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February 2017 Newsletter

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Casino Embedded in “Destination Resort” Center

Q. Does Georgia have a “destination resort” (as defined in H.B. 158 and S.B. 79)
within its borders?
A. Not yet, but Georgia will have two destination resorts with casinos,
if H.B. 158 or S.B. 79 passes.
Q. What does a destination resort have besides a casino?
A. Its freestanding, land based development has hotels, restaurants, villas, “limited gaming” (casino) facilities, convention and meeting sites, shopping centers, attractions, entertainment facilities, and service centers.
Q. Will destination resorts interfere with existing gambling available on maritime vessels?
A. Maritime gambling in Georgia’s jurisdiction before January 1, 2016 will not be affected.

H.B. 158 Destination Resort Act or Resort Act by Representative Ron Stephens is identical to S.B. 79 Destination Resort Act or Resort Act by Senator Brandon Beach, and both introduced their bills on January 30th. Both bills create a five-member Georgia Gaming Commission (GGC) comprised of Georgia residents who are U.S. citizens. The five would be appointed as follows: The Governor appoints three members, the Lieutenant Governor appoints one, and the Speaker of the House appoints one. Meaning, it would be controlled by the Governor.

The commission will establish the Destination Resort Trust Fund into which the commission will deposit all excise taxes, fees, and other revenue received by the commission. The fund will finance the operation of the commission, its investigations¹, the regulation of casinos, and enforcement of the law governing casinos, but salaries for commissioners is not mentioned.

Absolute power of GGC: (a) Select the county in which a destination resort license is awarded; (b) issue state licenses for casinos, manufacturers, sellers and distributors of gambling devices, supplies and equipment; (c) inspect equipment and supplies in, upon, or about the premises; (d) remove, seize, and impound such, along with documents or records; (e) demand access to records of applicants, licensees, and other entities; (f) investigate suspected violators who may be prosecuted; (g) issue subpoenas; and (h) appoint hearing examiners to interrogate under oath.

Destination Resorts may operate 24 hours, 365 days of the year. No one company may hold two destination resort licenses concurrently and applicants must demonstrate a plan for the project to derive over 60 percent of its revenue from nongaming.

  • A county with a population over 900,000, based on the most recent census, would be selected for the larger investment. As of July 1, 2016, Georgia’s most densely populated counties were Fulton², 1,010,562; Gwinnett, 895,832; Cobb, 741,334; and DeKalb, 734,871.

The licensee for the first locale must be able to invest $2 billion into the project, include a hotel with 1,000 guest rooms, and be near a convention center district within the same county.

  • The second county selected for a resort must be populated with at least 250,000 residents, but no more than 900,000. Populations of Chatham, Clayton and Cherokee currently qualify. Licensees must invest at least $450 million, and a convention center must be nearby.
  • To read the rest of this newsletter in PDF format, please click here.

¹ The commission may investigate, for the purpose of prosecution, any suspected criminal violation.
² Public Library Serv. projects increase for 2018: Fulton, 1,070,062; Gwinnett, 948,365; Cobb, 763,778; DeKalb, 745,417.

February 3, 2017 Radio Commentary

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3 New Marijuana Bills

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, February 3, 2017 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Last year, Representative Allen Peake promised he’d be back this year to expand the marijuana law, and that’s what he’s doing. His H.B. 65 deletes restrictions lawmakers put on marijuana when his first bill passed. For example: H.B. 65 removes the one-year Georgia residency requirement for a THC patient to register for treatment with marijuana. Without that restriction, Georgia could be flooded with out-of-state drop-in buyers of medical marijuana.

In addition to that, Mr. Peake’s bill deletes several important reports – the required quarterly physicians’ report on dosages recommended for certain conditions, clinical responses from the treatment, as well as reports on compliance, side effects and drug interactions. Then, H.B. 65 adds seven more to the list of conditions qualifying for THC treatment – Tourette’s syndrome, autism, intractable pain, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, HIV and AIDS. But I want to focus on HIV/AIDS because of a law that passed last year, allowing minors, of any age, to be treated for HIV and AIDS without parental knowledge or consent.

Making HIV and AIDS eligible for treatment with cannabis (marijuana) oil reminded me that minor children, who already receive confidential treatment for conditions related to sexual activity, including abortion, could be treated with marijuana oil for HIV and AIDS, without parental notification. Until the law was changed last year, the law mandated that parents be notified if their minor child was diagnosed with HIV or AIDS! Continue reading →

January 27, 2017 Radio Commentary

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Will Georgia allow sanctuary colleges?

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, January 27, 2017 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

In case you don’t know, Georgia is listed among states that provide “sanctuary” for illegal aliens. Sanctuary is the term for safe spaces, such as towns or counties, that protect illegal aliens from federal law enforcement officers whose job is to locate, retain, and deport those here illegally, including illegals who commit crimes after they get here.

Sanctuary is provided in defiance of federal law when local government jurisdictions pass ordinances or policies or regulations that require local law enforcement to look the other way when they have knowledge of or encounter illegal aliens.

In addition, the refugee resettlement movement is encouraged, enhanced, and assisted by various religious organizations and charities that are paid per capita to defy federal immigration law and act on personal compassion rather than honor the requirements of our Constitution and laws.

For years, local governments in major cities and counties have given sanctuary to illegal aliens, but, currently, students and faculty at a number of colleges and universities nationwide have demanded that administrators declare their campuses to be sanctuaries. In response, certain colleges and universities, that should be stalwart bastions of truth, law and order, are embracing the sanctuary movement. Continue reading →

January 2017 Newsletter

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Electoral College Equalizes Power of Voters in All States

“Using Census data, we’ve¹ figured out that half of the United States population is clustered in just the 146 biggest counties out of over 3000. Here’s the map, with said counties shaded in. Below the map is the list¹ of all the counties,
so you can see if you live in one of them.”

Georgia Statistics: According to the latest figures available, the total population of Georgia is 9,687,653, which is almost equally divided among males (4,729,171) and females (4,958,482). The blue sections below identify the 146 most populace counties in the U.S., which includes four Georgia counties with the following residency: Fulton, 1,010,562; Gwinnett, 895,832; Cobb, 741,334; and DeKalb, 734,871. Taliaferro County has the fewest residents with 1,639.

NPV vs. Electoral College. Consider this half-and-half fact: The 146 blue counties outlined below include half of the population in the U.S. Over 2,854 gray counties are home to half of the U.S. population. The Electoral College provides voting equality for each half.

  • To read the rest of this newsletter in PDF format, please click here.