Some people want to mandate that every new home comes wired ready to charge electric vehicles (EVs), and those mandates, if enacted, would likely raise a home’s construction costs. And the people who want those mandates will likely push for them in about two years, said Home Builders Association of Georgia Vice President Austin Hackney.
Read the full storyTag: Georgia
Jody Hice Announces Election ‘Integrity Fly Around Tour’ for Georgia
Representative Jody Hice (R-GA-10), currently running to replace Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, will launch a statewide tour later this month to address election integrity and connect with voters. Hice announced that this Election Integrity Fly Around Tour will commence Tuesday, February, 22. No one from Hice’s campaign returned The Georgia Star News’ request for comment on Monday.
Read the full storyBuckhead City Committee Members Say All is Not Lost, Despite Setback in Georgia General Assembly
Members of the Georgia General Assembly are unwilling to move forward with legislation that would allow Buckhead residents to vote later this year on forming an independent city. But members of the Buckhead City Committee, who have pushed for a vote, said media reports about the matter lack important context.
Read the full storyRepublican Governors Association Assists Brian Kemp’s 2022 Gubernatorial Campaign, but Not David Perdue’s
Members of The Republican Governors Association (RGA) are contributing money to assist Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s reelection campaign. This, even though former U.S. Senator David Perdue, also a Republican, has challenged Perdue for his seat.
Read the full storyCommentary: Raphael Warnock’s Loyalty Lies with Joe Biden, Not Georgians
It has been over a year since Raphael Warnock was sworn in as one of Georgia’s senators. In that period, Warnock has proven to be more beneficial and useful to Joe Biden than to Georgians.
Since Warnock’s swearing-in, Georgians have experienced record-breaking inflation, empty shelves due to an unmanaged supply chain crisis, a resurgence in record-setting COVID-19 cases, and a botched withdrawal in Afghanistan at the hands of Joe Biden.
Read the full storyRetailers Who Want to Profit Off Electric Vehicle Chargers Say Georgia Power Thwarting Their Efforts
Georgia retailers say that the public’s demand for Electric Vehicles (EVs) grows more and more with every passing year and, with that, so does the public’s demand for EV chargers. Those same Georgia retailers want to capitalize on that trend — but they said this week that officials at Georgia Power stand in their way.
Read the full storyNew Bill Would Require Georgia Law Enforcement to Check People’s Citizenship Status
Senator Butch Miller (R-Gainesville) this month filed a bill that would, if enacted into law, mandate that Georgia’s law enforcement officers check people’s citizenship status as they make arrests. According to the language of the bill, SB 448, available on the Georgia General Assembly’s website, law enforcement officers could perform this task with or without a warrant.
Read the full storyVernon Jones Drops Out of Georgia’s Gubernatorial Race, Announces Run for Congress
Republican Vernon Jones announced last spring that he would run for governor of Georgia to unseat incumbent and fellow Republican Brian Kemp, but on Monday Jones announced he will depart that race to run for Congress. Jones posted the news on Facebook and Twitter. He then endorsed another Republican for governor.
Read the full storyTrump Blasts Pence’s Claims About January 6: Vice Presidency Not an ‘Automatic Conveyor Belt for Old Crow Mitch McConnell to Get Biden Elected President’
Former President Donald Trump released a blistering attack Friday afternoon on former Vice President Mike Pence’s claims earlier in the day about the January 6, 2021 Joint Session of Congress over which Pence presided at which Electoral College votes submitted by the states were counted.
In a speech before the Florida Chapter of the Federalist Society in Orlando on Friday, Pence asserted, “There are those in our party who believe that as the presiding officer over the joint session of Congress, I possessed unilateral authority to reject Electoral College votes. And I heard this week that President Trump said I had the right to ‘overturn the election.’ President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election.” (emphasis added)
Read the full storyGeorgia Representative Barry Loudermilk Says America COMPETES Act Full of Weird Provisions
Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11) this week said his chamber’s recently passed America COMPETES Act does not hold China accountable for trade abuses and human rights violations, per the bill’s original intent. Loudermilk, in a podcast, said Speaker of House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) and other members of the far Left hijacked the bill. Loudermilk said the Left then added what the congressman called a wish list of socialist items.
