Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Amid the dog days of summer, it’s easy to forget the clock is ticking. Schools in Chatham County and elsewhere in Coastal Georgia open their doors in just 17 days, local elections in Savannah and other coastal cities are in 108 days, the Georgia State Assembly reconvenes in 175 days and the first contest of the 2024 presidential race — the Iowa caucuses — are in 182 days.
This week, Soundings looks at why, at least for some, that first milestone is creeping up far too fast. We also consider some telltale votes last week by Coastal Georgia Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter. Finally, we weigh again the human cost of title lending, a financial practice honed by a company headquartered in Savannah.
‘Some challenges’
How alarming is the bus-driver shortage for the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, three weeks before the new school year starts?
Very alarming, The Current’s Caelen McQuilken reports: “As of July 12, the district has only 154 confirmed drivers. Last year they had 222, while in 2019, 328 drivers worked for the schools, according to a transportation update presented to the school board in January.”
Worse yet, writes McQuilken, “the school system doesn’t appear to have a solution for the deepening crisis, something that district leaders, advocates and critics of the public school system agree is vital to secure children’s safety and maximize chances for successful learning.”
Publicly, at least, the new SCCPSS superintendent, Denise Watts, is tiptoeing around what may be shaping up as the first crisis of her administration.
“We want to acknowledge that we know we have some challenges,” Watts said in response to a question from McQuilken about student transportation at a news conference last week. “I have not been here long enough to truly unpack that … I’m not prepared today to speak to what those challenges or impacts are.”
Carter tends to home front
Two constituencies in Coastal Georgia dominated U.S, Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter’s legislative agenda last week: the military and mothers.
The actions by the First District’s five-term Republican congressman regarding the first were no surprise, The Current’s Craig Nelson reports.
In a mostly party-line vote, Carter joined 218 lawmakers — 214 Republicans and four Democrats — in voting in favor of the House’s defense policy and spending plan totaling $886 billion.
A news release issued by Carter’s office listed the “wins” that Carter “secured” for a district whose 750,000 residents are some 14% veterans or active-duty service personnel.
They included protecting the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center from closure, obtaining federal distinction for the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, and a 5.2% in basic pay.
The news fails to mention Carter voted in favor of an amendment, offered by Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), that would have prohibited the use of federal funds to carry out the recommendations of the federal commission for the renaming of military bases and installations bearing the names of Confederate officers — in effect, keeping them.
The amendment was defeated 253-177, with 41 Republican House members voting no.
The bill approved by Carter calls for rescinding the Pentagon’s program reimbursing service members who must travel to obtain reproductive health care, limiting access to gender-affirming care for transgender troops, and ending various diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the Defense Department.
The ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), called the bill, loaded with hot-button, culture-war issues “an ode to bigotry and ignorance.”
While Carter’s vote on the defense bill was no bombshell, his introduction of the “Healthy Moms and Babies Act” stood out, perhaps not altogether flatteringly.
The goal of the bill, which he introduced with Rep. Sanford Bishop Jr., a Democrat from Albany, is to “combat the United States’ maternal mortality crisis, modernize the health care system, and improve health outcomes for women and children,” Carter’s office said in a news release.
The proposed legislation is certain to be welcomed across the region. But what prompted Carter to act only now wasn’t made clear in the news release.
Health care for mothers and infants, especially those of color, has been in crisis for years in Georgia, particularly in Chatham County and other areas of Carter’s district.
And despite Carter’s claim that it has been his “mission since day one in Congress” to improve health outcomes for all patients, especially mothers, he has a long record of either ignoring legislation aimed at addressing the problem or voting against it altogether.
‘A painful reality’
“Christina Cooper remembers it was a muggy summer night when she came to terms with a painful reality. Bill collectors were after her for medical bills, and she owed several thousand dollars on her furniture. Weighing most heavily, though, was the $2,700 debt to Savannah, Georgia-based TitleMax, the nation’s largest title lender, which lends money at triple-digit annual interest rates in exchange for a customer’s car title.”
Thus begins the last installment of a six-part series on TitleMax, the Savannah-based title-lending company researched, reported, and written by The Current’s editor-in-chief Margaret Coker and ProPublica’s Joel Jacobs and Mollie Simon.
