Fulton County & DOJ ordered to mediation; House passes tax cut; Autism license plates

Summary

Georgia Today Podcast – February 26, 2026

Host: Peter Biello (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
Episode Theme: Updates on key legislative, judicial, health, infrastructure, and community news in Georgia

---

Episode Overview

This episode covers significant stories from across Georgia, including the federal mediation order over the 2020 election ballots, the House’s passage of an early income tax cut, progress on legislation for autism awareness, updates on the state budget and historical preservation efforts, and an in-depth investigation into unreliable drug testing of new mothers. The show provides a comprehensive picture of ongoing debates and emerging issues shaping the state.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fulton County & Trump Administration Ordered into Mediation

• Topic: Federal judge orders mediation between Fulton County and the Trump administration over the Justice Department’s seizure of 2020 election ballots.
• Background: Fulton County claims the ballot seizure during a recent raid was illegal, while Trump continues to falsely claim victory in Georgia.
• Trial Status: Civil trial paused; mediation report due to the judge by March 18th.

Notable Quote:

• [00:38] Peter Biello: "Fulton county wants those ballots and any copies of them returned. The county argues the January raid was illegal, while President Trump maintains his false claim that he won the Georgia election."

---

2. Georgia House Passes Income Tax Cut

• Topic: The House fast-tracks a tax reduction bill, lowering the state income tax rate from 5.19% to 4.99% three years earlier than planned.
• Sponsor: Rep. Will Wade (R-Dawsonville).
• Arguments for the Bill: Puts more money in taxpayers’ pockets; accelerates scheduled cuts.
• Concerns Raised: Potential loss in revenue for essential state services; disproportionate benefit to wealthier residents.
• Vote: 106–66, mostly along party lines.

Notable Quotes:

• [01:31] Matt Hatchett: "This bill simply lowers the income tax rate in Georgia to 4.99% from 5.19% three years earlier than...the original bill called for back in 2019."
• [01:45] Peter Biello: "Opponents say the reduction could reduce funding for some essential state services and the flat rate benefits the wealthy more than the average Georgian."

---

3. State Budget Compromise & Mental Health Facilities

• Topic: Lawmakers overcome a budget impasse by allocating $1.4 billion in surplus, including taxpayer givebacks and funding a new mental health hospital for people in jails and prisons.
• Key Figure: Rep. Matt Hatchett (R-Dublin), chief budget writer.

Notable Quote:

• [02:21] Matt Hatchett: "People in jail with serious mental illness should not need to wait months or longer to start receiving the care they need."

---

4. Special License Plates for Vehicles Carrying People with Autism

• Legislation: Senate advances bill for special autism license plates and law enforcement training on autism.
• Sponsor: Sen. Brian Strickland (R-McDonough), father to an 8-year-old with autism.

Notable Quotes:

• [00:25] Brian Strickland: "Somebody with autism sees the world a different way, and the way a typical person may respond to or may communicate doesn't always match up with how someone with autism thinks or how they communicate."
• [02:52] Brian Strickland: "...the way a typical person may respond to something or may communicate doesn't always match up with how someone with autism thinks or how they communicate."

---

5. DNA Collection from Immigrants in Jail

• Senate Bill 116: Law enforcement would collect DNA from anyone in jail with an ICE detainer who is charged (not necessarily convicted) with a misdemeanor or felony.
• Support: Sen. Ed Setzler (R), emphasizing public safety.
• Opposition: Sen. Randall Mangum (D), emphasizing civil liberties.

Notable Quotes:

• [04:05] Peter Biello: "These are folks who've proven they will not be subject to our laws."
• [04:16] Matt Hatchett: "I do not support taking away the liberty of anyone until they are convicted."