Read the full storySixteen States File New Lawsuit Against Federal COVID Vaccination Mandate
Sixteen states again are challenging a federal COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health care workers who work at facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Friday’s filing in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana comes after the issuance of final guidance on the mandate from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS), arguing the guidance is an action that is reviewable.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled by 5-4 vote Jan. 13 against the original Louisiana challenge to the mandate and a similar Missouri filing.
Read the full storyFive Atlanta Residents Charged with Fraud in Alleged COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program Scheme
Federal officials in Atlanta have charged 22 people nationwide, including Georgia, with wire fraud conspiracy and other charges in an alleged scheme to obtain nearly $4 million in COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. This, according to a press release that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia published this week.
Read the full storyGeorgia Legislators Set to Discuss New Election Reform Bill Regarding Ballot Inspection
A new bill making its way through the Georgia General Assembly would, if enacted into law, remove provisions that keep election ballots and other election documents under seal — but only under certain conditions. The main sponsor, Representative Shaw Blackmon (R-Bonaire) did not return The Georgia Star News’ requests for comment Friday.
Read the full storyVernon Jones’ Most Recent Social Media Remarks Suggest He’s Uncertain If He’ll Remain in Georgia Governor’s Race
Republican Vernon Jones commented Wednesday about his status as a Republican gubernatorial candidate for Georgia, but the messages he sent seemed unclear and came across as mixed. This, after media outlets speculated that Jones might suspend his campaign and seek another office, per the supposed wishes of former President Donald Trump. Trump, in December, endorsed Republican David Perdue’s campaign to unseat incumbent GOP Governor Brian Kemp.
Read the full storyGeorgia Republican Legislator Denies His Bill Gives In-State Tuition to Illegal Immigrants
State Representative Wes Cantrell (R-Woodstock) on Monday denied that a new bill he’s sponsoring would grant in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants.
This, even though the website Immigration Politics Georgia has warned about the bill, HB 932.
Cantrell filed the bill this month, according to the Georgia General Assembly’s website.
Read the full storyGeorgia’s December Net Tax Revenues Up 24.3 Percent
Georgia’s net tax collections in December totaled $2.98 billion, for an increase of $582.9 million, or 24.3 percent, compared to December 2020 when net tax collections totaled $2.40 billion, state officials announced this month. “Year-to-date, net tax revenue collections totaled $14.85 billion, for an increase of $2.28 billion, or 18.1 percent, over FY 2021 after six months,” according to Governor Brian Kemp’s office.
Read the full storyGwinnett County Schools Admit to Teaching Marxism and Critical Race Theory
Staff at the Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) are teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Marxism to their Advanced Placement language and research combination classes. This, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Heritage Action, a right-of-center grassroots network.
Read the full storyGeorgia Legislators Revising Bill That Would Crack Down on Obscenity in Public School Libraries
Representative James Burchett (R-Waycross) said Friday that he believes members of the Georgia General Assembly will pass a bill that would, if enacted into law, clamp down on obscene material in public school libraries. But the bill still has a long way to go.
Read the full storyGeorgia Lawmakers Push Plan for New School-Choice Program
A bipartisan group of Georgia lawmakers is sponsoring a bill to create a new state-funded scholarship program that would allow parents to select education options for their children.
House Bill 999, dubbed the Georgia Educational Freedom Act, would provide $6,000 for Georgia students each year in scholarship accounts to attend approved private schools of their choice.
Read the full storyDonald Trump Calls Georgia Investigation Against Him ‘a Witch Hunt’ and ‘Not the American Way’
Former President Donald Trump on Thursday and Friday issued a pair of statements commenting on Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s attempts to investigate him for alleged election misconduct. On Thursday, Trump emailed supporters and said his phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after the November 2020 election “was perfect.”
