Sunday Solutions — Feb. 9, 2025
Good morning! The foggy mornings have returned and the weather is a little misty, too. We’ll try to clarify some of that murkiness today with deeper looks at the what our elected officials are doing. Then, we push you out of your nest because there’s a lot to see today! Let’s go!!
NEWS: GOVERNING
It’s all got to go somewhere
Almost any public official will tell you: Waste disposal can be an expensive headache. Liberty County residents are about to share more of the pain via their next tax bill. The county raised annual rates for garbage services after a consultant told commissioners they weren’t charging enough to cover the expense, reports Liberty County reporter Robin Kemp. One of the smaller towns will see rates leap from $15.80 a year to $78, while others will see more moderate increases. None of these plans includes any recycling services, and the story explains the complexities for any county. It just reminds us all that it’s got to go somewhere, and it’s not going to get there by itself.
NEWS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Shrimp, sanctuary cities, girls’ sports
Your elected representatives have been working this past week on a number of issues. Here are some stories to help you catch up with some of the bills that could become laws. Monday will be Day 14 of the allotted 40 per year. See what’s up for a House vote Monday here. Senate list is here.
- Seafood-testing campaign ahead of Super Bowl raises awareness of foreign shrimp: This one is about how a Louisiana law, like House Bill 117 pitched in Georgia by Rep. Jesse Petrea, is working out as Coastal Georgia shrimpers work to fight off the challenges of cheap imported shrimp. From Louisiana Illuminator.
- State Senate committee OKs bill to strip governmental immunity from ‘sanctuary cities’: Broad bill would hold teachers, others responsible for turning in undocumented residents, by leaving them open to civil suits. From Georgia Recorder.
- Medicaid expansion in Georgia draws interest from long-opposed Republicans: A bipartisan group has declared support for SB 50 to open health care insurance access for more citizens. Will it find enough attention? From Capitol Beat.
- Georgia Senate votes to ban transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports: A similar ban is backed by House Speaker Jon Burns. From Georgia Recorder.
EXPLAINER: GOVERNING
Legislature 101: When do they vote?
If you’re watching votes in the Georgia legislature, we’re committing to help. Our resident data reporter and former statehouse reporter Maggie Lee always has advice to help track the work of elected officials, and we don’t think we should keep it to ourselves. If you read her quick civics notes in Monday’s Coastal Navigator, then you’ll enjoy the series of Legislature 101 notes we’ll feature throughout the annual gathering in Atlanta. The first note starts with a look at what your representatives are doing and when the most bills get a vote.
Tell us where
Congratulations to Patricia for guessing last week’s Spyglass was the Liberty Ship Memorial at Mary Ross Waterfront Park in Brunswick.
Test how well you spy details in Coastal Georgia. Give us the location of the plaque in the photo above. Some may be easier than others; some will be tougher. We’ll collect correct answers each week and draw for a weekly winner.
EXPLAINER: GOVERNING
New orders: What do they mean, Part 3
We’ll continue our threads from the last 2 weeks, based on your responses. Here are links to stories from the past week that go beyond the headlines.
- Trump wants states to handle disasters without FEMA. They say they can’t.: Funding hurricane cleanup is still a crucial topic for a good portion of Georgia after the summer storms. From Stateline.
- Is government too big? Reflections on the size and composition of today’s federal government: Research, facts on the growth of the government workforce. From Brookings.edu
- The implications of a USAID shutdown: Nine economic and foreign policy experts at Brookings Institute give their perspectives on the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. From Brookings.edu
- Trump executive order on birthright citizenship casts a narrow view of family.: The confusion continues on the Constitutional grant of citizenship as a presidential order defines mothers and fathers as male and female, disregarding families of same-sex, transgender or nonbinary parents. From The 19th*
- What EPA Employees Say About the Decision to Stay or Go Under Trump: Coastal Georgia has 4 federal Superfund sites. Here’s a look at the situation at the Environmental Protection Agency where those cleanups are monitored. From ProPublica
FEATURE: GEORGIA HISTORY
☕ Your second cup: Take it to go
It’s one of those days where you must not stay in. It’s Super Museum Sunday, and that means you can visit nearly every museum in Coastal Georgia for free, thanks to the Georgia Historical Society’s Georgia History Festival. It doesn’t matter where you live, there’s site nearby. Spots include Fort King George or the St. Simons Lighthouse Museum or Fort McAllister. You can check out Geechee Kunda Cultural Arts Center or Historic Dorchester Academy. The list is long and you shouldn’t miss out. Here’s a full list by county and a map. Now get out that Go Cup.
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Liberty County BOC approves solid waste rate hike
By Robin Kemp
Liberty County residents and businesses will see annual increases in solid waste fees starting in 2026, with commercial customers facing a 5% rate increase over the next five years.
Seafood-testing campaign ahead of Super Bowl raises awareness of foreign shrimp
By Wesley Muller/Louisiana Illuminator
Testing efforts ramped up last year at restaurants and festivals along the Gulf Coast as domestic shrimpers and governments try to crack down on the influx of cheap foreign catch flooding the U.S. seafood market over the past two decades.
Medicaid expansion in Georgia draws interest from long-opposed Republicans
By Ty Tagami/Capitol Beat News Service
Advocates for Medicaid expansion in Georgia are encouraged by the bipartisan introduction of Senate Bill 50, which would create PeachCare Plus, expanding Medicaid access for low-income Georgians.
Georgia Senate votes to ban transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports
By Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Georgia state Senate passed a bill banning transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams, while House Speaker Jon Burns unveiled his own bill to ban transgender girls from playing girls’ sports, both aiming to restrict transgender participation in girls’ sports.
State Senate committee OKs bill to strip governmental immunity from ‘sanctuary cities’
By Maya Homan/Georgia Recorder
Georgia Senate Bill 21 would strip local government agencies of their sovereign immunity from lawsuits in cases where undocumented individuals commit crimes.
Georgia House approves $40.5B mid-year budget, focusing on prisons and disaster aid
By Dave Williams/Capitol Beat
The Georgia House has approved a $40.5 billion mid-year state budget that includes increased funding for prison improvements, disaster relief for Hurricane Helene, and a $1 billion income tax rebate, as well as $1.7 billion for transportation and water projects.
Georgia Secretary of State asks US Justice Department to drop election lawsuit
By Dave Williams/Capitol Beat
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is requesting the Trump administration to withdraw a federal lawsuit challenging election reform legislation passed in 2021, citing the high satisfaction rate of voters in recent polls.
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