Georgia lawmakers weigh public spending for Super Bowl, Final Four

The Legislature approved nearly $30 million last year to fund “public safety and infrastructure costs” ahead of last month’s college football national championship game and World Cup next summer. Now, the Metro Atlanta Chamber is asking for more money for costs associated with hosting the 2028 Super Bowl and the 2031 Final Four.

House lawmakers put $7 million in the budget for those events last week. That’s about half of what the Metro Atlanta Chamber asked for, according to state Sen. Blake Tillery, a Republican from Vidalia and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee that is still reviewing the request.

The competition to host these events can be fierce, and sometimes government funding can make a difference. Tillery said lawmakers must be shrewd when deciding whether to pay, noting that much of the sales tax revenue from these events go to local governments instead of the state. But he indicated a willingness to spend money to protect public safety, as these big events can become targets for wrongdoers.

Academics have long pooh-poohed the economic impact of such events, with Kennesaw State University economist J.C. Bradbury pointing to evidence showing the benefits are “far less than the public funding provided to support them.”

It’s unclear exactly how this money would be spent. Dan Corso, president of the Atlanta Sports Council, said it would “support the host committee’s operations, specifically for public safety and infrastructure purposes.”

“Events of this magnitude require significant coordination and investment to keep fans and visitors safe,” he said.

***

Credit: Rod Lamkey Jr./AP

Credit: Rod Lamkey Jr./AP

GOOD MORNING! State lawmakers are off today. Here are four things to know:

***

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

NO EXTENSION. The Trump administration has denied Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s request to give local governments more time to apply for federal disaster assistance after Hurricane Helene.

Kemp had asked for an extension for debris removal and emergency protective measures.

“Based on our review of all the information available, it has been determined that the increased level of funding you have requested … is not warranted,” Cameron Hamilton, acting administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, wrote in a letter to Kemp.

Kemp spokesman Garrison Douglas said the governor’s midyear spending plan includes funding projected to cover the non-federal cleanup expenses that had been eligible for federal reimbursement.

Georgia’s Democratic U.S. senators — Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock — had also asked the Trump administration to extend the deadline.

“This decision is wrong, and I urge the Trump administration to reverse course and ensure Georgia’s local governments get the vital support they need,” Ossoff said.

***

Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC

Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC

IVF REACTION. GOP House Speaker Jon Burns endorsed a new bill this week guaranteeing access to in vitro fertilization in its current form. That measure is likely to get widespread — but not universal — support in the Capitol.

Among those who expressed reservations about portions of the bill is Cole Muzio, executive director of the anti-abortion group Frontline Policy Action, who gave this statement to the AJC:

***

PROTECTING PETS. Anyone wondering how House lawmakers would vote on a bill aiming to protect pets in domestic violence situations needed only to peek at their phones.

It started when state Rep. Rob Leverett, R-Elberton, displayed a photo of his dog. Then state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, did the same. Pretty soon, most members of the House Judiciary Committee had their phones out displaying their precious pets.

“I think I know the will of the committee,” chair Stan Gunter, R-Blairsville, said.

Credit: Courtesy photo

Credit: Courtesy photo

The bill would allow protective orders to include pets. Judges use these orders to keep abusive people away from their partners or children in domestic violence cases. But sometimes victims don’t leave because they fear what will happen to their pets.

Forty-one states already have laws like this, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

“Pets … are very often used to control, coerce or intimidate victims of domestic violence — usually to get them to stay and not leave,” said state Rep. Sharon Cooper, R-Marietta, the primary sponsor of the bill.

***

Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC

Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC

DIGITAL DRIVERS. More than 420,000 Georgians already carry a digital version of a driver’s license on their phones. But that doesn’t help them when they get stopped by a police officer.

That could change. A bill moving through the state Legislature would eventually require police departments statewide to accept digital IDs.

Lawmakers tried this last year, but it didn’t pass. Now they’re trying again, and they plan to give police departments more time to make the switch. House Bill 296 by state Rep. Houston Gaines would give police departments until July 1, 2027, to comply.

