Which Georgia programs will receive money from national opioid lawsuit settlements?

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December 14, 2024

Opioid Settlements — People affiliated with opioid recovery service providers listen in April to the question and answer portion of the Macon informational session around how Georgia's Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust will disburse millions of dollars of settlement funds (Grant Blankenship/GPB News)

The list of Georgia programs funded by the first year of the state’s opioid settlement money has been released after final approval by the state trustee, Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Kevin Tanner.

Programs range from research to addiction prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery.

Just over $70 million will go out over two years for 128 projects. The money is part of the court damages paid by opioid distributors and manufactures to the state which will be allocated to the state over several years.

These programs, as well as any other programs funded by settlement money, are intended to address local needs in communities hard hit by the opioid crisis. These most recent awards required some local input before being sent to the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust for review.

Those awarded include a rural hospital for overdose reversal training and expansions to drug court programs. Most of the money is going toward recovery and treatment, run by a variety of nonprofits, clinics and universities.

Regionally, awards skew toward programs in North Georgia, which got 24% of the total funds.

J. Aaron Johnson, a public and preventative health professor at Augusta University, was one member of the Regional Advisory Council for Region 2, one of the largest regions that includes Macon, Augusta and Athens. This region received around 14% of the award money.

RAC’s were tasked with being the first to look over and grade applications.

Speaking for his region, Johnson said there was a general agreement that awards be fairly distributed across the spectrum of addiction care.

“We weren’t focused solely on one approach to addressing the epidemic,” Johnson said.

Also that they be spread evenly across counties.

“Particularly for me, it was something that I advocated for very strongly,” Johnson said. “Making sure that funding is spread across the district and not concentrated in one area.”

A full list of first and second year awards can be found here. Each falls under a category on the spectrum of care for addiction, explained Executive Director of the Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust, Holly Lynde during a DBHDD board meeting yesterday.

“They couldn’t just say like, we want to do something without actually saying it’s under this category,” Lynde said. “And then we would look at it and say, okay, yes, it’s in that category.”

This is the first round of grants as opioid settlement money comes down the pike from companies including Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Johnson and Johnson and the McKesson Corporation. The state has also settled with Teva Pharmaceuticals and Walmart, Walgreens and CVS. A settlement with Kroger was finalized in November with an estimated $55 million coming to the state.

Johnson said for the next rounds of applications for organizations to receive funds –– so far, there is no announcement for when that will be–– he’d like to see the process for opioid settlement money made more accessible to rural areas.

“People who know how to write the proposals the best are people who live in the larger municipalities,” Johnson said. “And so you end up getting a small number of applications from rural areas of Georgia.”

Providing consultation and assistance to organizations in rural areas could encourage more, and stronger, applications, Johnson said.

Local governments are also slated to get their share as litigants from major distributors, roughly $159 million, or 25% of total settlement funds that have been finalized. Municipalities, which include counties, school districts and some sheriff’s departments, are not expected to disclose how that money gets spent.

Meanwhile Georgia and others are still in a holding pattern in lawsuits against opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma, which was denied bankruptcy earlier this year in a Supreme Court decision. That decision got both praise and criticism, since it essentially voided a nearly $8 billion settlement agreement reached between the company and hundreds of litigants. It may be years before money from Purdue Pharma gets to the communities most damaged by the epidemic it played such a big part in creating.

US grocery prices climb heading into holiday season

By

Casey Quinlan

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December 14, 2024

Inflation — A customer walks by a display of fresh eggs at a grocery store on Sept. 25 in San Anselmo, California. Grocery prices rose 0.4% in November, according to the Consumer Price Index, leading to tougher times for many during the holiday season (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A rise in food prices makes for a less than merry holiday season.

Grocery prices rose 0.4% in November, according to the Consumer Price Index, released this week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Eggs made one of the biggest jumps at 8.2% over the month, and 37.5% over the past year, providing challenges for people trying to eat a somewhat cheaper protein and families cooking holiday foods such as sugar cookies and challah.

Although the increase in food prices has moderated a bit from past years, they are still more than 20% higher than they were before the pandemic, according to David Ortega, at Michigan State University.

“It was a key issue in the election in terms of people really feeling that sticker shock at the grocery store,” said Ortega, a food economist.

President-elect Donald Trump vowed to bring down prices during his campaign and blamed the Biden administration for how they reached this point. But in an interview with TIME published this week, Trump said he does not believe his presidency would be a failure if grocery prices do not come down.

“It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up,” he said.

