Ups, Downs and In-betweens
End of Session: The final day of this year’s legislative session is set for Thursday, March 28. That means, among other things, a lot of activity for Georgia lawmakers between now and then as they scramble to pass bills.
Crossover day was Feb. 29, the last day for measures to pass out of either the House or Senate and move forward this session. Bills that do not cross over are unlikely to become law this year.
Presidential Primary: Georgia’s presidential preference primary is Tuesday, March 12. The date, set by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, is sandwiched between the March 5 “Super Tuesday” primary date that will see elections in California and Texas and the March 19 date for Florida and Arizona.
New Districts: Georgia’s court-ordered redrawing of congressional and legislative maps brings changes to the configuration of many districts, adding or subtracting counties or portions of counties in time for the spring primaries. State legislators must live in the districts they represent, but Georgia’s congressional representatives are not required to do so.
Registered voters can check their districts at the Georgia Secretary of State website, and those who aren’t yet registered can complete an application online.
Tuesday, May 21, is the general primary date, and Tuesday, June 18, is the runoff date. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 5, with the runoff date for state, local and congressional races set for Tuesday, Dec. 3.
BOR Appointment: Mathews “Mat” Swift, of Columbus, has been appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, representing the state’s 3rd congressional district. He is a University of Georgia graduate who practiced real estate law before becoming president and COO of the W.C. Bradley Co. – Real Estate Division, a post he held for 32 years. He has been active in redevelopment efforts in downtown Columbus.
State Elections Board Chair: John Fervier, currently vice president of risk management and security for Waffle House, was named head of the state elections board by Kemp. The Norcross resident and Army veteran has worked for Waffle House more than 35 years.
He succeeds William Duffey Jr., a former U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Georgia, who was appointed in 2022 and who worked to debunk unsubstantiated claims of election fraud in 2020.
Photo Mathias Westermann
Clean Energy School Buses: Georgia’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and federal EPA Administrator Michael Regan chose Stone Mountain Middle School in DeKalb County to announce a $1 billion federal grant to fund clean energy school buses. Nearly $60 million will go toward buses in DeKalb, Bibb, Richmond, Clayton and Glynn counties, and city schools in Marietta and Carrollton. The funding was made possible via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Don’t let anybody tell you we have to choose between good jobs or our environment,” Warnock said in a press release.
Mail Problems: Georgia’s 10th DistrictU.S. Rep Mike Collins (R-Jackson) outlined concerns about “missing and potentially stolen mail, misdelivered mail, closures of post offices during standard business office hours and inexplicable suspensions of mail service for extended periods” in a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that was co-signed by all members of the Georgia delegation except Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Gainesville).
The letter requested answers about failure to respond to complaints, post office closings and suspensions of delivery, and it noted many Americans rely on mail delivery to receive medications.
VA Wait Times: Georgia’s senior Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott have launched a bipartisan inquiry into delays veterans are encountering between referral dates and scheduled medical appointments at Veterans Affairs (VA) community care locations throughout the nation. They are joined by Warnock and Republican Sens. John Cornyn (TX), Marco Rubio (FL), Ted Cruz (Texas), Ted Budd (NC) and Shelley Moore Capito (WV).
The senators are urging the VA to implement recommendations from the U.S. Government Accountability Office for improving both timeliness and efficiency.
Governor’s Staff Changes: Kristyn Long, formerly state COO, has assumed new duties as Kemp’s executive counsel. She succeeds David Dove, who joined Atlanta’s Troutman Pepper law firm. Russell Crutchfield, formerly chief of staff and associate vice president at the University of West Georgia, is the new state COO.
