State Election Results

Yesterday marked Georgia’s runoff election that saw Secretary of State Brian Kemp win a landslide victory over Lt. Governor Casey Cagle for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Mr. Kemp will face Democrat Stacey Abrams in the general election on Tuesday, November 6. For a look at each candidates’ policy statements, click here for Kemp and click here for Abrams. To see the election results for governor and other down ballot races, please click here.

Congressional District Staffers Visit Emory

On July 17th, congressional district staffers from around the state visited Emory to learn about our work on behalf of Georgia’s citizens. The staffers learned about Emory’s partnership with the Atlanta Braves, Falcons, Hawks, and Dream sports teams. John Leach, Assistant Vice Provost and Director of University Financial Aid, walked them through the Emory Advantage Program and Emory’s generous financial aid for our students. They also visited with General Burke Garrett and Shaun Lewis from the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program and learned about the treatment available at Emory for veterans and active duty military suffering from PTSD. Finally, Bryce Gartland, CEO of Emory University Hospital, and other members of the leadership team gave the staffers a tour of the new hospital tower and provided insight around Emory Healthcare’s structure. Pictured in the photo below are the staffers and Emory Healthcare leadership team during the tour of the new Emory Hospital tower. Thank you to everyone who helped make this day a success!

Appropriations Update

Senate leadership is nearing a deal that would prevent a government shutdown later this fall. While details are still being worked out, the goal of the next spending package would be to combine the Defense Appropriations bill with legislation that funds the Labor, Health, and Human Services (HHS), and Education programs. These two appropriations bills make up nearly two-thirds of all discretionary funding. This would be a bipartisan compromise that includes increases for both military spending and non-defense discretionary programs.  

While House Appropriators seem open to the idea, it is unclear if Speaker Ryan would have enough votes to pass the package out of the House. House Republicans have already passed a $675 billion defense funding bill  and marked up the Labor-HHS- Education appropriations bill. House Democrats have announced they would not support the current Labor-HHS-Education bill, which they deem to be underfunded. At the moment, it appears that the Senate package could be the best bet for avoiding a continuing resolution or government shut down. The OGCA team will keep you updated on developments between now and September 30th.

Emory in DC

On July 11th, Emory President Claire E. Sterk hosted a reception for the Georgia Congressional Delegation and Emory alumni in D.C. Click here to view the photos.