Correction: This newsletter was updated at 8:43 a.m. April 2, 2024, to reflect the correct last name of district attorney candidate Jenny Parker, and to change the time of the voter forum to a 6:30 p.m. start.
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Good morning! We start today with the pivotal role played by some Coastal Georgia lawmakers in the just-concluded 2024 meeting of the Georgia General Assembly. We then look at a noteworthy piece of legislation extending the state’s historic preservation tax credit, an obvious boon to communities up and down the coast. Finally, we look at some local input into a case on abortion pills being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court and catch you up on a little political and legal news. Questions, comments, or story ideas? You can reach me at craig.thecurrent@gmail.com.
That’s a wrap
School choice. Mining protections for the Okefenokee Swamp. Water for housing developments sprouting near the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County.
Whether by action or inaction, the latest session of the Georgia General Assembly, which adjourned early Friday, touched the lives of Coastal Georgians on these issues and many others.
Hundreds of measures that won the legislature’s approval now sit on the desk of Georgia’s most powerful official, Gov. Brian Kemp, who has until May 7 to either veto them or sign them into law. If he does neither the bill automatically becomes law.
In the middle of the legislative hubbub were Coastal Georgia lawmakers, who now turn their attention to the May 21 primaries and the November 5 general election.
The actions of some of those Coastal Georgia lawmakers were pivotal in shaping the outcome of the 2024 legislative session, The Current’s Craig Nelson reports.
‘Wouldn’t happen without tax credits’
Among its accomplishments, the Georgia General Assembly passed a bill calling for a five-year extension of the historic preservation tax credit — a boon to Savannah, Darien, St. Marys and other Coastal Georgia communities that rely heavily on tourism.
The measure, championed by Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) in the House and Ben Watson (R-Savannah) and Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro) in the Senate, extends to January 1, 2030, existing caps of $5 million for historic homes and $30 million for other “certified structures” — essentially, commercial projects that repurpose old factories and warehouses. It now awaits the signature of Gov. Brian Kemp.
Why does the tax credit matter?
Ben Sutton, preservation director for the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, says commercial projects such as Darien’s Strain Building site — Georgia’s oldest extant warehouse and a rare example of two-story tabby architecture that also has yielded thousands of archaeological artifacts dating to prehistoric times— “would not happen without tax credits.”
Kemp’s expected approval of the legislation, however, doesn’t mean clear sailing for those hoping to take advantage of the credit, The Current’s Robin Kemp reports.
Abortion pills
1st District U.S. Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter joined abortion opponents in a case heard before the U.S. Supreme Court last week that seeks to restrict access to abortion pills.
Having said in the wake of the court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 that abortion is a matter for states to decide, Carter is one of 145 U.S. representatives and senators who signed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the plaintiffs, who are challenging the right of the Federal Drug Administration to approve mifepristone, a medication used in two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S.
Urging support for the FDA and for continued access to mifepristone in an opposing friend-of-the-court brief were Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, along with 261 other members of Congress.
Carter has spoken out in favor of in vitro fertilization, but the Heritage Foundation and other conservative groups are reportedly strategizing how to convince GOP officials and Christian evangelicals that access to fertility treatments such as IVF should be curtailed.
9 things for your radar
Bible thumping: “The Bible does not need Donald Trump’s endorsement,” U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said Sunday, after Trump’s “God Bless the USA” Bibles went on sale last week in partnership with country singer Lee Greenwood for $60 apiece.
More religion and politics: The controversy and confusion over Easter eggs and the Transgender Day of Visibility rages.
Voting violations: A court in Atlanta finds Brian Pritchard, first vice chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, guilty of violating the state’s election laws, after voting nine times while serving probation following his conviction in Pennsylvania on several counts of check forgery. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene urges Pritchard to step down.
Good deeds: As part of their annual retreat, this one at the Oaks on the River Boutique Resort in Darien, Rep. Buddy Carter and his staff packed disaster health kits distributed by MAP International, a faith-based international relief organization.
Not just EVs: Hyundai says it’s considering hybrid vehicle production at its sprawling Bryan County complex.
A hate crime: Federal prosecutors tell a U.S. Appeals Court that it should reject a request by lawyers for the killers of Ahmaud Arbery to overturn their hate-crime convictions.
Primary campaigning heats up: Bryan County Republicans will hold a forum for state Senate District 1 candidates, incumbent Ben Watson and challenger Beth Majeroni, from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 18 at the Richmond Hill City Center, 520 Cedar St., Richmond Hill.
The League of Women Voters will hold a forum for Chatham County district attorney Democratic Party candidates, incumbent Shalena Cook Jones and challenger Jenny Parker, starting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 22 at the Coastal Georgia Center, 305 Fahm St., Savannah.
Stay tuned: Rep. Carl Gilliard (D-Savannah), chairman of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, says representatives of his caucus, the Hispanic Caucus, and the Asian Americans Pacific Islanders Legislative Caucus – all bipartisan – will embark soon on a 14-city listening tour of Georgia.
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Coastal Georgia lawmakers wrap up legislative session
The latest session of the Georgia General Assembly, which adjourned early Friday, touched the lives of Coastal Georgians on issues ranging from school choice to water for housing developments.
More homes eligible for historic preservation tax credits
Although the Georgia Assembly has given more property owners access to historic preservation state tax credits and extended the program, it did not appropriate more funds for primary residences or commercial projects.
‘Anti-LGBTQ’ bills die in Georgia legislature despite election year politics
Lawmakers proposed bills that would seek to make it more difficult for children to access books with gay themes in libraries, to penalize drag performances and restrict teachers’ ability to talk about gender issues to their students.
Okefenokee mining moratorium bill fizzles
Legislation that would have imposed a three-year moratorium on new permitting for dragline mining near the Okefenokee Swamp failed to get the approval it needed on the final day of the Georgia legislative session.
Immigration crackdown, election law changes go to the governor as other hot-button proposals fizzle
After months of chatter, a proposal to fully expand Medicaid failed in a Senate committee. Instead, lawmakers passed changes to the state’s health care business regulations and created a commission that will look at fully expanding Medicaid.
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