For Georgia fans of a certain age that follow college football recruiting, and especially ones who remember those wilderness years prior to winning national championships, the concept of “building a recruiting fence around Georgia” is a familiar one. If only Mark Richt, and later Kirby Smart, could keep all of the top players in state, Georgia would be in the national title race every year.
Similarly, we might be entering an age of reconsidering how we produce and retain physicians in Georgia.
According to the Georgia Board for Healthcare Workforce, less than a third of Georgia’s 2024 medical school graduates chose to do their residency in Georgia. Put another way, that means almost 70% of the graduating classes at Emory, Medical College of Georgia, Mercer, Morehouse and PCOM Georgia began their final path towards practicing medicine outside of the state.
For a state that has added a million new residents each decade since 1980, and is currently on pace to reach that mark again during the 2020s, that is a worrisome trend. It also helps explain why Georgia currently ranks 40th in the nation for the number of active physicians per capita.
So, how do we create an environment that ensures we produce enough physicians to meet our state’s needs?
Cultivating homegrown physicians is a worthwhile, yet demanding endeavor.
What should we do to produce more Georgia grown physicians? We look at that in this week’s commentary from my colleague Chris Denson. We also have the latest news and analysis from the last week, including:
- Senate advances tort reform
- Port of Savannah now the East Coast’s fastest growing
- Georgia athletics unveils plan for its $20.5 million in revenue sharing with athletes
- Trump names Kemp as one of his new appointments to Council of Governors
Have a great weekend,
– Kyle Wingfield
Friday’s Freshest
Tort reform advances. What’s next?
Gov. Brian Kemp’s push to curb abusive lawsuits cleared a significant hurdle. The state Senate approved a comprehensive reform bill on a mostly party-line vote (one Republican voted against it, and one Democrat for it). Along the way, opponents lodged a spate of wrong-headed objections. What were they?
Georgia’s legislative push for regulatory reform
A central problem with regulations is that they tend to grow perpetually absent deliberate efforts to review them. This buildup creates a burden for workers and established businesses, and raises the barrier to entry for potential startups. Some states have taken steps in recent years to combat the inertia of regulatory expansion.
How much does each school district have in reserves?
Across Georgia, public school districts are refusing to go along with a reduction in property taxes that was approved by voters last fall – all while raking in taxpayer dollars like never before. Cumulatively, Georgia’s 180 city and county school districts have more than doubled their reserves to a staggering $6.5 billion.
TORT REFORM: The Georgia law that business owners hate the most
Georgia law can hold a business owner civilly liable for a criminal act that happens on his property, one that the business owner had nothing to do with. The consequences to the business owner are often severe. The fact that Georgia law permits this might surprise you. If it does, then you should also know that it’s enabled through a legal mechanism known as premises liability.
Staying the course is the wise thing to do
A tension is building over how much money the government should take from taxpayers and spend on their behalf. On the surface, you might not know it. That’s because spending has been going up even as tax rates have gone down. To understand how a state with a balanced-budget requirement has managed that trick, and why that tension is arriving now, we need to look in our rearview mirror.
The Latest
Economy
Port of Savannah now the East Coast’s fastest growing
The Port of Savannah was the fastest growing on the U.S. East and Gulf coasts in 2024, outpacing the Port of New York and New Jersey in growth last year. Showcased by a new host of cranes recently erected at the transforming Ocean Terminal, Georgia Ports Authority shows no signs of slowing with $4 billion in planned investments over the coming years.
More than $1.7 million raised to aid farmers impacted by Hurricane Helene
In the wake of devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, more than 40 agriculture organizations joined forces to establish a relief fund for farmers whose livelihoods were upended by the storm. They raised more than $1.7 million, which will provide direct assistance for agricultural losses, including damages to crops, livestock and farm infrastructure that is not covered under insurance.
