11 biggest stories of 2024

This year, Georgia Public Policy Foundation once again had our biggest year to date in terms of content produced and consumed. In the past 12 months, you read or watched our content more than 8.3 million times.

We’re constantly producing new stories, commentaries and videos that you can find here, in your inbox and on social media. We thank you for your support. Our goal is to be Georgia-focused, conduct research on issues that matter to you and tell stories that aren’t being told. 

As we prepare to welcome in a new year, here is a review of our most read and most shared stories of 2024:

1. Kemp calls for school choice in State of the State

In his early January State of the State address, Gov. Brian Kemp made it clear that now is the time for the legislature to advance school choice legislation after falling a few votes short the previous session. 

“Some prefer the term school choice or educational freedom, some call them vouchers.

“In my opinion, what each of those terms or slogans fail to mention is the child. At the end of the day, our first and foremost consideration should be the future of that student. 

“Our job is not to decide for each family, but to support them in making the best choice for their child. This week, as we begin the second year of another biennial of the General Assembly, I believe we have run out of ‘next years.’ 

“I firmly believe we can take an all-of-the-above approach to education… whether it’s public, private, homeschooling, charter, or otherwise.”

Three months later, Kemp signed the Georgia Promise Scholarship into law. 

2. Would Amendment 1 bring property tax relief?

No issue has prompted more response in recent years to state and local officials – and the Georgia Public Policy Foundation – than shock at property tax bills. This has arisen primarily from exponential increases on homestead values, but steadily rising millage rates are also a cause of frustration. 

The General Assembly passed H.R. 1022 and HB 581 earlier this year to provide property tax relief. H.R. 1022 enables the local referendum that Georgians will see on their ballots to enact HB 581. 

Prior to the election, we dove into the ballot initiative, which easily passed last fall. 

3. Republicans maintain legislative majorities. What else happened on Election Day?

With most of the 2024 election coverage focused on the vote for president and control of Congress, every member of the state legislature faced the voters – even if they didn’t face any opposition. 

In the House, Republicans will head into the legislative session with a reduced majority of 100-80 after court-ordered redistricting last year created new Democratic-leaning districts. Meanwhile, not a single seat changed parties in the Senate, where Republicans still enjoy a 33-23 majority. 

4. Americans are flocking to Georgia seeking economic freedom

The numbers don’t lie. In recent years, there has been significant migration from high-tax and high-regulation states to economically free states with lighter tax and regulatory burdens.

This migration pattern paints a compelling picture. States like California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois are losing residents to Florida,  Texas — and of course, Georgia, which is renowned for its relatively low taxes and business-friendly environment. 

5. Atlanta residents pay too much to get busted water mains

Atlanta residents pay some of the highest water and sewer rates in the nation. One recent nationwide study backs that up.

“There is no question that the rates in Atlanta have been higher than in a lot of cities,” said Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman.

So imagine how irate Atlanta residents felt in June after a major malfunction deprived them of the most basic of things, H2O.

6. How homeschoolers can use the Georgia Promise Scholarship

The Georgia Promise Scholarship Scholarship presents a unique opportunity for families in Georgia to customize their children’s education through state-funded educational savings accounts. While most of the attention is on the ability for students to attend a private school with the scholarship, you can also use it to homeschool. 

7. Tort reform and Georgia’s judicial nightmare

In 2023, Georgia had the dubious honor of topping the American Tort Reform Association’s list of the country’s “Judicial Hellholes.” This was the second year in a row that Georgia held the number one ranking – although this time it was a split title with Pennsylvania’s courts – due to what the ATRA calls an environment of lawsuit abuse and excessive tort costs.

These concerns have caught the attention of some Georgia lawmakers and Gov. Brian Kemp, and “tort reform” is quickly becoming a more common term in Georgia’s political lexicon. 

8. As competition decreases, the cost of healthcare rises

In Georgia, the four largest health systems currently account for 51.6% of hospital beds available statewide. While proponents of hospital consolidation argue that this allows for better economies of scale and thus increases quality and the scope of services offered, the lack of competitors in a marketplace removes any incentive to provide competitive pricing. 

9. Georgia landowner’s eminent domain case could force judges to resolve long-lingering questions

A Georgia railroad company wants to apply eminent domain to use land that Sparta residents Blaine and Diane Smith have had in their family for more than a century. The railroad leadership intends to construct a 4.5-mile long rail spur. Across the Smiths’ land, a train will haul as much as 500,000 tons of granite from the nearby Hanson Quarry.

10. How does government policy increase the cost of housing?

If you’ve been following the housing market, you’ve certainly noticed a recent surge in prices. Much of this increase is not due to market forces, but rather dictated by a complex system of regulatory factors that increase costs. It is just another instance of government over-governing.

We examine a few key areas where housing regulation is driving up prices.

11. Braves departure from Mississippi was predictable

In early January, the Mississippi Braves announced that 2024 – their 20th season in the Jackson suburb of Pearl – will be the last before heading to Columbus, Georgia. It’s a predictable pattern for those paying attention.

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