Read the full storyVoterGA Presents New Evidence of Election Irregularities Throughout Georgia
VoterGA officials announced this week that nearly 107,000 drop box ballots in the November 2020 election results have improper chain of custody forms, and that calls into question the authenticity of those ballots. This, according to a new chain of custody study that VoterGA members released Thursday.
Read the full storyGubernatorial Candidate David Perdue Proposes Election Law Enforcement Division for Georgia
Georgia gubernatorial candidate David Perdue on Thursday proposed creating what he called an Election Law Enforcement Division that would investigate alleged violations of the state’s election laws. Perdue, in a statement, said Election Law Enforcement Division officers would have the authority to make arrests.
Read the full storyGeorgia U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk Rails Against Democrats’ New Voting Bill
Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11), during a speech late last week about Democrats’ attempts to pass a federal takeover of elections, said that the party wants to create “a homogenous society that is easily controlled.” Loudermilk said this on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Read the full storyGeorgia Woman Used COVID-19 Relief Money on Pricey Miami Getaway, Feds Say
Federal officials have sentenced a Jefferson County, Georgia woman to prison after she admitted she lied to obtain $150,000 in COVID-19 relief funding to spend on a vacation to Miami. That woman, Whitney Adwan Mack, 34, of Louisville, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and will serve 48 months in prison.
Read the full storyGeorgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan’s Latest Move Endangers Buckhead City Bill
Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan (R-Cumming) this week assigned the legislation that could help Buckhead incorporate into its own city to a senate committee seated entirely by Democrats. Duncan did not return The Georgia Star News’ repeated requests for comment this week.
Read the full storyBurt Jones Raises Huge Sum in His Quest for Georgia’s Lieutenant Governor Seat
Declared Georgia lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Burt Jones on Friday said his campaign has raised $3.75 million for this fundraising period. Senator Jones (R-Jackson) received former U.S. President Donald Trump’s endorsement last September.
Read the full storyGeorgia Legislator Wants to Prohibit 1619 Project, Critical Race Theory in Public Schools
State Representative Brad Thomas (R-Holly Springs) on Thursday filed a bill that he said would, if enacted into law, prohibit Georgia public school officials from teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the 1619 Project. Thomas did not return The Georgia Star News’ request for an interview Thursday. He said in an emailed press release that his bill, HB 888, “would prohibit curriculum that could be considered discriminatory on the basis of race from being taught in public schools.” HB 888 also includes a transparency requirement that would allow all parents to view the educational materials given to Georgia students.
Read the full storyGeorgia Governor Brian Kemp Says He’ll Fight Critical Race Theory and Push for a Parental Bill of Rights
Governor Brian Kemp delivered his year State of the State address Thursday, where he announced his policy priorities for the 2022 session of the Georgia General Assembly, and they include reducing crime and reforming public education “From the classroom to the ball field, there are those who want to divide our kids along political lines, push partisan agendas, and indoctrinate students from all walks of life. This is wrong, it’s dangerous, and as long as I’m governor, it will not take root in Georgia,” Kemp said.
Read the full storyGeorgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr Won’t Comment on Vernon Jones’ Request for Feds to Investigate Ballot Harvesting
Staff members for Georgia’s attorney general and secretary of state this week declined to respond to Vernon Jones call for the feds – and not state officials – to investigate new claims of ballot harvesting in 2020. Staff for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger declined The Georgia Star News’ requests for comment.
Read the full storyGeorgia Gov. Brian Kemp to Deliver State of the State Address Thursday, Republican Opponents Say He Will Pander to Overcome Faults
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is scheduled to deliver his 2022 State of the State address Thursday. Kemp is up for reelection this year.
Read the full storyDespite University System of Georgia Opposition, Rep. Josh Bonner Says He Expects Legislators to Pass Bill Granting Free Speech Rights to College Students
Georgia State Representative Josh Bonner (R-Fayetteville) said this week that University System of Georgia officials oppose a bill he’s submitted that would, if enacted into law, bestow students with greater First Amendment rights. “The [University System of Georgia] officials are very opposed to it,” Bonner told The Georgia Star News.
