Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Brian Kemp’s litigation overhaul gets a special House subcommittee.
- Tyler Harper hints at a potential run for U.S. Senate.
- Special elections ordered for the Public Service Commission.
Georgia may be on the cusp of joining a growing number of states that restrict courts from ordering controversial “reunification treatments” amid backlash to a spate of new programs and workshops that some family courts use to settle custody fights.
The Georgia House on Wednesday unanimously approved House Bill 253, introduced by Republican state Rep. David Clark of Suwanee and Democratic state Rep. Stacey Evans of Atlanta, to curb the intensive use of reunification therapy in Georgia.
Under the proposal, judges would be barred from ordering children to participate in programs that rely on “use of force, threat of force, physical obstruction, acutely distressing circumstances” or private transporters to remove children from their homes.
If that sounds unnecessary, The Wall Street Journal documented concerns from family advocacy groups that some treatments traumatize children ordered by judges to take part in programs to repair relationships with a parent amid lengthy custody battles.
The industry’s supporters see the treatments, sometimes held at dayslong camps, as a last-ditch option during bitter infighting between parents locked in intractable custody disputes.
Lawmakers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah, New Hampshire and Tennessee have already approved similar restrictions, according to the Journal, and several other states are also weighing crackdowns.
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Credit: Screenshot, Georgia Senate
Credit: Screenshot, Georgia Senate
GOOD MORNING! State Sen. Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, has again filed a bill that would create an “America First” license plate. When he tried this last year, Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, suggested an amendment changing it to “Donald Trump First,” which he said would reflect “the heart and the spirit of the legislation” and address “what the bill is really about.”
Here are three things to know for today:
- Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency claims it saved the federal government $25 million by canceling a contract to an Atlanta company. But the actual savings were only about $835,000, the AJC’s Mirtha Donastorg reports.
- The State Election Board has dropped its yearslong investigation of a complaint filed by a conservative voting group alleging widespread illegal ballot stuffing, the AJC’s Caleb Groves reports.
- Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Boggs’ plan to resign at the end of March continues a longstanding trend in judicial politics. Almost all Georgia Supreme Court justices in recent history have stepped down before their terms ended, writes Greg Bluestein.
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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
TORT TIME. House Speaker Jon Burns is taking more control over Gov. Brian Kemp’s litigation overhaul by assigning it to a newly created subcommittee rather than the usual route through the Judiciary Committee.
Burns said Wednesday that the panel will be chaired by state Rep. Rob Leverett, an Elberton Republican who specializes in real estate law and is seen as a no-nonsense up-and-coming party figure.
The strategic move helps Burns and House leaders have more say over the polarizing measure, which passed the Senate with modest changes last week following an extraordinary Kemp threat to oppose any Republicans who dared to vote against it.
That message has spooked some in the House, where Burns’ team is trying to navigate Kemp’s drive to pass the legislation with bubbling unrest from some in his caucus.
The speaker loaded the subcommittee with some of the House’s most prominent voices on the issue. Among them are Rules Committee Chair Butch Parrish, R-Swainsboro; Judiciary Committee Chair Stan Gunter, R-Blairsville; and House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, R-Mulberry.
He also included four leading Democratic critics: Stacey Evans and Tanya Miller of Atlanta, Sam Park of Lawrenceville and Al Williams of Midway.
Get ready. The committee could move fast.
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Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
Credit: Curtis Compton/AJC
CULTURE WARS. Attorney General Chris Carr filed a legal brief backing President Donald Trump’s executive order barring federal agencies from funding gender-affirming surgeries for children.
This comes days after the Senate advanced a measure that rebuked Carr for reaching a legal settlement allowing state workers to get transgender-related health care through Georgia’s insurance plan.
Carr, of course, seems headed for a showdown with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the GOP primary for governor next year. It was Jones who teed up the measure in the Senate this month. We asked Carr if he supports the bill, which would restrict the State Health Benefit Plan from funding gender-affirming care.
“We support banning sex-change procedures for children and taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries,” Carr spokesperson Kara Murray said. “We will work with the House and Senate to make sure any legislation is strong enough to withstand legal challenges.”
On a similar front, House lawmakers are preparing to vote on the Riley Gaines Act, which would bar transgender girls from competing in women’s sports. The Senate already passed a similar version of the bill. Speaker Jon Burns’ political operation is preparing digital ads thanking GOP supporters for “protecting women and girls’ sports.”
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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
CONTENDER? It’s always instructive to see how public officials are spending their time. So it caught our attention when Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper posted to X this week that he had visited the National Republican Senatorial Committee during a trip to Washington for ag business.
The NRSC, of course, is the Republicans’ nerve center for U.S. Senate races and Georgia has a top-tier Senate race in 2026 when Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is up for reelection for the first time.
Harper, a farmer and former state senator from Ocilla, is one of more than a dozen Republicans rumored to be considering a run for a new office next year. Up to this point, most had assumed lieutenant governor to be in his sights. Along with meeting with top staff at the NRSC in Washington, Harper also sat down with the lead fundraisers at the Senate Leadership Fund.
