Georgia Today: Ossoff Asks Trump to Reconsider; Religious Freedom Bill; Savannah's St. Pat's Parade

Transcript:

Orlando Montoya: Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB news. I'm Orlando Montoya and today is Wednesday, March 5. Coming up on today's episode: Sen. Jon Ossoff is calling on the president to reconsider the upcoming Social Security office closures in Georgia. The Georgia Senate passed a bill that aims to protect "religious freedom" in the state.

Ed Setzler: We recognize that, you know, we have to put these protections in place so folks simply get fair treatment. That's all we're looking for.

Orlando Montoya: And Savannah officials have announced new security measures for the city's Saint Patrick's Day parade. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Caption

Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff questioned USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Dec. 5 at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about how to resolve the mail delays in Georgia.

Credit: Screenshot

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Orlando Montoya: Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is calling on the Trump administration to reverse course when it comes to planned Social Security office closures in Georgia. Ossify spoke at a virtual press conference yesterday, saying the administration's plans to shut down offices in Columbus, Gainesville, Vidalia, Brunswick, and Thomasville would make it harder for seniors to apply for benefits, replace lost Social Security cards, or appeal denials. Ossoff also pointed out that Georgia already has the second-longest backlog for disability claims in the country. He says the move would severely impact seniors.

Sen. Jon Ossoff: I think sometimes people forget that seniors have paid into this program throughout their lives. This isn't a handout. These are benefits that seniors have paid for throughout their careers.

Orlando Montoya: The Social Security Administration said last week there would be "significant workforce reductions along with restructuring."

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In addition to the Social Security office closures, which we found out about last week, the future of other federal buildings in Georgia is now up in the air. Some of those buildings include downtown anchors like the Sam Nunn Federal Center and the M.L.K. Federal Building in downtown Atlanta and the Juliette Gordon Low Federal Building in Savannah. The Trump administration first published a list of more than 440 federal properties nationwide to be closed or sold, deeming them not core to government operations. And those buildings were on the list. The administration then revised the list hours later, reducing the number of buildings to 320. The list was then removed altogether. The website then said that list would be coming soon The list also included federal buildings in Thomasville, Valdosta, Chamblee, Dublin and Rome. 

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Orlando Montoya: Georgia Democratic congresswoman Nikema Williams walked out of President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress last night. In a statement she said she left because the president's actions quote "threaten to rip food from the tables of families who rely on SNAP, gut Medicaid for those who need it most, and he's already put federal workers — many of them in my district — on the chopping block." The Trump administration fired hundreds of employees at the CDC headquartered in Atlanta a few weeks ago and then yesterday notified some of them to be back on the job today and can return with "apologies" for the disruption.

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Orlando Montoya: The Georgia Senate passed a bill that aims to protect quote “religious freedom” in the state. Senate Bill 36, or the religious freedom restoration act, says state government cannot force someone to act in a way that goes against their religious beliefs. Sen. Ed Setzler sponsored the bill.

Ed Setzler: But we recognize that, you know, we have to put these protections in place so folks simply get fair treatment. That's all we're looking for.

Orlando Montoya: But Democratic opponents like Sen. Jason Esteves say SB 36 opens the door to use religious beliefs as an excuse to discriminate.

Jason Esteves: A restaurant owner can deny someone service based on their religious belief. A Jewish couple can be denied a wedding venue based on the owner's religious belief. And I think that that is wrong.

Orlando Montoya: SB 36 passed in a party-line vote and now heads to the House for more debate.

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Orlando Montoya: Georgia Democrats and civil rights organizations are calling on state lawmakers to reject another bill, one that would withhold state funding from any public school -— from K-12 to college or university -— that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion. Senate Bill 120 passed out of key committees this week but faces another hurdle tomorrow -— when all bills must either pass in at least one chamber or die for the year. Some Georgia Tech students, including Raine Rinehart, joined today's call against the bill at the state Capitol.

Raine Rinehart: SB 120 has already forced Georgia Tech to dissolve crucial student support programs, including the LGBTQ-plus resource center, Black Culture Innovation and Technology, inter-cultural student programs and the Women's Resource Center.  This bill is part of a larger effort to whitewash our communities and our history.

Orlando Montoya: Last month, Georgia Tech dissolved the programs and moved them under a new department called Belonging and Student Support. SB 120's Republican proponents say DEI initiatives are divisive and stifle free speech.

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Orlando Montoya: Yesterday marked six months since the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School. At last night’s Barrow County School Board meeting, school safety was once again a key topic. School officials outlined new security measures, including additional school resource officers and more mental health resources for students and staff. A recovery coordinator is now in place at Apalachee High and the district says it has contracted two student clinicians, with one set to start next week. Students, parents, and teachers, addressed the board last night, with some asking for better enforcement of safety policies. Isabelle Trejo is a senior at Apalachee High School.

Isabelle Trejo: In January, a student brought a gun onto campus. More recently, an unknown high schooler or entered our school and went unnoticed. For months we've asked for proactive, not reactive policies, yet action only comes after another dangerous incident.

Orlando Montoya: Two students and two teachers died in the shooting last September.

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Orlando Montoya: The state legislature passed several bills yesterday aimed at increasing school safety. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports it comes ahead of an important legislative deadline: Crossover Day.

