Georgia’s ‘red tape’ bill, rebranded as DOGE, wins new support and critics
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Republican bill would open banks up to discrimination lawsuits.
- Georgia Democrats will decide party chair role by the end of March.
- Atlanta Mayor will give his State of the City address tonight.
A DOGE by any other name?
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and his allies dubbed a controversial measure that passed the Senate on Monday the state’s version of Elon Musk’s cost-cutting initiative.
But the legislation — the Red Tape Rollback Act of 2025 — bears little resemblance to the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency. Instead of slashing funding and cutting state employees, it would grant lawmakers new powers to halt regulations.
A similar measure passed the Georgia Senate last year before stalling in the House. Of course, at this time last year Musk hadn’t even endorsed Donald Trump for president and DOGE was a crypto joke.
The rebrand has brought the measure welcome attention for Jones and ambitious Senate Republicans hoping to lock up Trump’s blessing for their 2026 runs. But it has also brought new backlash.
Jones admitted as much at a Monday event sponsored by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs.
“This year we brought it back and somebody nicknamed it Georgia’s DOGE program,” Jones said. “And all of a sudden it got a lot of attention. And all of a sudden it got a lot of opposition. But it was essentially the exact same bill as last year.”
Not exactly. The measure last year, which passed with support of seven Democrats, did not go as far as this year’s version. That’s one reason why none of the seven voted for the measure when on Monday.
“This is driven by a generic ideological distrust of government,” said state Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, who voted against it both times.
Under Senate Bill 28, lawmakers would have to ratify any rule that has an estimated $1 million economic impact made by an executive branch agency. It also requires agencies to review their rules every four years.
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GOOD MORNING! Here are three things to know for today:
- State lawmakers will hold a hearing today on whether to shield the home addresses of political candidates from campaign finance disclosure forms, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
- Georgia regulators are expected to decide soon whether to allow mining next door to the Okefenokee Swamp. Meanwhile, a Republican lawmaker has filed two bills aiming to prevent expanded mining near the swamp, the AJC’s Drew Kann reports.
- The leader of a voter registration project founded by Stacey Abrams has resigned amid deepening tensions with the Democratic star who launched the group a decade ago, Greg Bluestein reports.
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DEBANKING. Conservatives have long accused big banks of punishing them by closing their accounts or refusing to do business with them — complaints echoed recently by President Donald Trump.
Now, a similar clash is brewing between Georgia banks and the conservative Republicans who control the state Legislature.
Senate Bill 57 would open banks to lawsuits by their customers who claim they’ve been discriminated against for exercising their constitutional rights.
The bill, which cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, has some heft behind it. It’s sponsored by state Sen. Blake Tillery, the Vidalia Republican who is chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee.
And it’s being pushed by Marty Daniel, the CEO of Daniel Defense who said his company was dropped by two banks with no explanation. The Savannah area based gun and ammunition maker has come under heavy criticism after one of its guns was used to kill 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school in 2022.
The Georgia Banking Association says the bill would invite lawsuits “from anyone who feels wronged by a bank.”
“An individual or business owner convicted of a crime, like human trafficking or even terrorism, and has their account closed could still sue the bank and suggest the action was taken for religious or political reasons,” said Elizabeth Chandler, senior vice president of government relations and advocacy for the Georgia Bankers Association.
Tillery notes the bill would only apply to people who have an existing relationship with the bank. And it would cap damages at a maximum of $150,000 per violation.
“They shouldn’t run the risk that their essential services, including banking, get turned off and canceled just because of something they said that doesn’t fit in with the status quo at the time,” he said.
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KEMP 2026. The GOP field to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is frozen until Gov. Brian Kemp announces his next step — a decision he’ll make sometime after the legislative session ends on April 4.
While in Washington for a Republican governors’ event, Kemp told Fox News he knows he “can’t keep holding out forever.”
“We need to flip that seat. We should have a Republican in that seat, and I believe we’ll have one after the ’26 election,” Kemp told Fox’s Paul Steinhauser.
Kemp is the top Republican recruit to take on Ossoff next year, though his friends and allies doubt he’ll wage a campaign.
Kemp said he’s busy over the next few weeks pushing his litigation overhaul. But he added, “I know I can’t keep holding out forever, so we’ll have something to say on that down the road.”
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WRONGLY ACCUSED. Compensating people who have been wrongly convicted of crimes has been a popular issue among Georgia lawmakers of both parties. But lately supporters have been unable to clear their biggest obstacle: the Georgia Senate.
