Georgia Today: Lawmakers are back; catching up with our congressmen; a national championship preview

Peter Biello: Welcome to the new Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Monday, Jan. 9. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode: The new legislative session begins today, and Georgia's got a $6 billion budget surplus. What will lawmakers do with it? After what we'll call an interesting week at the U.S. Capitol last week, we'll get caught up with a few of Georgia's representatives. And the Georgia Bulldogs take center stage tonight as they take on TCU in the college football national championship game. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

 

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Peter Biello: Lawmakers have flocked to Atlanta today for the kickoff of the 2023 legislative session. New leadership in both the House and Senate is creating uncertainty for what may play out this year. GPB's Riley Bunch reports on some of the more prominent and potentially contentious issues the General Assembly is expected to tackle.

Riley Bunch: Georgia state lawmakers are back under the Gold Dome, where they'll spend 40 legislative days tweaking and in some cases completely revamping Georgia's laws. One question that's top of mind is: How will legislators spend Georgia's record $6.6 billion budget surplus? A balanced budget is the one bill the General Assembly is required to pass by law. In the wake of the 2022 runoff election, there is also debate on whether or not Georgia should scrap its runoff system, which many argue is too costly and cumbersome. And in a post-Roe v. Wade world, Georgians could see additional restrictions on abortion, like limits on access to abortion medication. For GPB News, I'm Riley Bunch.

 

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Peter Biello: And as the new legislative session begins, the Georgia Council for Recovery plans to advocate for programs and policies that help those with substance use disorder. GPB's Ellen Eldridge has more on their priorities.

Ellen Eldridge: Legislative work done during the last session paved the way for establishing standards around sober living houses. A new law now makes kickbacks for referrals illegal. Jeff Breedlove is with the Georgia Council for Recovery. He says what they need now is better regulation of the facilities themselves.

Jeff Breedlove: We anticipate that there'll be legislation dealing with putting in some standards, their sober living houses, as they're commonly called. Right now, under Georgia law, there are no legal standards. It's kind of a wild, wild West.

Ellen Eldridge:  Breedlove says the council is working with the Georgia Association of Recovery Residences, which is a self-policing volunteer association. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

Peter Biello:  And this programing note: The new legislative session also means the start of GPB's Lawmakers show hosted by Donna Lowry. The show airs each night that the General Assembly is in session on GPB-TV and on GPB.org at 7 p.m.

 

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Peter Biello: Things were a bit rockier in Washington last week as the new session of the U.S. Congress got underway. Republicans finally elected a new speaker early Saturday morning after 15 rounds of voting. That also marked the start of Democratic Sen. Rafael Warnock's first full term and first terms for freshman Republican Reps. Rich McCormick and Mike Collins. GPB's Stephen Fowler caught up with the Georgia lawmakers during their first hectic days in Washington.

Stephen Fowler: After facing five elections in two years, the only thing Raphael Warnock has to run for now is meetings and votes on the Senate floor. I'm in his office just before his unofficial swearing in, where friends and family watched him take the oath of office from Vice President Kamala Harris.

Sen. Raphael Warnock: It's — it, for me, is the high honor of my life. It is an extension of my lifelong commitment to service. And I'm so glad I get to do it for the people of Georgia for six more years.

Stephen Fowler: In his brief time in office so far, he's accomplished many things he's proud of, like capping the cost of insulin for Medicare recipients at $35 out of pocket.

Sen. Raphael Warnock: And I'm hopeful that now that we've got the election behind us, I might be able to get enough Republicans to work with me to provide a bipartisan path to capping the cost of insulin for folks on private insurance as well.

Stephen Fowler: Bipartisanship is the new name of the game in Washington, with Democrats narrowly controlling the Senate, Republicans narrowly controlling the House, and Georgia's reddish-bluish electorate closely resembling the direction of the country. Republican Rich McCormick, who's the new representative for the redrawn 6th District north of Atlanta, says that means his party can't be all-or-nothing when it comes to legislation.

