PG A.M.: Big questions loom as Georgia’s legislative session opens
Georgia lawmakers return to the state Capitol today for the start of the 40-day legislative session with plenty of unanswered questions. Here are the biggest ones to watch:
- Will Georgia lawmakers strike a deal on Medicaid expansion? It’s far from a given, but for the first time in more than a decade, Republican leaders are open to the idea, perhaps as part of a deal to roll back rural hospital regulations. (Just don’t call it “Obamacare.”)
- How deeply will Gov. Brian Kemp and other Republicans dip into Georgia’s surplus? Kemp has already called for lawmakers to speed up an income tax cut and distributed year-end bonuses to 300,000 teachers and state employees. He’s under pressure from all quarters over how to spend, or not spend, billions in state reserves.
- Will Georgia Republicans push more changes to election rules? After no sweeping voting law changes last year, new efforts to end no-excuse absentee voting, eliminate runoffs and tighten ballot processing procedures could be in the works.
- Can the Legislature reach a compromise to combat antisemitism? The Senate could soon take up a stalled measure to define antisemitism as a hate crime amid tensions over the Israel-Hamas war and debate over free speech rights.
- Will lawmakers adopt the next phase of a mental health expansion? Legislation to address a shortage of mental health providers and streamline how agencies share information faces an uncertain future after it was blocked in the Senate last year.
- Do school voucher supporters have the votes after a Republican rebellion? A revolt by 16 House Republicans last year blocked a significant expansion of private school vouchers. It’s unclear whether enough have changed their minds to seal its passage.
- Will the election year ignite a new culture wars front? As lawmakers gear up for May primaries and the November election — and stake a claim on 2026 races — fights over abortion, transgender rights and firearms could reemerge.
- Which surprise issue will bubble up? The most polarizing proposal the Legislature tackles might not be on the radar now. Past fights over Delta Airlines tax breaks and an election overhaul are just examples of explosive debates that surfaced long after the session started.
Stay tuned. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has more than a dozen reporters covering the Capitol and the biggest legislative issues to make sure you’re informed about everything that’s going on under the Gold Dome.
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UNDER THE GOLD DOME:
- 10 a.m.: The House gavels in.
- 10 a.m.: The Senate convenes.
- 1 p.m.: Committee hearings begin.
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NEW YEAR, NEW SCHEDULE? Another looming legislative question for 2024: will lawmakers still have Fridays off?
Last year’s session kicked off with the entire 40-day schedule agreed upon on Day One, complete with Fridays reserved for rural members to drive home to far-flung districts.
Will House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, R-Auburn, keep the trend alive? We’ve heard from plenty of members who hope so.
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PLAN AHEAD. A busy Week One for state lawmakers in Atlanta kicked off with the traditional Wild Hog Supper at the Georgia Freight Depot last night.
This week’s calendar includes the annual Eggs & Issues breakfast sponsored by the Georgia Chamber early Wednesday, followed by Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address slated for 11 a.m. Thursday.
Unlike the last two years, when the House and Senate juggled official duties with the University of Georgia’s national championship football game in the session’s opening days, the Bulldogs in the chamber can focus on the Capitol this year since UGA already won the Orange Bowl.
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MAJORITY CASH. Georgia House Republicans are entering the new year with flush coffers.
The House GOP caucus is set to report $3.4 million in cash on hand after raising $1.8 million over the last six months. The campaign of House Speaker David Ralston, who died in 2022, also gave $1 million.
State Rep. Houston Gaines, vice chair of the caucus, sent an email to fellow Republicans that called it “by far the best off-year ever” that more than tripled the previous off-election cycle.
“These resources will be put to work to ensure victory this fall,” the Athens lawmaker wrote.
Unlike days gone by, when members were barred from fundraising during the session, new leadership committees created under a 2022 law make it completely legal for members of both parties to collect checks for their caucuses all session long. Similar to political action committees, leadership committees aren’t subject to state campaign donation limits.
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NEW YEAR, NEW HANDLE. House Speaker Jon Burns is a late arrival to the social media revolution. He launched his first social media account on X last week with the handle @JonBurnsGA.
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ELECTION DRAMA. Former state Rep. Ed Lindsey, a GOP member of the State Election Board, penned a letter to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger late Sunday that could have lasting implications.
Lindsey wrote to “personally recommend” legislation that authorizes the State Election Board to investigate how the Secretary of State’s office handles elections.
It came after the board in December unanimously voted to ask the General Assembly to clarify whether the state has the power to police Raffensperger — but stopped short of opening an investigation into his handling of the 2020 election.
Lindsey wrote that he has “enormous respect” for Raffensperger and his staff, but that it “only makes sense” for the office’s election division to be subject to scrutiny from the board if alleged violations occur.
“We need to recognize the environment we live in and the suspicion that is created when any government official or entity claims to be beyond public scrutiny and accountability,” he wrote. (You can find the whole letter here.)
The letter drew a sharp reaction from Raffensperger’s aides. His spokesman, Mike Hassinger, said the request calls for an “unconstitutional power grab entirely driven by election deniers” who will only be satisfied if President Joe Biden’s victory is reversed.
