FILE PHOTO - Frank Wood is seen here being sworn in as the chief assistant district attorney for the Appalachian Judicial Circuit in 2022. On March 2, 2024, it was announced he is the circuit's new district attorney. (Appalachian Judicial Circuit Court photo)
Frank Wood has been appointed to serve as the new district attorney for the Appalachian Judicial Circuit. Gov. Brian Kemp announced Wood’s appointment on Saturday, March 2. Wood fills the role vacated by Alison Sosebee’s appointment to Superior Court judge.
A native of Fannin County, Wood has served as an assistant district attorney in the Appalachian Circuit for nearly ten years and has been the chief assistant DA since 2022. He has worked in the circuit’s drug court, veterans court, and mental health court programs, according to a release from the governor’s office.
Wood’s wife, Kali, and their daughter live in Blue Ridge in Fannin County.
The Appalachian Judicial Circuit includes Fannin, Gilmer, and Pickens counties in northern Georgia.
Nonprofits in Georgia are expanding to provide more people with disabilities access to medical equipment and assistive technology. (Credit: pexels.com)
Nonprofits in Georgia are launching a comprehensive program designed to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve independence and secure employment.
Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC), Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) and nine Centers for Independent Living centers are working together to bring things like wheelchairs to people who need but cannot afford them.
FODAC started 36 years ago in Atlanta, operating out of a 65,000-square-foot building and repair facility, warehouse and thrift store, Executive Director Chris Brand said.
“Really, our goal is to collect gently used home medical equipment that people need to stay independent in their home, and fix that and give it away,” Brand said. “People who are struggling to get access to it.”
For information on how you can get help through FODAC, click here
The primary focus of these partnerships is to ensure rural Georgians with mobility and other limitations have seamless access to essential products, equipment, and systems that enhance learning, working, and daily living for persons with disabilities, he said.
This unique and significant program has not been replicated anywhere else in the country, Brand said, noting his excitement in serving communities outside of the Atlanta area, where FODAC has service delivery partners bringing equipment to six local hospitals on an almost weekly basis.
A new branch in Savannah will help serve people on the coast, he said.
“We’re just getting a renovation started down there in the next month, and that’s another big chapter that’s going to help our coastal partners we’ve been delivering to for years down there,” Brand said. “And, this will be more real time collection and distribution along that part of Georgia.”
Centers for Independent Living locations are in Tucker, Bainbridge, Savannah, Columbus, Macon, Augusta, Athens, Rome, and Demorest.
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
Demorest Mayor Jerry Harkness presents a shadow box to outgoing Chief Robin Krokum during his retirement luncheon. (Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com)
Friday was a day of change in Demorest. Demorest Police Chief Robin Krockum retired and assistant chief Casey Chastain was promoted to succeed him.
Krockum tendered his retirement notice to the Demorest City Council last month, effective March 1. His retirement comes as he prepares to run for sheriff.
Longtime Sheriff Joey Terrell announced last year that he was not seeking reelection.
Demorest city leaders held a private luncheon for Krockum on his last day. Approximately 50 people attended, including his family, city employees, and special guests.
Demorest Mayor Jerry Harkness presented Krockum with a shadow box with badges and patches that demonstrated his many years of service to the city of Demorest.
Krockum was moved by the day’s events.
“I’m honored that so many people would come out today. I really care about them,“ he said.
Terrell was among the special guests invited to attend Krockum’s sendoff. He reminisced about how the two of them worked together in the sheriff’s office in 1995 under then– Sheriff Harrison Nix. Krockum later left the sheriff’s office for the Demorest Police Department.
Year later when Terrell became sheriff, Krockum went to work for him as Patrol Commander. Krockum left the sheriff’s office, again, when the opportunity arose for him to become Demorest police chief.
“I encouraged him to do that,” Terrell said, adding, “I tried many times to get him to come back.”
“I look forward to what the future holds for Robin and his family and for the Sheriff’s Office. He can take it to new heights I could never dream of,” the outgoing sheriff said.
City Manager Mark Musselwhite said the time “just flew by” between when Krockum announced he was retiring and his retirement day. He praised Krockum, calling him “a tremendous person, tremendous police officer, a tremendous person of integrity and character.” Musselwhite said, “I look forward to sharing him with the entire county.”