Price changes to understand before you set the holiday table

The increase in grocery, or food at home prices, was partly driven by the rise in egg and beef prices, Ortega said. He said the price of holiday roast has been affected by drought and high feed prices. This year, the inventory of beef cattle was the smallest beef herd since 1951.

“On eggs, the story continues to be bird flu together with increased consumer demand given the holiday season,” he said following Wednesday’s release of the latest Consumer Price Index. “And for beef the issue is supply — high input costs and decisions that beef producers made a couple of years back when they were facing drought and high feed prices which has reduced beef supply, and this in turn is affecting beef prices.”

The latest food price numbers presented a mixed bag for holiday shoppers looking to bake treats this month. Flour and prepared four mixes fell 1% and bread decreased 1.3%, while sugar and sweets rose 0.2%, and butter ticked up 1.5%.

Oranges, including the popular stocking stuffers tangerines, fell 1.8% in the latest Consumer Price Index report.

The rise in cost of eating your meals at home compared to the rise in cost of eating out is also getting narrower, with the gap in inflation between restaurant menu prices and grocery year-over-year prices being the narrowest it has been since May 2023, according to Supermarket News. Food at home in previous reports rose 0.2% and 0.4% compared to 0.2% and 0.3% for the past two food away from home reports.

Are companies profiting off of uncertain times?

Rakeen Mabud, chief economist at the Groundwork Collective, a left-of-center economic think tank, said that just a few seed producers, meatpackers, and grocers dominate the food industry, which is a key part of the story of what drives grocery prices. This hurts lower-income shoppers the hardest. Oklahoma, Iowa, and Arkansas are some of the states most dominated by a single grocer, such as Walmart or Hy-Vee.

“Across the food and grocery industry, we have a sector that is deeply consolidated,” Mabud said. … And so when you have big companies controlling such large chunks of the market, we know that they have used things like inflation, things like supply chain shocks to jack up prices far beyond what their input costs to justify.”

Mabud said that when there is this level of market concentration, companies can signal to each other in earnings calls that they are going to start raising prices.

“If you know that your only other competitors are also raising prices, there’s kind of no reason for you to try to undercut them if you both hold giant shares of a market,” she said.

An economic paper published this year found that companies are able to coordinate price increases around cost shocks and increase profits from these events. Mabud said the holidays provide plenty of opportunity for the food industry to raise prices on things people ordinarily don’t buy and don’t have a price comparison for during a less in-demand season.

“Grocers and the food industry kind of know that they know that they have more information about the underlying cost of a good than a consumer who only comes to buy the Christmas ham once a year. And so they can take advantage of that,” she said.

An unhappy new year for grocery shoppers

Economists are watching out for how the next administration will impact food prices.

Trump’s promise to impose heavy tariffs on the U.S.’s biggest trading partners – Mexico, Canada and China – are expected to drive up the cost of everything, including groceries.

Products the U.S. can’t produce year round, like fruit and coffee, will be affected, Ortega said.

“There’s still a lot of uncertainty in terms of whether these tariffs are really going to be implemented or are they a negotiating tool? But that creates a lot of uncertainty,” he said. “Even that amount of uncertainty can lead to a rise in costs as companies prepare for the potential of these tariffs taking place.”

Trump’s expected policy of mass deportation of immigrants will also affect the agriculture industry, in addition to the major human rights implications.

“If there’s a mass deportation that is a shock to the labor supply and the agricultural sector. And that will lead to an increase in costs as producers and companies have to offer higher wages to attract enough labor. Ultimately that gets passed down to the consumer in the form of higher prices,” Ortega said.

Mabud is also concerned that expected tariffs could mean companies take advantage of the policy change well beyond the actual financial impact to their business.

“It’s a policy change where consumers don’t necessarily know how much the price of an avocado is going up because of a tariff versus a supply chain issue versus the grocery store just wanting to increase the price,” she said.

Patricia “Pogo” Overmeyer, 65, who works as a lawyer in Arizona and lives with her retired husband, said she has always been focused on how to save money on groceries. But she said she has become even more thrifty since inflation worsened.

She said she’s been using more meatless meals and stocks up on holiday food all year round when prices are low, some of which she freezes and cans.

“Once I retire, our income will not be as high,” she said, “Most likely I will forgo some foods or make substitutions. It’s anyone’s guess as to what we will be paying for groceries.”

Hall County rescues 24 dogs from Buford home

By

Joy Purcell

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December 13, 2024

Hall County Animal Shelter (Source: Google Maps)

Hall County Animal Services removed two dozen dogs from a single residence in Buford on Wednesday, Dec. 11.