“This isn’t about checks and balances,” said Jordan Fuchs, Raffensperger’s chief deputy. “That already exists. It’s a power grab to stop the certification of the next election.”
Lindsey fired back: “If the Secretary of State wants to talk about this, my offer remains open. I can be accused of a lot of things -- but election denier doesn’t fit.”
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VEEP VISIT. Vice President Kamala Harris will make her 10th trip to Georgia since she was sworn into office three years ago with a visit to Atlanta on Tuesday to meet with voting rights activists.
The event will be held at The Gathering Spot, a coworking and event space that was recently reacquired by its Black founders. Other details of the visit are trickling in, leaving leaders from local groups furiously texting one another trying to figure out who has been invited to sit down with Harris.
But the trip — one of Harris’ first stops in 2024 — serves as yet another reminder of Georgia’s status as one of the nation’s premier political battlegrounds.
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CATCHING UP. What else happened over the last few days in Georgia politics? Plenty. Here’s a rundown:
- Georgia joined more than two dozen other states in supporting former President Donald Trump’s legal quest to remain on Colorado’s 2024 presidential ballot ahead of a high-stakes U.S. Supreme Court case that could shape the November election.
- Gov. Brian Kemp tapped a longtime Waffle House vice president to take over the high-pressure job of leading the State Election Board ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
- David Cross, a far-right election conspiracist who recently won a Georgia GOP leadership post, picked a fight with other party officials when he accused Republican legislators of taking checks from lobbyists in exchange for “favorable votes.”
- A federal appeals court ruled that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger won’t be required to testify during an election security trial that starts Tuesday. The case will test whether Georgia’s voting technology infringes on fundamental voting rights.
- A Georgia judge rejected a long shot bid to disqualify Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones from serving in office because of his role in Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat.
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LISTEN UP. Gabriel Sterling, the chief operating officer for the Secretary of State’s office, and U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, joined the “Politically Georgia” radio show Friday.
Monday’s guests are former Attorney General Sam Olens and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond.
Catch “Politically Georgia” live at 10 a.m. every weekday on WABE 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org. And if you miss the show in real time, listen anytime at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. The podcast version posts at about 1 p.m. every weekday.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden delivers remarks at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina, where a racist gunman killed nine parishioners in 2015. Officially a campaign event, Biden is expected to continue his focus on the theme of preserving democracy.
- The Senate goes back to work this evening for the first time in 2024. The House returns on Tuesday.
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CONGRESS RETURNS. The 2024 session of Congress is getting underway with the U.S. Senate returning to Washington today and the House scheduled for a quorum call Tuesday evening
There is progress on one of the major pending issues: avoiding a partial government shutdown later this month.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Sunday that they had reached an agreement that could allow lawmakers to move forward with drafting spending legislation. Funding expires Jan. 19 for several agencies, while Congress has until Feb. 2 to approve budgets for others.
The deal includes $16 billion in extra spending cuts that go beyond what previous House Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated with President Joe Biden as part of last year’s debt limit increase, Politico reported. And it is $30 billion less than what the Senate had initially proposed.
Still, some of the House’s most conservative Republicans are already complaining that these new funding levels are much higher than they wanted.
“It’s even worse than we thought,” the House Freedom Caucus said in a post on X. “... This is total failure.”
Although no longer a part of that group, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, was also among the lawmakers giving the agreement a thumbs-down.
“I am a NO to the Johnson Schumer budget deal,” she wrote on social media. “This $1.6 trillion dollar budget agreement does nothing to secure the border, stop the invasion, or stop the weaponized government targeting Biden’s political enemies and innocent Americans. So much for the power of the purse!”
If more than three GOP members vote to oppose appropriations legislation, Johnson would need the help of Democrats to pass the measure.
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GREENE’S PLAN B. A resort in Central Florida canceled an event last weekend that was to feature U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene after learning it was being promoted as a commemoration of the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Greene, R-Rome, is among the conservatives who have spread falsehoods and misinformation about the attack. She has complained that the hundreds of people facing charges for breaching the Capitol are political targets.
Although the Westgate Resorts in Kissimmee pulled the plug on the event, which was being hosted by the Osceola County Republican Party, it appears the group scrambled and found an alternate location.
Greene posted a photo of her signing copies of her memoir in what appeared to be a childcare center.
“The Commies in Florida tried to cancel my book signings,” the Rome Republican wrote on social media. “They failed!”
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DOG OF THE DAY. They say passing legislation is a lot like sausage making, but don’t tell that to Pork Chop Howerton.
Pork Chop is the latest in a long line of lucky dogs fostered — and now adopted — by Betsy Howerton, the top dog in Georgia’s Office of Legislative Counsel. Howerton made history in October as the first woman appointed by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and House and Senate leaders as Legislative Counsel for the General Assembly.
But for Pork Chop and his fellow rescue pal, Bella, Howerton is just the nice lady who gives them treats and their forever home.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and location, and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Politically Georgia readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com, and adam.vanbrimmer@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.
Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
