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Georgia Today: Equal pay bill approved; Collins absent from town hall; Chatham County sales tax
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On March 19: The Georgia legislature OKs minimum wage for those with intellectual disabilities; U.S. Rep. Mike Collins is absent from a town hall in Athens; Savannah's Chatham County OKs a sales tax to fund school improvements.
Orlando Montoya: Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB news. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. Today is Wednesday, March 19. I'm Orlando Montoya. Coming up on this episode: The Georgia legislature approves a bill which ends sub-minimum wage for those with intellectual disabilities. Georgia congressman Mike Collins is absent from a town hall of his constituents in Athens. And residents of Savannah's Chatham County approve a new sales tax to fund school building improvements.
Juan Vargas: We need to think of how to increase the investment in education because investment is the future of this country.
Orlando Montoya: These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Orlando Montoya: The Georgia legislature gave final approval to a bill that would require companies to pay Georgians with intellectual disabilities a minimum wage. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports.
Sarah Kallis: Under current state law, some Georgians with intellectual disabilities can legally be paid as little as $0.22 per hour. Senate Bill 55 would require companies to pay those affected at least $7.25 an hour, equal to federal minimum wage. Rep. Sharon Cooper carried the bill in the House.
Sharon Cooper: It's about dignity and fairness and making sure that people with disabilities are paid at least what we consider the bare minimum wage for all other workers.
Sarah Kallis: SB 55 passed the Senate earlier this session and now heads to Gov. Kemp's desk to be signed into law. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis at the state Capitol.
Story 2:
Orlando Montoya: More than 300 people represented by Congressman Mike Collins last night met at a town hall at the Athens-Clarke County Library. GPB's Chase McGee reports, Collins wasn't in attendance.
Chase McGee: The event was hosted by local Democrats and moderated by state Rep. Spencer Frye. It featured panelists who spoke about the ways their lives have been impacted by the actions of federal officials, including Abby Horvath, a veteran and former medevac pilot who advocates for women in the armed forces.
Abby Horvath: Not only was I the senior ranking American, I was the only female in my unit for the first six months, and that was OK because I led with respect.
Chase McGee: Others shared their concerns over avian influenza and its possible impact on District 10's poultry industry. In February, Claire Teitelbaum lost her job with the U.S. Geological Survey studying how wildlife spread the disease.
Claire Teitelbaum: This was more or less my dream job. I wanted to be able to use my skills to help other people do their work.
Chase McGee: State Sen. Josh McLaurin and Rep. Ruwa Romman from Metro Atlanta also attended and took questions from the crowd — questions also being submitted to Collins' Monroe office. In a statement, a spokesperson for Representative Collins highlighted his legislative achievements and said his commitment to the 10th District and its constituents was, quote, "unquestionable." For GPB News in Athens, I'm Chase McGee.
Story 3:
Orlando Montoya: Legislation that would ban cellphones in Georgia's public elementary and middle schools, cleared a Senate committee yesterday and could get a vote in the full Senate soon. Supporters of the bill say cellphones are distracting to students and can lead to bad behavior. But one question raised in the Senate Committee on Children and Families is how parents could contact their kids during an emergency. The bill's chief sponsor said the bill requires schools to have policies for parent communication after the emergency.
Story 4:
Orlando Montoya: Voters in Savannah's Chatham County approved a referendum yesterday to renew a special 1% sales tax for another five years. Revenue from the tax will be used to fund building improvements at the Savannah Chatham County Public School system. Turnout in the election was low, with only about 5% of registered voters casting a ballot. Savannah resident Juan Vargas was one of them. He says he came out to vote because Georgia needs to invest more in education.
Juan Vargas: Instead of thinking of how we're going to reduce the cost of education, we need to think of how to increase the investment in education because investment is the future of this country.
Orlando Montoya: Vargas said he voted in favor of renewing the sales tax. So did Savannah resident Suzanne Gresham.
