Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, May 26, 2021/Page 10A
(Eift Aiiuance
Georgia labor advocates push to keep
$300 federal unemployment benefit
By Beau Evans
Staff Writer
Capitol Beat News Service
Labor advocates and
state lawmakers in Georgia
called on Gov. Brian Kemp
Wednesday to reverse his
decision to end expanded
federal unemployment ben
efits next month, saying the
move would hurt low-wage
workers during the COV-
ID-19 pandemic.
The governor’s an
nouncement last week that
he will end the extra federal
$300 monthly unemploy
ment checks on June 26
sent shock waves through
many Georgia communities
where unemployed work
ers have relied on the added
benefit for months to cover
rent, food and utility bills.
Local labor leaders pro
tested Kemp’s decision out
side the state Department
of Labor building in down
town Atlanta, arguing the
loss of the $300 per month
would cripple many Geor
gians still struggling to find
work during the pandemic.
They also questioned
where the abandoned fed
eral dollars would go instead
since the Biden administra
tion has authorized the ad
ditional federal benefit to
remain into September.
“This is not the time to
take awaybenefits from fam
ilies,” said Nancy Flakejohn-
son, president and CEO of
the Urban League of Great
er Atlanta. “To take these
modest resources away from
families now is nothing less
than inhumane.”
Kemp and opponents
of the extra federal ben
efit have argued the $300
checks have incentivized
many jobless Georgians to
avoid rejoining the labor
market, putting strain on lo
cal businesses still recover
ing from more than a year
of economic damage caused
by the pandemic.
State labor officials plan
to nix several federal pan
demic unemployment pro
grams on June 26 along with
the $300 extra benefit in
cluding an additional $100
for Georgians with mixed
earnings, an extension on
regular benefits and assis
tance for self-employed,
part-time and gig workers.
“As we emerge from
this pandemic, Georgians
deserve to get back to nor
mal,” Kemp said in a state
ment last Thursday. “And
[last week’s] announced
economic recovery plan will
help more employees and
businesses across our state
do so.”
Critics accused Kemp
of glazing over ongoing dif
ficulties many out-of-work
Georgians have faced while
searching for new jobs or
going months without their
unemployment claims be
ing processed.
Marcellus Rowe, a for
mer public-transit worker
in Atlanta, said he has had
a tough time finding com
parable work after losing
his job in November 2019.
The $300 federal benefit has
been crucial to helping keep
his finances afloat, he said at
Wednesday’s protest.
“We are tired and frus
trated,” Rowe said. ‘And as
a Black man, begging and
pleading are no longer op
tions.”
Several labor advocates
and Democratic lawmak
ers slammed Georgia Labor
Commissioner Mark Butler,
a Republican who — like
Kemp — faces reelection
next year. They criticized
the continued closure of
state labor offices due to the
pandemic while Georgians
are being asked to return to
work.
“We all know that this
system is broken and needs
transparency,” said state
Rep. Kim Schofield, D-At
lanta. “If you want people
to be able to go to work and
look for work, open these
doors.”
Butler has said his of
fice has struggled to pro
cess nearly 5 million unem
ployment claims that have
drawn an average of 60,000
phone calls a day from out-
of-work Georgians, all with
shorthanded staff and a tight
budget that lawmakers left
largely unchanged during
the 2021 legislative session
that ended March 31.
Even so, Butler has
echoed Kemp in framing
the extra federal benefit as a
damper on attracting work
ers back to the labor market,
noting also that his agency
has distributed nearly $22
billion in benefits since the
pandemic broke out.
“Right now, the state
has a historic number of
jobs listed on Employ Geor
gia,” Butler said in a state
ment last week. “We are see
ing some of the highest pay
scales with enhanced ben
efits and signing bonuses.”
But labor advocates
and lawmakers rejected the
argument that laid-off and
furloughed workers are to
blame for the labor issues,
stressing that even with jobs
many Georgians do not
earn enough to make ends
meet because of the state’s
$7.25-per-hour minimum
wage.
“What we hear from
our leaders is blame, false
assumptions and downright
disrespect,” said state Sen.
Tonya Anderson, D-Litho-
nia, who chairs the Georgia
Legislative Black Caucus.
“Georgia will never progress
if our workers are not priori
tized.”