Krockum was hired as the Demorest Police Chief on January 13, 2016. He has nearly 30 years of law enforcement experience. On Monday, he will qualify to have his name placed on the ballot in his bid to succeed Terrell as Habersham County sheriff.
Passing the badge
As one era ends, a new era begins. Friday morning, Demorest Mayor Jerry Harkness swore in Assistant Police Chief Casey Chastain to be the new Demorest Police Chief. A handful of people were on hand to witness the swearing-in at City Hall, including newly-retired Demorest Police Chief Robin Krockum.
Demorest Mayor Jerry Harkness swears in Casey Chastain as the new city of Demorest Police Chief. (Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com)
After the swearing-in, Chastain said he was “excited, nervous” with the promotion. As the new chief, he explained that there isn’t much that he will have to change going forward.
“I walked into a really good spot, a very good set-up. There’s nothing really I have to change.”
Chastain will supervise seven full-time officers and four part-time officers.
James Minitello is sworn in by new Chief Casey Chastain on Friday morning. Minitello will be the new Assistant Police Chief in Demorest. (Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com)
As part of his new duties, Chastain will have to swear in each officer as they go on shift. The first person he swore in was James Minutello who succeeds him as assistant police chief.
Minutello shared his thoughts after his promotion and swearing-in ceremony.
“It’s an honor and a blessing. I’m kind of excited for the future. We are going to do the best we can for the city of Demorest, citizens, and visitors,” the new assistant police chief said.
The Demorest City Council will hold a formal pinning ceremony for Chastain and Minutello during its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 5.
Investigators with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) are looking for two additional suspects in connection with the agency’s Operation Good Shepherd undercover sting.
Authorities identified Richard Gearin Hall, 38, of Monroe, and Kevin Frank Welborn, 44, of Hartwell, as suspects in the first phase of the undercover operation, which took place on Jan. 12 and 13 in Hall County.
Hall and Welborn each have an outstanding warrant for one felony count of sexual exploitation of a minor but have eluded arrest.
According to authorities, Hall had voice and text conversations referencing a meeting for drug use and sexual relations with someone he believed was younger than 16. Welborn allegedly used an electronic device to arrange a meeting to have sex with a minor.
To date, HCSO investigators, along with members of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, have arrested a total of 21 suspects in two phases of Operation Good Shepherd.
If you see Hall or Welborn or have any information that could help investigators locate them, call 911 or the Hall County Sheriff’s Office at 770-536-8812.
Cleo Anita Roper went to her heavenly home on February 19, 2024. Anita Roper believed that her life could be best understood by what she heard from the Holy Spirit, “Anita, I have something more for you to do.” Throughout her long life, Anita remained a strong, God-directed, and encouraging woman. Her love for her God and others will forever be her legacy.
Anita was born in Clarkesville, Georgia, on May 5, 1927, to parents Byard Monroe and Julia Landers Roper. Anita credited her strong, disciplined, and loving childhood for the direction her life was to take.
Anita was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Byard Roper, Jr. (Doris), and sisters Audrey Snyder (Bill) and Carolyn Richardson (Dale). Anita is survived by her nephews, nieces, other family, and numerous friends around the world.
The major calling for Anita’s adult life was to serve as a missionary to girls in Nigeria. Early in her time there, Anita was told that the Nigerians would know whether she loved them by what they saw her do. For more than 37 years, Anita invested her life in the girls at the Regan Memorial School in Lagos on the West African coast. Her Nigerian community never doubted her love for them or for her Lord.
Anita’s teaching load included the study of English, the Bible, and various other life-skill courses. She was probably best known, however, for seeking out every new student, discovering their stories, and quickly becoming a part of their support system. Anita was gifted at remembering the names of all her students and their stories. During her time in Nigeria, Anita impacted the future of hundreds of young ladies, many of whom have stayed in touch with her throughout her life.
Besides a heavy teaching load at the school, Anita also served as the director of the Girls’ Auxiliary (GA) as well as worked closely with the Nigerian Baptist’s Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) for the entire country, and as the editor of Nigeria’s GA magazine, The Messenger. Her work through the GAs allowed her to interact with young ladies through the country.