The series, “Title Pawn Trap,” shows how TitleMax, the nation’s largest title lender and the company that dominates the Georgia market, offers quick cash to customers with damaged credit but one key asset: the title of their car to offer as collateral. Georgia’s lax regulation of TitleMax and its competitors means many borrowers end up trapped in high-interest debt.
The final installment of the series describes how Cooper and other borrowers in Georgia seeking to restructure their debts through Chapter 13 bankruptcy discover an unwelcome shock. A loophole in state law that TitleMax helped secure stands in the way of relief from their triple-digit interest rate title pawns.
The question now is whether state lawmakers will hold the title-lending industry to the same regulatory framework as other financial services in Georgia. Legislation to that effect died earlier this spring in the House Banks and Banking Committee — the sixth time in nearly two decades that Georgia Republicans tried and failed to erect better guardrails for the industry.
ICYMI
- “Georgia investigation finds errors in Fulton audit of 2020 election” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 17, 2023) “Vote counters made numerous mistakes during an audit of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election in Fulton County, including double-counted and misallocated votes, according to a consent order recently approved by the State Election Board and the county. The finding doesn’t change the outcome of the audit, which showed that Democrat Joe Biden defeated Republican Donald Trump in Georgia. The audit supported two machine counts that found Biden won by about 12,000 votes.”
- “Tens of thousands of Georgians at risk of losing food assistance under state’s new work rules” (Georgia Recorder, July 17, 2023) “Food assistance advocates contend that a Georgia agency’s refusal to apply for a federal work exemption puts thousands of Georgians in danger of losing much-needed monthly payments for groceries. Since July 1, more than 87,000 adults without children in Georgia have been required to work at least 80 hours a month in order to receive benefits provided through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps.”
- “Trump and Allies Forge Plans to Increase Presidential Power in 2025” (New York Times, July 17, 2023) “Donald J. Trump and his allies are planning a sweeping expansion of presidential power over the machinery of government if voters return him to the White House in 2025, reshaping the structure of the executive branch to concentrate far greater authority directly in his hands.”
- “League of Women Voters of Coastal Georgia Announces New Board Members” (League of Women Voters of Coastal Georgia, news release, July 17, 2023) President, Chassidy Malloy; Vice President, Devon Spiva; Immediate Past President, Nina Altschiller; Secretary, Patty McIntosh; Treasurer, Eileen Matajasik; Parliamentarian, Maria Justus; Communications Chair, Nancy Fullbright; Voter Engagement & Registration Chair, Meka Simmons; Get Out The Vote Chair: Amanda Hollowell; Forums Chair: Kerri McGinty; Education and Programs Chair: Betsy McCullar; Membership Services Chair: Jamie Smith Arkins; Issues & Advocacy Chair: Andrea Silverman; Student Liaison Coordinator: Harrison Tran; At Large: Sheila Grossman, The Skidaway Abigails.”
Buddy Carter tends to home front with votes on defense bill, maternal health
Defense bill, maternal mortality bill address hard challenges for Carter’s district as well as adding to cultural divides.
School bus driver shortage worsens as growing economy drives workers elsewhere
Less than three weeks before the 2023 school year starts, the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System driver shortage is worse than ever. As of July 12, the district has only 154 confirmed drivers. Last year they had 222, while in 2019, 328 drivers worked for the schools, according to a transportation update presented to the school board in January.
How we measured the title lending industry in Georgia
We wanted to get a broader picture of how this issue was affecting Georgians, but little information was publicly available about bankruptcies involving title lenders, so our first step was to identify which bankruptcy cases they’re involved in.
TitleMax demands high-interest payments from borrowers in bankruptcy
Every year, hundreds of Georgians file bankruptcy while owing money to title lenders. TitleMax of Savannah fought to curb debt relief sought by customers. Learn more in this investigation by The Current and ProPublica
Judge gave Glynn cop who slept with informants clean record
Former Glynn County Police drug investigator James Cassada got to end his probation six years early after a judge’s ruling in May. Now his record won’t show up in background checks.
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