of Regents remain focused on keeping college affordable for Georgia families to ensure higher education stays within reach across the state,” system Chancellor Sonny Perdue said. “As more students than ever enroll on our campuses, we continue to prioritize reducing financial barriers and offering excellent value.”
Among the 16 Southern Regional Education Board states, Georgia is third lowest in average undergraduate tuition and required fees compared to its public peers, according to national data from the College Board. Nationally, the system has the sixth-lowest tuition and fees.
The regents did raise tuition for in-state undergraduates by 2.5% last year. Perdue cited inflation at the time.
The coming school year will see a 2% tuition increase for out-of-state students and a 3% increase for students from other countries.
The board also approved changes to mandatory student fees at eight of the system’s institutions. Among those eight, six institutions will see fee hikes ranging from $5 to $21 per semester, while two will lower their fees.
In other business Tuesday, the regents approved a plan to consolidate Georgia Southern and East Georgia State College.
by Dave Williams | Apr 15, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
SMYRNA – Gov. Brian Kemp had a pithy message as he signed two tax relief bills Tuesday.
“Tax cut bill on tax day,” the Republican governor exclaimed as he prepared to sign legislation accelerating income tax reductions the General Assembly put in place last year.
House Bill 111, which Kemp signed at an event inside the Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre sponsored by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, will reduce the state income tax rate from 5.39% to 5.19% retroactive to the beginning of the current tax year.
The second tax relief measure Kemp signed Monday will provide a one-time rebate to Georgia taxpayers. Under House Bill 112, single tax filers will receive $250. A single filer who is the head of his or her household will get $375, and married couples filing jointly will receive $500.
The rebate legislation sailed through the General Assembly during the recently concluded legislative session without a single “no” vote. But House Bill 111 proved controversial, with Democrats arguing most of the benefits of the tax cut will go to upper-income Georgians.
Kemp defended both bills Monday before a crowd of state and local business and political leaders.
“We know this is your money, not the government’s, and we know you know best how to spend it,” he said.
The Georgia House of Representatives and the state Senate passed House Bill 111 largely along party lines.
Kemp was flanked by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, House Speaker Jon Burns, other Georgia lawmakers and state constitutional officers as he put his signature to the bills.
