Burt Jones wants to open Georgia’s school voucher plan to foster families
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Campaign cash could be a flashpoint in the GOP primary for governor.
- Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms launches a new PAC.
- Democrats target Georgia House seats in the 2026 midterms.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is backing a plan to expand Georgia’s new school voucher program to biological and adoptive children of foster care parents, opening a new front in a politically divisive debate over the initiative.
The Republican’s proposal, which was introduced by state Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, allows eligible families of foster care children to use $6,500 in state-funded scholarships for private school tuition, tutoring and other education expenses.
Jones, who is expected to soon launch a campaign for governor, said he was echoing President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to free up federal funding for school choice programs.
“In the Senate, we will always prioritize our children, families and parents,” Jones said. “And this proposal will increase the number of families caring for foster children, many of whom are some of the most vulnerable children in our state.”
The Georgia Legislature last year narrowly approved the “Promise Scholarship Act,” which allows children who live in the attendance zone of a public school performing in the bottom 25% on state measures to apply for the $6,500 scholarships.
An AJC analysis found more than 300,000 students are likely eligible for the program — or 15 times the number of students for which the state initially budgeted. The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement has yet to release the finalized list of eligible schools.
The uncertainty has led to demands from Democrats to scale back the program, which they say will divert badly needed funding from schools.
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GOOD MORNING! Atlanta is supposed to get between 1 to 2 inches of rain in the coming days, while North Georgia could see 2 to 4 inches of rain by Thursday. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for the northwest portion of state.
Here are three things to know for today:
- U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, will chair the first hearing of the Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee today. It’s the legislative counterpart to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. The subcommittee is scheduled to hear testimony from former FBI Special Agent Stewart Whitson and Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis’ Risk Solutions Government division. Read more here.
- The Georgia Senate passed a bill that would ban the state health insurance program and Medicaid from covering some medical care for transgender people. It’s the first time the Legislature has moved to restrict gender-affirming care for adults, the AJC’s Maya T. Prabhu reports.
- U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, introduced a bill that would authorize President Donald Trump to negotiate the purchase of Greenland and rename it “Red, White, and Blueland.”
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CASH CLASH. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones hasn’t launched his expected bid for governor yet, but whether he can spend the $2.5 million he’s already stockpiled in a special campaign committee is already a flashpoint in the race.
A quick primer: A 2021 law allows the governor, lieutenant governor and legislative leaders from both parties to raise unlimited funds through leadership committees.
But it doesn’t apply to other posts, which means Carr and others running for governor or lieutenant governor must rely on traditional campaign accounts, where donations are capped at $8,400 for the May 2026 primary.
Carr’s campaign points to a 2022 federal ruling that barred Gov. Brian Kemp from using his leadership committee to advocate for his reelection or attack his opponents during a contested primary or runoff.
“The court is clear that the lieutenant governor is prohibited from using his leadership committee funds in a contested primary for U.S. Senate or governor,” said Carr spokesman Neil Bitting.
However, the ruling didn’t stop the governor from raising money through the committee during the primary, nor did it prevent him from using the funds to promote his agenda or pay campaign staff.
In a twist, Carr’s office defended Kemp in that very case, arguing in one legal brief for the court to “reject this nakedly political effort” by the governor’s GOP primary opponent.
That sets up a tricky scenario. Jones' aides argue the ruling was a one-off that doesn’t establish a legal precedent. If that interpretation holds, Carr could have to sue to challenge a ruling his office once helped win.
“The Attorney General should know that this ruling was confined to the 2022 race as he argued strongly in favor of it, one of the few fights he’s actually picked while in office,” said Loree Anne Paradise, Jones' top aide.
“The lieutenant governor is leading the Senate and focusing on the job he was elected to do. If he decides to run for governor, we will let you know.”
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GEORGIA 2026. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has taken another step toward running for Georgia governor by launching a PAC called “Georgia’s Promise.”
“While some have cowered in fear,” the Democrat wrote, “the first few weeks under Donald Trump have energized my commitment to standing up to extreme right-wing policies and making real change.”
Bottoms told the AJC last month she was considering a bid and party insiders say they’re taking her interest seriously. She would jostle a Democratic race for Georgia’s top job that lacks a clear front-runner.
As we reported earlier this week, Democratic state Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta is preparing for a run of his own, and he’s hired staff and met with activists, donors and party officials. U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath of Marietta and former DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond also could enter the race.