Read the full storyGeorgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger Wants Nationwide Ban on Ballot Harvesting
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Tuesday called for a nationwide ban on ballot harvesting. Ballot harvesting permits private individuals to collect other voters’ ballots and then submit those ballots to various polling stations.
Read the full storyDavid Perdue Lists Georgia Parents’ Bill of Rights He Plans to Deliver as Governor
Former Republican senator and current Georgia gubernatorial candidate David Perdue on Monday published a Georgia Parents’ Bill of Rights that he said protects children from overzealous school administrators. Perdue’s proposal borrows from federal legislation that U.S. Senator Josh Hawley(R-MO) proposed last year.
Read the full storyGeorgia House Republican Caucus Elects Chamber of Commerce Ally Bonnie Rich House Majority Caucus Chair
Members of the Georgia House Republican Caucus have elected State Representative Bonnie Rich (R-Suwanee) as their new House Majority Caucus Chair for the remainder of the 2021-2022 legislative term. Georgia House Republican Caucus members announced the news this week.
Read the full storyDavid Perdue Files Suit Against Law He Says Gives Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s Campaign Unfair Advantage
Georgia gubernatorial candidate David Perdue said a new state law gives Governor Brian Kemp a significant financial advantage as he seeks reelection, and this week Perdue filed suit to challenge that law’s constitutionality. In his lawsuit, Perdue, a former Republican U.S. senator, cited Senate Bill 221. The bill became law in July of last year, according to the Georgia General Assembly’s website.
Read the full storyVernon Jones Says Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr Too Compromised to Properly Investigate New Claims of Ballot Harvesting
ATLANTA, Georgia – Republican and declared Georgia gubernatorial candidate Vernon Jones on Wednesday called on the federal government – and not State Attorney General Chris Carr – to investigate new claims of ballot harvesting during the 2020 election. This, even though Jones and others allege that certain, unnamed individuals in Georgia broke state laws – and not federal ones.
Read the full storyNew Salon Article Attacking David Perdue Proves the Left Worries Georgia Will Elect Him Governor, Campaign Says
Salon this week identified former Republican senator and current Georgia gubernatorial candidate David Perdue as one of the nation’s 10 “scariest Republican candidates of 2022.” The Georgia Star News asked Perdue spokeswoman Jenni Sweat on Tuesday whether that article signals that the left takes Perdue’s candidacy seriously and outright fears he’ll defeat incumbent Republican Governor Brian Kemp later this year.
Read the full storyGeorgia Opens Investigation into Possible Illegal Ballot Harvesting in 2020 Election
Georgia authorities have launched an investigation into an allegation of systematic ballot harvesting during the state’s 2020 general election and subsequent U.S. Senate runoff and may soon issue subpoenas to secure evidence, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger confirmed to Just the News.
Read the full storyGubernatorial Candidate David Perdue Wants Georgians to Have a Parents’ Bill of Rights
A spokeswoman for former Republican senator and Georgia gubernatorial candidate David Perdue said Monday that the candidate wants a Parents’ Bill of Rights. This, after Atlanta Public School (APS) officials announced Saturday that they will operate virtually this week for all students and all staff. APS officials said the district’s most recent COVID-19 data prompted the decision.
Read the full storyAnalysis: The Top Governor’s Races to Watch This Year
Democrats four years ago rode a blue wave to governors’ mansions across the country, flipping Republican-held seats in the Midwest, Northeast and West alike.
Now, however, many of those governors face Republican challengers amid a political environment that looks potentially promising for the GOP, meaning that contentious races may lie ahead in some of the nation’s most pivotal battleground states. Republicans have already had two strong showings in states that lean Democratic, flipping the governor’s seat in Virginia and coming surprisingly close in New Jersey, a state that voted for President Joe Biden by 16 points in 2020.
Governors in less competitive states are also facing primary challengers from the left and right, making for multiple bitter, closely-followed primaries between candidates from different wings of the same party.
Read the full storyCampus Reform Calls Out Georgia State University for Bias Reporting Tools
The Virginia-based Campus Reform late last week called out the Atlanta-based Georgia State University (GSU) for using bias reporting tools that enable students, faculty, and staff to report on one another for alleged acts of discrimination. Campus Reform, according to its website, is conservative and monitors the nation’s higher education system.
