Georgia Republicans could be on the verge of erecting a statue of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on the grounds of the state Capitol despite fierce opposition from Democrats.
The House is poised to vote Thursday on Senate Bill 69, which would authorize a Thomas monument inside the Capitol or on its grounds, and would create a committee of legislators to oversee the project. (Update: The vote was delayed until Tuesday.)
The idea has long been opposed by Democrats, particularly Black leaders, who evoked contentious confirmation hearings in 1991 featuring allegations by Anita Hill, a Thomas staffer at the U.S. Department of Education, that he had sexually harassed her.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
More recently, Democrats have also cited ProPublica news reports that detailed Thomas’ participation in conservative donor events and his failure to disclose gifts.
Supporters of the statue idea, including Republican state Sen. Ben Watson of Savannah, said the coastal Georgia native deserves a “place of honor and recognition” at the Capitol as the Supreme Court’s second Black justice and longest-serving member.
Get ready for a fight. In 2022, the Senate approved the Thomas statue, but it did not get a vote in the House. It passed the Senate again last year along party lines by a 32-20 vote, but has stalled — until now.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
HUMAN TRAFFICKING. First lady Marty Kemp convened the first panel of the GRACE Commission this year to target human trafficking, where she urged lawmakers to unanimously pass a new crackdown on the scourge.
While most of her measures have been approved with overwhelming bipartisan support over the last five years, she noted that two persistent GOP contrarians — state Sen. Colton Moore of Trenton and state Rep. Charlice Byrd of Woodstock — voted against earlier versions of a pending measure targeting illicit massage parlors.
“How can you vote ‘no’ on that? If you see your legislators, tell them thank you — or tell them to get straight on this issue,” Kemp said. “Everyone needs to be held accountable.”
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
JUDICIAL PAY. Senate Republicans are pushing back on a House bill that would put many top state judges in line for a major salary boost by linking the pay of top state judges to their federal colleagues.
We’re told that one possibility could involve a proposed constitutional amendment, which would pose the question to voters. But the chances of such a proposal achieving two-thirds majority votes to land on ballots this late in the session appear slim.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
FISH OR FOWL. Could the General Assembly be on the verge of making certain types of fishing and hunting illegal? Some lawmakers and advocacy groups think so.
A measure, House Bill 1172, would strike language that enshrines peoples’ rights to “use and enjoy all navigable streams capable of use for fishing, hunting, passage, navigation, commerce, and transportation, pursuant to the common law public trust doctrine.”
Instead, it proposes that Georgians have an “inherent right to use for passage and for hunting and fishing all navigable streams from low-water mark to low-water mark.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Democratic state Rep. Stacey Evans of Atlanta said it could mean fly fishers are “going to be in trouble” the moment their fishing lures hit the stream, or when they put on their waders and jump in a waterway.
And this week, the Georgia Wildlife Federation formally opposed the measure, calling it “very confusing” while warning the ambiguity could cause unintended consequences.
If it passes, the group warns, “we could well see our ability to fish, hunt and paddle the navigable streams of Georgia dramatically diminish. We will see our ability to pursue all those activities that have always been allowed from time immemorial to go away.”
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
SPECIAL ELECTION. Republican Gary Richardson was sworn in to an Augusta-based House district by Superior Court Judge Barry Fleming, who held the deep-red seat before he was appointed to the bench.
Richardson received a bipartisan ovation on the House floor and kudos from House Speaker Jon Burns, who supported him over his far-right rival, C.J. Pearson.
“It was good to see your name up on the board,” said Burns, R-Newington.
The March 12 special election was a proxy battle of sorts between Gov. Brian Kemp and other mainstream Republican leaders and MAGA forces who lined up behind Pearson, a 21-year-old social media influencer.
Richardson and Pearson were set to face off again in the May GOP primary for a full two-year term, but Pearson said Wednesday he is forgoing his second run. He recently had been seeking jobs in Washington.
“Reelecting President Trump, keeping Georgia red and fighting for America First policies in every corner of the country will be my priority through the November elections,” he said.
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Credit: Casey Sykes for the AJC
Credit: Casey Sykes for the AJC
UNDER THE GOLD DOME, Legislative Day 38:
- 7:30 a.m.: Committee meetings begin.
- 10 a.m.: The House convenes.
- 12 p.m.: The Senate gavels in.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
FINAL SPRINT. With just three legislative days left in the 2023-2024 session, lawmakers are racing to get their prized packages negotiated and approved.
Among the bills on the move are:
- Senate Bill 233, the school voucher bill that Gov. Brian Kemp made a top priority this year, passed the Senate 33-21 and is on its way to Kemp’s desk for signature. The bill would provide $6,500 annual stipends for private schools or homeschooling for families in the lowest 25% of public schools. Here’s what else you should know.
- The Senate also gave final approval to House Bill 1015, a measure to accelerate the implementation of the state’s 2022 income tax cuts, and HB 1023, which will tie the corporate tax rate to the income tax rate, effectively cutting corporate income taxes. HB 1015 was a top priority of House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington.
- SB 189, which would eliminate QR codes to count ballots and instead count votes with filled-in ovals or text, passed the House Governmental Affairs Committee 7-5. That was after Secretary of State official Gabriel Sterling told the committee that removing computer codes isn’t needed, and election results are verified by manual audits.
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GEORGIA 2024. Another poll, another tight White House race in Georgia between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
A Marist Poll this week showed just three percentage points dividing Trump (51%) and Biden (48%) among likely voters in the state. That’s within the margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.
A more interesting takeaway: A poll of a three-candidate field suggests that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would pull more votes from Biden than Trump in Georgia.
That pegged Trump at 45%, Biden at 40% and Kennedy with 14%. Kennedy has yet to gather enough signatures to qualify for Georgia’s November ballot.
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Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
LISTEN UP. Tune into the “Politically Georgia” radio show this morning to hear the New Georgia Project’s Kendra Cotton discuss the 2024 election and how voters of color could have a big impact on races.
AJC reporter David Wickert also joins the show to discuss Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee’s decision to allow former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants to file appeals on the ruling that allowed Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis to stay on the election interference case.
Listen live at 10 a.m. on 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org.
If you missed it, Wednesday’s show featured Eli Sperling, an Israel Institute teaching fellow at the University of Georgia who provided a historical perspective to the Israel-Hamas war. The show also featured AJC reporter Mark Niesse who spoke about legislation on the move that could bring new changes to Georgia election laws.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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MORE LOAN FORGIVENESS. President Joe Biden is announcing this morning an additional 78,000 public service workers will see their college debt erased through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
These teachers, nurses and firefighters, among professionals in other occupations, will collectively represent about $6 billion in debt cancellation. In total, the Biden Administration has wiped about $144 billion in debt for about 4 million Americans.
The borrowers receiving debt relief will get emails from the White House starting next week. Another 380,000 public service workers will receive messages saying they are close to being eligible for loan forgiveness as long as they remain in their fields for a maximum of two more years.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden attends a campaign fundraiser in Houston.
- The House has votes scheduled on energy policy.
- The Senate has confirmation votes lined up.
- Democratic leaders in both chambers hold a news conference to celebrate the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. When you think of a Southern lady, do you think of Lady Brannen?
How could you not, knowing that this blonde bombshell of a goldendoodle spends her time stealing shoes, drinking from toilets and swimming in the koi pond? In her free time, you may also find her asking for a walk from her people, Vilda and Joe Brannen, the president and CEO of the Georgia Bankers Association.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion, and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Politically Georgia readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com.