Rep. Rich McCormick: And so we really have some ability to effect real change, but we have to be realistic. We are the minority in the Senate. We are — we don't have the, the White House. So where can we get gains in incremental amounts?

Stephen Fowler: When we spoke Tuesday morning before the first day of Congress, he was beyond excited to join such an esteemed body and is eager to use his background as an emergency room doctor to tackle issues like health care, manufacturing issues and international relations.

Rep. Rich McCormick: If you're talking about medicines and PPE, they're all produced in China. People don't realize 90% of the renewable energy sources come from China. 90% of the pharmaceuticals that we use in basic life, such as Amoxicillin and Augmentin, are created in China.

Stephen Fowler: McCormick says Congress needs to be proactive in thinking about the health of the country, literally and metaphorically. Georgia's other new lawmaker, Republican Mike Collins, also has a unique background as a trucking company executive.

Rep. Mike Collins: You don't have to look back any further than a year or two to see the problems that we've had in the supply chain and with the pandemic. And so many people really, you see trucks on the road, you see our industry, but you don't know anything about it.

Stephen Fowler: He's familiar with politics, calling himself an outsider real close to the inside, since his father, Mack, was once a congressman, too.

Rep. Mike Collins: So I saw what it meant to be able to, to serve, to actually put your business to the side, your personal life on hold and go serve your constituency. And I always thought that was a neat thing to do.

Stephen Fowler: Georgia's battleground status means all eyes are on the state and the lawmakers who represent it, like Warnock, McCormick and Collins. So you can expect to see more prominence for the Peach State in this upcoming Congress. For GPB News, I'm Stephen Fowler in Washington, D.C.

 

 

Caption

This booking photo provided by Fulton County Sheriff’s Office shows a booking photo of Atlanta rapper Young Thug. The Atlanta rapper, whose name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, was one of 28 people indicted Monday, May 9, 2022, in Georgia on conspiracy to violate the state's RICO act and street gang charges, according to jail records.

Credit: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office via AP

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Peter Biello: The trial is set to begin today for rapper Young Thug, who prosecutors say co-founded a street gang responsible for violent crimes and used his songs and social media to promote it. The Atlanta-based artist, whose name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams, was arrested last May after he was charged, along with more than two dozen people in a sprawling indictment.

 

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Peter Biello: President Joe Biden will deliver remarks at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church next Sunday in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Dr. King served as pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock is now pastor. The president is scheduled to be here on a Sunday, and although it's a holiday weekend, you may want to consider alternate traffic routes if you're in the area.

 

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Peter Biello: The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs are gearing up to take on No. 3 TCU for the National College Football Playoff championship tonight. The Bulldogs are trying to win a second straight national title and the Horned Frogs are trying to win their first national title since 1938. Georgia's quarterback Stetson Bennett and TCU's quarterback Max Dugan were both Heisman Trophy finalists. For a little pre-game analysis, we turn to Graham Coffey. He's the co-founder of Bulldog sports analysis site DawgsCentral.com. Graham, thank you very much for speaking with me.

Graham Coffey: Absolutely. Thank you for having me, Peter.

Peter Biello: So it seems like we've got an exciting game ahead of us tonight. We know the Dawgs have had a great season. They've got a 14 and 0 record. What should fans know about TCU?

Graham Coffey: Yeah. You know, they are also 14 and 0, I think is the important thing to remember and realize. And it's really hard to get through a college football season and not lose a game. And they've done that to this point. They're you know, they're a smaller private school. They're in Fort Worth, Texas. It's a — it's a Christian university. Their enrollment's about 10,000. So definitely not the normal kind of player that you see on this stage. You know, you don't see the big state universities with the the deep blue blood football traditions, but they've also been underdogs kind of all the way. So this will be a comfortable spot for them.

Peter Biello: OK. And these two teams are led by quarterbacks who were Heisman Trophy nominees, Stetson Bennett of the Dogs and Max Duggan of TCU. What can you tell us about this QB matchup?

