Under the Dome | Post-Crossover Update | Vol. 97

Volume 97

Post-Crossover: What Now?

Firstly, I want to thank everyone for their dedication and support on pushing conservative legislation over the finish line and killing bad legislation. Many great patriots showed up to the State Capitol on crossover and it helped our cause greatly.

So, here is an update:

SB 410

This bill prevents power providers from forcing citizens to subsidize data centers via their power bills. These are public utilities and should operate in the public interest. It also repeals the tax exemption for data centers, a much needed measure. This bill has been assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee and it is a MUST PASS!

It could have been stronger, but it is a great step in the right direction.

We have been loud on this issue. We have been loud because WE THE PEOPLE should not be forced to subsidize private enterprise just because they can afford lobbyists while the common citizen has none.

Senator Chuck Hufstetler noted our efforts on this during debate on this bill. Senator Hufstetler has been fantastic on this issue and we appreciate his efforts here. See the clip here:

HB 947

When it comes to people on SNAP benefits, it is important that only the people who are supposed to be utilizing the benefits are able to. This may seem like common sense, but Democrats do not agree.

SNAP fraud is out of control. HB 947 would rein in this fraud by enacting measures to strengthen eligibility checks. The bill would ensure only people who need the program can use it. It also prevents people from using SNAP benefits at restaurants, because if you want luxury buy it yourself, don’t ask us to buy it for you.

We need HB 947 to get across the finish line this year. It has been assigned to Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. Let’s GET IT DONE!

SB 572

This bill would enhance Georgia’s Stand Your Ground Law. It would prevent corrupt prosecutors from destroying your life when you acted in self-defense. This is great legislation, which has been assigned to the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee. This bill needs to pass!

PFAS Liability Shields

I want to thank all the great patriots out there. Because of your great work, attempts to give any liability shields for PFAS contamination died. We must be vigilant to ensure it does not get revived, but this is a great victory for Georgia against cronies who want to be able to hurt people and get away with it.

Tax Cuts

The Senate has passed strong legislation to substantially reduce income taxes in Georgia. The House passed much more modest legislation. Conversely, the House voted on legislation to fully eliminate property taxes. Because it required a two-thirds votes, Democrats killed the legislation. The House is still looking to make progress on this issue, however, and passed legislation via HB 1116. The Senate passed a more modest measure earlier in session.

Firstly, it is insane that Democrats are fighting tax relief so hard. It is not surprising, but still insane.

We need to see both a strong bill on the income tax and on property taxes make it across the finish line.

Property taxes are like Elizabeth Warren’s proposed Wealth Tax, taxing unrealized gains on assets which neither being bought nor sold. Income taxes are taxing hard work in Georgia and doing great harm. It is important that both these issues get addressed THIS YEAR.

Ivermectin

Unfortunately, HB 1089 did not make it across on crossover day. Yet the efforts persist. We need either chamber to attach this language to an existing bill. This is very doable and the people of Georgia deserve it. Let’s GET IT DONE!

SB 568: Paper Ballots

On Crossover day, SB 568 was considered by the Senate. This bill makes several changes to Georgia election procedures, including hand-marked paper ballots. It was a great bill. Yet, it failed.

A bill must have 29 votes to pass the Senate. Several didn’t bother to show up. Frank Ginn even voted NO. How disgraceful. How cowardly. I hope you call him (404.656.4700) and express your opinion of this betrayal vote. And for those of you in is district, I hear he has a challenger in the primary, votejasonblack.org.

We also had some walkers on this vote: Bo Hatchett (404-656-7454), Sam Watson (404-656-0065), Chuck Hufstetler (404-656-0034), & Kay Kirkpatrick (404-656-0508). This means they conveniently left the floor when otherwise their opinion on this bill would have been a matter of public record.

I’m not sure which is worse- putting on your walking shoes or the straight NO vote.

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FY27 Budget

Overall:

In the final version of the FY26 budget last year, the final appropriated total public funds were $67,233,599,232. The House version of the FY27 budget has its total funds as $76,618,695,803.

