by Ty Tagami | Oct 1, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — The federal government shut down as of 12:01 a.m., and it could affect the income of about 111,000 Georgia employees.
Many will not get paid, causing an economic loss that could reverberate through communities.
But the Georgia Department of Labor said Friday that the estimated 110,900 federal workers who could be furloughed may be eligible to collect state unemployment benefits.
“Furloughed employees are considered job-attached and are not required to search for work for six weeks,” the agency said.
There is a catch: under a 2019 federal law, the agency notes, furloughed employees will receive back pay when funding is restored. So, any money they collected from the state must be repaid.
The federal government can deduct unemployment benefits from their back pay or reimburse the state directly, so applicants must report gross earnings when requesting payments.
Affected employees can apply online but must show a W2 form or pay stub in person if the federal government fails to report the information to the state, which is common during shutdowns. Applicants can take their documents to any Georgia Dept of Labor Career Center.
by Ty Tagami | Sep 30, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — Georgia’s public school class of 2025 scored marginally worse on the SAT than the class before but still outpaced the nation by a wide margin.
The average score of 1029 was a point lower than that scored by the class of 2024 but 33 points higher than the national average, the Georgia Department of Education announced on Tuesday.
Experts warn about comparing state averages because outcomes are tied closely to the number of test takers. States with higher participation generally produce lower average scores because their population of test takers tends to include students with a history of lower academic achievement.
Indeed, Georgia’s average score fell as participation rose to 55%, up 3 percentage points from the class of 2024.
by Ty Tagami | Sep 30, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — A Georgia Supreme Court ruling about a zoning dispute over small homes on a small barrier island could have big consequences for a big state.
The high court ruled Tuesday that a local referendum against a McIntosh County zoning ordinance could move forward.
The decision reversed a superior court judge’s order that halted the voter referendum on grounds that it violated the county’s constitutional authority to make and enforce its own development rules.
County commissioners had adopted a new ordinance to allow houses to be built on Sapelo Island that exceeded the previous maximum of 1,400 square feet. Locals from the Gullah-Geechee community on the barrier island opposed the idea and secured enough signatures to hold a referendum to stop it.
The high court’s decision interprets ambiguity in a 1983 re-write of the state constitution that altered the relationship between what’s known as county “home rule” and zoning authority.
The justices wrote that “nothing in the text of the Zoning Provision in any way restricts a county electorate’s authority to seek repeal of a zoning ordinance. The superior court therefore erred” when it halted the referendum, which had been authorized by a local probate judge.
The high court also granted an injunction against enforcement of the new zoning ordinance.
“It means that we now have a chance to get this referendum back on the docket,” said Reginald Hall, a local activist opposed to the ordinance allowing larger houses.
The state Supreme Court had already opened the door two years ago to voter challenges of local government decisions when it decided that voters in Camden County could use a referendum to prevent the purchase of land for a spaceport. The facility would have lobbed commercial rockets over the Cumberland Island National Seashore, prompting concerns about the health of the coastal marsh and about the quality of life for nearby residents.
The high court’s ruling Tuesday involved three cases, one by residents who sought an injunction against the ordinance and two between the county and the probate judge who authorized the referendum.
by Ty Tagami | Sep 30, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — Farmers and other agricultural producers in Georgia will get financial aid to help with recovery from Hurricane Helene, the massive storm that wiped out crops and timberland more than a year ago.
Georgia and U.S. agriculture officials announced Tuesday that the state will receive $531,236,000 from the U.S. government for a Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program.
It is “funding to provide much-needed relief to impacted farmers and producers,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said in a statement, adding that the money “is absolutely essential to help our farm families bounce back” from the devastation.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture spent hundreds of hours in negotiations to secure the money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he said, praising Brooke Rollins, President Donald Trump’s agriculture secretary, for the collaboration.
Harper said the grants will cover infrastructure and timber losses as well as future economic losses. Gov. Brian Kemp said in a post on X that the proceeds will cover as many farmers as possible, calling the outcome “great news.”
Helene wreaked at least $5.5 billion in damage to crops, ranches, poultry houses, orchards and timberland.
Congress passed a bipartisan relief package in December earmarking $21 billion for affected farmers in Georgia and other states. The federal package also was in response to other natural disasters.
Kemp also redirected $100 million from a state capital projects fund to help farmers and timberland owners. Then, in March, the General Assembly set aside $867 million for disaster relief as part of the fiscal 2025 mid-year budget.
by Ty Tagami | Sep 30, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — A half dozen state lawmakers are now running for Georgia lieutenant governor, as another Republican senator joins the race, hoping to outflank his opposition on the right.
Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, a conservative from the northern Atlanta suburbs, joins a cast of fellow conservative senators, all from outside the biggest metro area — plus an Atlanta Senate Democrat and a GOP state representative from Buford.
Dolezal will campaign to succeed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, the Trump-backed Republican running for governor.
Dolezal’s campaign announcement on YouTube Tuesday focused on his right wing credentials as the chief sponsor of the Riley Gaines Act, a new law that bans students born male from participating on female athletic teams in schools and colleges.
Dolezal also said he would crack down on extremists who riot and burn cities, as well as illegal immigration, diversity equity and inclusion programs, and “soft on crime” prosecutors.
“I’m running for lieutenant governor because we’re at a turning point as the radical left continues to threaten our public safety,” Dolezal’s advertisement says, as a siren wails in the background.
The chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and vice chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee is up against political powerhouses.
Sen. John F. Kennedy, R-Macon, stepped aside as president pro tempore of the Senate — the highest office in that chamber below lieutenant governor — to run for lieutenant governor. Sen. Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, stepped down as majority leader — the next highest office — to run for lieutenant governor. And Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, who outranks Dolezal on Appropriations as chairman of that budget-writing committee, is also running for lieutenant governor.
Add Rep. David Clark, R-Buford, who served in Afghanistan with the Green Berets, and next year’s Republican primary is shaping up to be a rowdy contest as the candidates attempt to differentiate themselves.
Clark said in his campaign announcement that “a world on fire” needs warriors not politicians. His entry came one day after Tillery announced his candidacy, both hitting similar notes about tax cuts, illegal immigration and transgender issues. Kennedy and Gooch are also running on platforms aimed to appeal to President Donald Trump’s MAGA base.
They would all likely appreciate an endorsement from Trump, but Dolezal was the only member of the bunch who got to speak at Jones’ gubernatorial campaign opener for governor at Indian Springs State Park in Flovilla.
That was in late August, a couple weeks after Trump had already endorsed Jones for governor.
Dolezal railed against Republicans who were silent on Trump when he was down politically.
“This is what I call political opportunism,” Dolezal said. “These politicians want a ticket on the Trump train, but they never paid the price.”
At least one candidate for lieutenant governor wants nothing to do with Trump.
Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, regular ridiculed the president on the Senate floor during this past legislative session. He is the only state lawmaker campaigning for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, the office that sets the agenda for the state Senate and influences the fate of legislation in that chamber.
