Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is taking up the charge to overhaul state litigation rules days after Gov. Brian Kemp warned that a comprehensive “tort reform” rewrite would spill into 2025.
Jones, a first-term Republican from Jackson, plans to press legislation that would allow those injured in a truck driver-related accident to sue the insurance company in limited circumstances.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Notably, the measure will be sponsored by state Sen. Blake Tillery, a Vidalia Republican who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and works as a plaintiff’s lawyer. We’re told Jones and his fellow senior Senate GOP leaders view it as a top priority.
Consider the move a power play by Jones, who could run to succeed Kemp in 2026 and would welcome an IOU from the influential business boosters who have long sought the “direct action” legislation.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
TRUMP AND KEMP, 2024. Gov. Brian Kemp is still holding his fire on endorsing a White House candidate after former President Donald Trump’s record-breaking Iowa victory.
During his weeklong trip to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum, Kemp was asked on Bloomberg TV about whether he’ll soon endorse Trump if he also captures New Hampshire.
“It depends on what happens. How big a win it is, if that happens. If somebody else wins, if that happens. I wouldn’t want to speculate on that. I’m staying focused on the great state of Georgia,” he said.
Kemp also said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he’s not taking too much stock in the Iowa results, where Trump was heavily favored to win.
“I don’t think it’s unusual from what everyone saw. It was a severely low turnout,” he said. “We have New Hampshire in a week so we’ll see what happens.”
Recall that Kemp has said he’ll back Trump if he’s the nominee despite their sharp political differences and long, complicated history. But Kemp still could back Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley before Georgia’s March 12 vote.
The latest AJC poll demonstrates why his blessing could matter. About 57% of Georgia voters approve of the governor’s job performance. Kemp has high marks among fellow Republicans (74%) and independents (52%). And, surprisingly, about 40% of Democrats and about 40% of Black voters view him positively.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
QR CODE RED. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Wednesday challenged state lawmakers’ proposal to remove the QR codes from Georgia voter ballots in time for the 2024 elections. The Secretary of State’s office is already preparing Georgia’s voting system for the first election of the year, the March 12th presidential primary, and there isn’t enough time to update the equipment to read text rather than a QR code.
Georgia’s voting system relies on a paper ballot produced after voters mark their choices on a digital device. Voters then insert the ballot into a scanner that reads the selections via a QR code.
Many Georgians have expressed a lack of confidence that the QR code accurately reflects their votes, a notion that grew following the 2020 election amidst claims of voter fraud. Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, has pledged to push for legislation to remove the QR codes during the 2024 session, which opened last week.
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Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
VOUCHER DOUBTERS. About 60% of Georgia voters oppose the idea of funneling public funds into private schools as lawmakers prepare to consider a new effort to expand vouchers to students who attend struggling public schools.
That’s according to the latest Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll of registered Georgia voters released this week. But Georgia House Republicans are distributing to their members their own poll of 1,200 general election likely voters with a different takeaway.
That survey found that more than 60% “somewhat” or “strongly” support the specific terms of the legislation that was defeated last year by a mini-rebellion staged by 16 House Republicans.
The question that yielded that response: Should lawmakers “provide Georgia public school families in the bottom 25% of schools with $6,000 to put towards private school tuition or home school costs.”
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Credit: Casey Sykes
Credit: Casey Sykes
UNDER THE GOLD DOME:
- Budget hearings continue in the House and Senate appropriations committees.
- The House and Senate return to floor action on Jan. 22.
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Credit: Mark Niesse/AJC
Credit: Mark Niesse/AJC
LISTEN UP. State Rep. Carl Gilliard, a Savannah Democrat and the chair of the state Legislative Black Caucus, joined Wednesday’s “Politically Georgia” radio show to talk about the Black Caucus’ priorities this year, including a new committee to study reparations for Black Georgians.
The AJC’s Martha Dalton joined later to discuss the results from this week’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll question on school vouchers.
Catch up on that episode at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. And listen to Thursday’s show live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org.
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Credit: Jason.Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason.Getz/AJC
ED SECRETARY SPEAKS. As state lawmakers weigh school vouchers, the nation’s schools chief, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, voiced his concerns about sending public dollars to private schools in a sit-down interview with AJC reporters and editors.
Cardona discussed vouchers and more — teacher pay, online financial aid for college students, literacy — in the 45-minute-long meeting. On the issue of vouchers, Cardona said he supports school choice, such as themed charter schools, but believes voucher programs are money-making schemes designed to erode funding from public schools.
The AJC’s Martha Dalton reported on other key takeaways from Cardona’s visit.
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COUNTDOWN TO SHUTDOWN. The U.S. Senate has votes lined up on amendments to a temporary funding bill, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is hoping to get the cooperation he needs to pass the legislation today.
If the measure clears the Senate, the House could also take the bill up today, although a Friday vote is more likely.
The continuing resolution on appropriations is expected to receive bipartisan support in both chambers. However, the House vote is a bigger challenge because fast-tracking the bill requires the support of two-thirds of members.
Many Republicans have hinted they will not support the legislation. They want more funding cuts and language added to reflect conservative policies on U.S.-Mexico border security.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his infrastructure improvement agenda and economics policies at a community center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
- Vice President Kamala Harris participates in a conversation about gun violence prevention at the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Winter Meeting.
- The Senate votes on legislation providing temporary government funding to avoid a partial shutdown.
- The House votes on legislation to protect funding for anti-abortion pregnancy centers while members wait for the Senate to send over the funding bill.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for The AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for The AJC
CARTER FOR CLIMATE? U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter has a nuanced view on climate change. He acknowledges the Earth is warming but sees it largely as a product of natural, cyclical weather shifts. He disputes evidence that humans are the major contributors to the rise in temperatures.
His position received an endorsement Wednesday when he was named vice chairman of the Conservative Climate Caucus, a 85-member coalition of lawmakers charged with educating House Republicans on climate and energy issues.
Carter, R-St. Simons Island, has increased his focus on climate change in recent times. He attended the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, also known as COP 28, in December. He serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
“If conservatives are scared to talk about the climate, then we’re not going to have a seat at the table when decisions are made,” Carter said in a news release. “We are right on policy, so we need a seat at the table.”
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MORE FARM MEETINGS. We heard updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency on the dates and times for sessions to help farmers learn about federal loan programs. Today’s events will be held at 10 a.m. at the Miller County Extension Office in Colquitt and at 2 p.m. at the Colquitt County USDA Service Center in Moultrie.
Farm Service Agency state director Arthur Tripp Jr. plans to be in attendance. To RSVP or for more information, residents can email GAOutreach@usda.gov.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. This one goes out to Tebow Hellman, the beloved golden retriever who called Natalie Hellman his person for his 15 years as a great dog.
Even though Tebow was named for Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow, he did more fetching than throwing. He loved tennis balls, snow, water and welcoming Natalie home after a day at work in U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter’s Washington office. Carter is a Republican from St. Simons Island who represents Coastal Georgia.
Tebow passed away this week and will be greatly missed by all of Team Carter and, of course, his people.
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.
