The first anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration is nearly upon us, but we are also one year distant from the women's uprising that followed -- when hundreds of thousands swamped Washington and tens of thousands marched through downtown Atlanta.
Which makes relevant this morning's note from the Gallup organization:
Nearly four in 10 Americans say they are "very" or "somewhat" dissatisfied with the position of women in the U.S., the highest since Gallup first asked the question in 2001.
U.S. women are substantially more dissatisfied with the position of women in society.
Nearly half of women (46%) say they are very or somewhat dissatisfied with their position in society, up from 30% in 2008, when Gallup last asked the question (and the trend's highest point.) Dissatisfaction is also up among men, although at significantly lower levels than among women.
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On the other hand, the Associated Press reports that a proposal to impose new rules and limits on how Georgia colleges and universities handle cases of sexual violence, which stalled last year, was given a new life on Tuesday, though the measure's author said he no longer sees a pressing need for it:
On the second day of the 2018 session, the state Senate voted without debate to move House Bill 51 to a new committee after the Senate Judiciary Committee left it in legislative limbo without a vote last year.
The measure's sponsor, Republican Rep. Earl Ehrhart of Powder Springs, said last year that safeguards were needed to prevent campus disciplinary proceedings from tarnishing the reputations of students accused of rapes and assaults while denying them due process.
Opponents argued Ehrhart's bill would discourage some victims from seeking help on campus by requiring schools to report felonies, including sexual assaults, to police. It would also prevent schools from disciplining, suspending or expelling a student for actions that are under criminal investigation without a hearing affording undefined "due process protections."
Ehrhart said Tuesday that most of what he hoped to accomplish has been adopted in recent months by other federal and state agencies. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos last fall scrapped federal rules created under President Barack Obama and replaced them with interim guidance allowing schools to use a higher standard of evidence for reviewing complaints than the previous rules allowed.
It’s easy to understand why the state Board of Regents had been eager to defuse this bill – Ehrhart chairs the House appropriations subcommittee that oversees university spending.
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The Georgia Chamber's annual Eggs & Issues breakfast just wrapped up. Here's the lede from Greg Bluestein:
Gov. Nathan Deal said Georgia will offer the biggest incentive package in state history to lure Amazon's second headquarters to metro Atlanta, and unveiled plans to call lawmakers to a special session to hash out the lucrative offer if the tech giant lists Georgia as a top finalist.
Governor Deal appeared to issue a challenge to both Republicans and Democrats now running to replace him next January:
"My senior staff is very territorial when it comes to the accomplishments we've made while in office. We're so very happy we could provide such a great record for those campaigning this year to run on.
To those trying to use our record for their gain, and to those insinuating that our economic potential is not as great as it is, if you begin firing shots, just remember that we have the ammunition. We have the facts, we have the truth, and we aren't afraid to use them.
In short, there is nothin' lame 'bout this duck."
Culling through the advance text of Deal’s speech, we also found two more specific nuggets worth your time. This one goes to rural development:
"This year, we will allocate over $25 million in increased funding to our state's regional airports for improvements and expansions. The improvements will impact eleven airports in the state, with nine of the eleven located in rural Georgia.
"Based on the upgrades, the airports will be elevated in their tier rankings as we extend the length of their runways to 5,000 feet or more in order to accommodate corporate aircraft and, ultimately, economic growth."
And this one bespeaks a new phase in the fight over tort reform:
"A constitutional business court would provide an efficient and dependable forum to litigants in every corner of the state for the resolution of complex matters. Such a stable legal environment will help ensure that we remain the number one state in which to do business and also provide relief to the demands placed on our superior and state courts, making our judicial system as a whole more efficient.
"If this is an issue you are interested in – and you should be – I encourage you to talk to your members of the General Assembly, because it will require a two-thirds majority vote to put this much-needed reform on the ballot."
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On Monday, President Donald Trump announced a grand plan to allow energy companies to explore for oil and gas across virtually all of America's outer continental shelf. On Tuesday, his administration made an exception for Florida.
A hastily-arranged airport rendezvous Tuesday ended with an announcement from President Donald Trump's administration that the state of Florida is "off the table" for new offshore oil drilling, a declaration that brought both relief and protests of election-year politics.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott met with U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke at the airport in Tallahassee Tuesday afternoon. Both men emerged 20 minutes later to face waiting reporters, who had an hour's notice of the meeting.
"As a result of our interest in making sure that there's no drilling here, Florida will be taken off the table," Scott said.
Which raises the question: What is Gov. Nathan Deal’s stance on drilling off the Georgia coast?
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Tuesday brought good news and bad news for Georgia's congressional delegation, which is looking to rebuild its clout after losing considerable institutional knowledge between 2014 and 2017. A panel of House Republicans recommended giving Athens-area Republican Jody Hice a plum position on the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees the Pentagon and military installations across the country. The same panel, however, rejected Lawrenceville Republican Rob Woodall's bid to follow in Tom Price's steps as chairman of the House Budget Committee. (Tamar Hallerman)
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House Democrats, meanwhile, gave U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson of Lithonia a new gig. The former judge and criminal defense attorney will become the party's top representative on a House subcommittee with jurisdiction over courts and intellectual property. Johnson said he plans to focus on overturning the Trump administration's net neutrality decision and improving copyright laws. "As we work to modernize and streamline our patent and trademark laws and the administration of the U.S. Court system, I look forward to helping Georgia's and the nation's businesses grow while at the same time working to protect the rights of creators, artists and inventors," he said. (TH)
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The state Senate still hasn't adopted an adjournment resolution to set out the opening schedule of the Georgia Legislature. And there could be consequences. Some House lawmakers suggest a failure to do so means the legislative clock will keep ticking - even through weekends and holidays. And a big one - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - is around the corner. We imagine an agreement will soon be struck, but we hear the wrangling involves two of the biggest issues pending this year: The fight over the stalled adoption measure and the day when legislative leaders hope to bang the final gavel and declare sine die. (GB)
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The mind-boggling lines to get into Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the college football title game on Monday tied up Republican operative Brian Robinson, now a member of the state body that oversees the stadium and the Georgia World Congress Center. He was among the thousands who spent two hours waiting in line to get into the stadium, which had tightened security with President Donald Trump's visit. When asked whether he would seek changes to the process, Robinson tweeted a joke (we think) in response: "After last night, I'd vote to let people come in fully armed rather than ever endure something so awful again." (GB)
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Georgia could see its first Trump-nominated federal judge sworn in by the end of the week. The Senate is scheduled to begin debate on the first of four Trump-selected Georgia picks later this afternoon. Michael Brown, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice, was tapped last summer for one of two vacant judgeships on the U.S. district court in Atlanta. A final confirmation vote is likely late Wednesday or on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary Committee has plans later this week to advance the nominations of Georgia-based federal judicial nominees Elizabeth Branch, Stan Baker and Billy Ray. (TH).
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