Duncan not running for
reelection as Georgia
lieutenant governor in 2022
By Beau Evans
Staff Writer
Capitol Beat News Service
Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan
announced Monday he will
not seek reelection to an
other term as Georgia’s sec
ond-highest state elected
official, opening the door
for a fierce 2022 campaign
between Republicans and
Democrats vying to replace
him.
In a statement, Dun
can - a Republican - said
he plans to create a political
organization called “GOP
2.0” aimed at “healing and
rebuilding” the national
Republican Party amid the
fallout from former Presi
dent Donald Trump’s con
tinued claims of voter fraud
in the 2020 elections.
Duncan’s pivot away
from Trump via public
statements and television
news appearances since the
November 2020 general
election pitted him against
the former president and
his allies who continue to
hold a large influence over
the state’s Republican Party
and conservative voters in
Georgia.
“The national events
of the last six months have
deeply affected my family
in ways I would have never
imagined when I first asked
for their support to run
for lieutenant governor in
2017,” Duncan said Mon
day.
“Through all of the
highs and lows of the last
six months, they have never
left my side and are once
again united behind me in
my pursuit of a better way
forward for our conserva
tive party - a GOP 2.0.”
Duncan, a former
health-care executive and
Minor League Baseball
player who served three
terms in the Georgia House
of Representatives, has
focused much of his ten
ure as lieutenant governor
pushing for investments
and policy initiatives to po
sition Georgia as what he
calls “the technology capi
tal of the East Coast.”
He has presided over
three legislative sessions as
head of the Georgia Sen
ate since winning election
over Democrat Sarah Riggs
Amico by a narrow margin
in 2018. Duncan said Mon
day he plans to preside over
redistricting efforts in the
Senate later this year as well
as during the 2022 legisla
tive session.
Duncan’s absence from
campaigning next year will
likely prompt stiff com
petition among Republi
cans during the 2022 pri
mary. Several Democratic
contenders have already
thrown their hats in the
ring including state Reps.
Erick Allen of Smyrna and
Derrick Jackson of Tyrone.
State Democratic lead
ers pounced on Duncan’s
announcement Monday to
bash Georgia Republicans
as too tied to Trump, whose
insistence that the 2020
presidential election was
fraudulent without solid
proof fueled violent rioting
at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
“Donald Trump and
the far-right have com
pletely taken over the Re
publican Party with ex
treme rhetoric, racist voter
suppression policies and a
barrage of blatant lies about
our presidential election,”
said Scott Hogan, executive
director of the Democratic
Party of Georgia.
“While Republicans
try in vain to salvage their
broken party, Democrats
are focused on electing new,
forward-looking leadership
to the lieutenant governor’s
office and [other] statewide
offices in 2022.”
Democrats have al
ready rolled out a roster of
candidates for statewide
offices beyond lieutenant
governor including attor
ney general, secretary of
state, insurance and labor.
Democratic 2018 guber
natorial candidate Sta
cey Abrams has not yet an
nounced whether she will
launch a rematch against
Republican Gov. Brian
Kemp in 2022.
Wally Sapp Seeks
Election to State House
(Editor’s Note: The
profile of Republican con
tender Wally Sapp for the
District 156 seat in the
Georgia House of Repre
sentatives was not includ
ed with the profiles of two
other candidates in last
week’s edition of The Ad
vance since his informa
tion was submitted after
deadline. In an effort to
keep our readers informed,
The Advance is presenting
Sapp’s profile in this week’s
edition. Sapp is a business
man who lives in Baxley.
The special election for the
post formerly held by Greg
Morris ofVidalia is sched
uled for June 15. Early vot
ing began Monday.)
“I am a proud son of
Southeast Georgia. Born
and raised here in our com
munity, I grew to learn our
conservative South Geor
gia values of a strong faith,
a hard work ethic, respect
for a dollar earned, hon
esty, and to love America,
and value life, our guns,
and our families. I under
stand that may be a little
foreign to folks in Atlanta
and the people from Hol
lywood moving into our
state, but I look forward to
explaining it. It’s one of the
reasons I am running for
State House.
“From the age of 13, I
learned to work hard and
respect the value of a dollar
as I started washing cars at
my father’s car dealership.
I worked my way through
every position at the deal
ership and was blessed to
become part owner of the
Sapp Ford dealership at age
21.1 owned the dealership
until 2011 when we made
the decision to sell it to
have more time to focus on
family and giving back to
our community. I loved be
ing a business owner in our
community, so I opened
Sapp Auto Sales and con
tinue to operate it today.
