We’re past the halfway point in the Georgia General Assembly’s legislative session and huge issues remain in play. Crossover Day, the quasi-deadline for bills to pass at least one chamber in order to be considered during the session, is Feb. 29.
Here’s a look at where consequential pieces of legislation stand.
Is Medicaid expansion on the table?
Key Republicans signaled they were open to a substantive debate on Medicaid expansion for the first time in more than a decade, but odds are long on meaningful legislation passing this year. No legislation has emerged and GOP supporters are privately downcast about its chances.
What does that mean for certificate of need changes?
A Medicaid expansion could be paired with a proposal to roll back hospital regulations, but there are significant differences in the Legislature. Senate leaders have embraced a repeal of certificate of need rules, while the House backs a more limited overhaul.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Will a sports betting referendum make it to voters’ ballots?
With backing from Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, the Senate pushed through a plan to legalize sports betting — but not before mandating that it pass with a constitutional amendment, which requires a two-thirds vote that has so far been elusive. The House isn’t expected to take it up until March.
What about tort litigation?
Gov. Brian Kemp said at the start of the session that he expects comprehensive legislation to limit big jury awards to spill into 2025. But both chambers are plunging ahead on piecemeal packages, including a Senate measure to limit those involved in trucking accidents from directly suing insurance companies.
Will we see more classroom culture wars?
A measure to control how private school educators teach gender identity is gaining traction in the Senate despite pushback from gay rights groups and evangelical conservatives. A separate bill would increase penalties on school librarians who distribute “harmful” materials to kids.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Are tax breaks for gun buyers getting traction?
In an election year move to please the party’s base, Republicans are backing new tax breaks for guns and ammunition timed for the start of hunting season. Some also support new incentives to buy gun safes, an initiative backed by Democrats.
Which tax cuts are on the block?
The Senate passed a measure to slow property tax increases, while the House favors a separate plan to double the standard homestead exemption on property. Meanwhile, legislative leaders want to suspend a tax break for data centers and require filmmakers to meet more criteria before cashing in on lucrative tax breaks.
What’s the latest on voting changes?
Ahead of this year’s presidential election, GOP lawmakers are proposing plans to increase the number of election audits, eliminate computer codes from ballots, investigate the secretary of state’s office, post ballot pictures online, add watermarks to ballots and ban ranked-choice voting. The State Election Board voted down a resolution that would have encouraged lawmakers to end no-excuse absentee voting.
***
Credit: Casey Sykes
Credit: Casey Sykes
UNDER THE GOLD DOME
- 1:30 p.m.: Committee meetings begin.
- The House and Senate return to session Tuesday.
***
WILLIS BACKLASH. The two-day hearing on the motion to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis ended Friday with word from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee that he’ll soon call a new hearing to wrangle over the case.
That means the election-interference case against former President Donald Trump and his allies remains in limbo for at least another week. But outside the courtroom, the politicking is heating up.
As we reported over the weekend, key Democrats who didn’t forcefully defend Willis shortly after she was accused of an improper relationship with special counsel Nathan Wade are now coming to her defense.
Several Willis critics, meanwhile, swiftly filed ethics complaints calling for an investigation of her use of campaign funds.
C.J. Pearson, a Georgia House candidate from the Augusta area, asked the state Ethics Commission to “thoroughly inspect” Willis’ campaign account. And Steven Kramer, a local activist, filed a similar complaint with the Fulton County ethics board.
***
Credit: Sarah Silbiger/The New York Times
Credit: Sarah Silbiger/The New York Times
LISTEN UP. Norm Eisen, who served as ethics czar in the Obama administration, joined the “Politically Georgia” radio show Friday to share his reaction to Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis’ testimony during Thursday’s explosive hearing.
Tune in later today as hosts Bill Nigut, Tia Mitchell and Greg Bluestein chat with African Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Reginald Jackson and New York Times journalist Maya King on the Black church coalition ramping up to support President Joe Biden’s campaign.
Listen at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And listen to Monday’s show live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org.
***
GEORGIA 2024. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is sending signals she aims to continue her campaign to Georgia’s March 12 primary even if she loses the primary in her home state of South Carolina this weekend.
Her campaign last week unveiled its slate of Georgia supporters, which is led by state Reps. Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners, and Deborah Silcox, R-Sandy Springs, as well as Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul and Eric Tanenblatt, the GOP financier. Check out the full list.
