ATLANTA –
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., retired this month after 45 years in public
service. He leaves Congress as the only Georgian ever to serve in the state
House of Representatives, the Georgia Senate, the U.S. House and the U.S.
Senate. After helping build the state Republican Party as Georgia House
minority leader, Isakson went on to serve as chairman of the state Board of
Education. In Washington, he spent six years in the House representing a
district in Atlanta’s northern suburbs and 14 years in the Senate, including a
stint as chairman of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Recently, he looked
back on his career in an exclusive interview with Capitol Beat News Service:
Q: What made
you decide to enter politics back in 1972, five years into your real estate
career?
A: I was
active in the real estate business but also in my civic association in a small
neighborhood in East Cobb. There were beginning to be a lot of issues dealing with
zoning … and there was an incumbent county commissioner up for re-election who had
been the proponent of all the multi-family units being proposed at the time. …
I never intended to run for anything, certainly not county commission, but I
did and did pretty well for not being experienced and not having any money. … I
did well enough to whet my appetite and said, ‘If I get a chance, I’ll try this
one more time.’ I did two years later for the legislature and won that seat.
That year, I was the only Republican to defeat a Democrat in the state of
Georgia who was an incumbent. … That’s how I started my career.
Q: You
essentially built Georgia’s Republican Party in the ‘70s and ‘80s along with
some allies.
A: A lot of
people deserve credit for that. I was on the building team, but I was not the
builder. … [The late U.S. Sen.] Paul Coverdell and I did a lot of work to get
people to come to Saturday morning breakfasts and get enthusiastic about being
outnumbered 10 to 1.
Q: How
difficult was it in a state Democrats had dominated since Reconstruction?
A: It was
easy back then to get attention because the press would settle for anything
from us because there weren’t many of us. … As we grew our numbers and got
influential enough to start driving issues, for awhile, it worked to our
advantage … because they let us state our case without having anybody give the
alternative. That went away as we won more seats.
Q: How did
you get along with majority Democrats during all those years you spent in the
General Assembly as a minority leader?
A: Tom Murphy
was the longest serving [state House] speaker in the country at that time. He
hated Republicans, had open season on them any time he could find one. … I
said, ‘I’m going to see if we can find common ground.’ … In rural Georgia,
there were no four-lane highways. We helped [then-Gov.] Joe Frank Harris pay
for the GRIP [Governor’s Road Improvement Program]. … All of a sudden,
[Democrats] liked the idea of doing something comprehensive. I won a few points
that way.
Q: Did you
hesitate before jumping into that special election race for Congress in 1999,
considering you were looking to succeed such a high-profile politician as Newt
Gingrich?
A: That
night I was on an airplane to Anaheim, [Calif.] to make a speech to the
Realtors Political Action Committee. When I got to the hotel that night, there
were 72 messages for me. The first 71 were from my wife. She said, ‘Newt quit
and everybody says you ought to run.’ … I’d run statewide three times before
and lost. … But I had the name ID. We put together a heck of a campaign in
seven weeks and won the seat.
Q: You
played a leading role in the No Child Left Behind Act in the House in 2001 and
helped improve the law while you were in the Senate. Did that stem from your
time as chairman of the state Board of Education?
A: The
federal government doesn’t really have a role in education, but it is the first
priority of state government. I knew what the state’s problems were and how to
account for the money. I had some working knowledge. … [George W.] Bush was the
new president and decided he was going to make that a signature issue. He asked
me to lead that effort.
Q: You were
awarded the inaugural ‘John McCain Service to Country Award’ earlier this year.
What does that mean to you in terms of the time you spent in the Senate with
John McCain?
A: John was
a product of my era, the best we had. He went to Southeast Asia and fought in
the worst war America ever fought in. I lost some very good friends in Vietnam.
… I’m very close to that whole era. John epitomized it. He was a volunteer. …
He wanted to go and not use his father (a Navy admiral) for any preferential
placement. … I worked with John when I got elected on issues including
immigration and ethics. … What really got me close to him was President Trump
went after him after he died. … I got upset and made about a 20-minute speech
calling the president out on it. That was no way to treat one of our heroes.
Q: Veterans
have been one of your priorities. Looking back, what do you feel were your
greatest accomplishments chairing that committee in the Senate?
