Georgia Trend Daily – March 17, 2022
March 17, 2022 Georgia.gov
Gov. Kemp Signs HB 910, Amended Fiscal Year 2022 Budget
Staff reports that Governor Brian P. Kemp, joined by Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, House Speaker David Ralston, House and Senate Appropriations Chairmen Terry England and Blake Tillery, and leaders from several Georgia state agencies, yesterday signed the Amended Fiscal Year 2022 Budget, HB 910, for the State of Georgia.
March 17, 2022 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
The Georgia File: Relationship Builder
Brian Robinson writes, former top staffers for the late Johnny Isakson say their old boss didn’t have many hobbies besides work. “A lot of people play golf, a lot people like to go fishing. Johnny Isakson wanted to get up and go to work,” says Heath Garrett, Isakson’s longtime political adviser.
March 17, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta gas prices not yet tracking oil price declines
Michael E. Kanell reports that Metro Atlanta gas prices have stopped their meteoric rise and dipped slightly, but the past week’s drop in the global price of oil hasn’t yet been reflected at the pump. The price of crude oil has fallen from more than $130 a barrel last week to about $96 as of early afternoon Wednesday.
March 17, 2022 Valdosta Daily Times
Millions tagged for Moody AFB
Terry Richards reports that millions of dollars for a helicopter landing apron were included in a $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill that cleared the House of Representatives last week. The spending bill now goes to the Senate, where Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., said he expects the bipartisan bill to come up for a vote and be passed.
March 17, 2022 State Affairs
Georgia’s State Pension Funds Lose $150 Million in Russia Investments
Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon reports that Georgia state officials this month quietly shed more than $150 million in Russian assets from the state’s pension systems, as scrutiny over U.S. states’ investments mounted amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Georgia’s two state-run pension systems, which pay out retirement benefits to teachers and state employees, were invested in $158.4 million in Russian assets through a U.S.-based private fund, records obtained by State Affairs show.
March 17, 2022 Gainesville Times
$90 million expansion proposed at this East Hall cold storage plant
Jeff Gill reports that a boom in business has an East Hall cold storage plant seeking a $90 million expansion to current operations. Agile Cold Storage is seeking approval of a 110-foot-tall, 100,000-square-foot building at 3117 Athens Highway, across from Roy Parks Road and next to Eskimo Cold Storage.
March 17, 2022 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Have a Rock City St. Patrick’s Day
Sucheta Rawal writes, whether you’re Irish or just Irish for a day, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by heading out to one of the pubs and restaurants around the state, or cook with your friends and family. Most Irish cuisine you’ll find today is not “traditionally Irish,” but rather mainstream as popularized by immigrants in the United States.
March 17, 2022 Capitol Beat News
Boggs to become Georgia’s next chief justice
Dave Williams reports that members of the Georgia Supreme Court have unanimously elected Michael Boggs to become the state’s next chief justice. Boggs, who now serves in the leadership position of presiding justice, will succeed David Nahmias as chief justice in July.
March 17, 2022 Rome News-Tribune
Crossover day wins and losses: Marijuana growth, horse betting and card payouts for gambling machines
John Bailey reports that several bills likely to have local impact bridged the gap under the Gold Dome Tuesday while others — like a bill that would have effectively criminalized homelessness — will have to wait another year before being considered.Senate Bill 535, among other things, would create a misdemeanor charge for people who set up camp on public property. That bill was pulled by its sponsor state Sen. Carden Summers, R-Cordele, prior to coming for a vote.
March 17, 2022 Fresh Take Georgia
Lawmakers weigh proposal to lower prescription drug costs in Georgia
Sarah Swetlik reports that when Bernice Isaac arrived at her local pharmacy to pick up a new hormone imbalance medication in January, she was stunned to see a $310 price tag. The Marietta resident is no stranger to prescription medication — she suffers from what she says is a “laundry list of illnesses,” including diabetes, lupus and kidney disease.
March 17, 2022 Capitol Beat News
Georgia House passes election reform 2.0
Dave Williams reports that Republicans and Democrats in the General Assembly are refighting the war over election laws sparked by the controversy that continues to swirl around the 2020 presidential results. The GOP-controlled Georgia House of Representatives passed legislation Tuesday night Republicans said provides ballot security measures aimed at restoring trust in elections but Democrats criticized as more voter suppression on top of an election law overhaul lawmakers passed last year.
March 17, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
David Perdue steps up appeals to GOP’s right flank
Greg Bluestein reports, inside a massive, airy barn in the Republican-friendly exurbs north of Atlanta, former U.S. Sen. David Perdue locked arms with the eldest son of his most important political ally. Before a midday crowd of hundreds of Republicans, Donald Trump Jr. praised his father’s political legacy and framed Perdue as the only conservative who “will actually fight” Gov. Brian Kemp and the political establishment.