Following her years in Nigeria, Anita continued to work with GAs, her church, the American Red Cross, and ministering to her family. Anita’s legacy of work will continue long beyond the passing of her life. Her impact to the girls and their families in Nigeria, as well as the GAs in Georgia, was life-changing. Her Nigerian girls are quick to recognize the result of having Anita in their lives. One young woman described it this way: “As long as we live, and our children and our children’s children live, she will be a part of their lives. Their lives will never be the same.”
There will be a Wake-Keeping from 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM and Community Visitation from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM on Friday, March 8, 2024, at Hillside Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, March 9, 2024 at Bethlehem Baptist Church. Mrs. Roper will lie in state prior to the service from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM. Interment will follow the service at Yonah Memorial Gardens.
Memorials can be made through funding to the Reagan Memorial Girls School in Nigeria, ROGA USA, P.O. Box 3172, Suwanee, GA 30024, or the Anita Roper Memorial Scholarship Fund at Truett McConnell University, Attn: Office of Advancement, 100 Alumni Drive, Cleveland, GA 30528.
Donald M. Smith, Sr., age 78, of Mt. Airy, passed away on Friday, March 1, 2024.
Born on June 6, 1945, in Lebanon, Tennessee, he was a son of the late Melvin Smith and Pearl W. Smith. Mr. Smith served his country in the United States Navy and retired from Cargill. He enjoyed being a Boy Scout in his younger years, woodworking, and watching NASCAR.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his son, David Joseph Smith and sister, Dorothy Smith.
Survivors include his loving wife of 57 ½ years, Patricia Smith of Mt. Airy; son, Donald M. Smith, Jr. of Mt. Airy; grandchildren, Kendal Smith of Gainesville and Devin Straub of Tacoma, Washington; sisters and brother-in-law, Helen Gannon of Lebanon, Tennessee and Peggy Walters (Dale) of Dade City, Florida; and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
The family will receive friends from 4-7 pm on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at McGahee-Griffin & Stewart Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Circle of Hope, P.O. Box 833, Cornelia, Georgia 30531, to Hospice of Northeast Georgia Medical Center, 2150 Limestone Parkway, Suite 222, Gainesville, Georgia 30501, or to a Boy Scout Troop of your choice.
Historic Hardman Farm in Sautee Nacoochee Valley. (Hardman Farm State Historic Site)
The time has come for the cows to come home at Hardman Farm, the 173-acre farm in historic Sautee Nacoochee, just south of Helen, Georgia. Most people know the farm by the iconic gazebo-topped Indian mound and cow pasture.
Hardman Farm is closed in January and February to do restoration and maintenance projects at the farm and to plan for the upcoming season. Around late November each year, the herd is moved.
Spring and cows
“Their presence is missed when the herd leaves in late November each year, and the pasture seems so empty throughout the winter,” Sarah Summers, Assistant Manager of Hardman Farm talked about the significance of the cows returning.
Hayrides are a favorite at the event each year. (Hardman Farm State Historic Site/Facebook)
“We at Hardman Farm and the Valley community look forward to the arrival of a new herd in late February and feel that the cows’ arrival is a sign that Spring has sprung.” Summers comes from a long line of family to live in Sautee Nacoochee Valley. She is an 8th-generation resident of the area.
In celebration of the cows’ homecoming and the Farm’s reopening for the season, Hardman Farms hosts a special event, “Cows Come Home Celebration.” This year, it will be on Saturday, March 2, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. This year will be the third year for this event.
“We decided we should hold an event to celebrate the return of the cows to the Valley and our grand reopening, and thus the ‘Cows Come Home Celebration’ was born,” Summers explained.
Dairy barn and creamery
The day is filled with activities centering around the dairy that has operated at Hardman Farms since the early 1900s. Events will include tours of Hardman Farm’s 100+ year-old dairy barn and creamery, butter-making demonstrations, and cooking demos on the wood stove in the historic Hardman Farm kitchen.
Mr. Bob Minish, Hardman Farm’s caretaker, inside the dairy barn. (Hardman Farm State Historic Site)
Local musicians will provide live music throughout the day, and local artists and crafters will have goods for sale, including handmade soaps, wooden jewelry, garden art, barn quilts, baked goods, stained glass, and more.
Visitors can grab lunch from a local food truck, Mutt & Jeff’s Smokehouse BBQ, or a snack from Old Fashioned Fun Food. Young (and young at heart) attendees can enjoy a puppet show featuring “Daisy Mae & the Holstein Sisters,” depicting the history of the farm. There is also a hayride, farm animals, and old-fashioned games such as corn hole on the lawn.
