A lot of bills have come across Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk this year for his signature. He has signed all but one — vetoing Senate Bill 156 which would have created the position of “Chief Labor Officer” to work in the Georgia Department of Labor. Kemp said no to the legislation late last week — and only a few days later, several Democrat lawmakers openly opposed his decision.
State Representatives Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain), Sandra Scott (D-Rex), Kim Schofield (D-Atlanta) and Rhonda Burnough (D-Riverdale) also announced opposition to ending additional federal funding for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits prior to the Georgia Department of Labor resuming in-person operations.
“The governor vetoed Senate Bill 156 to stop the creation of a chief labor officer due to the ‘significant infringements on the separation of powers guaranteed by Georgia’s Constitution,’” said these legislators. “With this reasoning, we would like to know why the governor wouldn’t veto Senate Bill 202 for significant infringements.”
Under the legislation vetoed by Kemp, the labor officer would have the same powers as the Commissioner of Labor (currently Commissioner Mark Butler), however, he or she would be appointed by the state legislature, rather than elected. The Chief Labor Officer position would have only lasted through December 2022 and would have been tasked with reporting unemployment claims and processing data to state lawmakers.
“Rather than creating a new Chief Labor Officer position that reports directly to the legislature, I believe we should work with the Labor Commissioner to identify the challenges his agency is facing and ensure the Georgia Department of Labor is doing everything it can to review unemployment claims for validity and deliver payments for those who qualify,” wrote Gov. Kemp in his veto statement.
State Sen. Marty Harbin (R-Tyrone) said he drafted SB 156 in response to complaints from Georgians who filed for unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic and could not get clear answers about the status of their benefits.
These Democratic lawmakers, members of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus (GHDC) Subcommittee on COVID-19, are urging Commissioner Butler to reopen the GDOL offices. They previously requested that the GDOL open call centers and the career centers to service Georgians who request assistance.
The group also expressed concerns with Kemp’s decision to opt out of federal unemployment benefits.
“While we continue to receive complaints concerning the state’s labor department, we are troubled by the move to opt out of the federal funding prior to opening government agencies, such as the Georgia Department of Labor,” they said.
At the time of his announcement, Kemp said, “During truly unprecedented times, hardworking Georgians have stayed resilient and businesses of all sizes have quickly adapted to an unpredictable environment. Even in the middle of a global pandemic, job growth and economic development in Georgia remained strong – including an unemployment rate below the national average. To build on our momentum, accelerate a full economic recovery, and get more Georgians back to work in good-paying jobs, our state will end its participation in the federal COVID-19 unemployment programs, effective June 26th. As we emerge from this pandemic, Georgians deserve to get back to normal – and today’s announced economic recovery plan will help more employees and businesses across our state do so.”