A: The
committee never did much because it was what you call a ‘B’ committee. … But
when I got it, I said, ‘We’ve been fooling around with these issues for 10
years. I want to make this thing work for veterans.’ … The Mission Act replaced
the Choice Act. A veteran can go to a private doctor or a VA doctor. It makes no
difference. … Vets don’t need to be told a doctor is not being paid. … It’s
working really well now. I believe last year, they did 1,000 more appointments
for veterans than the year before.
Q: The theme
of your farewell speech on the Senate floor this month was a plea for
bipartisanship. With the toxic atmosphere in Washington, do you believe there’s
hope for that?
A: My hope
for it is what’s kept me in politics. … If you’re in politics and you do a
favor, you get one in return and you remember that. … Three years ago, I pulled
a Democrat out of a committee room and got him to switch a vote. Once people
know you have the ability to deliver that kind of power, they respect you and
will negotiate with you. … In my speech, I tried to get across what happens in
the real world and the need to be cooperative.
ATLANTA – The
“heartbeat” anti-abortion bill Gov. Brian Kemp pushed through the General
Assembly this year will not take effect Jan. 1 as intended, blocked by a
federal judge.
But more
than a dozen less controversial measures Georgia lawmakers enacted during the
2019 legislative session will become law with the coming of the new year.
The state’s
new business court will become operational, patients in need of certain
medications will get an easier path to a prescription, Georgians saving for
their children’s college tuition will get a more generous tax break and two
judicial circuits will get additional judges.
Here is a
breakdown of some of the new laws taking effect Jan. 1:
Technically, House Bill 239 establishing
a statewide business court in Georgia took effect last May, the day Kemp signed
it into law. But the court doesn’t become operational until Jan 1. In August, members
of the state House and Senate Judiciary committees confirmed the governor’s
nominee to head the court, Walter F. Davis, a partner in the Atlanta office of
Jones Day. The new court, aimed at expediting the handling of cases requiring
expertise in business law, was created by a constitutional amendment Georgia
voters ratified in November 2018.
Under House Bill 63, doctors can seek
exceptions from insurance companies to “step therapy,” which requires patients
to try certain preferred medications and wait for them to fail before they can
receive a prescription for the medication they want. The law will apply to any
health insurance plan that takes effect or is renewed on or after Jan. 1.
House Bill 266 doubles the state
income tax deduction awarded through Georgia’s 529 Plan for college savings
from $2,000 per year to $4,000 for single taxpayers and from $4,000 per year to
$8,000 for married couples filing jointly. The legislation takes effect with
the 2020 tax year.
Under House Bill 166, all genetic
counselors in the state must be licensed, making Georgia the 28th
state with such a requirement. The law is intended to provide consumers
assurance that when they make an appointment with a genetic counselor, the
clinician has been suitably trained in
genetics. Genetic counselors provide risk assessment, education and support to
individuals or families at risk for or diagnosed with a variety of inherited
disorders.
House Bill 478 creates stricter requirements
for listing an offender on Georgia’s child abuse registry. Under the new law,
abusers must be at least 18 at the time the abusive act was committed to be
listed, up from the current 13. Abusers put on the list have a right to a
hearing on whether their name should be removed, starting three years after
being placed on the list.
House Bill 21 provides an additional
Superior Court judge for the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit.
House Bill 28 provides an additional
Superior Court judge for the Griffin Judicial Circuit.
Senate Bill 118 is aimed at leveling
the playing field between health care provided through telemedicine and health
services delivered by other means. The
law prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage of health care solely
because it was provided through telemedicine rather than in-person consultation
with a health-care provider.
ATLANTA – Sagging
state tax revenues are breathing new life into longstanding efforts in the
General Assembly to legalize gambling in Georgia.
But with a
little more than three weeks left before lawmakers convene for the 2020
session, the most passionate legislative backers of bringing casinos and horse
racing to the Peach State haven’t decided whether to add sports betting to the
mix or whether to combine all of the gambling proposals into one package or
tackle them separately.
“I do think
there’s momentum for something to happen this session,” state Sen. Brandon
Beach, R-Alpharetta, said last Thursday after the final meeting of a Senate
study committee he chaired that held several hearings on legalizing gambling in
its various forms. “We need further deliberation.”