Sarah Kallis: The Georgia House of Representatives checked several school safety bills off their to-do list ahead of a Thursday deadline. Among the bills passed was House Bill 79, which creates a voluntary tax credit for safe gun storage devices. Rep. Mark Newton sponsored the bill.

Mark Newton: I think House Bill 79 can both inform the public and encourage them to utilize both safe handling and safe storage.

Sarah Kallis: House Bill 238, which creates a statewide student database, also passed with bipartisan support. The database would include disciplinary, law enforcement, and mental health information about a student that could be used to evaluate students who might commit violence. The information could be shared between school districts and law enforcement. Speaker of the House Jon Burns supported the bill.

Jon Burns: We have no greater obligation than to ensure every child has an opportunity to learn in a safe and secure environment.

Sarah Kallis: Both bills were inspired by the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School last fall and received bipartisan support. The House also passed a bill that would ban cellphone use in classrooms. Crossover Day on Thursday is the last day bills can pass out of one chamber and make it to the other this session. For GPB news, I'm Sarah Kallis at the state Capitol.

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Orlando Montoya: A Talbot County man has been jailed on felony arson charges. The Georgia Forestry Commission says their law enforcement officers and the Talbot County Sheriff's office took William Shane Harvey of Box Springs into custody near the location of a 108-acre wildfire, which he is accused of deliberately setting. GFC says no injuries were reported from the wildfire, but there was damage to property. The commission says low humidity and gusty winds last week created conditions that led to a busy week for wildfires with close to 500 fires burning more than 6,000 acres. And they expect the potential for wildfires this month to be above normal.

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Orlando Montoya: Georgia congresswoman Lucy McBath is eyeing a run for governor. The Atlanta Democrat filed paperwork with state officials today to accept campaign contributions and register her campaign committee. In a statement, her campaign touted her legislative record and her electoral wins in Atlanta's suburbs. McBath was elected to Congress in 2018 and reelected three times, despite repeated attempts by the state legislature's Republican majorities to redraw her district in ways that would favor GOP candidates. McBath is the only Democrat to take steps toward a gubernatorial run so far. On the Republican side, Gov. Brian Kemp is term-limited — can't run again — and state Attorney General Chris Carr is the only candidate so far, although others, including Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, are expected to run.

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Captain David Attia unloads his catch of Atlantic white shrimp from the freezer hold of his boat. David and his brother Marcus make up the crew of the James W. Salyers. Being a “freezer boat,” the shrimp caught on this vessel are de-headed, bagged, and then stored below deck at zero degrees to be frozen and ready to ship.

Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current

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Orlando Montoya: People travel to Savannah to eat local seafood. That's a big reason to like living in Savannah, actually, the shrimp. But a recent study found the overwhelming majority of shrimp sold in Savannah as local shrimp is in fact imported from other countries. The Southern Shrimp Alliance hired a Florida-based consulting firm to genetically test shrimp at 44 Savannah restaurants. And despite advertised or implied messaging promising wild-caught Georgia shrimp, 34 of the restaurants, or 77%, were farm-raised imports. The Alliance calls it a, quote, "scandal" that should be addressed by legislation. The group is backing a bill in the state House that would require Georgia restaurants to disclose if they serve imported shrimp.

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Orlando Montoya: Saint Patrick's Day is another draw to Savannah, and this week, Savannah officials announced new security measures for the popular parade on the Big Green Day later this month. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.

Benjamin Payne: Police will line the perimeter of the 2.5-mile parade route with water-filled barricades. They're meant to protect against vehicular attacks, similar to the one in New Orleans, where a man driving a pickup truck killed 14 people on New Year's Day. Speaking at a press conference in downtown Savannah Tuesday, Assistant Police Chief Rob Gavin pointed specifically to that tragedy as a reason for the new barricades.

Rob Gavin: They're not a failsafe. Nothing is going to positively stop a vehicle, even the multi-million dollar systems you can put in roads, Everything's got a failure point. It's there to slow things down. It's there to slow it down enough for us to be able to take some form of action.

Benjamin Payne: The water-filled barricades will also be installed in some parts of downtown that lie outside the Saint Patrick's Day Parade, including the pedestrian hotspots of River Street and City Market. For GPB news, I'm Benjamin Payne in Savannah.

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Orlando Montoya: The Atlanta City Council approved two measures that will designate $1.7 million in federal funds toward Path400, connecting Buckhead to Sandy Springs. GPB's Amanda Andrews has more.

Amanda Andrews: The money from the Federal Highway Administration will pay for construction on two greenway trail extensions along Georgia 400, completing the path. The first should be completed in June. Denise Starling leads the nonprofit Livable Buckhead. She says trails are important for economic development and provide more commuter options.

Denise Starling: We connect to three transit stations and connect between Buckhead's central business district and, you know, get that all to where you can use the the trail for your commute into Buckhead.

Amanda Andrews: The final trail extension stretching into Sandy Springs, is expected to be complete in 2027. For GPB news, I'm Amanda Andrews.

Orlando Montoya: And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. We love listener feedback. If you'd like to send us a story, suggestion or tell us what we're doing right or wrong, send us feedback to GeorgiaToday@gpb.org. We invite you to visit our web page, gpb.org/news, to find the latest from our reporters across the state. And if you haven't yet hit subscribe, do that now. That'll help you to keep us current in your feed. I'm Orlando Montoya. Thanks for tuning in today.