According to a county press release, animal services executed a search warrant on a property in the 6000 block of Whispering Pines after receiving a tip about the animals, with the assistance of the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.

Officers found 24 dogs and discovered several violations, including poor sanitation and a lack of sufficient space.

The case remains under investigation by Hall County Animal Control. More information may be released at a later date.

In January, Hall County Animal Services rescued 23 animals from a Gainesville residence.

Due to the surplus of animals, the shelter encourages residents that are interested in adopting or fostering to visit during regular business hours, Tuesday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or visit Hall County Animal Shelter to view adoptable pets.

Tallulah Gorge park ranger killed in hit-and-run laid to rest

By

Brian Wellmeier

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December 13, 2024

Kristy Kerst, an assistant park ranger at Tallulah Gorge State Park, was laid to rest Friday, Dec. 13.

In November, Kerst, 47, was killed in a hit-and-run in a McDonald’s parking lot in Monument, Colorado, after she was struck by a minivan allegedly driven by Joel Lang, who police say left the scene but later turned himself in to authorities.

Lang, 41, is charged with 2nd-degree murder, vehicular homicide, and failure to report a crash involving death.

A funeral service for Kerst was held on Friday, Dec. 13, at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she was born in 1977.

A GoFundMe has been set up to lend financial support to her family during this tragic time.

In 2006, Kerst earned an associate’s degree in natural resource management from Pikes Peak State College, according to her obituary. Kerst also was a licensed wildlife transporter and held various other certifications.

From 2021 to 2022, Kerst served as a park ranger with the city of Jacksonville, Florida. She later began her career with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in 2024.

A major milestone, Kerst had recently been elected President of Park Ranger Academy Class #7.

According to her obituary, Kerst “was finally beginning to reap the benefits of her hard work” at Tallulah Gorge State Park before her life was taken.

“Her job was full of excitement, and she was passionate about bridging the gap between humanity and nature, touching many lives along the way,” Kerst’s obituary says.

Kerst is survived by her daughters, Britany Visage (Aaron Visage) and Hanna Kerst (José Martinez), as well as her grandchildren, Jayce and Harrison Visage and Quinn Mae Kerst-Martinez.

Her surviving siblings include Denise Arellano (Mike Arellano), Virgil Norris, Troy Norris (Casie Norris), and Kimberly (Kerst) Stevens. Kerst also raised her niece Kayla (Kerst) Watts (Wacey Watts) as a daughter.

She also leaves behind her great-nieces Adrihanna Kerst and Natalie Watts, and her great-nephew Dacin Watts – in addition to many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Kerst is preceded in death by her parents, Barbara (Johnson, Norris) Kerst and Kenneth Lee Kerst; her sister LaNita (Norris) Hobbs; her brother Tracy Norris; and her nephew Jeremiah Chamberlin.

Bain drops in 21 in TFS loss to Lakeview

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TFS Athletics

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December 13, 2024

The Indians lost a 73-54 game Friday night at home against #5-ranked Lakeview.

Neyo Bain started out incredibly hot, scoring the first 10 points for Tallulah Falls in just over two minutes of play. That included a pair of shots from downtown. Lakeview then went on a run to take a 21-16 lead after one.

The Indians were outscored by six in the second, trailing 40-29 at the half. Bain had 15 points in the first two quarters, while Brian Neely added nine.

A 15-4 Lakeview run in the third put the game out of reach, and the visitors were up 64-40 heading into the final quarter. Hayden Bootle’s 4th-quarter dunk generated some late excitement.

Bain closed shop with 21 points, with Neely chipping in with 11. Marquis Rolle had six, Bootle and Noah Massong added four each, Kayra Aksu and Moises Barragan had three, and Todor Stanimirovic added two. The #8-ranked Indians drop to 4-6 overall and 0-2 in region play.

Wood scores 16 as Lady Indians drop region game to #1 Lakeview

By

TFS Athletics

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December 13, 2024

The #9 Lady Indians dropped a 77-41 home game to #1-ranked Lakeview after falling behind 19-0 early on Friday night.

The Lady Lions’ massive run was ended on a bucket by LB Kafsky with under two minutes left in the first. TFS trailed 27-4 after one.

In the second, Lakeview had another 13-0 run, which was halted on a Millie Holcomb basket followed by a 3-pointer by Breelyn Wood, one of TFS’ two in the half. The home team trailed 43-17 at the break.