So much to do
The Hardman Farm mansion welcomes visitors to peruse the main floor. Reenactors depicting Gov. and Mrs. Hardman answer questions and share the historical significance of the farm.
Reenactors depicting Gov. and Mrs. Hardman (Hardman Farm State Historic Site/Facebook)
“We’ve got some very knowledgeable reenactors who will portray Dr. & Mrs. Hardman and Mr. Minish, the farm’s caretaker, in the mansion,” Summers added.
“Guests feel almost like they get to ‘meet’ these personalities from the past—it is living history.”
In addition, guests can take a tour of the 100+-year-old dairy barn and see the innovative methods Dr. Hardman used in the dairy operation and even take a short hike with one of the docents down to the old creamery.
The barn and creamery are open daily, but this is the one time during the year when tours of the barn are given, which is a highlight for guests to see how truly impressive the operation is.
“There is a lot to do during the festival, so folks should plan to spend at least a couple of hours at the event,” Summers described. “Old Fashioned Fun Food will also be here with fresh squeezed lemonade, funnel cakes, and boiled peanuts—so come hungry! More than 25 local artists and crafters will be selling their wares throughout the day.”
25 local artists and crafters will be selling their wares throughout the day (Hardman Farm State Historic Site/Facebook)
Parking will be in the main lot accessed off of Highway 17.
Admission to the festivities is $8 per person (children 5 and under, free).
For more information, contact the Hardman Farm Visitors Center at 706-878-1077, email [email protected], or visit Hardman Farm online.
Representatives of agencies that received funding this year from the United Way of White County, include, from left, back row: Suzanne Dow, Jerry Brackett, Marc Turner, Rachel Martin, Nyck Crumbley, Chris Pearce, Gene White. Front row: Tami Terrall, April Rooks, Amanda Lammers, Nanette Baughman, Della Lago. (Dean Dyer/wrwh.com)
The United Way of White County has awarded funding totaling $90,000 to 16 not-for-profit agencies providing vital human services to the local community. Four of the organizations received funding for the first time: Amped Kids, Creative Enterprises, I See U Ministries, and White County Family Connections.
Combined, the 16 organizations served 15,868 residents of White County in 2023.
United Way held an allocation ceremony Thursday at the Roy Ash, Jr. Community Room in Cleveland.
April Rooks, Founder of Amped Kids, said the money they received will help children in White County.
“We are immensely grateful for the support of United Way of White County in supporting our music programs in therapeutics that will help transform the lives of foster, adopted, and at-risk youth. Our goal and mission is to provide an avenue of healing for these children, which happens through our programs as well as the connection in the community and mentorship to create a better future and empower and amplify the future of the children we serve,” said Rooks.
Lauren Williams, President of United Way of White County, said a big push was made last year to get more people to contribute where they work.
“Payroll deductions have grown significantly this year, but we would like to see growth in that area,” Williams said.
Darrel Chaney speaks at the United Way allocation meeting about the upcoming celebrity golf tournament. (wrwh.com)
Employees interested in contributing to United Way through payroll deductions should check with their employers about how to get started.
United Way’s largest fundraising event is the annual Darrel Chaney Invitational Celebrity Golf Tournament. Chaney attended the allocation meeting to provide an update on the tournament, which will be held on April 15 and 16 in Helen.
Williams said the United Way Board has committed to raising $100,000 in 2024 to provide even more assistance to local organizations.
Agencies that received funding this year are Amped Kids, Catalyst Christian Learning Center, Circle of Hope, Community Helping Hands Clinic, Creative Enterprises, Enota CASA, Family Promise of White County, Habersham Homeless Ministries, I See U Ministries, Rape Response, South Enota Child Advocacy Center, White County Backpack Buddies, White County Caring & Sharing, White County Family Connections, White County Food Pantry, and White County 4H.
Thursday was Crossover Day in the Georgia Legislature, the deadline for bills to easily pass from either the House or the Senate, and culture war partisans had a few reasons to celebrate or mourn, depending on one’s point of view.
After years of trying, the Senate passed the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA, a longtime dream of conservative politicians and activists.
Conservative politicians and activists also made one of their newer dreams come true with the passage of a bill cutting ties with the American Library Association, a library support and accrediting body some Republicans say has become too progressive.
