Brian Kemp eyes concessions as House vote nears on litigation proposal

Facing substantial opposition among House Republicans, the special House Rules Committee panel tasked with handling the sweeping measure set a 3 p.m. hearing today.

We’re told the governor made concessions to win over wavering House Republicans, but the scope of the changes is unclear — as is whether there will be enough support to secure passage on Thursday when the bill is expected to hit the House floor.

Some Republicans want to carve out exceptions to exempt victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking cases from changes that could make it harder to sue businesses accused of being complicit in the crimes.

Others want to nix a provision that would require trials be split into multiple phases, arguing it would traumatize survivors by making them testify multiple times.

Looming over them is a vow from Kemp to summon legislators back to a special session if they fail to pass “meaningful” changes — and a threat to back primary challenges against those who oppose his plan.

The back-and-forth spilled over into the Capitol in dueling news conferences last week, as opponents and supporters traded barbs over the bill.

And it’s played out far beyond the Gold Dome, with Kemp’s political network and well-financed allies pouring millions of dollars into a digital barrage and TV ad blitz.

One of the more influential voices who entered the fray is William T. Casey, the president of the Georgia Defense Lawyers Association.

In a letter we obtained over the weekend, Casey offered a range of suggestions, including giving judges the choice over whether to split trials into separate phases. Kemp allies say they’re taking them seriously.

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GOOD MORNING! Here are three things to know for today:

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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

TOWN HALLS. Congress is in recess, and Georgia Democrats are using the break to meet with constituents in their districts. It’s allowing them to market themselves as the party willing to talk to voters as Republicans mostly refrain from public events.

Republicans were asked to hold off on town halls after videos went viral of U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee, facing off against angry voters in Roswell last month. But Democrats have used these in-person events to highlight cuts mandated by the Department of Government Efficiency initiative and talk to constituents about the impact of reductions in federal spending.

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, is hosting a town hall tonight where she says she will “address Republicans' dangerous and partisan federal budget that threatens Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.”

And U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, is hosting a roundtable this morning in Decatur that is focused more specifically on Medicaid and highlighting the people who depend upon it.

It’s not just Congress. State Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, and state Reps. Omari Crawford, D-Decatur, and Saira Draper, D-Atlanta, will hold a post-Crossover Day town hall tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Ronald E. McNair Middle School in Decatur.

But Parent said the town hall is not in response to Republicans. She said facing tough questions is part of the job, noting Democrats had some tense town halls during President Barack Obama’s administration.

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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

WHO’S IN CHARGE? Georgia’s local governments make their own decisions. But what happens when they make decisions that state lawmakers don’t like?

The Gwinnett County School Board is about to find out. Earlier this year, the board voted to oust its superintendent — a decision that included a hefty $750,000 buyout. Now, some state lawmakers are threatening to slash school board members' salaries if they ever do that again.

House Bill 767 would strip most of the board members' pay if they dismiss a superintendent before their contract ends. The bill has bipartisan support among the state Legislature’s Gwinnett County delegation. Still, its future is uncertain.

Several Democrats opposed the bill during Monday’s meeting of the Gwinnett County legislative delegation, including co-chair Nabilah Islam Parkes, a Democratic state senator from Duluth who called it “an overreach of power.”

Supporters included state Reps. Dewey McClain, D-Lawrenceville, and Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners, who were both frustrated about the board paying big buyouts to two superintendents in the last four years.

“The main reason was in the past four years we’ve paid almost roughly $1.3 million of taxpayer money out of Gwinnett County to pay to people not to work,” McClain said.

Gwinnett County Board of Education Chair Adrienne Simmons urged the delegation not to pass the bill, calling it “retaliatory.” She said the board had good reasons to dismiss the former superintendent, including an alarming decline in reading proficiency among third graders, which is a key indicator of future graduation rates.

“Our local board was elected to make decisions in the best interest of students. That’s what we have done,” she said.

Should the measure make it to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk, it wouldn’t be the first time legislators passed a bill targeting the state’s largest school district. During the 2022 legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill making Gwinnett school board elections nonpartisan.

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Credit: AP

Credit: AP

GET READY. The Georgia Senate will likely vote to commend President Donald Trump today, and it’s not just the Republicans who could benefit.

Senate Resolution 246 would commend Trump for his reelection and “successful conservative policies.” It’s a chance for Republicans to attach themselves to a president popular within their districts while giving them something to post about on social media.

But for Democrats, it’s a chance to put on a show.

Don’t be surprised to see coordinated speeches, and perhaps a cleverly worded amendment or two, from potential 2026 contenders highlighting the resistance to Trump in a Republican-controlled state.

We’re not quite sure what Democrats have in mind — they declined to share their plans in advance. But Georgia Democrats, particularly those in the Senate, have found inventive ways to get their point across.

We’ll also be watching across the Capitol in the House, where Democrats have introduced a resolution to commend Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who will be a top Republican target when he runs for reelection next year. We don’t expect that resolution to sail through either.

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Credit: AJC file photo

Credit: AJC file photo

OLYMPIC PAUSE. Plans to relocate Atlanta’s Olympic cauldron have hit a snag after state lawmakers balked at an $833,000 request to help pay for it.

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority agreed to relocate the cauldron to Centennial Olympic Park at the request of Billy Payne, who was one of the driving forces to bring the 1996 games to Atlanta.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp agreed to include $833,000 in the amended 2025 state budget to help pay for the roughly $2.5 million cost of relocating the cauldron. The rest of the money would have come from private donations. But the state Senate removed that funding. Lawmakers also rejected a budget request last year to help pay for the planning required to relocate the cauldron.

“We think other priorities like storm and school safety trumped that at this time,” said state Sen. Blake Tillery, a Republican from Vidalia and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Kevin Duvall, CEO of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, noted they have had several successful public-private partnerships over the years. Without state funding, the project is uncertain.

“We’re taking a pause and kind of reviewing and seeing what path we want to go forward on,” he said.

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Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

UNDER THE GOLD DOME. It’s the 32nd day of the legislative session. Sine Die is 17 days away. Some of today’s happenings:

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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

LISTEN UP. Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast, Greg Bluestein, Patricia Murphy and Tia Mitchell talk about Congress avoiding a government shutdown and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s upcoming rally to kick off his reelection campaign. Then, Bluestein explores the long-debated sports betting proposal and why it failed to pass yet again this session.

You can listen and subscribe to the podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Have a question or comment for the show? Call the 24-hour Politically Georgia Podcast Hotline at 770-810-5297. We’ll play back your question and answer it during our next listener mailbag segment.

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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

BIG SPENDER. In the months after he announced he was retiring, then Republican U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson kept up a busy travel schedule that included using campaign funds to pay for expensive hotels, fancy meals and even concert tickets.

An investigation by the AJC’s Tia Michell and Phoebe Quinton found that Ferguson’s campaign spending outpaced several of his colleagues from Georgia even though he was the only member of the delegation not on the ballot in 2024. And Ferguson also spent more heavily than other retiring GOP lawmakers from swing states.

Ferguson’s team said that he kept up a busy schedule traveling to political events and supporting other candidates for public office. But he and his representatives provided few details beyond what is publicly available in reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

The lawmaker-turned-lobbyist’s use of campaign dollars highlights the shortfalls of current federal campaign finance regulations and underscores the loose rules that govern how elected federal officials can spend donor dollars. In this current climate, one campaign finance expert said, there is a perception that nearly anything goes.

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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

SHOUTOUTS. Today’s birthday:

Transition:

Recognition:

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that! Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.

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AS ALWAYS, send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.