PG A.M.: Lt. Gov. Jones won’t address personal benefit of new hospital regs

The hospital regulation overhaul bill that passed the state House and Senate on Thursday will allow more hospitals to open in Georgia’s rural counties, including in Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ home of Butts County.

That’s where Interstate Health Systems, a company owned by the lieutenant governor’s father, Bill Jones, was granted a zoning permit in August 2023 to develop a 45-acre medical office complex. The campus would include five proposed structures and total 115,500 square feet of space.

The lieutenant governor’s office sidestepped questions Thursday about whether he and his family will financially benefit from House Bill 1339, which he championed this session.

“There will be a personal benefit to millions of rural Georgians who might be able to access health care more easily, which is why a bipartisan majority passed the bill,” said spokesperson Ines Owens.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

When a similar rural hospital bill was debated last year, sponsors acknowledged part of the impetus was a proposed 100-bed hospital in Butts County that state and local officials expected to be located on property that Bill Jones owns.

Jones, an oil company and grocery story magnate, has been working for years to build a new hospital in the county and even testified in 2022 before a House committee on the subject. But those efforts were stymied by the same regulations that the General Assembly loosened on Thursday.

Health care service providers have long had to apply to the state for a certificate of need, or CON, to prove a new facility will not hurt an existing hospital. The new bill relaxes those requirements in counties of fewer than 50,000 residents. Butts County has a population of about 26,000.

As a part of the package, the bill also opens the door to expansions of perinatal and mental health services in rural areas across the state, two issues that a House study committee that examined rural hospital policies also brought up.

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Credit: Casey Sykes for the AJC

UNDER THE GOLD DOME:

The House and Senate are out of session, returning for a committee workday on Monday.
Floor sessions resume Tuesday, with Sine Die scheduled for Thursday.

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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

FINAL SPRINT. With just two 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:

House Bill 1077, a last-minute effort by Democrats to pair the much-anticipated certificate of need overhaul with Medicaid expansion, failed on a 7-7 committee vote on Thursday. Two Republican senators, Matt Brass of Newnan and Carden Summers of Cordele, voted in favor.
The Senate Appropriations Committee passed the annual state budget, complete with pay raises for about 300,000 state workers and funding boosts for mental health, education and law enforcement, the AJC’s James Salzer reports. That now goes to the full Senate for approval.
The House Rules Committee OK’d a measure to prevent the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) from considering new permits for “dragline” mining for three years. That’s the technique being proposed for a titanium mine in the shadow of Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp. The legislation would not stop that mine, but any expansion using the same techniques could not be considered by EPD until mid-2027.
House Bill 1180, a measure that would place new limits on Georgia’s film tax credit, awaits floor debate in the Senate after the Senate Finance Committee passed a version of the legislation on Wednesday. The committee approved language that would cap the credit to the equivalent of 2.3% of the previous year’s state budget but exempts some of the big Georgia studios.

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Credit: Alyssa Pointer/AJC

THE LIST. What’s a bigger deal with state lawmakers than making the AJC’s best-dressed list? Appearing on JAMES magazine’s list of the three top lawmakers.

House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, R-Auburn; Sen. Sonya Halpern, D-Atlanta; and Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, made the cut of legislators the James’ editors “believe demonstrate leadership and who we salute for impressive work on a wide range of policy issues.”

The three were honored alongside the list of 2024′s most influential Georgians, which also featured several politicos. State Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, was mentioned for his work leading True North 400, a community improvement district in north metro Atlanta. U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, was included as the chair of the Georgia Democratic Party.

Other notables appearing: U.S. Congressional candidate Brian Jack, who works with former President Donald Trump’s campaign; first lady Marty Kemp and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

BIG BUCKS. Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler has donated $1 million to support former President Donald Trump’s comeback bid.

The wealthy Republican executive donated $720,000 to the pro-Trump MAGA Inc. super PAC, according to financial disclosure records this week. That’s in addition to $280,000 she donated to the group since 2021.

Her aides say she’s expected to contribute more to Trump’s campaign as November nears.

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Credit: The New York Times

NO LABELS, NO CANDIDATE. Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan isn’t the only one to take a pass on joining the No Labels third-party presidential ticket. According to the New York Times, Adm. William H. McRaven, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, and retired Gen. David Petraeus, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, had also all been approached and turned down the offer.

That’s on top of West Virginia’s U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin and several others who reportedly never considered the offer, even after their names were floated. The group is now scrambling to find high-profile takers to challenge President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in November.

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LISTEN UP. Tune into the “Politically Georgia” radio show this morning to hear former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan talk about the “No Labels” third party ticket. You’ll also gain insights from immigration attorney Judith Delus Montgomery on the growing humanitarian crisis in Haiti.

Listen live at 10 a.m. on 90.1 FM, at AJC.com and at WABE.org.

If you missed it Thursday, the New Georgia Project’s Kendra Cotton discussed the 2024 election and how voters of color could have a big impact on races.

And AJC reporter David Wickert joined 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 District Attorney Fani Willis to stay on the election interference case.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

President Joe Biden has no public events on his schedule.
The House votes on a $1.2 trillion government funding package that covers 70% of all federal agencies.
The Senate has confirmation votes lined up.

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Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC

CALL FOR CHANGE. Blogger Charles Hayslett of “Trouble in God’s Country” fame recently opined on concerns regarding the decline of rural America. Citing a New York Times column by Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman headlined “The Mystery of White Rural Rage,” Hayslett posits that Gov. Brian Kemp may be the politician who can “bridge” policies championed by one political party or the other that together could create change.