That could change this year. In addition to a bill in the House sponsored by the usual suspects, a separate bill has emerged in the Senate by Sen. Randy Robertson. The Cataula Republican worked for the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office for three decades before coming to the Legislature, earning him wide influence on matters of public safety.
There are still some disagreements to work out. The House Bill would offer people $75,000 for each year of incarceration and require them to prove their innocence before an administrative law judge. The Senate bill would offer $50,000 for every year of incarceration and require people to apply to the same court that sentenced them in the first place.
“We are encouraged that they are looking at this issue,” said state Rep. Katie Dempsey, R-Rome, and the primary sponsor of the House bill. “We have differences in terms of the policy, but we’re going to work through the process.”
The Senate has yet to schedule a hearing on Robertson’s bill. The House is holding a hearing today. The deadline for bills to pass their houses of origin is March 6.
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MARCH VOTE. The Democratic Party of Georgia will vote by the end of March on whether to make its chair a paid, full-time position, a party official told the “Politically Georgia” podcast on Monday. That would effectively give U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams of Atlanta a graceful exit after failing to deliver Georgia for Vice President Kamala Harris in November.
“We know — especially after the 2024 defeat — we know we need someone in that position to lead Georgia Democrats full time,” Matthew Wilson, a former state lawmaker who is now the party’s first vice chair, told the “Politically Georgia” podcast on Monday.
The party chair’s job is currently an unpaid volunteer position. That’s how Williams, better known for her full-time job as a congresswoman, has been able to do both since 2021.
Williams has been under pressure to step down as party chair since the November elections. That includes a push from U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., who is up for reelection in 2026 in what is likely to be one of the most closely watched races in the country.
Wilson said transitioning to a full-time, paid party chair was Williams’ idea, stemming from yearslong discussions within the party.
“I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of disagreement about having a paid chair,” Wilson said.
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UNDER THE GOLD DOME. The state Legislature will not meet today, giving lawmakers more time to review legislation across various committees. Some happenings:
- 9 a.m.: The Senate Ethics Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 199, which would make many changes to the state’s campaign finance law.
- 11 a.m.: House Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee meets to consider House Resolution 257, which would create a special committee to review federal funding in Georgia.
- 2 p.m.: The Senate Committee on Education and Youth will meet to consider Senate Bill 74, which would require librarians to show they have made a good faith attempt to remove material harmful to minors to avoid from prosecution.
- 3 p.m.: The House Governmental Affairs Committee will meet to consider House Bill 62, the Georgia HOA Accountability and Community Empowerment Act.
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LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” state Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, and state Rep. Ruwa Romman, D-Duluth, join the show to talk about the new communications strategy for Georgia Democrats.
This is our last week broadcasting on 90.1 FM WABE. But you can always 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.
On Monday’s show, U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee, discussed his Roswell town hall meeting last week that went viral after attendees peppered him with boos over Elon Musk’s role in cutting government jobs. Then, Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon looked at President Donald Trump’s first 30 days, while Georgia Democratic Party Vice Chair Matthew Wilson gave his view of Democrats’ regrouping after Trump’s election.
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STATE OF THE CITY. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens will deliver the State of the City address tonight to kick off the final year of his first term in office.
The AJC’s Riley Bunch writes that the political, business and community leaders will hear from a mayor who is not only planning to talk up the successes of his first term but is preparing for a reelection campaign.
The mayor is expected to talk about his plans to build affordable housing and develop Atlanta neighborhoods, especially those near downtown with projects like the Stitch.
Last year, the mayor made news by announcing plans to build four new MARTA stations.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Donald Trump will sign more executive orders.
- The U.S. House has scheduled a vote on the framework of a massive Republican-led proposal that would extend Trump’s tax cuts, fund new border security measures and offset the spending by reductions to government services in programs like Medicaid and food stamps.
- The Senate will consider more of Trump’s nominees.
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SLOW YOUR DOGE. U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee, went viral last week after a huge crowd showed up to his Roswell town hall meeting to shout at him over Elon Musk’s rapid sacking of thousands of federal employees.
McCormick told the “Politically Georgia” podcast on Monday that while he still thinks budget cuts are imperative, he’d like to see more caution in the way they’re being handled.
“If you want to talk about things I’m critical about, I think we’re just moving a little bit too fast. We should have impact studies on each department as we do it,” McCormick said.
The Suwanee Republican said he does not think he has enough information on the cuts as they’re happening, nor does the president.
“And so that’s what I’d rather see is a little bit just take a deep breath, move a little bit slower and a little bit more deliberately. And that’s kind of generally the feeling for a lot of people,” he said.
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SHOUTOUTS. Today’s birthday:
- State Sen. Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega
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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