Georgia Trend Daily – March 24, 2025

March 24, 2025 WABE

Farmers, small business owners were promised financial help for energy upgrades. They’re still waiting for it

Emily Jones, Katie Myers, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco and Izzy Ross report that the Trump administration’s freeze on funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, the landmark climate law from the Biden era, has left farmers and rural businesses on the hook for costly energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy installations. The grants are part of the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, originally created in the 2008 farm bill and supercharged by funding from the IRA.

March 24, 2025 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!

Trails Connecting Communities

Kathleen Conway reports, plans are underway to improve the Flint River Gateway Trails Network, an initiative between the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), Clayton County and the tri-city area of College Park, East Point and Hapeville. The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded two grants totaling $64.9 million to the project, which is estimated to cost $159.3 million and will eventually connect the Gateway Trails Network to the Atlanta Beltline.

March 24, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Metro Atlanta officials look to lure Ukrainian drone makers to the region

Mirtha Donastorg reports that Gwinnett County officials and community development leaders are working to woo Ukrainian drone makers as they try to make the region a major tech hub. These efforts were on full display Thursday at an event in Norcross aimed at highlighting drone technologies and ways U.S. and Ukrainian entrepreneurs can collaborate.

March 24, 2025 The Brunswick News

JWSC continues to fund saltwater plume research

Taylor Cooper reports that Brunswick-Glynn County Joint Water and Sewer commissioners voted Thursday to contribute $85,000 to continue tracking a saltwater plume in the groundwater of the Brunswick peninsula, a joint project with the U.S. Geological Survey. “U.S. Geological Survey operates groundwater monitoring equipment of the upper Floridan aquifer to monitor the migration of chlorides due to saltwater intrusion into the aquifer,” JWSC Executive Director Andrew Burroughs said at a Thursday commission meeting.

March 24, 2025 Augusta Chronicle

Six months after Helene, recovery efforts for endangered woodpeckers remain a priority

Erica Van Buren reports that hurricane force winds that blew through Augusta on Sept. 27 packed a punch strong enough to impact wildlife habitats for threatened wildlife species like the red-cockaded woodpecker. Six months removed from when Hurricane Helene walloped much of Georgia, recovery efforts are still underway.

March 24, 2025 Capitol Beat News

Trump picks ally in Georgia Senate as U.S. treasurer

Ty Tagami reports that President Donald Trump has nominated another Georgian to join his administration, selecting state Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, for U.S. Treasurer. The role is a senior leadership position within the U.S. Treasury Department, led by Secretary Scott Bessent. The Treasurer oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the United States Mint.

March 24, 2025 GPB

Ossoff urges Trump administration to reinstate EPA staff dismissed from Southeast offices

Pamela Kirkland reports that Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is calling on the Trump administration to reinstate Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees recently dismissed from Region 4 — headquartered in Atlanta and responsible for environmental oversight in eight Southeastern states.

March 24, 2025 Macon Telegraph

Warner Robins GOP congressman faces heat over town hall absence amid federal budget slashes

Lucinda Warnke reports that Rep. Austin Scott, the Republican congressman for Georgia’s 8th Congressional District, was noticeably absent from a town hall in Warner Robins Thursday where constituents expressed anger over President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s cuts to federal funding.

March 24, 2025 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

$1B in federal cuts could put a ‘dent’ in Georgia’s school food offerings. What to know.

Myracle Lewis reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently slashed more than $1 billion in federal spending, including eliminating two programs that helped Georgia schools and food banks buy fresh produce from local farms. In March 2023, the USDA and Georgia officials announced the beginning of the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program.

March 24, 2025 Georgia Recorder

Georgia plan to hand Medicaid coverage for foster children to United Health prompts handwringing

Ross Williams reports that Georgia is set to hand over control of Medicaid services for foster children to United Healthcare, leading some foster parents and advocates to express concerns. John DeGarmo, foster parent to more than 60 children and founder of the Foster Care Institute advocacy group, said one of his major concerns is with mental health treatment.

March 24, 2025 Milledgeville Union-Recorder

SB 260 passes out of House committee

Natalie Linder reports that the Georgia Senate bill that would shrink the Central State Hospital Local Redevelopment Authority from nine voting members to three and take appointing power from local government entities passed out of the House Intragovernmental Coordination Committee Tuesday.   Senate Bill 260 easily made it out of the Senate on Crossover Day earlier this month and is going through necessary examination in the Georgia House.

March 24, 2025 Savannah Morning News

What is Georgia HB 112? Here’s how you might get more money this tax season

Vanessa Countryman reports, in a move praised by Republicans and met with mixed reactions from Democrats, the Georgia state Senate has adopted House Bill 112. This bill, adopted by a 30-23 vote, provides tax rebates to Georgians who file income taxes this year.

March 24, 2025 Rome News-Tribune

Local Lawmakers Move Into Final Days of Georgia General Assembly Session

Diane Wagner reports that State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, has called a Monday meeting of the Finance Committee he chairs to consider several tax related bills. But it will be Tuesday before the full House and Senate reconvene for the 35th day of the 40 day Georgia General Assembly session.

March 24, 2025 State Affairs

Georgia General Assembly Week 10 Roundup: Kemp scores big as tort reform gets final passage

Beau Evans reports, with just two weeks remaining in the 2025 legislative session, state lawmakers have a pile of critical bills left to decide ahead of Sine Die on April 4. Still unsettled is a measure to expand Georgia’s medical marijuana program, a proposal to crack down on sex-change treatments for children and a $37 billion budget that could pit House and Senate lawmakers against each other in the coming weeks.

March 24, 2025 Georgia Recorder

Georgia housing groups pessimistic over prospects of Legislature reigning in investor price squeeze

Stanley Dunlap reports that a coalition of housing rights advocates are feeling disappointed heading into the homestretch of the 2025 legislative session after seeing little progress on bipartisan bills aimed at protecting Georgians from higher rents, problematic landlords and increasing threats of eviction. Habitat for Humanity Northwest Metro Atlanta and House ATL are among the three dozen housing non-profits, civil rights groups, and faith-based organizations that have spent the session pushing for legislation regulating corporate-owned single-family homes and calling for the state to keep alive a federal emergency rental assistance program that runs out later later this year.

March 24, 2025 Capitol Beat News

Legislature passes two tax relief bills

Ty Tagami reports that Georgia taxpayers will pay a little less after Gov. Brian Kemp signs two tax relief measures following their approval Thursday by the state Senate. “The final passage of these two measures today brings us one step closer to eliminating the state income tax, while providing tax relief for Georgia families and businesses,” said Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who thanked Kemp for leading the effort.

March 24, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Democrats bemoan missed opportunity to block Brian Kemp’s litigation bill

Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam reports that Democratic state Rep. Stacey Evans said it was like a punch to the gut. She and other Democrats went into Thursday’s House vote on Gov. Brian Kemp’s overhaul of the legal system confident there were enough votes to kill the bill. Instead, it passed with 91 votes — the bare minimum — with help from three Democratic defectors.