Georgia Today: DHS pauses plans to buy warehouses; Property tax reduction; TSA receives backpay

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, the Department of Homeland Security is pausing plans to buy new warehouses for immigrant detention. The Georgia Senate attempts to reduce property taxes. And though TSA agents are getting some back pay, the future remains uncertain. 

Yolanda Keaton: I do believe that if we're not funded and we go back in to accept the status of non-pay, you're going to get more people resigning. That's a definite. 

Peter Biello: Today is Wednesday, April 1. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today. 

Story 1:

Peter Biello: The Department of Homeland Security is pausing plans to buy new warehouses for immigrant detention as the agency reviews contracts signed under former Secretary Kristi Noem. The Associated Press is reporting DHS also is rechecking warehouse deals it has already made. The agency has bought 11 warehouses so far, including one east of Atlanta and one south of Gainesville. New Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin, who was sworn in last week, inherited the more than $38 billion plan to boost attention capacity to 92,000 beds nationally. The plan immediately ran into intense opposition around the country by residents and communities opposed to such large Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in their neighborhoods, including in Georgia. Many objected on moral grounds to ICE's presence in their neighborhood, while others questioned whether the facilities would be a drain on local resources such as sewer and water systems. Mullin says he wants to quote, "work with community leaders and be good partners," noting that many communities don't have adequate infrastructure to support these facilities. 

Story 2:

Peter Biello: The Georgia Senate passed a measure yesterday that would reduce homeowner property taxes by creating a new sales tax in exchange. The measure came from the House as a cap on property tax valuation increases. The Senate's version would create new special taxing districts, and those districts could implement a 1% sales tax. The revenue would go toward reducing property taxes. Rome Republican state Sen. Chuck Hufstetler presented the bill. 

Chuck Hufstetler:And virtually every city and county will reduce their property taxes on city and county taxes by more than half. 

Peter Biello: Democrats objected, saying it just passes the tax burden from homeowners to consumers. The bill passed along party lines and now goes back to the House for final approval. 

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Political leaders, lawmakers, and the public celebrated the 250th anniversary of the United States founding and Georgia's role in it at the state Capitol today, GPB's Sarah Kallis reports. 

Sarah Kallis: The patriotic celebration of the Capitol included music, prayers and addresses from Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia National Guard Gen. Dwayne Williams. Kemp said commemorating Georgia's history can inspire a future generation. 

Brian Kemp: Georgia is American history. In this Georgia 250 day, we just aren't teaching our young people about the past. We are opening their eyes to what the future can hold. 

Sarah Kallis: More events are planned around the state this year for America 250. Documents from the nation's founding will be on display until April 12 at the Atlanta History Center. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis at the state Capitol. 

Story 4:

Peter Biello: The partial government shutdown continues, but TSA agents are starting to receive some back pay after more than 40 days without a check. That's despite showing up for work. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports union members in Atlanta say there's still a lot to be done. 

Amanda Andrews: Security wait times at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport have returned to normal. However, many TSA agents are still waiting to receive their final two full paychecks. An executive order signed last week by President Trump guaranteed TSA will be paid until the shutdown ends. Yolanda Keaton is a member of the Federal Workers Union. She says so far, most TSA agents are staying on the job. 

Yolanda Keaton I do believe that if we're not funded and we go back in to accept the status of non-pay, you're going to get more people resigning. That's a definite, because people have saying like, "Listen, if we don't get paid after this, we can't hang around." 

Amanda Andrews: Congress is expected to return to negotiate funding the Department of Homeland Security April 14. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews. 

Story 5:

Peter Biello: A federal judge has ruled that Georgia state troopers acted reasonably when they shot and killed an environmental activist who was protesting the construction of an Atlanta public safety training center. The judge's order on Monday dismisses a civil rights lawsuit filed by the parents of 26-year-old Manuel Páez-Terán. Their 2023 shooting was a galvanizing moment for a wide range of protesters who continued to invoke their name. The judge noted that Terán fired at the troopers, wounding one of them, making their lethal response, quote, "objectively reasonable." The training center Tehran was protesting officially opened about a year ago. A lawyer for Terán's family says they are devastated by the result and are reviewing all their legal options. 

