Pre-Session Legislative Update 2017

Cary Lucas and his campaign have spent over $80k in illegally unreported funds. In addition those illegal funds, he has refused to file personal financial disclosures. Those disclosures are required by law to help prevent fraud and conflict of interest, but Cary has apparently decided to ignore the law. This represents one of the most egregious ethics violations in the state’s modern history. An ethics complaint has been filed and an investigation is ongoing, but voters need to know. EDIT: After Cary became aware that we were preparing an ethics complaint, he filed SOME of his paperwork. It’s still incomplete, rife with irregularities and violations, and very late. He has not paid his fine or filed his personal financial disclosure. February 16th: Cary files Declaration of Intent to Fundraise On February 16th Cary filed a Declaration of Intent (DOI) to run for office. A DOI is required in Georgia before you can raise money for a campaign. It establishes your campaign committee, the treasurer responsible for the committee should it commit an ethics violation, and it requires the candidate to affirm his or her intention to comply with Georgia campaign disclosure requirements. When the DOI is filed, the state ethics commission provides the candidate with the schedule and information required to comply with Georgia election law. Cary’s filing had some irregularities that make it difficult to ensure there’s no illegal dark money groups spending in this race. He did not name his committee, and he did not list a treasurer. Over the course of April, a series of mailers were sent out attacking Todd. Some of the mailers were sent by “Lucas for Georga” (sic), and some were sent by Friends to Elect Cary Lucas. We believe that Friends to Elect Cary Lucas is Mr. Lucas’ campaign committee, and Lucas for Georga (sic) is an illegal shadow group. Because of Mr. Lucas’s incomplete DOI, it’s hard to know for certain. We know that one of them has to be illegal, because state law limits candidates for State House to one committee. March: Friends to Elect Cary Lucas Creates Fake Mailer Most of the mailers were incoherent screenshots from Mr. Lucas’s website, but one in particular was at least coherent enough to convey a message. It included a photoshopped image of Todd’s face in a picture with Joe Biden. The mailer erroneously claimed that Todd Jones gave $250k to Democrats. The picture, and the alleged $250k donation from Todd, never happened. It was all fabricated. That particular mailer was sent by Friends to Elect Cary Lucas. March 25th: Mr. Lucas Refuses to file Personal Financial Disclosures Mr. Lucas has repeatedly attacked Todd for his business interests, all of which are reported to the ethics commission. The state of Georgia requires all candidates for office to file paperwork in late March disclosing all of their assets, investments, employers, and business interests. This exists so the ethics commission can monitor and ensure the type of conflicts that Todd is accused of cannot happen. Cary Lucas has refused to file that document. As of 5/16/24, it is over 7 weeks late. Mr. Lucas has apparently decided he would rather pay the hefty fine than allow the ethics commission and the voters to see his conflicts of interest. March 27th: Ethics Commission Fines Mr. Lucas Mr. Lucas was fined by the ethics commission for failing to file his personal financial disclosure. As of May 17th at 6pm, he still has not paid the fine. You can check on the state of his fine here. He is currently ineligible for office because this fine remains unpaid, but he can’t be removed from the ballot at this time. April 30th: Mr. Lucas Refuses to file Campaign Finance Report On April 30th, every campaign is required to file fundraising and expenditure reports. This disclosure exists for two reasons: to ensure the public knows who funds each candidate, and to ensure candidates aren’t committing fraud and stealing campaign funds for personal use. Mr. Lucas did not file his disclosures. As of 5/15 Mr. Lucas’ had reported $0 in contributions and $0 in expenses for the entire election cycle May 14th: $42k Xfinity Contracts with Mr. Lucas Discovered We’ve all seen the fake mailers, received the texts, and seen the illegal signs in the median and right-of-ways around town. It’s pretty obvious Cary is spending money, but there was no way to prove his campaign was spending it, rather than an illegal dark money group. On 5/14/24 we were made aware, through the public filings on the FCC website, that Mr. Lucas had a contract with Xfinity for $42k in TV commercials. This contract requires the candidate to sign a statement affirming that they are abiding by all state and federal election laws. Mr. Lucas clearly lied on that form. May 16th at 11am: Mr. Lucas files Incomplete and False Campaign Report On May 15th we sent a letter to Xfinity alerting them to the illegal campaign activity. On 5/16/24 at 11am Mr. Lucas finally filed an incomplete disclosure report. At 11:53am we were forwarded Mr. Lucas’ correspondences with Xfinity, where he said all campaign reports have been filed. (At the time of writing this post, this statement is untrue. He never filed his Personal Financial Disclosure) His incomplete campaign report was clearly filed simply to prevent his ads from being pulled from the air. The incomplete disclosure fails to report $9.5k in contributions, claiming it was an unreported loan he received in January. It was illegal for him to receive a loan before establishing his committee in February, and illegal to fail to report said loan. It appears he was receiving large, illegal, unreported contributions to pay for his consultant. Who’s funding this guy? He also failed to report the $42k Xfinity contracts, any mailers, texts, facebook ads, merchant fees, or yard signs. In addition to these violations, he reportedly gave himself a $51k loan, and reported his employer as “unknown”. Apparently Cary Lucas is such a shady fellow, he doesn’t even know who’s paying him. May 16th 3pm: Mr. Lucas Files Amended False Campaign Report Later in the afternoon, Mr. Lucas filed an amended report attempting to account for the missing $9.5k. This discrepancy was “fixed” by adding two different loans from the candidate, one for $4.5k and one for $5k. The need for this amendment is troubling even on face value, but a closer look at the disclosure raises more red flags. Mr. Lucas reported paying his consultant $5,000 on February 16th, but did not report receiving any funds until February 22nd, when he allegedly loaned himself money. He allegedly spent funds that do not exist. Obviously, that can’t happen. The money does exist, he just doesn’t want to report it to the voters and the ethics commission. That type of dishonesty calls into questions the rest of his report, and his campaign for that matter. Is this the type of “integrity” we want representing us? May 21st: Voters Send a Message Mr. Lucas will undoubtedly be hit with countless violations and pay a large fine when this race is over. However, he thinks he can steal this race and just pay the fine afterward. We have NEVER seen such a brazen, illegal strategy in a Georgia House race before. If he gets away with it, will this behavior become normal? The best way to stop it is to send a resounding message at the ballot box on Tuesday; THIS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. The general public doesn’t often hear about ethics violations. Many times they consist of accounting errors or questionable campaign expenses. Campaigns pour over opponents’ disclosure reports looking for small errors. What they find may constitute an ethics violation, but it’s rarely worthy of a news story. The issue gets hashed out in a hearing, and only a handful of voters ever even know. The process seems mundane, but it’s incredibly important to ensure the integrity of our elections. Before the modern ethics reform, lobbyists and dark money groups were free to buy legislators with lavish gifts and tens of thousands of dollars for the candidate’s personal use. Elected officials got new cars, paid off their mortgage, or got a new pool. The new laws put a stop to that. Unfortunately, Mr. Lucas doesn’t believe the law applies to him. What kind of corruption is he hiding? All of these issues are incredibly alarming. Rest assured we are doing everything in our power to hold Mr. Lucas accountable, and we are confident the voters will do the same.