Other culture war issues did not make the cut, including bills aimed at school bathroom and library use.
Religious Freedom
Eight years after then-Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed a controversial religious freedom bill, a different bill with the same aim passed the state Senate.
Acworth Republican Sen. Ed Setzler’s Senate Bill 180 states that the government may “substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion” only if it does so “in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest” and “the least restrictive means of furthering such compelling governmental interest.”
Setzler gave examples, including a Muslim woman in Florida who could not remove her facial covering to be photographed for a driver’s license. Setzler said Florida’s religious freedom law allowed her to be photographed in a private room by a woman.
“It largely helps people in minority religious space, but it doesn’t provide everybody of course, to make sure the government has to prove a compelling reason, and in accomplishing the compelling reason, they do that in the least restrictive means possible. The decency, the human decency, of allowing the Muslim woman, who piously believes she needs to wear a full face guard in public, allowing her to have her photo for her driver’s license made in a private room by a female photographer.”
Decency wasn’t the word on Stone Mountain Democratic Sen. Kim Jackson’s mind. Jackson, the state’s first and only openly LGBTQ+ senator, called the bill a “permission slip” to discriminate against families like hers.
Sen. Kim Jackson. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
“This is my reality and my fear,” she said. “My fear that my child’s daycare can turn us away. That a hotel can refuse me entry. That we can be denied access to any number of services that every other Georgian has rights to. The gas station that refuses service, the restaurant that won’t seat us, the physician who denies care for my child, all because they have a religious objection toward me and my family. Across the country, RFRAs have already opened the door for discrimination in public health, child welfare and adoptions, marriage-related services, employment, and public accommodations.”
Deal’s veto of the previous religious freedom legislation came amid pressure from major Georgia-based businesses that said the legislation could make it harder to attract workers to the state.
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce released a joint statement opposing Senate Bill 180.
“For decades, Georgia has benefited from a positive working relationship between the business community and our elected leaders to promote our state as a center for global commerce. Georgia’s stable governance attracts industry and has served our citizens well, and we oppose any efforts, including SB 180, that would undermine the state’s strong reputation we have built together,” the business group’s statement said.
Cole Muzio, president of the influential conservative lobbying group Frontline Policy Action, celebrated the bill’s passage.
“Passage of RFRA by the state Senate brings us one step closer toward restoring our nation’s founding right,” he said in an email to supporters. “The balancing test provided in SB 180 is fair, right, consistent with federal law and in accordance with what Gov. Kemp campaigned on.”
If Gov. Brian Kemp is to sign or veto the bill, it will first need to pass the state House. It will have until the legislative session is set to gavel out on March 28 to do so.
Libraries
A watered-down version of a bill pulling Georgia out from the American Library Association made it through the Senate. Author Sen. Larry Walker, a Perry Republican, said he got clued in on the ALA after his local library used an ALA grant to buy books about diversity and LGBTQ+ issues, some of which he said were in the children’s section.
He said he went on to find out the current ALA president described herself in a tweet as a Marxist lesbian.
“Prior to taking on this issue, I put libraries in the same category as mom and apple pie, and I was shocked to find that the havens for learning that I envisioned where children’s imaginations could run free and unhindered to find inspiration for their future and the legacy of knowledge accumulated by civil society could become a political battleground for a radical agenda pushed down by this Chicago organization, the American Library Association.”
Sen. Larry Walker. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
The ALA accredits the schools that train librarians, and Walker said under his bill Georgia universities must pay for that accreditation with private funds rather than state money. Libraries in the state cannot use private funds or state money to become members of the ALA.
Atlanta Democratic Sen. Elena Parent characterized the bill as a political ploy and referenced data showing Georgia near the bottom of the rankings for child literacy by state.
“I really, colleagues, do find it deeply ironic, in a state where two-thirds of kids cannot read on grade level, that we have so many more bills addressing what children should or should not be able to read, instead of focusing on the actual five-alarm fire problem, the problem that many of them cannot read well, if at all. That is the problem that we should be discussing today. That is the money we should be discussing putting into our budget.”
Ahead of their time
Several bills hoped for or dreaded by culture warriors failed to make it to the all-important deadline.