Wood started the second half with another trifecta and a 2-point basket, and Lia Sanjur added a shot from beyond the arc. Despite a solid third quarter, Tallulah Falls was outscored the rest of the way.

Wood finished with a team-high 16 points, with Holcomb coming in with 11. Haygen James, Marian Nino, and Sanjur each had four, and Kafsky had two. The Lady Indians go to 3-6 overall and are 0-2 in region play.

Commissioners considering precinct consolidations, courthouse demo

By

Jerry Neace

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December 13, 2024

HabCo Comm SCM Dec. 3 — The Habersham County Commission will consider consolidating two voting precincts and reconsider the old courthouse demolition during Monday's commission meeting. (Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com)

The Habersham County Commission will consider two items that have been discussed numerous times over the years.

The commissioners will be taking into consideration the consolidation of two voting precincts and reconsider a recent vote to demolish the old courthouse located in downtown Clarkesville. Both items will be discussed during the regular commission meeting Monday evening.

Precinct consolidation

Commissioners will consider the consolidation of the Amy’s Creek Precinct off of GA 17 at Fire Station 16 with the North Precinct at the Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center. They will also consider the consolidation of the Mud Creek Precinct located at B.C Grant Church in Alto with the South Precinct in Cornelia.

According to staff’s recommendations, consolidating voting precincts will reduce some of the confusion on Election Day for voters and will reduce the number of poll workers needed, saving the county a little money.

Amy’s Creek Precinct

The proposed consolidation of the Amy’s Creek Precinct into Habersham North would end voting at the Amy’s Creek Fire Department. The current setup causes significant congestion on Election Day, often blocking fire trucks from accessing the building and restricting firemen’s activities for up to three days. The room where voting equipment is set up has to be closed off to everyone except election workers and poll managers, further complicating operations.

Additionally, officials note that a significant number of Amy’s Creek voters already cast their ballots early, either through absentee voting or during the advance voting period. The change will affect 1,839 registered voters in the Amy’s Creek precinct.

Mud Creek Precinct

The consolidation of the Mud Creek Precinct into the South Precinct would address confusion among some voters who mistakenly go to the South Precinct to vote on Election Day, thinking they can vote there after previously participating at that location during early or advance voting. The change will affect 5,322 registered voters in the Mud Creek Precinct.

Since the two precincts are only about four miles apart, officials believe the change will be relatively simple for voters to adjust to, reducing confusion and ensuring a smoother process. The consolidation also allows the county to streamline operations and reduce the need for additional poll workers, helping to save taxpayer money.

The commission in 2012 approved consolidating 14 voting precincts throughout the county down to two, a South Precinct and a North Precinct. Two years after that decision was made, voters experienced long lines and long wait times during the November 2014 general election. Even with technological improvements, a later commission approved expanding the number of county precincts to four. The precincts in Demorest and Mt. Airy are contracted with the county for the convenience of their city residents.

Courthouse demolition

Two weeks ago, demolition of the old courthouse failed by a vote of 3-2. Only Commission Chairman Ty Akins and Commissioner Dustin Mealor voted in favor. During Monday’s meeting, the commission will reconsider whether to demolish the building. The cost of that potential work had recently come down to around $190,000, according to county officials.

At a development authority meeting Thursday, Executive Director with Partnership Habersham Charlie Fiveash said he and Habersham Development Authority Chairman Jim Butterworth had reopened dialogue with Commissioner Bruce Harkness about potential demolition of the structure.

Following his “no” vote last week, Harkness said his opposition to demolition came after he wasn’t given adequate notice a vote would be taken during that meeting.

“I do think that there’s a good chance that’s going to work itself out,” Butterworth said during the meeting. “In retrospect, I wish I had engaged with a couple of the commissioners prior to their vote – to help them kind of understand where we are…I think, if we had, maybe we would have gotten a different answer. I don’t think we’ve lost the war. I think we just lost the battle.”

Butterworth went on to say that he believes there could be different results to come out of a future vote on whether the old courthouse should fall.

Akins and Mealor only need one other commissioner for 3-2 approval to proceed with demolition, making Harkness a critical swing vote.

But, when reached by phone Friday, Dec. 13, Harkness told Now Habersham that he’ll likely vote against demolition again at Monday’s meeting – only because he believes taking that vote, now, is premature.

Instead, Harkness believes that vote should be taken in January after Commissioner-elect Kelly Woodall replaces Commissioner Bruce Palmer.

