Gov. Kemp signs several healthcare bills in Savannah
'Protecting the health and wellbeing of Georgians isn't something that we take lightly,' Kemp said.
Issues addressed in those bills: Maternal, mental, and physical health.
One of the bills signed, SB 55, aims to make sure everyone, regardless of if they have a disability or not, earns at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Senator Billy Hickman from Statesboro sponsored the legislation.
Hickman said there are about 10 community rehabilitation centers across the state now paying people with disabilities below minimum wage, in some cases only 22 cents an hour.
Hickman told WSAV, he became passionate about this issue when it became personal.
'I lost 60 percent of my hearing in one of my ears and 40 percent of my hearing in the other. So it really has caused me to understand more about people who have disabilities; how it affects them,' Hickman said.
Another bill with personal ties to many is HB 428. The bill is sponsored by Representative Lehman Franklin. The bill provides more access to IVF procedures.
'A modern miracle for many families who yearn for the blessing of a child,' Kemp said.
Senator Ben Watson sponsored the bill in the senate. He told News 3 about the IVF journey Representative Franklin and his wife, Laurie, have endured.
'They had tried unsuccessfully for years, and she is due here in about three weeks as a result of in vitro fertilization. So, basically what we wanted to ensure was that all Georgians had that access and had the right to have that,' Watson said.
Other bills addressed maternal mortality and drug abuse treatment. Kemp also signed 17 local legislative bills for communities from Tybee island to Long and Bryan County.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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The Hill
a day ago
- The Hill
Georgia GOP fears bruising primary in race to unseat Ossoff
Republicans are bracing for what could be another brutal primary as they look to unseat Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) next year. Former football coach Derek Dooley and Reps. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and Mike Collins (R-Ga.) have all launched bids for the Republican nod to take on Ossoff. Not long after Dooley — who's seen as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's (R) preferred candidate — entered the race, the two congressmen quickly trained their fire on the political outsider. The early friction underscores the tall task ahead of Republicans: Avoiding a messy primary that leaves the nominee bruised and battered heading into the general election, while also dodging a major clash between Kemp and President Trump, who has yet to weigh in on his preferred candidate. 'As Republican strategists, we're always concerned that we're better at eating our own than winning in November,' said Heath Garrett, a friend of Dooley's since law school who is not involved in the campaign, 'and so, we also have to balance that with the reality that voters want a choice.' 'But can we mitigate the collateral damage so that we can all still win in November?' Garrett added. Dooley, whose father is former UGA football coach and Georgia icon Vince Dooley, became the latest entry in the Republican contest to take on Ossoff when he launched his campaign for Senate earlier this month. The younger Dooley has leaned hard into his own football background, best known for his time coaching at University of Tennessee, while touting himself as a political outsider. More importantly, he's seen as Kemp's preferred pick in the race after the governor declined an opportunity to run himself despite much courting from his party. A source close to the campaign told The Hill that Dooley has visited at least 16 counties since his launch, saying there was a 'really, really positive response to him entering the race.' Carter so far has a financial edge in the race with more cash on hand than Collins, who's been in the race for several weeks. Carter has loaned himself $2 million so far, though observers are watching to see how much money he ultimately pours into his bid. Carter's campaign has sought to align itself to the president, with a campaign spokesperson asserting that the congressman 'has stood with Trump from Day One.' 'Georgians know the difference between a fighter who stands with Trump versus a product of the same establishment machine that tried to stop him,' the spokesperson said. 'Collins, who has also sought to align himself to Trump, has started to establish himself as a serious candidate several weeks after launching his bid, including organizing a 159-county operation across the state and racking up endorsements from even some of Kemp's allies.' By comparison, the Georgia GOP is formally organized in only 142 counties. 'To get organized in all 159 counties in two weeks is relatively unheard of in Georgia,' said one Georgia Republican strategist, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. 'I think there's probably some prevailing thought in D.C., like, 'Oh, it's a congressman, like, how much widespread support can he really have, right, across the state?'' the strategist said. 'But Mike has clearly built an infrastructure very quickly.' The next marker observers will be watching for is third quarter fundraising reports, which will highlight how serious all three candidates are. All three men are also vying for the coveted Trump endorsement. A source close to Carter told said the Savannah-area congressman met with the White House about the race; a source close to the Collins campaign said Collins has talked to Trump about his Senate bid. Dooley has also visited the White House. Just hours into Dooley's entry, the tenor of the race quickly turned negative, with Carter and Collins attacking the former football coach. 'I will tell you this, and we're all proud of our dads, and I'm sure both my opponents are proud of their dads as well. But at the same time, we better take this serious,' Carter said while speaking to Henry County Republicans earlier this month, a thinly veiled shot at Dooley. 'You got to have somebody who can go toe to toe with this kid, and I'm that person who can go toe to toe with him,' he added, referring to Ossoff. Meanwhile, Collins's campaign has taken to mocking Dooley, such as when the former football coach posted that 'In coaching, we have a saying, 'Your film is your resume.'' ''Your film is your resume.' So true, Coach!' replied Collins's campaign, posting a clip of Louisiana State University defeating University of Tennessee, where Dooley formerly coached, 16-14 in a 2010 SEC game. In his first interview since launching his Senate bid, conservative radio show host and former Kemp aide Martha Zoller noted Dooley had only been in the race for about a week. 'It doesn't feel that way,' Dooley chimed in, 'because there's never – there's never been a candidate who's not a candidate, and never been in politics, get attacked more in a three-week span.' Georgia Republicans are no strangers to messy primaries, including 2020 when then-Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) challenged then-Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) for the Republican Senate nomination. The two traded barbs and negative attack ads, with Loeffler ultimately beating Collins by six points. But she was later defeated in the runoff against then-Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock. 'There are a lot of concerns, particularly after going through 2020, 2021, in the Senate race there and the runoff and the Kelly Loeffler situation — there are a lot of concerns by a lot of Republicans about that,' said conservative radio show host Erick Erickson, referring to concerns about a messy primary. 'But also it's notable Collins and Carter firing so hard at Dooley right now, who's got low-name ID, because I do think they realize he can be a competitive threat,' he added. Republicans are equally — if not more — eager to avoid a clash between Kemp and the president, who have a historically complicated relationship ever since the Georgia governor flouted Trump's ask to overturn the 2020 election results in his state. Several reports last month indicated Trump's and Kemp's orbits were at odds yet again, particularly over Kemp's reported push for Dooley. 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Meanwhile, others are eager to see the White House gets involved. 'I think most people here are still holding out hope that the White House steps in before the end of the year. Now is that wishful thinking? Maybe,' the Georgia Republican strategist said, who wasn't concerned yet about a messy primary. But 'every day that goes by is another day that Ossoff is untouched, is raising more money and … is padding his cash advantage over our nominee.'