Graham Coffey: Yeah, I mean, both of them are kind of unlikely to be in this spot, right? I mean, Bennett was not even the starter at Georgia two seasons at the beginning of the 2021 season and then obviously came in and led them to a national title. And they're 14 and 0 this year. And Duggan has a similar path of played at TCU, but that was coached by a first year head coach, Sonny Dikes, who was hired from from SMU. And when he came to the school, he, you know, he started someone else and their opener at Colorado, he started Chandler Morris and Duggan came in late in that game and looked good. And then Morris eventually got hurt a couple of weeks into the year and Duggan played so well that he never really gave the spot back. But if you had told any, you know, not just college — casual college football fans, but also, you know, the the the most knowledgeable people about the sport, that this would be the quarterback matchup for the national championship game back in August or September, I don't think any of them would have believed you.

Peter Biello: So are the Bulldogs favored to win tonight?

Graham Coffey: They are, yeah. They're favored by 13 and a half, which is the largest spread that we have seen in a college football playoff championship game in the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff. So definitely a large favorite. There have been people that have gone so far as to say that, you know, Georgia and Ohio State last week was —was probably like a national title game just before it because Ohio State and Georgia are comparable rosters. They both have a ton of talent. For some perspective. You know, Georgia has 15 five-star recruits on their roster and I believe 54 four-stars. So, you know, almost 74 and five star recruits. TCU in total has one five-star and I believe 14 four-stars. So 15, four and five star recruit. That's versus 70 almost. So there is a very large delta in terms of how these rosters are sort of composed.

Peter Biello:  Well, win or lose tonight, seems like the Bulldogs have a lot to be proud of this season, do they not?

Graham Coffey: Absolutely they do. Yeah. And you know, that was a conversation that, you know, I was having with with some folks during the game last week when it looked like they were going to lose to Ohio State — was, you know, coming off of the national title win and going 13 and 0 and losing in the playoff. You know, you were one of the four best teams in the sport to get to the point. Now you're — you're one of the two best teams in the sport to get to this national title spot. You just won a national title. So yeah, Georgia is here to stay. They are one of, if not the preeminent program in college football right now with how they followed up last year's national championship season, in terms of being so successful this year. Like they have definitely put their stamp on the sport and they're here to stay. But I do think that many people in the fan base and also within the UGA football program are going to feel like this was an opportunity lost if they are not able to finish the deal tonight.

Peter Biello: That's Graham Coffey. He's the co-founder of the Bulldogs sports analysis site DawgsCentral.com. Graham, thank you so much for speaking with me.

Graham Coffey: Absolutely. Thanks for having me on, Peter.

Peter Biello: The governors of Texas and Georgia have also gotten into the spirit by placing a friendly wager on the game with some of the best down home cooking from each state on the line.

Gov. Abbott: Hey, Gov. Kemp, it is Gov. Abbott in Texas, And I bet you some of the best Texas barbecue and a nice cold Lone Star beer that TCU will take home the national championship and beat Georgia. Go Frogs.

Gov. Kemp: Gov. Abbott, Gov. Brian Kemp of the great state of Georgia. I want to let you know that I am accepting your wager on the game tonight between TCU and Georgia. Looking forward to the Dawgs claiming their second national championship in a row. Just in case we don't get to enjoy that Texas brisket and lone Star beer, we'll send you some Jackson, Georgia's own Fresh Air barbecue chopped pork and stew if TCU wins. Going to be a great game. I'll see you there. Go Dawgs.

Peter Biello: And a final note on the national championship tonight: There are watch parties scheduled to take place all over the state. The University of Georgia will host its official watch party at Stegman Coliseum. Also in Athens. The Georgia Theater and Authentic Brewing Company are hosting events. You can join UGA alumni to watch the game in Atlanta at Dr. Scofflaw, at the works in Columbus, at Wild Wing Cafe and in Savannah at Starland Yard. And those are just a few of the places to watch and enjoy the national championship tonight. And that is it for today's edition of Georgia Today. We are happy to be part of your daily news diet. To better serve you. Tell us what you'd like to hear more of, less of, or tell us whatever else is on your mind. Email us. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. And for more news from GPB, go to GPB.org/Newsletters and sign up for the Georgia Today newsletter.