Latest news with #HaroldJones
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Clean energy advocates concerned about how federal cuts and freezes could affect clean energy efficiency programs in the CSRA
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – State Senator Harold Jones and local clean energy leaders are speaking out about how those cuts could impact the funding of clean energy programs and what that means for the community. Programs like the Weatherization Assistance Program and Solar for All help lower utility costs for some Georgia families. They also promote workforce development, home energy savings, and address climate issues. Georgia State Senator Harold Jones is opposed to those cuts. He says they'll raise costs and cut jobs. 'These are not buzz words about clean energy or weatherization,' said State Senator Harold Jones. 'These things actually matter to people. Actually, puts more money in their pockets. Also improves the economy and the environment. All of that is connected to actually having a better society.' Nicole Lee is a business owner who has seen how weatherization and solar power help low- to moderate-income families save hundreds of dollars in utility costs thanks to these programs. 'Just to see the widespread of ones solar as well as weatherization work in in multiple states and seeing the impact that it helps in LMI communities is astonishing, and so I'm hoping that you know bipartisan funding is able to be passed so that these programs can continue to exist,' said Nicole Lee, Owner of Be Smart Home Solutions. Paige Brockmeyer is part of the Citizens Climate Lobby in Augusta and wants to encourage people to continue reaching out to state and federal lawmakers and encourage them to vote against cuts to these programs. She says the health of Georgians depends on it. 'The more particulate matter that's in the air from burning fossil fuels, the more respiratory problems we have. So, that's kind of at one level, and at another level, you have events like Hurricane Helene,' said Paige Brockmeyer, Volunteer Group Leader, Citizens Climate Lobby Augusta. The speakers wanted to bring attention to Georgia's congressional delegation to protect these programs so that only the heat rises this summer and not utility costs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans Pull the Plug on Senate Bill Banning DEI in Georgia Schools — for Now
Georgia Democrats celebrated late Thursday night after state Senate Republicans tabled a bill that would've pulled government funding from public schools and colleges that maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Senate Bill 120 made headlines earlier this week after it advanced out of committee, sparking fears among some that initiatives aimed at increasing and promoting Black representation and tolerance in Georgia could be impacted. Failing to get passed in the state Senate or the state House by Thursday's Crossover Day deadline means SB 120 won't be signed into law as a standalone bill this year, but it could still be added as an amendment to another bill that has advanced before this year's legislative session ends on April 4. State Sen. Harold Jones, D-Augusta, said he was 'happy' when the chamber adjourned around 10 p.m. Thursday without bringing SB 120 to the full Senate floor. He said he and members of his party are 'cautiously optimistic' that the legislation won't be signed into law this year, but he's not letting his guard down yet. 'In the General Assembly, nothing truly goes away until Sine Die at midnight,' Jones told Capital B Atlanta on Friday, using the Latin term for the last day of the year's 40-day legislative session. State Sen. Sonya Halpern, D-Atlanta, said the failure of SB 120 to advance was a win for Georgia students, educators, and businesses. 'This bill was never about fairness — it was about fear,' Halpern said via text message Thursday night. 'It sought to censor honest discussions, dismantle programs that create opportunity, and undermine our ability to compete in a diverse, global economy.' The bill's author, state Sen. Marty Harbin, R-Tyrone, told reporters inside the Gold Dome Thursday night that he thinks the legislation had enough support to pass, but he and his GOP colleagues decided against putting it up for a full Senate vote at the last minute due to concerns over the language. 'We had some concerns, and we want to do it right,' Harbin said after the Senate ended its session. In its present form, the legislation would bar local schools, members of the Technical College System of Georgia, and members of the University System of Georgia — which includes most public colleges and universities — from promoting, supporting, or maintaining DEI programs. Supporters of SB 120 have echoed talking points championed by President Donald Trump and members of his administration in their efforts to dismantle DEI programs at the federal level. Harbin told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this week that SB 120 would 'restore academic excellence and fairness at Georgia's colleges.' 'For too long, DEI initiatives have moved beyond their original intent and have become ideological filters that stifle free speech, enforcement of group identity over individual merit and promote a culture of division rather than unity,' he said. Critics have argued the SB 120's language is too vague and could unintentionally impact programs it wasn't meant to address, such as scholarships, internships, training programs, and student organizations that promote inclusion of marginalized groups, which includes white women, members of the LGBTQ community, and people with disabilities. 