---

6. Georgia Trust’s “Places in Peril” Historic Sites List

• Purpose: Publicizing historic properties at risk of demolition or neglect.
• Highlighted Sites:
  • Legion Pool (UGA): 1936 WPA-era pool threatened by a redevelopment plan ([05:12]).
  • Jessup Courthouse: Fire-damaged 1902 courthouse under debate for restoration versus replacement ([05:47]).
  • Eggleston Hall (Atlanta): Civil rights and cultural hub, threatened by adjacent construction ([07:01]).
• Success Rate: Over 95% of sites listed since 2006 remain standing.

Notable Quotes:

• [05:31] Wright Mitchell: "It's one of Georgia's best surviving examples of a WPA era recreational facility."
• [07:01] Wright Mitchell: "...served as a recording studio for some of the most important musical acts in the 1920s and 30s, such as Blind Willie Mactell and the Carter Family."

---

7. Drought Worsens for Georgia Farmers

• Report: U.S. Drought Monitor shows 33% of Georgia in extreme drought.
• Impact: Middle Georgia, a major agricultural region, is three inches below normal rainfall.

---

8. Investigation: Unreliable Hospital Drug Tests on New Mothers

• Story: The Marshall Project finds most post-birth drug tests in hospitals are unreliable, often leading to unnecessary reporting to child welfare and law enforcement.
• Scope in Georgia: Automatic reporting policy; nearly one in 42 births triggers a law enforcement referral.
  • Over six years: 18,000 reports, but 11,000 resulted in no child abuse finding, and 3,000 involved women taking legal medication.

Notable Quotes:

• [09:14] Shoshana Walter: "...most hospitals are using these drug tests that are fast and cheap and have false positive rates as high as 50%."
• [10:46] Shoshana Walter: "...18,000 of these reports were referred to law enforcement over a six year period. And about 11,000 of those cases actually did not result in any child abuse or neglect..."
• [11:20] Shoshana Walter: "Many [child welfare workers] felt that it was a waste of time...that it took them away from more serious allegations of abuse and harm and kind of overwhelmed the system."
• [11:37] Shoshana Walter: "Punitive responses to pregnancy, drug use can lead to women avoiding prenatal care. Traumatic family separations can lead to arrest."

---

9. Federal Energy Loan to Georgia Power

• Details: Department of Energy to loan a record $26 billion to Georgia and Alabama utilities, with expectations to save customers $7 billion in interest.
• Uses: Natural gas plants, transmission lines, and upgrades.
• Context: Rapidly rising electricity costs and expanding energy-hungry data centers.

---

10. Atlanta Braves Revenue Grows Despite Losing Season

• Report: Atlanta Braves Holdings reported $732 million in revenue for 2025, up 11% from previous year.
• Drivers: Mixed-use development (The Battery) revenue up 45%; 7% increase from baseball ops despite team’s first losing season since 2017.

---

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• [01:31] Matt Hatchett: “This bill simply lowers the income tax rate in Georgia to 4.99% from 5.19% three years earlier than...the original bill called for back in 2019.”
• [02:21] Matt Hatchett: “People in jail with serious mental illness should not need to wait months or longer to start receiving the care they need.”
• [09:14] Shoshana Walter: “Most hospitals are using these drug tests that are fast and cheap and have false positive rates as high as 50%.”
• [11:20] Shoshana Walter: “Many [child welfare workers] felt that it was a waste of time…that it took them away from more serious allegations of abuse and harm and kind of overwhelmed the system.”
• [07:01] Wright Mitchell: “…served as a recording studio for some of the most important musical acts in the 1920s and 30s, such as Blind Willie Mactell and the Carter Family.”

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:04 – Episode Introduction & Main Headlines
• 00:38 – Fulton County/DOJ Mediation Order
• 01:31 – Tax Cut Bill Passage Discussion
• 02:21 – Mental Health Hospital Funding/State Budget
• 02:52 – Autism License Plate and Training Bill
• 03:53 – DNA Collection Bill for Immigrants in Jail
• 05:12 – Places in Peril Historic Sites Highlight
• 07:56 – Drought Conditions Worsen
• 09:00 – Marshall Project Investigation on Drug Testing
• 12:24 – Electric Utility Loan Announced
• 13:16 – Atlanta Braves Revenue Report

---

This episode provides a concise yet comprehensive look at headline-grabbing legislation, evolving policy debates, and hidden challenges across Georgia—all delivered in the straightforward, accessible tone GPB News is known for.

