Tuesday on Political Rewind: Georgia’s economy struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic slump. According to statistics from the Georgia Chamber, 231,000 Georgians are currently receiving unemployment benefits after being laid off. In a letter, the Georgia Chamber called on state officials to change the benefits unemployed workers currently receive. But labor advocates say suspending assistance would be akin to pulling the rug from under Georgians just as they try to get back on their feet.

In 2022 election news, Attorney General Chris Car announced he will seek reelection instead of entering the race for Sen. Raphael Warnock’s seat. What does his decision tell us about the landscape of the Republican party?

Gov. Brian Kemp signed a measure that assures even more money will be allowed to flow into campaign coffers in Georgia. The new law gives lobbyists and others the freedom to donate unlimited sums to state elected officials, even during legislative sessions.

In another signing action, Kemp signed the bill that overhauls the state’s pre-Civil War citizen’s arrest statute. Changes to the longstanding law won bipartisan approval after the original prosecutors in the Ahmaud Arbery shooting case declared that the statute protected from prosecution the three men who confronted and killed Arbery.

Panelists:

Sam Olens — Former Georgia Attorney General

Michael Thurmond — CEO, DeKalb County

Tamar Hallerman — Senior Reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution