Georgia Trend Daily – May 11, 2023
May 11, 2023 Georgia Recorder
It’s a wrap: Georgia governor signs off on 250-plus bills by deadline
Stanley Dunlap reports, Gov. Brian Kemp vetoed legislation that would have allowed legislators to control tuition hikes at public universities ahead of Monday’s deadline for signing or rejecting legislation passed by the General Assembly. Kemp vetoed two higher education measures and signed 250-plus bills during the 40-day window after the March 29 end of the 2023 legislative session to decide which bills he will sign, will allow to become law unsigned, or are now placed on the chopping block.
May 11, 2023 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Economic Development Around the State
Christy Simo reports that Global auto parts manufacturer PHA is building a $67 million facility in Chatham County. The Tier 1 supplier will make door modules, tailgate latches and hood latches for the nearby Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County when it starts operations in 2024, creating 402 new jobs.
May 11, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Regulators may not allow more tire burning for electricity after all
Drew Kann reports that the main proponent of a change approved by Georgia’s utility regulators that could allow some biomass plants in the state to burn scrap tires now wants to roll back the decision — at least for now. District 1 Commissioner Jason Shaw (R-Lakeland), one of the five elected members of the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), said in a statement released late Wednesday that he will ask his fellow commissioners to vacate their recent order.
May 11, 2023 The Brunswick News
Corps halts plans for spring, summer dredging in Brunswick
Lauren McDonald reports that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently announced its plan to halt any use of hopper dredges in the Brunswick Harbor during spring or summer months until it conducts a rigorous environmental review of potential impacts. The news was celebrated by One Hundred Miles and the Southern Environmental Law Center, which since 2021 have fought against efforts by the corps to remove longstanding restrictions that prohibited maintenance dredging between April 1 and Dec. 14.
May 11, 2023 The Center Square
Roughly four in 10 Georgia hospitals receive a ‘C’ grade
T.A. DeFeo reports that when it comes to quality, some Georgia hospitals need a checkup. Of the 81 Peach State hospitals graded in a new report, 32 received a “C,” while 20 earned a “B,” and 19 picked up an “A.” Seven others received a “D,” while three were not graded.
May 11, 2023 Valdosta Daily Times, CNHI News
Black Americans continue to lag behind in homeownership
Asia Ashley reports, Candice Drummond, an employee for New Georgia Project, an Atlanta-based nonprofit voter advocacy group, had approximately $175,000 in student loans forgiven under the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which has helped them afford to live in metro Atlanta, she said. But her family is still waiting for her federal employee husband to have his share of loans forgiven.
May 11, 2023 All on Georgia
Pierce Chapel African Cemetery in Midland, Georgia on America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places 2023 List
Staff reports that Tuesday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation unveiled its 2023 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, an annual ranking that spotlights significant sites of American history that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage. One of the eleven places listed is located in Georgia.
May 11, 2023 Rome News-Tribune
‘Forever chemical’ pre-trial arguments continue with challenges to venue and expert witness testimony
John Bailey reports that the first few days of pre-trial motion hearings concerning a water pollution lawsuit filed by the City of Rome centered around challenges to proposed expert witness testimony and a new request to move the trial to another location. The lawsuit filed in 2019 contends that Rome has spent millions of dollars to clean up toxic perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS and PFOAS, released by upstream chemical companies, carpet manufacturers and Dalton Utilities into its drinking water supply.
May 11, 2023 11 Alive
Georgia Democrats calling for special session to toughen gun laws
Erica Murphy reports that a group of Democratic lawmakers and others impacted by gun violence are chanting “now” for bipartisan change to make Georgia a safer place to live. Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Republican colleagues asking for a special session to consider four gun safety bills introduced during the recent legislative session.
May 11, 2023 GPB
In Georgia, people can now create a sort of medical ID bracelet for mental health crises
Ellen Eldridge reports, Georgia is now one of 25 states allowing people to write directions for their future mental health care just in case they experience a behavioral health crisis. Psychiatric advance directives, or PADs, were authorized by law in Georgia last year, though not many people have heard of them.
May 11, 2023 Capitol Beat News
Kemp yanks pay raise for direct long-term care workers from state budget
Dave Williams reports that a New York-based long-term care advocacy group is criticizing Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to remove a pay raise for direct care workers serving Georgians with intellectual and developmental disabilities from the fiscal 2024 state budget. A federally funded study the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities conducted recommended a wage increase of $6 an hour for direct care workers, the group Caring Across Generations reported this week in a news release.
May 11, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Why Brian Kemp isn’t shutting the door on 2024
Greg Bluestein reports, at the end of a three-day Sea Island retreat for Gov. Brian Kemp’s top donors, attendees couldn’t help but detect a change in the Republican’s messaging. Where Kemp had once seemed to definitively rule out a 2024 run for the White House, he wasn’t as unequivocal at a Sunday evening briefing with dozens of supporters.
