(Recorder of Georgia) At the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s annual congressional luncheon, measures to restrict litigation were on the table for the third year in a row.
This year, hundreds of businesses from Georgia’s business sector attended the event, which was hosted at the Convention & Trade Center in Columbus. Approximately 1,000 people attended. Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff and Republican Congressmen Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, who are both running for Ossoff’s Senate seat in 2026, were among the main speakers.
Derek Dooley, the Senate candidate supported by Governor Brian Kemp and a former football coach at the University of Tennessee, was also present but refused to answer questions from the media.
Georgia s lawsuit reform package could go national
Kemp has been using the annual luncheon for the past few years to draw attention to the need for what he has called tort reform—that is, changes to the civil litigation system that would make it more difficult for plaintiffs to bring and prevail in lawsuits. During the 2025 legislative session, Kemp stopped prioritizing the matter, and this past April, he signed significant lawsuit overhaul legislation into law.
This year, Collins, in a fireside chat with Georgia Republicans U.S. Rep. Austin Scott and former Congressman Drew Ferguson, urged for the concept to be embraced at the federal level.
According to Collins, insurance has skyrocketed, and this issue won’t be resolved until there is real tort reform at the federal level.
Collins attempted to portray himself as a candidate who could cooperate with both the conservative and moderate half of the Republican Party when he hosted the official kickoff ceremony for his Senate campaign the day before.
Everyone knows that I’m MAGA, he stated. However, they are also aware that I am able to communicate with the more moderate Republicans in our society.
Carter calls for loosened pollution regs, mail-in ballot ban
In a separate fireside discussion with Public Service Commissioner Fitz Johnson, Carter also praised plans to strengthen Georgia’s energy independence and relax air pollution rules, both of which he says will aid the state’s companies.
“I adore the surroundings,” he stated. Naturally, I like Georgia, where I call home. However, we also need to be realistic about the effect we’re having on companies.
Despite the fact that states have express autonomy over voting processes under the U.S. Constitution, Carter, who has called himself a MAGA warrior during his Senate race, told reporters he supports Trump’s efforts to outlaw mail-in ballots as a means of voting in the country.
“I stopped doubting Donald Trump’s realistic beliefs a long time ago,” he remarked. He has gone above and beyond what I ever imagined was possible.
Ossoff talks China, foreign aid
During a fireside chat with Georgia Chamber of Commerce Chair Ed Elkins, Ossoff, Georgia’s only Democratic contender for the U.S. Senate, focused on national security issues, especially those pertaining to China, and workforce development.
According to Ossoff, a member of the Senate intelligence committee, “it is very much a jump ball between the U.S. and China right now, and frankly, we are engaged in tremendous self-harm right now in this competition,” Elkins said.
Ossoff attacked the Trump administration’s foreign policy approach, claiming that it has led to a brain drain of American workers and damaged ties with partners across the world, even though he never specifically named Trump.
According to him, it is significant when the US backs international efforts to combat natural disasters. It raises our stature, authority, and credibility.
Ossoff noted that Trump’s decision to cut off the majority of foreign aid has not been viewed lightly.
Our partners in the Indo-Pacific region are now aware of that. They are now doubting our ability to stay in the area and the veracity of our promises when you speak with them privately.