Transcript

[Peter Biello]

Welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, Fulton county and the Trump administration are being ordered into mediation over the seizure of ballots from the 2020 election. The Georgia House passed a bill yesterday to reduce the income tax rate and Georgia is one step closer to having special license plates for people with autism.

[Brian Strickland]

Somebody with autism sees the world a different way, and the way a typical person may respond to or may communicate doesn't always match up with how someone with autism thinks or how they communicate.

[Peter Biello]

Today is Thursday, February 26th. I'm Peter Biello and this is Georgia Today. Fulton county and the Trump administration are being ordered into mediation. This follows the Justice Department's seizure last month of hundreds of boxes of ballots from the 2020 election. Fulton county wants those ballots and any copies of them returned. The county argues the January raid was illegal, while President Trump maintains his false claim that he won the Georgia election. The order pauses a civil trial over the ballot seizure. The two parties must report to the judge their progress by March 18th. The Georgia House passed a bill yesterday to reduce the income tax rate. Advocates for the legislation say it's putting more money in taxpayers pockets. DAWSONVILLE Republican State Representative Will Wade sponsored the bill, saying it accelerates an already planned tax cut.

[Matt Hatchett]

This bill simply lowers the income tax rate in Georgia to 4.99% from 5.19% three years earlier than original the original bill called for back in 2019.

[Peter Biello]

Opponents say the reduction could reduce funding for some essential state services and the flat rate benefits the wealthy more than the average Georgian. The bill passed 106 to 66, mostly along party line. Georgia lawmakers reached a compromise on the mid year budget yesterday. Budget writers overcame an impasse over spending by digging up an extra $1.4 billion in surplus funds. Much of that is for one time give backs to taxpayers. But other spending priorities made through the chief budget writer in the statehouse, Dublin Republican Matt Hatchett says the budget funds a new mental health hospital for people in jails and prisons.

[Matt Hatchett]

People in jail with serious mental illness should not need to wait months or longer to start receiving the care they need.

[Peter Biello]

Both chambers passed the spending plan without much opposition, sending it to governor Kemp for his signature. Lawmakers are still working on the fiscal year 2027 budget, which begins in July. The state Senate yesterday also advanced a bill that would create a special license plate for vehicles carrying people who have autism. McDonough Republican Brian Strickland sponsored the bill and has an 8 year old son

[Brian Strickland]

with autism somebody with autism sees the world a different way, and the way a typical person may respond to something or may communicate doesn't always match up with how someone with autism thinks or how they communicate.

[Peter Biello]

The legislation also provides special training for law enforcement officers to help them understand people with autism. Jeff Galloway, a beloved figure in running communities everywhere, has died for decades. Galloway inspired elite athletes and casual runners alike with his Run Walk Run strategy and an Atlanta native, he was a runner on the 1972 U.S. olympic team. He was a coach and Atlanta running store owner. He won the inaugural Peachtree road race in 1970 and helped shape the legacy of the race. Carissa Galloway said that her father in law died yesterday at a hospital in Pensacola, Florida. Jeff Galloway was 80 years old. The Georgia Senate passed a bill yesterday that would require jails to take DNA samples of some immigrants in their custody. GPB Sarah Kalis reports.

[Sarah Kalis]

Senate Bill 116 would require law enforcement to collect DNA from anyone with an ICE detainer notice charged with a misdemeanor or felony. Republican Senator Ed Setzler supports the bill.

[Peter Biello]

These are folks who've proven they will not be subject to our laws.

[Sarah Kalis]

Democrats like Senator Randall Mangum say that the sample should only be taken after someone is convicted, not charged.

[Matt Hatchett]

I do not support taking away the liberty of anyone until they are convicted.