The Hill
5 days ago
- The Hill
Mike Collins rolls out 159-county organization in Georgia Senate bid
Rep. Mike Collins's (R-Ga.) campaign is rolling out a grassroots organization in all of Georgia's 159 counties in support of his Senate bid as he vies for the GOP nod to take on Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.). The news of the 159-county organization, which was first shared with The Hill, includes 413 county captains across the state and is aimed at turning out low-propensity voters. The campaign noted the last few Republicans to have county-level mobilization campaigns who were successful in statewide reelection bids were President Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R). In a press release, the Collins campaign touted the initiative's creation, noting the Georgia Republican had only been in the race for two weeks, and calling it 'a testament to the appeal of Collins' message, authentic brand, and his team's experience in the state.' The Collins campaign noted it included leaders who had previously served on Trump's and Kemp's county-level mobilization efforts. Collins is vying against Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and former football coach Derek Dooley, seen as Kemp's preferred candidate, for the Republican nomination to challenge Ossoff next year. Collins has gained several endorsements from his congressional delegation in addition to state legislative leaders, which include some of Kemp's allies. Meanwhile, Carter has a financial edge so far with more cash on hand than Collins. Carter ended the latest quarter with $4 million in the bank while Collins, who's been in the race for several weeks, ended the last quarter with $1 million. Carter loaned himself $2 million in the last quarter as he puts some of his own financial resources into the race. Dooley, meanwhile, enjoys connections to Kemp's political orbit. Collins and Carter have both hammered the former football coach hard since Dooley announced, setting up what's expected to be a hotly contested primary.
06-08-2025
Democrat Michael Thurmond is running for Georgia governor, pledging to improve lives
ATLANTA -- Democrat Michael Thurmond has a long resume of public service, and now he wants to add governor of Georgia to the list. Thurmond announced his 2026 bid for the state's highest office Wednesday, saying he's 'going to fight for the people of Georgia every day," but also pitching himself as someone who can bridge racial and political divides to become the first Democrat to win the state's top office in 28 years. Thurmond promised in an interview Tuesday to be a leader who 'will focus on the everyday issues that most Georgians are concerned about — i.e. the cost of groceries or rent or paying the mortgage, access to health care and quite frankly ending divisiveness that has prevented us from progressing more in this state.' The 72-year-old Thurmond joins a Democratic field that already includes state Sen. Jason Esteves, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and others who are seeking their party's nomination in an attempt to succeed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who can't run again after two terms. Thurmond is one of only three Black people to win election to statewide office in Georgia, serving three terms as labor commissioner after first winning election in 2010. He was also the first Black state legislator from his hometown of Athens since Reconstruction when elected in 1986. Like all the other currently declared Democratic candidates, Thurmond is now seeking to become Georgia's first Black governor. When Thurmond tried to run for Senate in 2010, he lost badly to incumbent Republican Johnny Isakson, running significantly behind Democratic gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes that year. Thurmond most recently served two terms as the elected CEO of DeKalb County, an Atlanta suburb that had $150 million in the bank when he left office. Before that, he was credited with stabilizing the DeKalb County school system as interim superintendent, after its accreditation agency threatened to strip its seal of approval, citing financial mismanagement, school board dysfunction and nepotism. Thurmond also oversaw welfare reform as director of Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services in the mid-1990s, after he gave up his state House seat to make an unsuccessful run for Congress in 1992. Thurmond is a lawyer and he has written multiple books on Georgia history. 'I bring a record of service and accomplishment,' he said. 'I, throughout my career, never shied away from taking on tough jobs.' Both Bottoms and Esteves have showcased plans to oppose what they see as wrongheaded policies put forth by President Donald Trump, appealing to Democratic partisans who are fearful and angry. Thurmond says he too is a fighter, but frames it differently. 'It's not fighting Trump,' he said. 'I'm going to fight for Georgia residents.' Some Democrats are also calling for a generational turnover in leadership, a trend that's clearly apparent among the primary opponents of longtime U.S. Rep. David Scott. After more than four decades in politics, Thurmond said he believes a track record of success will be more important. 'The number one concern of the Democrats I talked to is that they want a candidate who can win,' he said. Thurmond is the youngest of nine children born to a sharecropper. He was class president of Athens' all-Black high school when it was consolidated with the historically all-white high school in 1970. Thurmond has said that until then he knew few white people, but as co-student body president, had to learn how to deal with others. He said part of his path to victory is to pursue the 'better angels" of voters in the same way that got him elected labor commissioner. 'It's not a hypothetical for me. I've seen it with my own eyes. I've experienced it,' Thurmond said. 'And consequently I come into this race with great faith in this state and the people of Georgia.'