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NO TAX ON SOME TIPS. A bill moving through the Georgia Legislature would eliminate taxes on tips. Could it also end the practice of restaurants tacking on a mandatory gratuity to your bill?
Most tips are at the discretion of the customer. But you’ve likely asked for the check at a few restaurants only to notice a tip had already been added to the bill, whether you wanted it or not.
For tax purposes, the IRS considers these “service charges,” not tips, because the customer has no say in whether to pay it. Senate Bill 2, if it becomes law, would do the same thing. That means while Georgia would stop taxing tips, it would keep on taxing those service charges.
Republican state Sen. Chuck Hufstetler once owned a seafood restaurant in Rome for 18 years. He said typically the servers would decide whether to add these service charges to the bill, which is why they would mutually show up for large parties.
But if Georgia were to stop taxing tips, that could change things.
“It might encourage them to not put it on there,” he said.
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TARGETED. The midterm elections are still nearly two years away, but national Democrats already have the Georgia House on their mind.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee released its "target map" for the 2026 midterms on Tuesday. It identified the Georgia House as a “power building chamber” for Democrats to “gain seats on the path to new majorities by 2030.”
You need 91 seats to control the Georgia House. Republicans have 100. But their advantage dwindled in the November elections, as Democrats picked up two seats.
“Over the past five cycles, Democrats have steadily chipped away at the GOP’s hold on the Georgia House, putting us in our strongest position in two decades,” the DLCC noted on its website.
That’s one way to look at it. Another is that Democrats could have had more gains in 2024. A court-ordered redistricting map put Democrats back in play in several districts. Many Republicans viewed only losing two seats as a victory. They also picked up a suburban House district when Republican Sandy Donatucci, R-Buford, defeated former Democratic state Rep. Farooq Mughal.
“Our political team is already working to defend this majority in 2026,” said House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, R-Mulberry. “We will preserve the conservative victories we have achieved over the last two decades that made Georgia the best state in the nation to live, work, and raise a family.”
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UNDER THE GOLD DOME. It’s the 16th day of the legislative session. Some of today’s happenings:
- 8 a.m.: Gov. Brian Kemp’s proposals to cut the income tax rate (House Bill 111) and give most taxpayers a one-time credit of up to $500 (House Bill 112) have a hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee.
- 10 a.m.: Senate convenes. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on four bills, including Senate Bill 47, which would grant an 11-day sales tax holiday on firearms, ammunition and gun safes in October; and Senate Bill 21, which would open local officials to lawsuits if they violate Georgia’s ban on sanctuary cities.
- 10 a.m.: House convenes. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on five bills, including House Bill 199, which would let judges and their spouses redact some personal information from public records.
- 1 p.m.: The House Interstate Cooperation Committee will consider House Resolution 132, which would create commissions to study the boundary lines between Georgia and North Carolina and Georgia and Tennessee.
- 2 p.m.: House Rural Development Committee will consider House Bill 262, which would set up a grant program for hospitals to install backup generators.
- 2 p.m.: Robert Buschman, the state economist, will speak to the House Appropriations Committee.
- 3 p.m.: The House Industry and Labor Committee will consider House Bill 82, which would create a guest worker program in Georgia.
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LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” AJC health reporter Ariel Hart will discuss President Donald Trump’s move to cut more than $700 million in National Institutes of Health grants to Georgia — and the legal efforts to stop the cuts. And reporter Michael Jones from Once Upon a Hill previews U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s first DOGE subcommittee hearing today.
Be sure to download the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us. You can also listen live at 10 a.m. EDT on 90.1 FM WABE.
On Tuesday’s show, state Sen. Jason Esteves, D-Atlanta, talked about his potential run for governor in 2026. Then, the AJC’s Riley Bunch discussed her Black History Month story about Atlanta’s Black mayors.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Donald Trump will sign more executive orders.
- The Senate will vote on whether to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence and decide whether to advance the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary.
- The House will vote on legislation that would make it easier to reverse regulations implemented by former President Joe Biden.
- The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing on legislation that could be the measure used to fund border security and defense spending championed by Trump.
- U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, will chair the inaugural hearing of the House DOGE Subcommittee.
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SHOUTOUTS. Today’s birthdays:
- Loree Anne Paradise, top aide to Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
- Audrey Haynes, political science professor at the University of Georgia.
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that! Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
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AS ALWAYS, send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.
About the Authors
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
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