Bills ending sex education for elementary schoolers, making school librarians liable for distributing materials deemed harmful to minors, and restricting transgender students to the bathroom matching the gender listed on their birth certificates did not move forward.
But fans of culture clashes should not grieve or celebrate just yet. Crossover day marks the end of a bill’s ability to pass the smoothest way, but “dead” bills can find new life if grafted to other legislation, sometimes in surprising ways.
The new Circle of Hope Outreach Center is located on Central Avenue/US 441 Business in Demorest. (photo courtesy Circle of Hope)
It is an exciting time for Circle of Hope as the local nonprofit prepares to move into its new outreach center in Demorest. With plans to open in the summer of 2024, the 5,000-square-foot building will become the hub for the domestic violence services the agency offers.
Under one roof
Passersby have watched for months as the building has taken shape at its new location on Central Avenue/US 441 Business. The facility will feature counseling lounges, a group therapy room, a children’s playroom, a private intake area, and a room for community events and training.
Staff at the new facility will provide a wide range of services, including legal assistance, safety planning, and life skills and parenting classes. The center will also house a food pantry, and clients will be able to get help with housing and other types of financial assistance.
“It is an opportunity that allows the legal advocates, housing program case managers, counselors, and the administrative team to be under one roof,” explains Circle of Hope Executive Director Suzanne Dow.
Building underway in the Circle of Hope’s project “Serving Others Under One Roof.” (Circle of Hope photo)
The projected cost of the new facility is $550,000. Circle of Hope is now engaged in a major fundraising campaign to pay for it. The campaign is aptly named ‘Serving Others Under One Roof.’ This initiative is just the latest in a long line of expansion projects Circle of Hope has undertaken through the years as the agency evolves in its mission to offer hope and freedom to victims of domestic violence.
The Circle of Hope has been offering services in Habersham, White, and Stephens counties since 1987, when it began its mission “to support, empower and bring hope to those affected by domestic violence through advocacy, awareness, education and community partnerships.”
Each year it has developed more avenues to help those who need assistance.
Circle of Hope began by offering crisis intervention and support group services. For two years, volunteers remodeled a donated farmhouse and the Emergency Shelter Program opened in September of 1990.
In 1997, Circle of Hope started a Legal Advocacy Program and, in 2002, expanded the program by opening satellite offices in Stephens and White counties. Also, in 2002, they began offering bilingual support services for Spanish-speaking clients.
The private nonprofit continued to grow and develop services for the community, such as a school Prevention Program.
In 2005, a new shelter facility was added, and a housing assistance program for transitional housing through a partnership with the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (GCADV).
Today, Circle of Hope offers four supportive housing programs, such as a reentry pilot project in partnership with the Lee Arrandale Transition Center, communal living housing assistance, and scattered site rental assistance programs.
“Many contractors have already donated both materials and labor to the project,” Dow says. “And we are grateful for all who have donated financially and physically. ”
Making a gift by cash, check, or credit card goes immediately into the building fund. Gifts may be pledged over three years. If you desire, they can accommodate recurring credit card charges at intervals you select.
Georgia lawmakers voted on dozens of bills Thursday as a key legislative deadline came and went. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
(Georgia Recorder) — Georgia lawmakers voted on dozens of bills Thursday as a key legislative deadline came and went.
They dubbed the white shrimp as the state’s official crustacean and moved forward a GOP bill creating an “America first” license plate but only after a Democrat tried to change it to a “Donald Trump first” plate.
“I think what I’m really trying to get at here is just the heart and the spirit of the legislation,” said Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Sandy Springs Democrat.
But the day of marathon voting also featured its share of tense debates as lawmakers raced to get their bills out of at least one chamber by the close of Crossover Day when a bill must pass out of at least one chamber for a smooth path to the governor’s desk.
The Senate passed a controversial religious freedom bill that some say is a license to discriminate and pushed through a bill pulling Georgia out from the American Library Association.
Several closely watched bills also failed to get a vote at all. For example, a proposal to impose a three-year moratorium on new permit applications for dragline mining never got a vote in the House, even after being fast-tracked through the committee process. The bill was floated as public pressure ramps up on lawmakers to block a mining proposal near the Okefenokee Wildlife National Refuge.
A measure that would bring back a consumers’ utility council that was eliminated in 2008 during the Great Recession sailed through the Senate Thursday.