Beach’s
committee adopted a 13-page report at its final meeting summarizing the
hearings it held last summer and fall to listen to supporters and opponents of
legalized gambling. But it stopped short of adopting recommendations for the
full Senate.
On the other
side of the Capitol, a special committee the House of Representatives formed to
look for new revenue sources for the state – primarily but not limited to legalized
gambling – also has yet to reach any conclusions.
Beach and Georgia Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, have been prime movers behind efforts to pass a constitutional amendment legalizing gambling in Georgia that go back a half dozen years. Such constitutional changes require a two-thirds majority in the Georgia House and Senate and ratification in a statewide voter referendum.
Stephens has
sponsored legislation calling for several proposed “destination” resorts to be
built across the state, one in metro Atlanta and several others elsewhere in
Georgia. While the projects would feature casinos, they also would include
mixed-use development amenities such as shops, hotels and restaurants.
Backers of
two specific casinos proposals pitched them to the two legislative committees.
One would be built adjacent to the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, while the
other is the brainchild of Columbus entrepreneur Bob Wright, who wants to build
a casino resort along the Chattahoochee River between Uptown Columbus and Fort
Benning.
“There’s
been substantial development along the river,” Wright told members of the House
committee Dec. 11 in Columbus. “Our goal is to continue that development in an
area of Columbus that needs a lot of help. … It really needs an economic
catalyst.”
Beach has
been the main driving force behind legislation to legalize pari-mutuel betting
on horse racing. He has pitched the proposal as a way to generate jobs in rural
Georgia by creating an equine industry that would foster hay and breeding
farms.
Sports
betting is the newest arrival of the three. It wasn’t an option until May of last
year, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law that
effectively banned commercial sports betting in most states.
Atlanta’s
professional sports teams – the Braves, Falcons, Hawks and Atlanta United –
have come out publicly in favor of legalizing sports betting as a way to gin up
fan interest.
But Beach
said some lawmakers are hesitant to take the plunge into sports betting because
it doesn’t promise to generate much economic impact for the state.
Any sports
betting bill Georgia lawmakers pass likely would be modeled after Tennessee,
which has legalized online betting on sports. Unlike casinos and horse tracks, online
betting doesn’t require construction of any jobs-producing entertainment
facilities.
“It doesn’t
create a lot of jobs,” Beach said. “I want to create jobs and industry.”
Another
issue yet to be decided is how to craft legalized gambling legislation. Past
efforts to get casinos and/or horse racing through the General Assembly have
been taken up separately and have failed.
Stephens said
he’d like to see a constitutional amendment that combines all forms of
legalized gambling.
“If we’re
going to amend the constitution, we ought to look at it holistically rather
than picking and choosing,” he said.
While
Stephens said House leaders are on board with a combined measure, Beach said senators
have yet to decide.
Another
potential sticking point is deciding how the state would use the tax revenue
legalized gambling would generate.
Proceeds
from the Georgia Lottery go toward the state’s popular HOPE Scholarships and
pre-kindergarten programs. But House Republican leaders are expected to push
for dedicating some of the tax money to health care.
Stephens
said the Georgia Medicaid program will need an influx of state funding if it is
to pay for the expansion of coverage envisioned in a federal waiver request
lawmakers have authorized Gov. Brian Kemp to pursue.
Even without
an expansion, the state’s existing program needs help simply to keep pace with enrollment
growth, Stephens said.
“We’ve had
to backfill $200 million to $300 million every year,” he said.
Beach said
the Senate would prefer to limit the distribution of gambling revenue to
education but would be willing to consider health care as well.
Legalized
gambling has been getting pushback on two fronts. Representatives of existing entertainment
venues across Georgia argue casino resorts could corner the market on both
performing artists and the audiences they would attract.
“A casino in Savannah or Columbus could affect smaller venues,” said Heather Stanley, managing director of the Rylander Theatre in Americus. “Smaller venues that could get pushed out are economic drivers in their communities.”
Advocates
for faith-based groups have opposed all forms of legalized gambling as
unhealthy for society.
“Even the
industry acknowledges there are people who become problem gamblers,” said
Virginia Galloway, regional field director for the Duluth-based Faith and
Freedom Coalition. “As we expand the market, that creates new gamblers. …
They’re not only ruining their lives but the lives of many others around them.”
