Distracted-driving talk turns to Big Brother

The five GOP candidates for governor have found something to agree on: When it comes to the issue of distracted driving, it’s better to err on the side of caution — caution against Big Government, that is.

House Bill 673, which would require Georgia motorists to use hands-free phone technology when they drive, moved into the fast lane on Crossover Day when the House voted 151-20 to approve it.

It hit a stretch of bumps and potholes at this past week’s Columbus/Muscogee GOP forum.

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle said the bill faced an “uphill battle” in the state Senate. He should know, since he’s the president of the chamber and has the ability to stop the bill in its tracks.

Supporters of the bill, sponsored by state Rep. John Carson, R-Marietta, say it could help reduce the rising number of highway fatalities in Georgia. But its opponents see the measure as a form of government intrusion, putting Big Brother behind the steering wheel.

Cagle said at the forum that sometimes lawmakers have a “sense of wanting to go a little bit too far in one direction” when it comes to public safety.

The other four picked up on that cue.

Businessman Clay Tippins said the “last thing I want to do is insert government” deeper into motorists’ daily commutes, and former state Sen. Hunter Hill reminded the audience that he had taken a pledge to pursue limited state government.

State Sen. Michael Williams of Cumming said drivers need to take “personal responsibility” for their actions.

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp said proposals like Carsons will soon be widely accepted, calling it the “seat belt issue of the 21st century.” But he also injected a note of caution “about us continuing to mandate things on law enforcement and not giving them the resources to be able to fundamentally do their job.” ■ Education group gives

Abrams an “A”: Over in the Democratic lanes of the governor’s race, former state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams now has a large group of teachers cheering her efforts.

The political arm of the Georgia Association of Educators voted unanimously this past week to back Abrams. It represents a big score in her contest with former state Rep. Stacey Evans for the party’s nomination.

A big factor in the group’s decision was Abrams’ vote against the Opportunity School District initiative, a plan that Gov. Nathan Deal backed and Evans supported to allow the state to take over struggling schools. Voters rejected it in a 2016 referendum. The GAE also likes Abrams’ education plan, including her pledge to fully fund the state’s formula for k-12 schools.

“GAE believes we need a leader in the governor’s office that truly understands that vision and does not just give lip service for political gain,” said Sid Chapman, the GAE’s president and a Democratic candidate for state school superintendent.

Evans also has a group of teachers in its corner, the Georgia Federation of Teachers, but it’s a smaller organization than the GAE.

The two hopefuls share a lot of things in common when it comes to education. They both have unveiled plans for universal pre-kindergarten. They also have called for significantly increasing the funding for k-12 education and making tech school programs tuition-free.

But Abrams has attacked Evans for her initial support of a student scholarship organization measure that she later voted against. Abrams has used that to paint Evans as a supporter of vouchers. Evans says Abrams’ claim “is a lie.”

■ They’ve got money

coming: Abrams took an unusual tact when she opted to spend much of her campaign cash early in the race, instead of holding out until just before the May 22 primary.

So far, she has spent about 80 percent of the money she’s raised in her effort to become the nation’s first black female governor. But help is on the way. The PowerPAC Georgia committee says it will spend $2.5 million to bolster Abrams’ effort, hiring 250 organizers to turn out an additional 80,000 rural black voters. Don’t be fooled by the name. Information that PowerPAC Georgia gave to the state ethics committee includes a San Francisco address.

Cagle is also getting help in his bid to move up one slot on the state flowchart.

An outside group, Citizens for Georgia’s Future, has pledged $1.2 million for a new barrage of ads supporting Cagle’s campaign. The group is set up as a 501(c)4, meaning it does not have to disclose its donors.

The seven leading candidates for governor have combined to raise or loan themselves more than $20 million in their pursuit of the Governor’s Mansion. ■ A little shoulda,

coulda: Lucy McBath drew cheers from several leading Democrats when the gun control advocate decided to run in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District race.

It, however, was not a consensus.

State Rep. Scott Holcomb, D-Atlanta, took to Twitter to make the case that McBath should have stuck to her original plan, to run against state Rep. Sam Teasley of Marietta. Teasley was considered vulnerable as a Republican in a district whose voters backed Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race. McBath also had socked away more than $100,000 for the contest, a good sum for a state legislative race.

“My 2 cents: she likely would have won her bid for State House,” Holcomb wrote in a tweet.

Here’s a look at some of the news that broke this past week at Georgia’s General Assembly, with a side of other political news. Find more by subscribing to Politically Georgia.