Story 6:

Peter Biello: Nine months after the collapse of an alleged Ponzi scheme that touched the top ranks of Republican politics in Georgia, some investors are now set to get their money back. Federal investigators have accused the now-defunct First Liberty Building and Loan of defrauding at least 300 investors out of $140 million or more. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger today said financial services company Bankers Life had agreed to pay more than 40 investors about $7 million. 

Brad Raffensperger While this is the first of these types of agreements, I hope it is not the last. I encourage other involved parties to follow suit and return this money to the hard working Georgians who had their life savings taken.

Peter Biello: Former Banker's Life advisor and GOP activist Timothy Darnell has been fined for his role in the alleged scheme. Raffensperger said Darnell acted independently without Bankers Life's knowledge, but the company, quote, "chose to do the right thing."

Story 7:

Peter Biello: Fulton County election officials are still waiting for a federal judge to rule in a lawsuit demanding the return of ballots from the 2020 election following a seizure by the FBI. GPB's Chase McGee has more. 

Chase McGee: Judge JP Bullay in Georgia's Northern District heard from attorneys representing the Department of Justice last week. They argued the FBI had a valid search warrant and Fulton County should be satisfied with copies of ballots to answer public records requests and other pending litigation. David Becker is the founder of the Center for Election Innovation and Research. He says elections offices already have checks and balances necessary to prevent fraud. 

David Becker: But then the process continues: reconciliations to make sure the ballots match the number of people who voted, audits to make the ballots were counted correctly with recounts when they're appropriate, with so many different processes and procedures and checks. 

Chase McGee: Fulton County attorneys argue that a verdict in their favor could stop the FBI from raiding other state election offices with little evidence. For GPB News, I'm Chase McGee. 

Story 8:

Peter Biello: A bill to certify community health care workers who help bridge gaps between people and health care systems has stalled in a key committee of the state Senate. GPB's Sophie Grotus has more on what comes next for this public health initiative. 

Sofi Gratas: There are already thousands of community health care workers in Georgia trained here at medical schools by the state Department of Public Health or by national organizations. The bill would have formalized training for them and, says Natasha Taylor with the consumer advocacy group, Georgia Watch:

Natasha Taylor: Helps us kind of put eyes on where our community health workers and then also be able to deploy them into areas where they're needed most. 

Sofi Gratas: Certification would also open the door to reimbursement by insurance. Taylor says they'll reintroduce the bill next session, emphasizing community health care workers' roles in rural and underserved areas. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas. 

Story 9:

Peter Biello: The final teams in the summer's 48-team FIFA World Cup are now set, including the last two Georgia match-ups to be determined in the tournament's group stage. After playoffs yesterday, Czechia will face South Africa on June 18 and Congo will face Uzbekistan on June 27 in Atlanta. The city will host eight games altogether, including five in the group stage when teams are determined by complicated rules and three in later rounds when teams are advanced by tournament play. All of the games are expected to bring tens of thousands of visitors and a massive economic boost. 

Story 10:

Peter Biello: And in baseball, Drake Baldwin drove in four runs with a pair of two-out hits. Chris Sale pitched one-hit ball over six innings and the Atlanta Braves wrapped up their season opening home stand with a 5-1 victory over the struggling Athletics. Baldwin had a two-run single in the second against Athletic starter Luis Severino and added a two-run double in the fourth to give Chris Sale some breathing room. The Braves now head to Arizona for a four-game series against the Diamondbacks, followed by three games against the Angels. They return home on Friday, April 10 for a three-game series against Cleveland. 

Outro:

Peter Biello: And that's a wrap on Georgia Today. Thanks so much as always for tuning in. We appreciate you choosing GPB as your source of news. And remember, you can check our website, gpb.org/news for the latest headlines, as well as any updates to the stories you heard on the podcast today. Now, your feedback powers this podcast. We do appreciate it. We also value your story ideas. Let us know what's going on in your community. The email address is georgiatoday@gpb.org. And yes, it does go to the whole team. Again, georgiatoday@gpb.org. Remember to subscribe to this podcast because we will be back in your podcast feed tomorrow afternoon. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We will see you tomorrow. 

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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news