Read the full storyTrump Confidant Kerik Surrenders Memos to January 6 Panel, Vows to ‘Eviscerate’ Democrat Narrative
Then-President Donald Trump’s team assembled a 10-day pressure campaign in December 2020 hoping to shame governors and state legislators into officially investigating allegations of Election 2020 irregularities, according to memos newly turned over to Congress by former New York Police Commissioner and Trump confidant Bernard Kerik.
The strategy called for “protests” at governors’ mansions and the homes of politicians ranging from secretaries of states to “weak” congressional members in key battleground states, the memos show.
The documents, turned over Friday night under subpoena to the House’s Jan. 6 commission, are remarkable in part because they show the primary focus of the Trump team leading up to the Jan. 6 certification of the 2020 vote – an event that turned violent when pro-Trump protesters stormed the Capitol – was to get “support for hearings” to probe allegations of voting irregularities Trump’s team had received but not vetted.
Read the full storyGeorgia Receives Oral Antiviral COVID-19 Treatments, But Still No Comirnaty
Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) officials this week announced they are allocating Merck and Pfizer oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19 to select retail pharmacies throughout the state. “Initial supply of Molnupiravir and PaxlovidTM from the federal government is very limited. DPH anticipates additional allocations in the coming weeks as production increases,” according to a DPH press release.
Read the full storyGov. Brian Kemp Attracts Criticism After He Tells Georgians He Did What He Promised to Do
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, up for reelection next year, released a campaign ad on Wednesday and told voters he has done everything he said he would do during his first term. Two Republicans running against Kemp said Wednesday that the incumbent governor has fallen short.
Read the full storyPart-Time Athens-Clarke County Commissioners Want to More Than Double Their Salaries
Six of the 10 Athens-Clarke County (ACC), Georgia commissioners have proposed an ordinance that, if enacted into law, would more than double their salaries from $15,000 per year to $31,000. County Mayor Kelly Girtz, under this proposal, would enjoy a pay increase as well, but only a small one, from $57,399 to $62,000.
Read the full storyEight New Lawyers, Some with Strong Ties to Democrats, Join U.S. Attorney’s Office for George’s Northern District
Federal officials have announced eight new assistant U.S. attorneys for the Northern District of Georgia. One of them, Mary Jane Stewart, as referred to in a press release is “a career public servant.”
Read the full storyBiden Administration Labels Georgia’s Medicaid Work Requirements ‘Harmful,’ Abolishes Them
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officials this week described Georgia’s Medicaid work requirements as “harmful” and announced that Peach State officials may no longer impose them as a condition of Medicaid eligibility. CMS officials also announced that Georgia officials no longer have the authority to charge premiums beyond those allowed under the Medicaid statute in its Georgia “Pathways to Coverage” demonstration.
Read the full storyDeKalb County GOP Chair Blasts Brad Raffensperger for Claiming Credit for Georgia’s High Ranking Election Security Scorecard
The Washington, D.C.-based Heritage Foundation this month ranked Georgia first on its election integrity scorecard, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger took credit. DeKalb County Republican Party Chair Marci McCarthy said this week, however, that Raffensperger was out of line to make such a statement. McCarthy wrote on the DeKalb County GOP’s website that Raffensperger “unilaterally weakened Voter ID protections and controls” and “did not strengthen them.”
Read the full storyFeds Say Gambling-Addicted Georgia Public School Teacher Stole $240,000
Federal officials say that a Columbus, Georgia public school teacher who was addicted to gambling stole $240,000 from various nonprofits as well as from one of her former employers. Trenna Denise Trice, 59, pleaded guilty to wire fraud Monday. This according to a press release that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia published this week.
Read the full storyNew Census Numbers Show Slight Population Growth for Georgia
The U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday published new population estimates and ranked Georgia as the eighth most populated state in 2021. The Census Bureau also reported that the Peach State grew in population, however slightly, between April 2020 and July 2021.
Read the full story