Georgia Trend Daily – March 6, 2026
March 6, 2026 Georgia.gov
Gov. Kemp: Georgia Breaks Trade Records, Becomes Top 10 Exporting State
Staff reports that Gov. Kemp yesterday joined the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) in announcing the state has again made history by surpassing $60.2 billion in exports in calendar year 2025. This is a year-over-year increase of 12.7%, outperforming the national average of 5.6%.
March 6, 2026 Georgia Trend Exclusive!
Affordable Housing Solutions
Ben Young writes, in this issue, we delve into how local communities are leveraging resources to get affordable housing projects going, with an inspiring range of approaches to this complex challenge. As we near the end of the legislative session, it’s worth examining broader barriers that are impeding development of affordable housing.
March 6, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Metro Atlanta cities question how many data centers are too many
Zachary Hansen reports that Kendra Sutherland was instantly charmed when first touring a vacant Victorian house about 30 miles south of Atlanta. She wasn’t dissuaded two years later — and mid-renovation — when a $475 million Target distribution center was announced for the small city, creating an industrial foothold in a mostly agrarian area.
March 6, 2026 GlobalAtlanta.com
Keeping the Ball Rolling: Belgian Set to Invest in Coastal Georgia Factory
Trevor Williams reports that a Belgian company that got its start making billiard balls is set to continue its investment in Georgia with a $17 million facility that will manufacture industrial balls for bearings, swivels and other applications. Already with a U.S. office and warehouse in Pooler, Preciball USA plans to open a new plant in Screven County, another coastal community that has had some success in landing foreign manufacturers, including a possible Japan-origin customer that has become one of the city of Sylvania’s largest employers: Koyo Bearings.
March 6, 2026 Marietta Daily Journal
Yamaha Motors to move US headquarters to Kennesaw
Jack Lindner reports that Yamaha Motor Corporation, the motor vehicle manufacturing arm of Yamaha Corporation, announced it will relocate its U.S. headquarters from California to Cobb County, setting new roots in Kennesaw. The company’s relocation will take place over the course of two years, beginning later this year and ending in late 2028.
March 6, 2026 Savannah Morning News
NOAA plans to roll back protections for endangered right whales
Jillian Magtoto reports that since 2008, federal law has mandated that 65-foot vessels or longer cannot exceed 10 knots, or nautical miles per hour, in waters where North Atlantic Right Whales (NARWs) are calving and migrating along the East Coast. These waters were designated as Seasonal Management Areas (SMAs) by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), typically in place until spring.
March 6, 2026 Newnan Times-Herald
Georgia Power, Southern Conservation Trust launch $300K land conservation fund
Clay Neely reports that Southern Conservation Trust and Georgia Power have launched a $300,000 conservation assistance fund aimed at helping landowners in Coweta and Fayette counties permanently protect their land. The new Flint Rising Conservation Assistance Fund is designed to help property owners overcome financial and administrative barriers involved in place conservation easements on their land.
March 6, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Legless Georgia detainee featured in congressional hearing that preceded Noem’s ouster
Ty Tagami reports, before she was ousted by President Donald Trump, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem got grilled by a Georgia congresswoman about the way her agency had treated a Loganville man with severe disabilities. Double amputee Rodney Taylor had been in federal custody for over a year, since agents swarmed the family vehicle and seized him in January 2025.
March 6, 2026 Macon Telegraph
Data center bills may fall short of protecting customers — especially in Middle Georgia
Margaret Walker reports that two bills moving through the Georgia legislature would require data centers to bear the costs of the massive infrastructure they require to operate and end a tax break that cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars last year. House Bill 1063 and Senate Bill 410 face a critical deadline Friday — the last day legislation can pass its chamber of origin and remain eligible for a full vote before the session ends April 2.
March 6, 2026 WABE
Elena Parent announces retirement, Nabilah Parkes switches to lieutenant governor race
Rahul Bali, Melissa Feito and Meimei Xu report that two big shakeups occurred on the fourth day of candidate qualifying at the Georgia State Capitol Thursday afternoon as one Democratic state senator switched statewide races and another announced her retirement. State Sen. Nabilah Parkes, D-Duluth, switched from her original plan to run for state insurance commissioner to instead run for lieutenant governor.
March 6, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Campaign video targeting ‘sharia law’ draws a new candidate to Georgia’s lieutenant governor race
Maya Homan reports, the race to become the next leader of the Georgia Senate heated up this week as one candidate’s incendiary campaign video drew criticism from both sides of the aisle and another lawmaker made a last-minute entry into the race. The ad, released earlier this week by state Sen. Greg Dolezal, depicted Muslims terrorizing white Georgia residents and ended with the message “keep Georgia sharia free.”
March 6, 2026 WSB Radio
Suspended Georgia lawmaker runs for state Senate months after pandemic unemployment fraud indictment
Miles Montgomery reports, a suspended Georgia lawmaker has filed paperwork to run for another office just months after her indictment in a pandemic unemployment fraud case. Officials said Sharon Henderson is seeking the District 43 State Senate seat. Henderson currently represents Georgia House District 113.
March 6, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia lawmakers cross the aisle to help children see and read
House Bill 1402, which passed 172-1 on Wednesday, would both mandate vision screenings and grant each school system $15,000 to acquire the necessary equipment. “What we understand from DPH and from some of the schools that we’ve talked to is there’s a need to do it at the school to make sure every student is screened,” Rep. Leesa Hagan, R-Lyons, said.
March 6, 2026 State Affairs
Crossover Day in Georgia: What to know for key 2026 session deadline
Beau Evans reports, Friday marks Crossover Day, the annual turning point in the legislative session when bills must pass out of at least one chamber to have a fighting chance of reaching the governor’s desk. Any measure that has not done so will face a much tougher road to stay alive. High-profile bills on data centers, elections and tax cuts will be up for grabs as lawmakers work late into the night before the final gavel strikes.
March 6, 2026 GPB
‘Lawmakers’ Day 27: House OKs Trey’s Law; Senate passes True Patriotism Universal Student Access Act
Sarah Kallis and Tristan Smith report that the Senate already adjourned for the night on Wednesday, but it’s looking like another late night in the House as lawmakers continue to pass as many bills as possible before the Crossover Day deadline. The House got to work quickly, passing bills as Crossover Day looms.
March 6, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Longtime Georgia lawmakers look forward to a frantic – and for some, their last – Crossover Day
Ross Williams reports Georgia’s annual lawmaking session is intensifying, and Friday marks a key deadline: Crossover Day, the final day for bills to clear at least the House or the Senate to have a smooth path to becoming law. Typically, that means backroom deals, hurt feelings and lawmakers working late into the night to get their bills across the finish line before time runs out.
March 6, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia House passes measure to stop surprise ambulance bills
Ty Tagami reports that accident victims who have insurance would be able to worry a little less about the cost of an ambulance ride under legislation approved by the Georgia House on Wednesday. House Bill 961 would require insurers to bill their customers the same amount, whether or not the ambulance was in-network.
March 6, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tax breaks, data centers and paper ballots. What will pass in Ga. legislature?
Michelle Baruchman and Maya T. Prabhu report that state lawmakers must decide by the end of the day Friday whether to move forward with legislation impacting taxation and elections in order to meet its self-imposed deadline. In the first two months of the General Assembly’s 2026 session, House members passed an amended budget that funds state government through the fiscal year, a bill aimed at reining in insurance costs, and another to support women and working parents.