[Sarah Kalis]

The bill passed along party lines and now heads to the House. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kalis at the State Capitol.

[Peter Biello]

A historic pool, a small town courthouse and a church community building are among Georgia landmarks facing imminent threats. The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation yesterday listed those properties and seven others on its Places and Peril list. The annual selections highlight historic properties threatened by demolition, neglect, development or public policy. Georgia Trust President and CEO Wright Mitchell says the selections are aimed at bringing attention to both the sites and their stories. Many of the Georgia Trust's places in peril go on to be restored while others languish and a few others are torn down and lost forever. You can find the complete list at the Georgia Trust's website, but GPB's Orlando Montoya brings you a few selections to get you going.

[Orlando Montoya]

The University of Georgia's Legion Pool was once the largest swimming pool between Richmond, Virginia and Miami. Built in 1936, the 75 by 150 foot pool was a New Deal era collaboration between the federal Works Progress Administration and the City of Athens.

[Wright Mitchell]

It's one of Georgia's best surviving examples of a WPA era recreational facility. It's a pool that generations of Athenians and University of Georgia students have used and really seem to have an affinity

[Orlando Montoya]

for, UGA plans to demolish it for parking and green space as part of a redevelopment plan. A historic railroad hub in southeast Georgia, the small town of Jessup once told much of its stories in the two story red brick courthouse at its center. But the 1902 building and its prominent clock tower are unused now. Significantly damaged by a fire in 2025, the structure's future is in the hands of Wayne county leaders, who are considering a complete replacement of the courthouse's roof, among other changes.

[Wright Mitchell]

It's a situation where we'd like to see the roof itself repaired rather than replaced.

[Orlando Montoya]

The Georgia Trust is urging county leaders to keep as many of the building's original elements as possible and as they consider appropriate restoration efforts and the only property on this year's list in the Atlanta area. Eggleston hall is a 1918 Gothic Revival building in midtown Atlanta. It's part of the All Saints Episcopal Church campus and features a round design that was popular in church buildings at the time. Mitchell says not only is the community building important architecturally, it also was an

[Wright Mitchell]

important cultural hub during the civil rights movement. The congregation was very progressive and hosted many interracial meetings there to talk about how the Episcopal Church would respond to the civil rights movement. And it also, interestingly, served as a recording studio for some of the most important musical acts in the 1920s and 30s, such as Blind Willie Mactell and the Carter Family.

[Orlando Montoya]

Nearby, construction undermined the building's structural integrity and and church officials are considering redeveloping the site, leaving the hall's future uncertain. Since the Places in Peril list was established in 2006, more than 200 sites have been listed and more than 95% of them are still standing, according to the Georgia Trust. For GPB News, I'm Orlando Montoya.

[Peter Biello]

The sky looks like rain, but the rain gauge says drought worrying Georgia farmers. The U.S. drought Monitor released today shows 33% of the state in extreme drought, up from 31% last week. Parts of agriculture rich middle Georgia are 3 inches below normal rainfall for this time of year.

[Terry Gross]

Hi, it's Terry Gross, host of Fresh Air. Hey, take a break from the 24 hour news cycle with us and listen to long form interviews with your favorite authors, actors, filmmakers, comedians and musicians. The people making the art that nourishes us and speaks to our times. So listen to the Fresh Air podcast from NPR and whyy.

[Peter Biello]

Thousands of women are drug tested by hospitals every year shortly after they've given birth. When these tests are positive Many state laws dictate that child welfare agencies and law enforcement can get involved. Something that happens a lot in Georgia. An investigation by the Marshall Project reveals that the vast majority of these drug tests are unreliable and sometimes false. GPB's. Sophie Grada spoke with Marshall Project reporter Shoshana Walter.

[Sophie Gradis]

I want to start with how do we get here, right? How do we get to the point where people, women who have just given birth are being referred or having their cases referred to law enforcement? What are the steps that need to happen for that to happen?