Suzanne Gresham With the potential collapse of the Department of Education, I think that making sure that we're paying attention to the local elections and how money is being used locally is really important.
Orlando Montoya: The school district estimates the penny sales tax will generate $700 million in revenue for public schools in Savannah and Chatham County. A similar referendum in neighboring Bryan County failed by less than 1% of the vote.
Story 5:
Orlando Montoya: The Georgia-based representatives for the Canadian and Mexican government say tariffs targeting their nations will hurt consumers and businesses in the U.S. as well as in Canada and Mexico. The diplomats spoke at the Atlanta Rotary Club on Monday. Rosalyn Quan, the consul general of Canada to the southeastern U.S., said small businesses in particular will be hurt more than large corporations.
Rosalyn Quan: When I hear comments from them, they are particularly concerned about keeping their clients. So some of them might say, I want to keep my, my, my customers, so maybe I can help to cover some of this increase in cost. But then how long can I do that for?
Orlando Montoya: Both Quan and the consul general of Mexico in Atlanta, Javier Diaz de Leon, said their nations remain committed to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement negotiated during President Trump's first administration.
Story 6:
Orlando Montoya: Events in ten cities across Georgia will commemorate the bicentennial of the Marquis de Lafayette's farewell tour of the U.S. In 1825. The Frenchman was the last surviving general of the American Revolution, and his 6,000 mile trip to all 24 states at the time was widely celebrated. He arrived in Savannah 200 years ago today and stayed at the Owens Thomas House, now operated by Telfair Museums. The museum's executive director, David Brenneman, says Lafayette symbolizes the revolutionary spirit and French/American cooperation.
David Brenneman: And I think he really was a true believer. And I think ultimately he is someone who — who materially helped us become the United States.
Orlando Montoya: The Atlanta-based French consul general, Anne-Laure Desjonquères, is expected that events reenacting Lafayette's visit in Savannah on Friday. Lafayette also visited Augusta, Macon and present-day Columbus, among other cities, also planning bicentennial events. A full listing of events is at Lafayette200.org.
Story 7:
Orlando Montoya: A little more about Georgia history now — and our state flower. Efforts to change Georgia's state flower from the invasive Cherokee rose to the native sweet bay magnolia have stalled in the state legislature. Supporters say the magnolia better represents Georgia's ecosystem, supporting pollinators like the state butterfly, the tiger swallowtail. But some lawmakers, including Senate Rules Chairman Matt Brass, oppose the change, arguing the Cherokee rose is historically significant. A compromise bill to designate April as Georgia Native Plant Month also failed to advance this session. Advocates say they'll continue pushing to recognize the state's native plant life.
Story 8:
Orlando Montoya: A cat that went missing at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been found safe and sound after an 11-day search. Ryn, a passenger's pet, escaped at the main security checkpoint earlier this month. Airport officials say she was discovered tucked away in a bookstore storage closet. Airport officials shared a video on their Instagram of the rescue, saying the adventurous feline is finally where she belongs.
Story 9:
Orlando Montoya: Turning now to Georgia sports, the Atlanta Falcons' Kirk Cousins will be featured on the second season of the Netflix series Quarterback. The streamer announced the series will debut in July with a video released today. Quarterback debuted in 2023 and was one of the top streamed series on Netflix last year. And Craig Kimbrel is coming back to the Atlanta Braves. The 36-year-old nine-time All-Star closer has agreed to a minor league contract with the Braves, sending him to Triple-A Gwinnett. Kimbrel debuted the Braves in 2010 and later went on to pitch for six other teams. He was released by the Baltimore Orioles in September.
And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. If you'd like to learn more about these stories, visit gpb.org/news. We'd like you to hit subscribe on this podcast. That helps you and it helps us, so you always stay current with us in your feed. If you have feedback, send that to us at GeorgiaToday@gpb.org. I'm Orlando Montoya. We'll be back again tomorrow.
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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news
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