The bill, sponsored by Rome Republican Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, would create the Office of Consumers’ Utility Council with an independent director under the Georgia Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities in the state. The final measure to clear the Senate Thursday, it passed unanimously with little discussion. It now heads to the House for consideration.
The bill acknowledges that the commission exists to represent the public interest but says the commissioners “must be furnished with all available information concerning the effects of its decisions in rate cases and proceedings before it.”
The Legislature wound down on Crossover Day shortly before midnight. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
In recent years, the PSC has signed off on multiple utility bill increases requested by Georgia Power.
Another proposal seeking to force Georgia Power to provide more information about their fuel costs to customers passed out of committee this week but did not make it to the floor for a vote by Thursday.
The sponsor of the late-filed bill, Rep. Don Parsons, expressed frustration with the powerful electric utility during a discussion Tuesday. The Marietta Republican chairs the House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee.
House backs bill to end subminimum wage for people with disabilities
A proposal to phase out Georgia’s participation in a federal program that allows employers to pay people with disabilities below the minimum wage easily cleared the House.
Currently, eight Georgia community rehabilitation providers are legally paying subminimum wage to 245 workers with disabilities through a U.S. Department of Labor program. The national average wage of workers under this disability provision is $3.34 per hour.
The bill, sponsored by Marietta Republican Rep. Sharon Cooper, would require employers to pay at least half of minimum wage in the first year of the phaseout and then pay minimum wage by July 2026.
Participation in the program has been waning in Georgia. Cooper called the remaining eight participants as “holdouts” and said federal grant funding is available to help them transition out of the program.
“We will be sending a message to people with disabilities across our state that we value them, that they have a great deal to give their communities, that they can be employed, and that they are very valuable employees,” Cooper said Thursday.
The bill now goes to the Senate.
Proposed new housing program clears the House
The House signed off a bill that creates an accountability-court structured program to help those who are unhoused.
The bill is called the State Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless Act, and it would be funded by local private companies like QuikTrip, which supports the bill.
Those in the program would be in it for a maximum of 18 months, with job opportunities and therapy available to them. The goal is for unhoused people to get stable jobs and support themselves after they leave.
Republican Majority Leader Chuck Efstration said that the program is entirely voluntary, not tied to criminal convictions or any other qualifications.
“If we could allow the homeless to voluntarily enter into these programs, we think we’d get some great success,” said Efstration.
The bill creates a commission for the program with some appointees hand-picked by the governor, lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the House.
If passed, the application is supposed to be posted on the Department of Community Affairs website at the beginning of next year.
Age verification for porn watchers
Georgians attempting to open up their favorite pornographic website could be greeted by an unexpected sight: a window asking them to prove they are over 18.
The House approved a plan by Jasper Republican Rick Jasperse to require age verification for adult websites 165 to one, with Stonecrest Democrat Angela Moore the sole nay vote.
If the bill becomes law, if more than a third of a website’s content is deemed harmful to minors, the owners of the site would need to take steps to verify users’ age. That could involve having users submit a driver’s license or other form of ID via mobile phone records or credit reference agency databases.
“I’m just trying to understand your legislation for someone who is not a porn watcher,” said Butler Democratic Rep. Patty Marie Stinson. “I’m trying to – really, this is a serious question — I’m trying to understand how this legislation actually impacts people in rural Georgia; you’re saying they have to have a driver’s license to be able to watch porn?”
“Yes,” Jasperse said.
“I’m sure there’s other alternatives, but if you’re on a site that has 33% of pornographic material on it, you would have to verify that you are over 18, just like you are to verify if you went into an adult bookstore, bought alcohol or anything like that,” he added.
Authorities arrested and charged a 22-year-old Clarkesville man with driving under the influence after he ran into a woman in the Walmart parking lot in Cornelia.
According to a preliminary report by the Georgia State Patrol, Howell Reese Mendenhall was driving a Chevrolet Impala east through the parking lot just before 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28. The car crossed over the main travel lane and ran into Nereida Luviano, who was sitting on a bench outside the store. The car then struck the building, the report states.
An ambulance transported the 36-year-old Luviano to the hospital with suspected serious injuries. The wreck did not injure Mendenhall. Online jail records show he was charged with DUI refusal and failure to exercise due care, both misdemeanors.
Mendenhall was booked at the Habersham County jail and released on a $2,000 bond.