“My wife Sandy and
I have two children - our
daughter Chandler and
Wally Sapp
my stepson Josh David
Keith. I am a family man
who is committed to my
faith and understand the
importance of the Ameri
can family. I loved being
involved in our commu
nity so I started a Men’s
Christian Business Leaders
Group. As a man of faith, I
will NEVER apologize for
loving our Lord and Savior
and will NEVER waver in
standing up for the sanctity
of life to protect the born -
and - unborn.
“Now this may be a lit
tle scary for the left and the
folks up there in Atlanta,
but growing up in South
east Georgia I have always
been an avid outdoors-
man and enjoyed spend
ing time hunting, fishing,
and frankly, just shooting.
I am a proud supporter of
the Second Amendment,
and KNOW that our Con
stitution is clear - our right
to bear arms shall NOT be
infringed. I will stand up to
anyone who wants to try
to strip us of our rights. So
to the radical left-LEAVE
OUR GUNS ALONE.
“I have been a small
businessman my entire
life and was raised to value
hard work and honesty.
Like Donald Trump, I will
take my no nonsense busi
ness approach with me to
the State House and work
for the hardworking folks
here in rural Georgia - not
the big corporations or
special interests in Atlanta
or the Hollywood elite
trying to dictate what we
should believe. For years
it seems like it is Atlanta
AND then everybody else.
I am running to make sure
that our area of the state
has a strong conservative
voice representing it under
the Gold Dome - a conser
vative champion that will
never back down from de
fending our people and our
conservative values. I plan
to be a state representative
that always stands for the
truth. Atlanta continues to
have a growing influence,
and we have to make sure
that South Georgia, and
especially Southeast Geor
gia, has its seat at the table.
We will not bow down to
the radical woke left that
is trying to run this coun
try and state - trying to
rewrite our history, silence
our voice, defund our po
lice, or weaken our election
laws so as to not get true
and honest outcomes. We
can and we must stand up
for our conservative values.
We are in a fight for our
community, our families,
and our way of life, and it is
too important to sit idly by
and that is why I am run
ning for the State House.
“Pm a businessman
- not a politician. I know
how to work hard until a
job is done. I am a son of
South Georgia and love
our country and way of life.
I respect the working men
and women of this dis
trict and our state. Work
ing people and Southeast
Georgia shouldn’t play
second fiddle to anyone. I
am 100% pro-life, pro-gun,
and yes, pro-Trump with
out apology. I support law
enforcement and our God-
given right to bear arms.
If this offends you, I may
not be your guy. But if you
want a leader who is ready
to fight tooth and nail for
the future of our district,
our way of life, and our
values, I am your guy and I
am humbly asking for your
trust, prayers, and vote to
be your next State Repre
sentative.”
New grant to fund Georgia
farm-ownership program
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
A public-private part
nership created to lead ef
forts to make Georgia the
technology capital of the
East Coast is getting in
volved in the farming busi
ness.
The Partnership for
Inclusive Innovation an
nounced the awarding of
a $250,000 grant Monday
to a program run by The
Conservation Fund that
supports next-generation
farmers.
The Working Farms
Fund program is the first
in the nation to offer end-
to-end support for new
farmers, including a path
to farm ownership and ac
cess to established farm
markets.
“This support will al
low The Conservation
Fund to scale this critical
program to help Georgia
build a resilient local food
system by ensuring that
diverse, entrepreneur
ial farmers have access to
farmland and new markets
to grow their farm busi
nesses,” said Stacy Funder-
burke, The Conservation
Fund’s Georgia and Ala
bama associate state direc
tor.
The program will ini
tially work in the 29-coun
ty metro-Atlanta region,
permanently protecting
at-risk farmland through
conservation easements
and lease-to-own options.
It also aims to strength
en connections between
farmers, markets and con
sumers while increasing
the supply of locally grown
nutritious food.
“The Georgia Working
Farms Fund represents an
innovative and transforma
tive approach to how we
think about the agricul
tural industry and food se
curity,” said Lt. Gov. Geoff
Duncan, a member of the
Partnership for Inclusive
Innovation’s board.
The grant will provide
enough funding to con
tinue the Farms Fund’s op
erations in Georgia for two
years.
www.theadvancenews.com