“I told them I would prefer (the vote) be put off until January when the new commissioner can take office,” Harkness said. “I’d like to have more time to meet with (Woodall) and discuss it with him.”

Commissioner Bruce Palmer said on Friday that so far his stance on the matter has not shifted.

“I’ve made a few calls and sent a few emails that I’m waiting to be returned, but as of now, my position has not changed,” he said.

Missed grant opportunity

Nearly two years ago, in March of 2023, the Habersham County Development Authority discussed that the county and the city of Clarkesville could apply for a grant to demolish and develop the property. The next month the Authority and county officials determined that the property would sell faster without the building.

At that time, officials looked at possibly securing a Community Development Block Grant to pay for the demolition of the old courthouse and redevelopment of the property. Then- county grant coordinator, Lauren Long, explained to the authority at a meeting in May 2023 that securing a grant would be a long and tedious process. According to DCA, the county would most likely meet the requirements for the grant.

The county did not apply for the grant, and three months later, Habersham County commissioners voted to have the taxpayers pay for the courthouse demolition. If the county had applied for the grant, it would have potentially saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars since DCA would only require a 5% match (or $25,000) on a half-million dollar grant.

According to Long, DCA looks favorably upon partnership grants. Chances were good such a grant would have been approved.

Palmer was the only commissioner who advocated for the county to seek grant funding for the courthouse demolition. He and Commissioner Jimmy Tench were the dissenting votes at the commission’s August 2023 meeting. Tench advocated for saving the courthouse for future office space and storage.

Palmer expressed his opinion at that time. “Just my opinion, but I think it would have been wise to at least go through the grant process. The worst thing they could say is no.”

Palmer added: “Even if it delayed the project, I think the county, the city, and the development authority would all be better off to pursue a grant.”

Palmer reiterated on Friday that he still believes a grant would’ve gone a long way to save taxpayer dollars.

“If the county had put in for a grant two years ago, the county could’ve done something with it by now,” Palmer said. “It might’ve had to have been some type of housing development (grant), which most of the board (members) are adamant that we shouldn’t be involved in housing. All over the state and the U.S., local governments are involved in housing in their jurisdiction, their county, their city. Just because we haven’t done it before – doesn’t mean we (can’t).”

Other business

The commission will hold two public hearings to hear citizen comments about a conditional use permit and a rezoning classification.

Marjorie Stephens has applied for a conditional use permit for 1.47 acres of property located at 604 Barron Drive. She made the request for the purpose of a dog training facility.

MPE Holdings, LLC has applied to rezone three parcels of property equaling 13.62 acres from Low Intensity to High Intensity. The property is located at the intersection of Alto-Mud Creek Road and GA 365. The purpose for the rezoning is for development of commercial property.

The Habersham County Commission will hold its regular meeting at 6:15 p.m. Monday, December 16. The meeting will be held in the Jury Assembly Room in the Habersham County Courthouse located at 295 Llewellyn Street in Clarkesville.

Now Habersham reporter Brian Wellmeier contributed to this article.

Man found dead in White County

By

Dean Dyer

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December 13, 2024

A man is discovered dead near Callus Mill Road (Google Maps)

Authorities continue their investigation into the death of a Decatur man on Wednesday night in the southern part of White County.

White County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Clay Hammond said in a news release that, at 10:22 PM on Dec. 11, the White County Sheriff’s Office responded to 9470 Callus Mill Road in reference to a death. Hammond said deputies met with some people in the area who had been looking for and found an overdue individual. He identified the man as 43-year-old Joseph Schaber.

White County Corner Ricky Barrett advised that Schaber’s wife told authorities that he left Wednesday morning to go kayaking. When she had not heard from him that evening, she and three friends who regularly kayaked with him went to search for him.

Searchers found Schaber’s body partially in Mossy Creek. His kayak was found downstream from where his body was found.

Schaber was pronounced dead at the scene by White County Deputy Corner Patrick Ward. His body has been sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for an autopsy.

Captain Hammond says the case is still open. However, no foul play is suspected.

This article has been updated with new information

Anna Marie Heard

By

Now Habersham

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December 13, 2024

Anna Marie Heard, age 55, of Cornelia, passed away on Monday, December 9, 2024.

Born in Atlanta on July 11, 1969, she was a daughter of the late J.B. Heard and Annie Bell Bishop Heard. Anna was a former Dental Hygienist and of the Christian faith. She is also remembered as a diehard Elvis Presley fan.

In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by a brother, Billy Heard.