Supporters of former President Donald Trump might as well have rolled their eyes.
“Can’t think of a single voter moved by this list,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, a Jackson Republican and one of Trump’s most prominent Georgia backers.
***
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
MANCHIN MISGIVINGS. Saying he didn’t want to be a “spoiler,” U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin announced Friday he would not seek a third-party run for president this year.
The longtime West Virginia lawmaker known as a centrist Democrat had explored a bid. He came to Atlanta for a town hall last month hosted by our insider, Greg Bluestein, and said he was looking for a “clear opening” to challenge for the White House.
He never found that opportunity and on Friday said “I just don’t think it’s the right time” in a speech at West Virginia University.
***
FOR NAVALNY. News on Friday that Alexei Navalny, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, had died at a remote penal colony has increased calls for Congress to approve new aid to help Ukraine fend off Putin’s invasion.
The Senate has sent a bill to the House that couples money for Ukraine with dollars for Israel and Taiwan. But Republicans, who control the House by a thin majority, have not committed to bringing the bill to the floor because some conservatives disagree with giving more money to Ukraine while others will only sign off on foreign aid if it’s offset by cuts in federal spending elsewhere.
Senate Leader Chuck Schumer said Navalny’s demise created an “urgent alarm bell” for immediate action.
“This bipartisan bill currently sits at the feet of Speaker Johnson, and Putin is watching,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a statement Sunday. “We need to approve the investments that ensure our nation’s security, ensure the security of our partners, and prevent our adversaries from gaining an edge over us.”
A bipartisan group of House members on Friday introduced a scaled-down proposal that would still provide dollars to Ukraine.
Even if House Republicans decide to back one of those measures, nothing can be done until the chamber returns from recess on Feb. 28. By then, all of lawmakers’ attention will likely be on the March 1 deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown and not the pending foreign aid legislation.
***
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC
Credit: Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC
HELLO FROM MUNICH. Speaking of those dollars for Ukraine, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock touted his support for that foreign aid package in a post on his X account over the weekend.
Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, is among the members of Congress attending the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany. While there, he ran into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and stopped him for a quick photo.
“It is in our own national security interest to stand with Ukraine,” Warnock’s post read. “I was proud to pass critical funding for Ukraine and our allies for freedom in the Senate this week. Let’s get it done in the House.”
Warnock also rubbed elbows with Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York while in Munich for conversations about global security issues, according to a second post.
Good to spend some time in Munich today with President @ZelenskyyUa. It is in our own national security interest to stand with Ukraine. 🇺🇦 🇺🇸
— Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (@SenatorWarnock) February 17, 2024
I was proud to pass critical funding for Ukraine and our allies for freedom in the Senate this week. Let’s get it done in the House. pic.twitter.com/3kb0QuuwZH
***
ONE YEAR LATER. A year ago Sunday, the Carter Center announced President Jimmy Carter had entered hospice care. Supporters across the world, and even his family, feared he had only days to live.
The AJC’s Ernie Suggs writes about all that has happened since, ranging from Carter’s surprise appearance at Plains’ annual peanut festival in September to burying his beloved wife, Rosalynn Carter, in November.
But through all of that, Jimmy Carter, age 99, is still with us.
“When he first went into hospice … we thought he had a matter of days,” his grandson, Jason Carter, said. “That’s what the doctors were saying. But one way to think about it is God wasn’t done with him yet.”
Carter’s 100th birthday is Oct. 1.
***
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden has no public events scheduled on this President’s Day holiday.
- The House and Senate are in recess all week.
***
291 AND COUNTING. Happy belated 291st birthday to Georgia. February 12 marked the anniversary of Gen. James Oglethorpe’s founding of the colony in Savannah in 1733.
The story of our home state’s beginnings is often misunderstood. The colony’s original charter banned slavery, for instance.
Each February the Georgia Historical Society commemorates the passing of another year with an educational initiative.
The GHS released a nearly nine-minute-long video Tuesday spotlighting Georgia’s early days. For history buffs, it’s a must watch.
***
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
DOG OF THE DAY. We are taking a short holiday break of our own from our pet feature. But our emails are always open for new submissions because Dog of the Day will return later this week.
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.
***
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.