Law enforcement has been hesitant to do this, mostly because they don’t like the idea of taking drivers’ phones to verify their IDs. But Gaines says technology has advanced to the point now that police officers need only scan a person’s phone to verify a license.

“Obviously, I think this is the future,” he said.

Georgia has had digital driver’s licenses since 2023. The Transportation Security Administration does accept digital driver’s licenses at certain airports, including Atlanta.

***

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

NO PHONE ZONE. Students are sure to grumble about state Rep. Scott Hilton’s new bill to ban cellphone use in most schools. But it could be some parents who protest the most.

In the chaotic aftermath of the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County last year, multiple parents told the AJC they were relieved to learn their children were safe via text message. The shooting prompted some to express fear about the growing movement to ban phones in schools.

Hilton’s bill would only apply to kindergarten through eighth grade. On Thursday, Hilton told the “Politically Georgia” podcast that the school safety experts he consulted say that “in an emergency, the last thing they want is your child on a phone.”

“You want them listening to instructions, going to where they need,” said Hilton, a Republican from Peachtree Corners. “You don’t need them jamming up the cell lines or creating misinformation.”

“As soon as the all clear, absolutely, get them phones, get them reunified and back in touch,” he added. “But the safest thing, actually, is not to be on phones.”

Michael O’Sullivan of the GeorgiaCAN education advocacy group supports the bill and said it is driven “by parental concerns.”

“An anxious generation doesn’t excel. The research is clear that cellphones make it harder for kids to concentrate and when kids don’t concentrate they don’t learn,” he said.

***

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan gives his assessment of the Trump administration so far.

Be sure to download the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us. You can also listen live at 10 a.m. EST on 90.1 FM WABE.

On Thursday’s show, state Rep. Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners, discussed his proposal to ban cellphones in schools. And state House Democratic Caucus chair Tanya Miller, D-Atlanta, talked about Democratic priorities this session.

***

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

BUDGET TALKS. A 10 a.m. meeting of the U.S. House Budget Committee went late into the night after hours of testimony followed by amendment votes on a bill that would be the first step in carrying out President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The passage of the budget resolution is part of the process to create a reconciliation bill that cannot be filibustered, meaning Republicans can pass it without support from Democrats. The measure includes an extension of tax cuts, increased spending for national defense and border security, raising the nation’s debt limit and a mandate for at least $1.5 trillion in cuts to federal spending.

Shortly after 10 p.m., the committee finished considering a series of amendments and voted 21-16 along party lines to approve the bill, according to Jamie Dupree. Most Democrats decried the plan to reduce spending on Medicaid and other safety net programs.

Georgia U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, and Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, are both members of the committee and burned the midnight oil with their colleagues.

Earlier in the day, Carter lent his support to the plan and said it was an important step of reversing spending implemented by former President Joe Biden.

“House Republicans are working in lockstep with President Trump to identify and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse at all levels of government and enact America First policies,” Carter said. “To get America back on track, we are delivering a budget resolution that will allow us to extend President Trump’s tax cuts, rein in out-of-control spending and keep Americans safe.”

***

Credit: John McDonnell/AP

Credit: John McDonnell/AP

LOEFFLER ADVANCES. Former Georgia U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler is in line to be confirmed as the next leader of the Small Business Administration next week after the Senate voted 51 to 43 to end debate on her nomination.

Both of Georgia’s Democratic senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, voted against advancing Loeffler’s nomination. Only two Democrats, Mark Kelly of Arizona and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, voted with Republicans.

That likely has more to do with Democrats protesting the confirmation of people like vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nation’s health secretary earlier in the day and less relating to any specific beef with Loeffler.

***

Credit: Ben Curtis/AP

Credit: Ben Curtis/AP

TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

***

SHOUTOUTS. Transition:

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that! Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.

***

AS ALWAYS, send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.