Rep. Eddie Lumsden has sent out his week 5 update during the 2021 legislative session. This week several bills were voted on, on the House floor. House Bill 112 was voted on to extend the Pandemic Business Safety Act until July 2022. This bill is set to expire in July 2021. The bill is now under review in the Senate.  House Bill 153 unanimously passed legislation this week to curb third-party solicitations that cause Georgia’s small businesses and individuals to lose money each year. The Amended Fiscal Year 2021 budget, or House Bill 80, also received final passage this week.  The final version of the AFY 2021 budget is based on a revenue estimate of $26.56 billion, which is an increase of $654.3 million, or 2.5 percent, over the original budget. It has been passed onto the Governors desk to be signed into law. You can read Rep. Lumsden full update below.

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UPDATE 4:33 PM –  Georgia Power continues to work on the side of Taylor’s Ridge to restore power to communications towers.  Chattooga 911 / EMA is currently running on a generator on the ridge, as is WZQZ FM 99.1 Radio.  Georgia Power crew members told WZQZ that it could be several more hours before they are able to restore power to the ridge.  The rugged terrain and deteriorated power poles are hampering restoration efforts.  WZQZ will continue to broadcast this evening on generator power and will be on the air for the Chattooga High School Boy’s game.  Depending on weather and the situation with Georgia Power, WZQZ may be off the air for some time overnight, but will be back on no later than 7 AM on Thursday morning.

WZQZ has been off the air since 5:30 AM this (Wednesday) morning due to a power outage on Taylor’s Ridge.  The power outage has affected WZQZ, SKY21 TV and WATG 95.7 FM.  According to Chattooga 911 / EMA, Georgia Power says that tree’s fell on the power lines in a remote area at the foot of the ridge.  A tree crew was brought in to help remove the trees from the power lines.  Georgia Power is estimating the restoration time at 4:15 PM.  WZQZ is scheduled to broadcast the Chattooga High School Girl’s Basketball game with the pre-game starting at 3:45 PM.  We plan to use a generator to broadcast until Georgia Power restores power to the ridge.

Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Wednesday February 17, 2021:

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Governor Kemp announced today that Integrated Fiber Solutions (IFS), a manufacturer of synthetic bulked continuous filament (BCF) yarns for the carpet, rug, and automotive industries, will invest $30 million in expanding their operations in Rome, Georgia. This expansion will bring approximately 40 additional jobs to Floyd County.

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