This week’s Courier Herald column: One of the biggest battles developing in the Georgia General Assembly this year is over the revival of a proposal to bring full scale casino gaming to the Peach State. The measure, which has been revised to bring two “destination resort” casinos, requires a change to the state’s constitution, and
This years bill to allow for “Destination Resort” casino gaming was introduced as a paired down, more focused alternative to last year’s proposal that would have allowed as many as seven licenses to be issued throughout the state. We covered the bill in detail here. At the bill’s first Senate hearing, sponsor Brandon Beach of
With the Trump administration taking control in Washington D.C. last Friday, there will be a new debate on the sanctions against Cuba, and a softening of the trade restrictions could have a big impact on the developing humanitarian and financial relationship between Georgia businesses and the Cuban people. However, the new administration will need to
The Georgia Ports Authority crushed monthly records at both the Port of Savannah and Port of Brunswick last month, with double digit increases in both container traffic and Ro/Ro (car shipments) traffic. From a press release: The Georgia Ports Authority marked 12.3 percent container volume growth in December, moving 292,172 twenty-foot equivalent container units, an
Score one for the good guys. Bert Brantley has made a career in and out of Georgia’s government. His highest profile gig was as the Spokesperson for Governor Sonny Perdue during his second term. (Imagine for a moment being the guy serving between Dan McLagan and Brain Robinson.). In addition to being the mouth of
A few years ago Georgia officials thought they were closing in on a second Kia manufacturing plant for Georgia. Ultimately, the company decided they needed a manufacturing presence in Mexico over a third US plant. With political winds changing and US demand increasing, the folks at Hyundai and Kia are again looking at additional US
This week’s Courier Herald column: As our new year begins in Georgia, political optimism for many is fueled by the fact that a state governed by Republicans now has a White House and Congress controlled by Republicans. Well, optimism for many Republicans anyway. More than a few Democrats are still somewhere between pretending 2016 was
From a press release: WASHINGTON—The House Rules Committee has posted the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act in preparation for its introduction on January 3. Congressman Collins, who sits on both Judiciary and Rules Committees—which share jurisdiction over the REINS Act—is the lead sponsor of the bill that President-elect Donald Trump
80,000 jobs and $4 billion-with-a-B in wages is nothing to sneeze at. For a 20 to 30% discount on their state income taxes, filmmakers, television producers and video game companies do their respective things in Georgia, and NOT in places like North Carolina, Louisiana, or Michigan. That tax break translated into 245 feature film and
The Georgia Ports Authority announced a 6.5% monthly increase in total container traffic yesterday. The Port of Savannah alone moved 167,333 containers, an increase of 10,210 over November 2015. Against the backdrop of increasing national skepticism about America’s trade policies, the Georgia Ports Authority credits a “strengthening export market and a busy peak holiday season”