Gov. Brian Kemp, national Republicans’ top recruit to challenge Ossoff, has said he’ll make a decision about the race after the Legislative session wraps up in early April. If Kemp takes a pass, look for plenty of ambitious Republicans — possibly including Harper — to take a hard look at the wide-open GOP primary. With deep pockets, a statewide win in 2022, and close ties with President Donald Trump, Harper would be a contender.
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HAGGLE TIME. The Georgia Senate passed its version of the amended 2025 budget on Wednesday. Now it’s time to find the pressure points by comparing the Senate’s budget with the spending proposals from Gov. Brian Kemp and the state House of Representatives.
Remember, the 2025 budget offers a small glimpse of the bigger budget picture. The House and Senate have yet to reveal their versions of the 2026 budget, which is where the bulk of taxpayer money will be spent.
But it’s still instructive to see where the battle lines will form as negotiations pick up over the final weeks of the legislative session.
- Rural hospitals: The House added $35 million to help stabilize Georgia’s 45 rural and critical access hospitals, many of which are at risk of closing because of financial troubles. The Senate cut that to $15 million and limited it to the hospitals within the major disaster declaration zone of Hurricane Helene.
- Olympic cauldron: The House added over $833,000 to help move the 1996 Olympic Cauldron from the Georgia State University campus to Centennial Olympic Park. Senators rejected the spending, suggesting they prefer the project to be paid for by private donors.
- Super Bowl safety: The House added $7 million to pay for security and infrastructure costs related to the 2028 Super Bowl and the 2013 NCAA Men’s Final Four. The Senate rejected the addition, arguing it was too soon to be spending it.
- Human trafficking: The House agreed to spend about $93,000 to expand the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Unit to Augusta. The Senate increased that to $187,000 to also include Macon.
- Water infrastructure: The House and Senate agreed to spend $501 million on water infrastructure for Georgia’s coastal regions. The Senate added another $200 million to support water infrastructure projects throughout the rest of the state.
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Credit: Adam Beam/AJC
Credit: Adam Beam/AJC
UNDER THE GOLD DOME. It’s the 24th day of the legislative session. Some happenings:
- 8 a.m.: The Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee will meet to consider Senate Bill 178, which would allow the state treasurer to invest in Bitcoin.
- 10 a.m.: House convenes. Lawmakers could vote on nine bills, including the Riley Gaines Act, which would prohibit transgender athletes from competing against women in school sports.
- 10 a.m.: Senate convenes. Lawmakers could vote on five bills, including Senate Bill 101, which would require testing newborns for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
- 2 p.m.: House Health Committee meets to consider House Bill 522, which would stop health care providers from discriminating against potential organ transplant recipients based solely on their vaccination status.
- 3 p.m.: The Senate Committee on Regulated Industries and Utilities will meet to consider Senate Resolution 131, which would place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to allow for sports betting and casino gambling in Georgia.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia,” Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones joins the show.
This is our last week broadcasting on 90.1 FM WABE. But the show will continue as a podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or other platforms. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us.
On Wednesday’s show, the AJC’s Riley Bunch recapped Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ State of the City address. And Democratic lobbyist Howard Franklin talked about why he’s opening an office in Washington.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
PSC ELECTIONS. Two of five seats on Georgia’s Public Service Commission will be filled by special elections this year, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Wednesday.
The Augusta Chronicle reported that the District 2 seat held by Tim Echols and the District 3 seat occupied by Fitz Johnson have not been on the ballot since 2020.
The elections were delayed by a lawsuit that challenged the ways PSC members are selected in Georgia, the AJC previously reported. Then in March 2024, the Georgia General Assembly passed a bill that scheduled the District 2 and 3 elections for this November.
But another lawsuit challenged the timing of those elections, saying they should happen sooner. Raffensperger’s timeline solidified the November election.
Candidate qualifying is in April and there will be primaries in June.
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Credit: AP
Credit: AP
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Donald Trump will receive an intelligence briefing and then meet at the White House with United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
- The House will vote on legislation reversing clean energy standards backed by former President Joe Biden.
- The Senate will consider more of Trump’s nominees and legislation to roll back regulations approved under Biden.
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Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC
HONORING ABIT MASSEY. Georgia’s congressional delegation, led by U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, is backing legislation to rename a federal poultry research facility after Francis “Abit” Massey, the longtime president of the Georgia Poultry Federation.
Massey died of complications from cancer in June 2024. He was 96. The longtime lobbyist was credited with overseeing the rise of Georgia’s poultry industry.
Under the proposal, the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Poultry Research Center in Athens would be renamed the “Abit Massey Poultry Research Center.”
“His dedication to our agricultural industry cannot be overstated, rightfully earning him the nickname ‘Dean of the poultry industry,’” Carter, R-St. Simons Island, said in a news release. “No one supported Georgia farmers more than Massey, and this renaming will help preserve his memory and influence for generations to come.”
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Credit: Alyssa Pointer/AJC
Credit: Alyssa Pointer/AJC
SHOUTOUTS. Today’s birthdays:
- State Rep. Buddy DeLoach, R-Townsend.
- State Rep. Matthew Gambill, R-Cartersville.
- State Rep. Vance Smith, R-Pine Mountain.
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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