Republican Congressman Rich McCormick endorsed Todd Jones for re-election on Tuesday during his trip to Atlanta to qualify for re-election to Congress. During his brief time in office Congressman McCormick has become popular among conservatives for his leadership in Washington. Here's what he had to say on Tuesday: "Hey I’m Congressman Rich McCormick. I’m here with Representative Todd Jones. I’m really excited about the things he’s been able to get done on the local level where real government gets done, the most representative government we have. I want to endorse him, say he’s doing a great job, he will continue to fight the good fight, and I want him to be part of this team. I want to grow the church, I want to grow the party, I want to continue looking to the future and he’s a big part of that." You can see a video of his endorsement here.

"Keeping our community safe has always been my top priority. But safety isn't just about what happens on our streets; it's about the leaders who shape our future. That's why I'm excited to support my friend Todd Jones. Todd has been serving our community for nearly two decades, from being the president of the elementary school dad’s club to representing us at the state level. Todd works tirelessly to ensure Forsyth County remains the best place to raise a family. If we had more dads like Todd Jones, it would make my job a lot easier. His dedication to our community's safety, education, and prosperity is exactly what we need. I’m proud to support Todd Jones for State House, and I hope you’ll do the same. Thank you, and God bless.” Sheriff Ron Freeman

Please take a moment to complete my legislative survey! This is a great opportunity to make your voice heard and help me better understand the issues that are important to you. You can also join me Saturday for coffee at 9am at Fuel Coffee to share your thoughts in person.

Election integrity is an incredibly hot-button issue in American politics, particularly since the 2020 and 2016 elections. In fact, I think it’s been so hot-button, many people have developed “election integrity fatigue”. Frankly, I get it. I’m tired of watching grifters from across the political spectrum–like Jill Stein or Sydney Powell–use wild conspiracies to create doubt about our elections. That doubt creates political instability that can bleed into economic and social instability, negatively impacting our quality of life. That’s why I’ve worked hard to strengthen voter confidence in our elections. Before we passed election reforms in 2021, only 56% of Georgia voters were confident in the results of our elections. After the 2022 election, that number increased to 73% . The reforms we worked tirelessly to pass are working, and Georgia has since been ranked as the top state in the country for election integrity. At the same time, an incredible 99% of Georgia voters said they had zero issues casting their ballot. I would love to use this moment to take a victory lap and move on to other issues, but our election law has to keep pace with advances in technology. Like the widespread use of digital advertising in the 2016 election, recent advances in Ai technology could completely change the way campaigns work in 2024. Ai is more than just a chatbot now, it has the ability to create photos, audio, and video. Just a few weeks ago, Ai was used to create a fake robocall from President Joe Biden encouraging Democrats to stay home on election day. While this particular attempt may run afoul of New Hampshire’s law against voter suppression, there’s little that can be done under current law to prevent future Ai “deep fakes”. Our election laws simply couldn’t foresee this technology. That’s why I’m co-sponsoring legislation to prevent Ai “deep fakes”. The legislation would not prevent the use of Ai for campaign purposes, but would make it illegal to create fake content portraying another candidate or elected official. If this practice remains legal, campaigns and consultants will eventually add the Ai “deep fake” to their election strategy. That will further erode trust in our election, and create tremendous instability. I believe this bill should enjoy bipartisan support and will help put guardrails on Ai to ensure it’s a tool used to create economic growth, not a weapon for political turmoil. I am also working to prevent the use of Ai to create pornographic content, which can be used to bully and embarrass with fake depictions of obscene acts. I should be able to provide more information about these efforts soon. Until then, I hope you will support HB 986. As always, if you have questions or concerns please feel free to reach out. I would be glad to chat with you over coffee this Saturday at 9am at Fuel House Coffee.