[Shoshana Walter]

Yeah, well, most hospitals are using these drug tests that are fast and cheap and have false positive rates as high as 50%. And they're also very easy to misinterpret. And after these referrals are made to child welfare authorities, what we found in many states, including Georgia, is that child welfare authorities then forward that information to law enforcement. And that has led to arrests, interrogations, even prosecutions of women.

[Sophie Gradis]

I mean, why give these drug tests in the first place?

[Shoshana Walter]

Yeah, I mean, hospital drug testing really became a policy during the crack cocaine epidemic of the 80s and 90s, and it grew also exponentially during the opioid epidemic. In many states, prenatal substance exposure is considered child abuse or neglect. So hospitals do these tests in part to provide medical care for babies who might need extra care. And then once they have this positive results, many then refer that to child welfare authorities. You know, it's traumatic. You know, you can really see the compounding effect of these drug tests. A single hospital drug test can really lead to the absolute worst consequences.

[Sophie Gradis]

So I want to talk about Georgia's numbers. So your findings suggested that child welfare agencies reported to law enforcement in at least one out of 42 births over six years in the state.

[Shoshana Walter]

Yeah, I mean, Georgia is one of 13 states that has an automatic referral policy, which means that every single report of pregnancy drug use, they forward to law enforcement. About 18,000 of these reports were referred to law enforcement over a six year period. And about 11,000 of those cases actually did not result in any child abuse or neglect finding. In fact, 3,000 of those cases involved women who were taking legal medications legally as prescribed.

[Sophie Gradis]

Wow.

[Shoshana Walter]

I have spoken with a lot of child welfare workers, and many of them felt that it was a waste of time, that it took them away from more serious allegations of abuse and harm and kind of overwhelmed the system.

[Sophie Gradis]

So, I mean, what happens next?

[Shoshana Walter]

Well, while we were reporting this story, we found out that the state of Illinois used to have an automatic referral policy. And just a couple years ago, the state actually decided to change that requirement. Punitive responses to pregnancy, drug use can lead to women avoiding prenatal care. Traumatic family separations can lead to arrest. And I think that is something that the state of Illinois recognized and tried to remedy. Anyone can go to our website, download the data, look at your state's policy. So you know, if they're concerned and want to know more about what's happening in Georgia, look up Georgia on our website and read a little bit more about the policy.

[Sophie Gradis]

And y' all lay out your resources so nicely. I really appreciate it as a reporter. Thank you for taking the time. It was great to talk to you.

[Shoshana Walter]

Thank you so much, Sophie. I appreciate it.

[Peter Biello]

You just heard GPB's Sophie Gradis with Marshall Project reporter Shoshana Walter on their investigation into the flawed system of drug testing at childbirth. Federal energy officials say they'll loan a record $26 billion to Georgia Power and Alabama Power to expand electricity supply. U.S. energy Secretary Chris Wright announced the loan yesterday, saying subsidized interest rates will save customers more than $7 billion over time. The utilities plan to build new natural gas plants, add transmission lines and upgrade older power plants. The loan comes as electricity prices rise faster than inflation in many states. There's also widespread grassroots opposition to new energy hungry data centers. The company that owns the Atlanta braves reported an 11% jump in revenue in 2025 compared to the previous year. Atlanta Braves holdings reported yesterday the total revenue grew to $732 million. Baseball revenue increased 7%. That's despite the first losing season for the Braves since 2017. Baseball revenue comes from things like ticket sales, concession sales and broadcast rights. Ticket sales were the fourth highest number in the past 25 years. Atlanta Braves holdings also earns money through mixed use developments such as the Battery. That revenue grew by 45%. And that is it for this edition of Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. We hope you come back tomorrow. Make sure you subscribe to this podcast and check for any [e-mail] news. We're always posting new stories there. And if you have feedback or a story idea that we haven't had ourselves, send it to us by email. The address is georgia todaypb.org we love hearing from you. And when you email georgia todaypb.org your message will go to the whole production team. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We will see you tomorrow.

[Wright Mitchell]

Sam.