Galloway
dismisses the argument that legislative passage of legalized gambling is simply
the General Assembly giving the people the right to vote on the issue. She said
gambling opponents lack the resources to fight deep-pocketed gambling interests
in the advertising battle for votes.
But
lawmakers have consistently used that argument to justify supporting a gambling
constitutional amendment and passing the decision on to Georgians.
Where the
General Assembly stands on legalized gambling should start to become clear
soon. Stephens’ House committee is planning a final meeting early next month
just before the start of the legislative session.
Beach said
the Senate plans to take a position just after lawmakers arrive under the Gold
Dome.
“The first
week of the session, we’ll know where we’re going,” he said.
ATLANTA – Georgia
energy regulators gave Atlanta Gas Light (AGL) a $65 million rate increase Thursday
while requiring the utility to make a series of improvements to customer
service.
The state
Public Service Commission (PSC) voted unanimously to reduce the $90 million
rate hike AGL requested last June. Commissioners also trimmed the profit margin
AGL had proposed from 10.75% to 10.25%.
“I’m pleased
with what was accomplished today,” said Commissioner Chuck Eaton, chairman of
the PSC’s Energy Committee, who crafted the motion the commission approved. “It
balances increased federal regulations, the capital investment required from a
growing Georgia economy and ensures the company will make needed service
improvements that customers will notice.”
AGL’s first
rate increase since 2010 will raise the typical residential customer’s monthly
bill by 4%, or $2.54, starting next month.
AGL
officials said they need the money to cover $744 million in investments the
utility is making to replace old pipelines, add new transmission lines and
undertake an unprecedented expansion into rural parts of Georgia.
“These
increases have been driven by aggressive investment in our distribution
system,” Robert Highsmith, a lawyer representing AGL, told members of the
Energy Committee earlier this week. “Our system is stronger, safer, more
reliable and poised for growth.”
“We are
mindful of the impact any increase can have on customers with low or fixed
incomes,” AGL President Bryan Batson added. “Fortunately, thanks to today’s
lower natural gas prices, consumers are still paying on average $250 less on
their total natural gas bill than even 10 years ago.”
Eaton’s
motion will require AGL to respond to gas leaks in 25 minutes or fewer, increase
the percentage of appointments provided within a four-hour window from 40% to
80% and increase by 25% “evening” appointments, which occur between 4 p.m. and
8 p.m.
Those were
among service improvements recommended by the gas marketing companies that pay
fees to AGL to provide and maintain gas pipelines and other infrastructure.
Commissioner
Tricia Pridemore said she voted for the rate increase because of AGL’s
agreement to improve service. But she criticized marketers for not fighting
hard enough for even more service improvements while admonishing AGL’s
presentation of its case for higher rates.
“You’ve
gotten $15 million more than you should,” she said. “Your rate case proposal
was weak and lacked detail. … Your next effort needs much improvement.”
ATLANTA – Georgia’s
unemployment rate fell to 3.3% last month, the lowest since the federal
government began keeping records in 1976.
The Peach
State also set a jobs record in November – 4.64 million jobs – while the number
of employed Georgians also hit an all-time high of 4.96 million.
“I can’t
recall us ever having a better month,” Georgia Commissioner of Labor Mark
Butler said. “It’s nice to see this at the end of the year. I think we are
going to continue to see Georgia move in the right direction.”
Gov. Brian
Kemp said the strong numbers are a sign the conservative agenda he and his
Republican allies in the General Assembly have embraced is working.
“To keep
Georgia the best place to live, work and raise a family, we must support our
small businesses, recruit projects of regional significance to our rural
communities and dismantle criminal street gangs so our families are safe from harm,”
he said.
Georgia
added 6,500 jobs last month, up 69,000 from November of last year.
Three job
sectors added the most jobs, led by trade/transportation/utilities with 3,200
jobs. Education/health services was close behind with 3,100 jobs added. The construction
sector added 2,300 jobs.
“We have
seen the labor force start growing again, but it’s still not where I want it to
be,” Butler said. “We need more individuals in the workforce to take all the
jobs we have open.”
Georgia’s
November unemployment rate was slightly below the nation’s, which fell 0.1% to
3.5%.
