Georgia chancellor says protest crackdown attracted out-of-state students

Today’s newsletter highlights:

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter wants to explore cutting Medicaid and Medicare spending.
Georgia’s declining birth rate could impact school enrollments.
Lawmakers float changes to occupational licensing system.

The state higher education system’s tough approach to pro-Palestinian protests has led to a sharp increase in out-of-state applicants seeking to attend Georgia colleges.

That’s according to Sonny Perdue, the chancellor of the University System of Georgia, who told lawmakers at the Biennial Institute that the clampdown on protests over the Israel-Hamas war has caught national attention.

Credit: AJC

“Did you see the differences between some of the universities in the country, and the universities here in the state of Georgia, with the Palestinian, Hamas protests there? You notice a difference?” he said.

To a smattering of applause from a few hundred lawmakers, lobbyists and state officials, he added: “You know what that’s done? That’s created a huge influx in out-of-state applications to our schools here in Georgia.”

Credit: Fletcher Page/AJC

Credit: Fletcher Page/AJC

Perdue said after the event he was relying on anecdotal evidence. Democratic state Rep. Ruwa Romman of Duluth, the lone Palestinian-American in the Legislature, said Perdue’s comments were “shocking to say the least.”

“Insinuating that our students are Hamas to justify violently arresting them is beyond the pale,” said Romman, who was in the audience during Perdue’s remarks.

Credit: Courtesy photo

State lawmakers have long fought to put more homegrown students in Georgia colleges. But Perdue also reminded them of the benefits of allowing more students who live elsewhere to attend the state’s top universities.

“Our goal and our job — and we hear you loud and clear — is to take care of Georgia students first, and we’re going to do that,” he said. “But let me tell you, there’s some best and brightest students coming from a lot of other places in this country that want to get their education here. And if they come here and get an education, guess what they’re more likely to do? Stay here.”

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Credit: Ben Hendren for the AJC

GOOD MORNING! It’s the final day of the Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators on the campus of the University of Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp is scheduled to speak today. Lots of sessions yesterday focused on economic development, legislative authority and occupational licensing (more on that later). But the session that drew the most spirited questions (and opinions) from lawmakers was the one about campaign finance laws.

Here are three things to know for today:

Police say a hoax bomb threat targeting the home of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene came from Russia, Tia Mitchell reports.
An Atlanta native was sentenced to five years’ probation for working with an unregistered Russian agent to sow discord and spread misinformation in the United States, the AJC’s Chris Joyner reports.
House Speaker Jon Burns spoke with Greg Bluestein about his agenda for the 2025 legislative session.

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Credit: Adam Van Brimmer/AJC

BUDGET CUTS. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter told Politically Georgia that Congress should explore cuts to Medicaid and Medicare next year amid broader debates about how to rein in federal spending.

Carter, a coastal Georgia Republican who could seek statewide office in 2026, also signaled he was open to cuts to the Social Security program, but he said that would require bipartisan consensus.

“It cannot be done in a partisan fashion. That would be political suicide. Medicaid and Medicare, we can work on that, and we need to work on that, and we are working on that,” he said on Friday’s program. “But the Social Security part of it has got to be done bipartisan.”

Democrats saw his comments as a threat to the U.S. social safety net. Alex Yerkey of the Democratic Party of Georgia said it was “clear the GOP is gearing up for an all-out assault on the programs that have kept our seniors healthy and financially secure for generations.”

Carter’s comments echo Republican U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick of Suwanee, who said last week that both parties need to make “hard decisions” on Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security spending. McCormick joins Politically Georgia on Tuesday to elaborate.

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Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

FLIPPING THE SCRIPT. For many Georgia jobs, you need a license to do the work. You get these licenses from various boards. But what do you do if the board you need a license from misses a few meetings?

It’s a bigger problem than you might think, since many of these occupational licensing boards only meet a few times per year. One missed meeting could mean months of waiting for someone who needs to work now.

State Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, has an idea on how to fix this. Instead of approving licenses, what if these boards’ only function was to deny licenses? In this system, state workers would approve licenses for people who meet all the qualifications. Then, these boards would meet to review those licenses. If they spot a problem, they can deny a license (if they have a good reason).