Survivors include her children and their spouses, Seth Vandiver (Shaelynn), Lucas Vandiver, and Heather Vandiver (Andrew Ringo); grandchildren Ember, Salem, Zion Vandiver, and Eliza Ringo; best friend Darren Vandiver; brothers Jimmy, Alvin, and Joel Heard; sisters Cindy Heard and Sandra Hood; several nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

Memorial services are pending and will be announced soon.

An online guest register is available and may be viewed at www.mcgaheegriffinandstewart.com.

McGahee-Griffin & Stewart Funeral Home of Cornelia, Georgia (706/778-8668) is in charge of arrangements.

UGA research and community members find ways to benefit health in rural areas

By

WUGA

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December 13, 2024

The University of Georgia Archway Partnership is working with researchers and community members in The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Program to find ways to implement healthy habits in rural areas.

The UGA Archway program consists of a series of modules centered around topics like increasing physical activity and healthy eating. The program specifically came about after a study from UGA was released, showing that Type 2 Diabetes has increased by almost 20% over a decade.

The program involves 20 churches and 33 life coaches in various local communities. The churches and community leaders facilitate educational discussions about healthy habits and provide transportation to community events like vans and organized carpooling.

Participants in the program stated that transportation is one of the major obstacles to participating in community events.

Hannie Marie Bien

By

Now Habersham

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December 13, 2024

Hannie Marie Bien, age 88, of Mt. Airy, Georgia passed away on Saturday, November 30, 2024.

No Formal Services will be held.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, North Chapel at 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia.

Georgia lawmakers outline plan to ban transgender athletes in Georgia high schools and colleges

By

Ross Williams

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December 13, 2024

Sen. Greg Dolezal leads a meeting of the Senate Committee on the Protection of Women’s Sports (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)

A state Senate panel unveiled recommendations Friday morning aimed at stopping transgender athletes from playing in girl’s sports in high schools and colleges.

The five recommendations call for the creation of rules stating that people assigned male at birth cannot participate in women’s sports and requiring schools that host athletic events to provide changing facilities based on sex at birth as well as taking away the authority of high school athletic associations to regulate participation in girls’ sports and giving it to the state legislature.

The recommendations, which could also apply to private school teams when they play public schools, say the Senate should provide enforcement options for people who feel aggrieved by a school’s changing room policy, including opening schools up to lawsuits and withholding state funding to schools that do not comply.

“It is indisputable that there are biological differences between men and women,” said committee chair Greg Dolezal, a Cumming Republican. “Those biological differences result in men being able to jump higher, throw farther, run faster, swim faster, do a number of other things due to the increased bone density, larger heart, larger lung capacity, the increased muscle mass that resulted in Title IX and the recognition that we needed to have a category that was carved out specific to women.”

“We can both treat people respectfully, but we can also have an eye towards fairness in the legislative process, and that is what I hope to do as we move forward with this,” he said.

The recommendations could find their way into legislative proposals next year. Lawmakers are set to begin the annual legislative session Jan. 13, and bills targeting transgender youth have gotten traction in recent years.

This year, LGBTQ advocates celebrated at the end of the legislation when bills they described as anti-LGBTQ, including some targeting sports participation and gender-affirming medical care, fell by the wayside in the final hour. But the year before, lawmakers passed a bill banning hormone treatments care for most transgender minors, and in 2022, they sent Gov. Brian Kemp a bill leaving the decision of whether to include transgender girl athletes to the Georgia High School Association.

Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who presides over the state Senate, has put his support behind bills aimed at transgender children. The state House has taken a more skeptical stance on the issue, but House Speaker Jon Burns recently told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he would support a ban on transgender athletes.

Jeff Graham, executive director of the LGBTQ advocacy group Georgia Equality, said he’s longing for the leadership of former speaker David Ralston, who died in 2022.

“I am carrying around the quote from the late speaker, David Ralston, when the legislation passed two years ago that gave the Georgia High School Association the authority to set rules and regulations that he did not want to see transgender kids targeted. I wish that the level-headed compassion of Speaker Ralston can be brought back to this legislative session in 2025,” he said.

Speaking to reporters after Friday’s hearing, Graham said the number of student athletes directly affected by the bill may be tiny, but such legislation makes transgender people feel targeted and unwanted.

“The goal of the Legislature, I would like to think, is we could find common ground trying to make the world better for all kids in Georgia,” he said. “It’s easy to scapegoat some kids and in this instance, transgender kids, for discrimination, and open the door to make their life worse,” he said.