Please take 5 minutes to give us your feedback. My colleagues and I have put together a short survey to gather your thoughts on the matters facing Georgia. We hope you take the time to contribute and submit. We would love to have your feedback by Wednesday, January 16th. I will distribute the results back to you during the week of January 21st. Please call or text me with any questions or concerns. My mobile is 770-203-9230. Here is the link (please copy & paste into your browser if necessary): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019_Pre-Legislative_Survey Volunteer as a Student Page at the Capitol Come volunteer at the Georgia House of Representatives for a day. If your son or daughter is between 12 and 18 years old, then they are eligible to sign up to page on the floor of the Georgia House. It is a great opportunity for him or her to learn about civic engagement. They will receive $10, lunch and an excused absence from school. Here is the information if your child is interested (please copy & paste into your browser if necessary): http://www.house.ga.gov/en-US/HousePageProgram.aspx Legislative Days Coffee I welcome the opportunity to meet you in person if you have time on Saturday mornings during the legislative session. Our first sit down will be on Saturday, January 19th at 9am. We will meet at The Coffee Lodge within the First Redeemer Church complex. I plan to be there from 9am to 10am and hope I get a chance to meet many of you. I plan to host a coffee discussion from January 19th through March 23rd. If Saturdays do not work for you, then please call or text me at 770-203-9230 to set up a time and place to connect. Data Analytics Intern I am looking for a motivated high school or college student interested in entering into the data analytics field. The internship would initially last three months, January through March, with the option to extend through the summer of 2019. The work does not require travel to the Capitol and can be performed from home (or your local coffee shop:)). Please send me your resume or LinkedIn profile to todd.jones@house.ga.gov if you are interested. Thank you!!! Thank you for the opportunity to serve you. Please reach out to me via text or phone at 770-203-9230 or through email at todd.jones@house.ga.gov if I can be of any assistance. In your service, Todd Jones Georgia State Representative

By Todd Jones Georgia House of Representatives, District 25 May 2, 2018 Georgia sits at a crossroads. Stay the current course and bet on the tried and true or jump into unchartered waters. Our economy is growing, job rates are at an all-time high and our children attend the best schools in the state. The challenge is where do we go next. We are on the precipice of the next industrial revolution. Augmented intelligence, 3-D printing and autonomous vehicles will fundamentally change our business and personal pursuits and passions. Individually or combined, these three tectonic technology advancements will forever change the way we live. The examples are endless, but here are a few: Healthcare – an orthopedic surgeon printing an exact replica of the patient’s knee nearly assuring the perfect fit and less recovery time, IBM Watson, via AI, making a diagnosis of a rare bone cancer because it had “consumed” years of medical journals to “learn” what humans can’t and providing mobility to the elderly and home-bound patients via AV, liberating a whole segment of our population. Education – empowering teachers to teach and removing the administrative burden by leveraging AI success coaches to handle the mundane and unlock the educator’s passion to change children’s lives. Providing real-time, 3-D modeling to high school robotics teams and higher education engineering students. As a community and state, it is an imperative that we embrace AI, 3-D and AV. The intersection of these burgeoning technologies and industries like transportation, education, healthcare and of course manufacturing sets up Georgia’s new “north star”. We must rally private enterprise, education and government toward creating a workforce with the right skills, a business ecosystem with limited regulation and cash liquidity and R&D bolstered through deep partnerships between our higher education institutions and businesses of all sizes. We have seen how the Internet can be the great equalizer. Uber versus taxis, Facebook versus traditional publishing and on and on. Imagine a manufacturing process comprised primarily of three phases – dream it, design it and print it. An entrepreneur could have a customized product on the company web site within days, not weeks or months. Each customer getting it in the color they choose along with their monogram. Compare that to today. Today’s manufacturing processes are laborious, inefficient and typically do not create a positive return on investment for quarters and in many cases years. Let’s not pick on manufacturing, this can be said about nearly every industry of today. The core processes existing in the USA are rooted in post-World War II thinking. That mantra drove a massive economic expansion in the 50’s and early 60’s, but like the abacus and corded phones we need to be willing to walk away from what is comfortable. Setting us up for success means a commitment from each of us. We are all stakeholders in this revolution. Note revolution, not evolution. Evolving has been what we have been doing for decades. Today is our chance to grab tomorrow. The question is, do we have the resolve?

Speaker’s panel to include Peachtree Corners Mayor, UGA Professor, and others to discuss cityhood issue