One thing to remember: many of these licensing boards are made up of people who work in the industry they regulate. Tillery said changing the board’s role could stop some of these board members from acting in their own interest.

“There could be strategic advantage to being absent from a board meeting, especially if it’s going to create 46 new competitors to your trade,” he said. “While I hope that is not happening at all, we have to be cognizant and realize that is a possibility.”

Tillery and state Rep. Matt Hatchett, R-Dublin, floated this proposal on Monday at the Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators at the University of Georgia. Lawmakers seemed receptive. But doing it won’t be easy, given the dozens of boards in Georgia.

“It will require a good bit of legislation,” Hatchett said.

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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

HIGH-WATER MARK? Enrollment is up at all of the 26 schools in Georgia’s university system, a fact that Chancellor Sonny Perdue boasted about during his speech on Monday at the Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators in Athens.

But that growth could be ending as Georgia’s birth rate continues to decline. The number of births in Georgia peaked in 2007 at about 151,000 people. It was about 125,000 in 2023. Those 2007 babies? They’re getting ready to graduate from high school this spring.

“This will be our peak number of high school students in the state as a whole,” said Taylor Hafley, a demographer at the University of Georgia. “Of course, this has impact for the education system.”

Why is the birth rate falling? Hafley said most of the decline is fewer women between the ages of 20 and 24 are having children, while more women 30 and over are having babies.

“If you have your first child at 23 or 24, you might have four or five kids. If you have your first kid at 34 or 35, you might have one kid,” he said. “Think about these numbers in aggregate.”

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Credit: Courtesy photo

SHARECROPPERS’ SON. L.C. Myles Jr. was only a teenager when civil rights activist Medgar Evers was shot and killed in rural Mississippi.

“My mother knew his people. We went over there and consoled them,” he said.

It was that experience that launched Myles’ civil rights activism, a path that — decades later — led him to the Georgia House of Representatives. Myles will be one of 22 new lawmakers when the Legislature convenes in January.

Myles’ parents were sharecroppers in Bolton, a town just outside of Jackson, Mississippi. He was later drafted and served a tour of duty in the Vietnam war. When he came back, he stayed in the military and made a career out of it, retiring as a first sergeant.

He became involved in the Richmond County Democratic Party, helping recruit Gloria Frazier to run for House District 126. Eighteen years later, it was Frazier who recruited Myles to take her place.

In the Legislature, Myles said he wants to bring more infrastructure to his district, including better broadband access. He wants to push for fully expanding Medicaid in Georgia, a cause Democrats have been pushing unsuccessfully for years. And he wants to help rural hospitals.

“Our rural hospitals are really suffering right now, and I would like to at some point come up with a rural hospital rescue plan,” he said.

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee, joins the show to talk about his recent comments noting “hard decisions” are needed for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Be sure to download the AJC’s Politically Georgia podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us. You can also listen live at 10 a.m. EDT on 90.1 FM WABE. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297.

On Monday’s show, Dr. Jason Schneider, an internal medicine physician who provides gender affirming care for adults in the Atlanta metro area, discussed the medical side of transitioning. Then, Cole Muzio, founder and president of the conservative Frontline Policy Council, and state Sen. Sally Harrell, D-Atlanta, talked about transgender issues in the state Legislature.

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CONFIRMED. The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed Tiffany Rene Johnson to fill a judicial seat in the U.S. District Court in Northern Georgia.

The vote was 48-44 with all Democrats in favor, including Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

The AJC’s Rosie Manins reported previously that Johnson has been working as an assistant U.S. attorney since 2017 and previously served in that office’s civil division before switching to the criminal side.

She will replace U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones, who will move into senior status after the new year.

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Credit: Susan Walsh/AP

TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

President Joe Biden will deliver one of his last major speeches as the nation’s leader when he speaks at the Brookings Institution on his efforts to boost the economy and his vision for the nation’s economic future.
The U.S. House is expected to take a procedural vote on the National Defense Authorization Act alongside other legislation.
The Senate has more confirmation votes scheduled.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy will face questions from members of the House Oversight Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the potential impact of mass deportation of immigrants.

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Credit: Courtesy photo

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SHOUTOUTS. Today’s birthdays:

State Rep. Ginny Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs.
U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton.

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.

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