Education
Georgia athletics unveils plan for its $20.5 million in revenue sharing with athletes
The University of Georgia Athletic Association’s board of directors met this week, one of three regular gatherings during each academic year. It was the last meeting before a final approval of the House Settlement on April 7 that will change the way athletic departments, including Georgia and others at NCAA schools, operate. Georgia is preparing for revenue sharing with athletes that would go into effect on July 1.
Bill addressing student chronic absenteeism unanimously passes state Senate
Georgia state senators unanimously passed a bill intended to address chronic absenteeism, which refers to when students miss 10% or more of the school year. Senate Bill 123 would prevent public school students from being expelled solely due to absences. It would also require school climate committees, appointed by the chief judge of each county’s superior court, to develop protocol and policy recommendations for addressing chronic absenteeism.
Government accountability
Concerns raised over energy and water future with data centers
Data centers are popping up all over Georgia. These facilities are equipped with high-performance servers and computers to store data. They require massive amounts of power and water to keep them going and cool them down. The Georgia Department of Economic Development estimates there are more than 50 data centers in Georgia.
Georgia Senate votes to increase prison time for possessing or trafficking fentanyl
People caught with a quarter gram of fentanyl would face one to five years in prison if a measure that passed the Georgia Senate Wednesday goes on to become law. It’s a tiny amount, but it’s enough to kill 120 people, said Sen. Russ Goodman, R-Cogdell, explaining why he sponsored Senate Bill 79.
Proposed rule could mean more Georgia oyster harvesting
Georgia’s burgeoning oyster farming industry could get a boost if proposed rule amendments allow oyster farmers to harvest during traditionally closed seasons. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division is seeking public comment on the proposed amendments that would establish requirements for shellfish harvest during closed seasons.
At least Haley Joel Osment only saw dead people; our federal government pays them. DOGE adviser Elon Musk set off another furor by posting a screenshot of a Social Security database showing millions of Americans still “alive” past age 130—suggesting they might still be “collecting” checks.
Taxes and spending
Senate approves mid-year budget with $125M more for hurricane relief
The Georgia Senate approved its version of the amended fiscal year 2025 budget that cut some items from the House version but added more money for hurricane relief. The Senate added $125 million for hurricane relief in its version of the bill. Gov. Brian Kemp asked for $615 million. The House approved an additional $197 million on top of Kemp’s request.
Committee advances bill that removes income tax from military retirement
A bill that would exempt military retirement benefits from Georgia’s income tax was greenlighted by the Senate Finance Committee. Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, said 38 states do not tax military benefits, including surrounding states.
House lawmakers OK increase in foster care tax credit
The state House of Representatives voted this week to increase an income tax credit for Georgia taxpayers who contribute to nonprofit organizations that help foster children who age out of the foster care system. House Bill 136, which passed 170-2, would raise the annual cap on contributions to the program from $20 million to $30 million.
Bonus
Bezos makes changes to Washington Post editorial page
At the Washington Post, Jeff Bezos — once quite the hands-off owner during the Obama and Biden years — has continued his overhaul of the flailing paper in the wake of Trump’s untimely resurrection. In an internal email, Bezos said the paper is going to “be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.”
Boggs stepping down as Georgia chief justice
Georgia Chief Justice Michael Boggs announced this week that he will resign from the state Supreme Court at the end of next month, the last day of the Court’s current term. Boggs plans to return to private practice in South Georgia. In a resignation letter hand-delivered to Gov. Brian Kemp, Boggs noted his 25 years in elective office, including more than two decades of service as a judge at various state court levels.
Trump names Kemp as one of his new appointments to Council of Governors
President Donald Trump has named Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp as one of the new appointments to the Council of Governors. The White House shared the announcement, calling the council a “bipartisan group of state leaders tasked with strengthening state-federal partnerships on key national security, disaster response and military coordination issues.”
Quotes of Note
“It’s the fans that need spring training. You gotta get ’em interested. Wake ’em up and let ’em know that their season is coming, the good times are gonna roll.” – Harry Caray
“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.” – C.S. Lewis
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