'These spaces bring students of all backgrounds together in community,' Georgia Tech student Raine Rinehart, who serves as an organizer with the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition, said in a statement cited by the ACLU of Georgia. 'On a campus full of people from countless backgrounds and countries, how can we thrive without programs that advocate for diversity?' Harbin noted that other states, including Indiana and Iowa, have advanced bills seeking to ban DEI in schools this year. He didn't rule out adding SB 120 as an amendment to another bill that made the Crossover Day deadline, pointing out that state lawmakers get two years to secure passage of bills once they're introduced. He also didn't rule out presenting SB 120 again during next year's legislative session. 'This is a biennial [legislative session],' Harbin noted. 'We'd rather do it right than do it halfway.' Jones acknowledged that white women have benefited the most from DEI programs, but noted that initiatives like affirmative action have also benefited Black Americans. He pushed back on the notion that Black people shouldn't care about DEI programs, calling it 'ahistorical.' He said the reason DEI hasn't been more effective in the advancement of African Americans is because those who oppose DEI programs have been undermining them since the Civil Rights Movement. 'Ever since the inception of affirmative action, people have taken affirmative action to court to actually gut its principles,' Jones said. 'The better way to do it is actually enforce it instead of fighting against it.' The post Republicans Pull the Plug on Senate Bill Banning DEI in Georgia Schools — for Now appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers tackle poverty and homelessness in Georgia
ATLANTA (WJBF) – State lawmakers want to keep Georgia streets safer and are exploring many options to reduce poverty levels. State lawmakers say not tackling poverty and homelessness can lead to crimes like human trafficking, gang activity, robberies, aggravated assault and murders. According to Georgia data, 13 percent of Georgians fall below the poverty line and 17 percent are children under 18 years old. In Georgia, the average poverty threshold for a family of 4 was a little under $27,000 dollars. State lawmakers say this points to having reduced child care costs and affordable housing solutions so families don't end up on the streets. 'The big ones is to allow counties to have rent stabilization so that this bill can allow counties the opportunity to see if rents are skyrocketing and opportunity to see some type of rent stabilization program,' said State Senator Harold Jones. Georgia's attorney general says tackling public safety is also key for bring new investments into the state. Census data shows Georgia has the 14th highest poverty rate in the country. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill banning transgender girls from playing in girls' sports passes Georgia Senate
The NCAA now says it will 'limit competition in women's sports to those assigned female at birth.' It's in response to President Donald Trump's executive order on transgender athletes. The move comes as the Georgia Senate took one step forward Thursday in banning transgender girls from playing girls' sports across the state. The Senate approved the bill that now heads to the House. The bill passed the Senate along party lines with two Democrats voting for it, too. The Senate debate went on for nearly two hours. 'We're using children as political foils,' state Sen. Harold Jones said. 'You are either born a male or a female,' state Sen. Brando Beach said. RELATED STORIES: House speaker introduces bill to ban transgender girls from school sports, locker rooms State Republicans take first step toward banning transgender women from women's sports Lt. Gov. announces support for GA Senate recommendations to bar biological men from women's sports State Senate passes bill restricting what sports transgender students can play But in the end, Senators passed SB 1 to ban transgender girls from playing girls' sports in Georgia public schools and colleges. Transgender sports is a big campaign issue for Republicans but two Democrats crossed the aisle to vote for it as well. Georgia Equality's Jeff Graham says making transgender children the number one priority of the Senate is 'shameful.' 'The stigma, the misinformation and lies that are spread about these kids for political purposes is truly unfortunate and shameful,' Graham said. After the vote, Democrats pointed out that transgendered people make up less than 1% of Georgia's population and called the bill a solution in search of a problem. Cumming state Sen. Greg Dolezal sponsored the bill with the approval of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. He said afterward that if you're a female athlete affected by this issue, it's important to you. 'I think that the women who have lost competitions, lost medals, not been all-Americans, who have had volleyballs spiked in their face and resulted in brain damage would say this is very much a solution that is the result of a problem that exists today,' Dolezal said. The bill now goes to the House, which has its own version of a transgender sports bill supported by the House Speaker.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Handful of rural Georgia Republicans join with Dems to give full Medicaid expansion another go
Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones, an Augusta Democrat, said he believes bipartisan interest in a new Medicaid expansion proposal could propel it to the governor's desk this year. Republican co-sponsors say they at least want an open debate. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder A handful of Senate Republicans from rural Georgia have signed onto a new bipartisan attempt to fully expand Medicaid through a conservative-friendly option that gained traction last year after a decade of firm GOP resistance. Four state senators hailing from south Georgia lent their names to a new Senate bill filed Tuesday that would expand health care coverage through a program that uses federal funding to purchase private insurance for individuals on the marketplace instead of adding more people to the state-run Medicaid program. The bill would create a program called PeachCare Plus that would expand income eligibility to those who would be covered by traditional expansion, and it would create an advisory commission that would help guide the development of the program. 'We believe that this bipartisan legislation can actually get passed,' Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones, an Augusta Democrat, said at a press conference Tuesday. Sen. Sam Watson of Moultrie said Tuesday that he is 'open to the debate,' and Sen. Russ Goodman of Cogdell made no promises that he would vote for the bill if it makes it to the Senate floor but said he wants to have an 'an open and honest debate about it.' Cordele Sen. Carden Summers, who supported a similar proposal last year, and Statesboro Sen. Billy Hickman also signed the bill. Goodman said his son was electrocuted in their swimming pool several years ago when he was 11 after lightning struck the pump house and damaged safety features. He credits his local hospital, which is about 10 miles from his blueberry farm, for saving his son's life. He said hospitals back home have told him that expanding Medicaid would help them ease the burden of indigent care. 'I think the main thing is to have it be argued on the merits,' Goodman said. 'Isn't that kind of what we're supposed to do up here?' Like last year's bill, this proposal is patterned after the Arkansas model that intrigued the state's GOP leaders, like House Speaker Jon Burns. But those same leaders had appeared to publicly cool to the idea. Speaking to reporters early this month, Burns pointed to two factors that are shaping his current outlook on the issue: the governor remains a 'steadfast' supporter of Georgia Pathways and the change in administration on the federal level. Georgia Pathways to Coverage was approved by the Trump administration and then challenged by the Biden administration over its work requirement. Gov. Brian Kemp announced this month that the state will apply to renew the program, which would otherwise expire this September. 'We're focused on what's politically possible,' Burns said early this month. 'And what we want to do in the House is help as many Georgians as we can, and if that's the Pathways program, we're all in.' The state submitted its application to keep Georgia Pathways going for another five years last week. Kemp has proposed a few changes, including making parents with children younger than six exempt from the requirement that participants complete 80 hours of work, job training, community service or another qualifying activity. Two hearings, on Jan. 31 and Feb. 10, have been set to gather public input on the proposal. Natalie Crawford, the executive director of Georgia First and a former Republican commissioner in Habersham County, said the governor's revised Pathways plan is an improvement but said it still forgoes billions of federal dollars and misses out on the economic perks of full expansion. She also argued the plan still omits key groups of Georgians. 'We've got a qualifying activities exemption for caregivers of children six and under, but what about family caregivers for aging and ailing parents? I mean, we Republicans are the party of family values. That's a pretty big miss,' Crawford said. Democrats also argue Kemp's program cannot be fixed and say it's time for Georgia to join the other 41 states that have fully expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act signed by former President Barack Obama in 2010. 'One of the issues about the governor's plan is you're basically trying to create a job program and a health insurance program combined,' Jones said. 'That's really the key part about that plan that becomes difficult. It's an administrative nightmare.' As of early January, about 6,500 people were enrolled in the program – which is well short of the nearly 100,000 the state said could sign up and the 345,000 total people who were thought to be eligible. House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, a Columbus Democrat, said Democrats have a 'moral obligation' to continue to push the issue. 'The greatest failure of Republican leadership is the lack of providing access to health care to Georgia citizens,' Hugley said. Both Democratic chamber leaders said they believed the governor could be convinced to change his mind. But Kemp, whose term ends next year, has repeatedly reiterated his staunch opposition to full Medicaid expansion, including as recently as this month. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