Not A “Balanced” Budget

Many of our leader will tell you this budget is a balanced budget. They say that is what makes our state legislature better than Congress. Yet this budget increased our state debt by $703,710,000. This is not acceptable. We all must live within our means and the government should do the same. This alone makes it impossible for a conservative to support this budget.

Zero-Base Budgeting

There are objectionable things outlined in the FY27 budget. Yet, even without those, the process itself provides reason to vote no. The dollars previously appropriated are not justified. We have no idea what is in the base spending and there are not many good ways to find out. Even the top legislators in this process do not have a full picture of how the baseline spending is used. With this legislation, the General Assembly is greenlighting money that it has no role in determining the need for or what happens with it. Any money spent must be justified. Even good spending from a decade ago can’t be guaranteed to still be serving the motive from a decade ago. No business would operate like this. For this reason alone, no true conservative can vote for this budget.

We fully support the efforts of SB 392 to prevent this issue in the future. Our state would benefit greatly from SB 392, which mandates zero-base budgeting.

Corporate Welfare

While Georgians struggle to get by, they must pay their full tax bill. Meanwhile, those who can afford to hire lobbyists get deals at the expense of hardworking Georgians. Through tax credits, Georgians are forced to subsidize special interests. The FY27 budget perpetuates that. This includes the Film Tax Credit costing the state $630,000,000, Computer equipment when the total qualifying purchases by a high technology company exceed $15 million costing the state $854,000,000, High Tech Data Center Equipment costing the state $762,000,000, and much more totaling around $30 billion.

Georgians should not be on the hook for others simply because the big companies can afford lobbyists and the average citizen can’t.

Medicaid Expansion

Remember when I highlighted before radical left progressive caucus member Josh McLaurin calling Republicans out for enacting Stacey Abrams’ radical Medicaid expansion agenda? He, of course, sees it as a negative that they are only slowly advancing the progressive Stacey Abrams agenda, rather than do it all at once. Yet the fact remains that THIS is the agenda of the most far-left radicals. See clip here:

Shouldn’t that be a wake up call? Yet our leadership is doing it AGAIN in the FY27 budget.

In sections (17.8.5) (17.8.6) (17.8.7) (17.8.8) (17.8.9) (17.8.10) (17.8.11) (17.8.12) (17.8.13) (17.8.14) (17.9.4), and (17.9.5) of the budget they are expanding Medicaid in our state. Even if funds remain stagnant in these line items this fiscal year, this is expanding what is covered or how much is covered and it presents a financial liability to the state that will never go away. We hold firm against such expansion.

State Election Board

Over the past several years, the State Election Board (SEB) has been the greatest defender of Election Integrity as our legislature has failed to pass adequate measures and our Secretary of State fails to do his job. Yet this budget cuts the SEB budget from $1,389,283 to $821,481. This presents a great risk to our election integrity. This is enough reason to vote NO.

School Choice Program-Promise Scholarships

This budget cuts funding from Georgia’s Promise Scholarship, our voucher program providing school choice. It is important to remember that it saves the state money when kids use this program instead of going to public school. The House is cutting the program funding by $71,799,015 from the Governor’s recommendation. This is enough reason to vote NO.

High-Level

This is just a high-level look also. There is more bad stuff in this budget for sure, such as funneling federal funds into our state for Refugee Assistance. At a time when affordability is one of the top issues affecting Georgians, the state should be focused on helping its own citizens, not giving $20,174,463 to assist refugees from foreign places. We do not need to bring people in to depress wages, take up housing, and use resources designed for Georgia citizens. So my point being, there are lots of reason to vote NO on this budget. This is not a conservative way to run a state.

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Town Hall Video

For all my auditory learners, our brillant Research Director, Blake Bassham, recently filmed a great video for a town hall giving a post-crossover update. Much of the same material that is here but I thought it was worth your time to watch. Check it out:

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