Georgia Democrats fear new Republican regulatory bill is DOGE 2.0
DOGE debate among Georgia lawmaker
Some Democratic lawmakers have accused their Republican colleagues of trying to bring DOGE to Georgia. Democrats claim a Republican-backed bill would lead to mass layoffs and spending cuts similar to those underway at the federal level but Republicans say that's not the case.
ATLANTA - Georgia Democrats are seeing red over the Red Tape Roll Back bill.
They accused Senate Republicans of borrowing a page from Elon Musk's "DOGE" Playbook.
What is Senate Bill 28?
What we know:
SB 28 would require state agencies to review and update their rules and regulations every four years and requires agencies to consider the economic impact of new regulations on small businesses.
Agencies would have to conduct economic analyses for proposed rules that cost more than $1 million to implement.
Why do Democrats oppose the legislation?
The other side:
Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur) and his colleagues voiced their concerns during Wednesday's Senate committee hearing.
Senate Democrats believe the bill would lead to aggressive cost-cutting and allow Republicans to slash vital services.
"When you look at Senate Bill 28, that's exactly what it's doing. It's a power grab," Sen. Jones maintained. "The next step is, ‘Why do we need the agencies?’ Then, the next step is to attempt to eliminate certain agencies, as well as cut employment in the great state."
Why do Republicans want the legislation?
What they're saying:
Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming) is sponsoring the bill and says it will reduce costs and increase accountability.
"It's in the spirit of DOGE, which I think is the recognition that we want to reduce the size and scope of government," Dolezal explained. "It is not in the spirit of DOGE in that there is no external agency that is auditing existing agencies or anything like that."
The Source: FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Deidra Dukes interviewed Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur) and Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming) to get both sides' views of Senate Bill 48, the Red Tape Roll Back bill.