ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A Georgia state lawmaker lost his day job after voting against the contentious lawsuit reform bill aimed at curbing business liability lawsuits and large insurance payouts.

“It affects my family,” state Rep. Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain) said. “It was a very negative effect on my wife and my whole family.”

Smith said he was fired as the CEO of the Harris County Chamber of Commerce in a Zoom call Friday, the day after he voted against Senate Bill 68.

“My vote wasn’t taking the chamber in the direction that they wanted to go, and therefore we’d had to part ways,” he said, paraphrasing what the chamber’s board chair Theresa Garcia Robertson told him.

In a sit-down interview with Atlanta News First Investigates, Smith said he sat in four of the hours-long subcommittee sessions to hear the testimony and debate regarding the bill and how it would affect Georgians’ everyday lives.

“I’m a small business. I’ve got an LLC. I’m a member of my own chamber. I definitely think about small business on the issues that I vote on, it affects me directly and affects everybody else in the community across the state,” Smith said. “I didn’t know the outcome was going to lead to where we are now.”

The bill passed on Friday, a day after the House approved a substitute in a 91-82 vote.

Smith said he can’t even count the number of texts, calls and emails he’s gotten since.

 “I want to thank you. This is a family in here,” he told the House chamber Tuesday. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

Democrat representatives rushed up to comfort him as he began to choke up.

“I guess I’m kind of a sentimental guy,” Smith told Atlanta News First Investigates.

Smith said he had a few concerns about the bill and had been asking a lot of questions.

For example, he had asked for representatives with insurance companies to call him to explain what they would do going forward.

“Looking at this bill, will this bill entice companies to come back to Georgia? Will it ease the fears of companies that are here in Georgia to that they’ll stay in Georgia?” he asked, but said to this day, he hasn’t heard from anyone from the insurance side.

“I said, ‘Well, you know, if we can make this a better bill, I think I’ll vote no now so we can work on that bill some more,‘” Smith said.

He had no idea it would cost him his job representing businesses in Harris County.

“My position here is very important to me. I want to do what’s right,” he said.

Garcia Robertson, who fired Smith, is the wife of one of the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Randy Robertson. Some have asked Smith if he believes losing his position was also party retaliation for his vote.

“I honestly will not speculate,” he said. “We’ve got legislation to do. I’ve got to work ‘til April the 4th midnight, passing bills that are meaningful to my area of the state and in, actually to the whole state. So I’ve got to concentrate on that.”

Garcia Robertson told Atlanta News First Investigates in an email statement, “We do not comment on personnel matters. What we can tell you is that we hold Vance in high regard personally and appreciate his service to our community and his district.”

Smith said he helped start the Harris County Chamber of Commerce in the early 1990s and had been CEO for almost three years.

This is his 24th year as a Georgia lawmaker.

House Majority Whip James Burchett, who also co-sponsored SB 68,addressed Smith’s firing in a release.

“Numerous members have suffered threats to their livelihoods and independence because of their votes on Senate Bill 68,” he wrote. “We should hold legislators accountable for their votes at the ballot box – not by taking aim at their ability to support their families.”

Atlanta News First Investigates also reached out to the Georgia Senate’s press office for a comment from Sen. Robertson. We are still waiting to hear back.

Atlanta News First Investigates previously reported on online “threats” made to businesses that supported SB 68.

One example is a story post on Facebook from a personal injury attorney, who said: “I cannot wait to sue businesses who blindly support tort reform. Not only will I give you a lesson on how insurance works, but I will punish you for your pathetic attempt to put profits over people. Welcome to the show.”

The attorney told Atlanta News First Investigates, “While admittedly zealous, my post reflects my thoughts that if the businesses that blindly supported tort reform and spread misinformation end up in lawsuits because their carriers failed to resolve claims fairly.”

The bill was heavily supported by the business community, which said insurance premiums were rising so rapidly that some small businesses couldn’t afford to have them anymore.

Small business owners in the state said they’re frustrated with constantly having to pay huge settlements over lawsuits they feel are frivolous.

Opponents of the bill also noted that nothing in its language actually required insurance companies to lower their rates.

The last day of this year’s Georgia General Assembly is set for Friday, April 4, 2025.

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ATHENS — Kirby Smart is cautiously optimistic about the state of his wide receiver room.

Not just with his words but also in his actions this spring as well.

“You gotta show toughness and grit, and I like that group right now,” Smart said following Tuesday’s practice. “I really do, I think that group has a chance to be good.”

Wide receiver was a major problem for the Bulldogs a season ago. They led the nation in drops and lost multiple members throughout the year to either dismissals or suspensions. Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett, the two statistical leaders a the position in 2024, are off to the NFL.

To address those concerns, Georgia dipped into the transfer portal to add Zachariach Branch and Noah Thomas. Both come from Power 4 programs and possess traits that should help make a difference for Georgia this fall.

“Those guys are monsters, man,” safety KJ Bolden said. “Zach, I gotta guard Zach every day, so we’re going at it every day. Now, Zach is definitely a great player, he go 100 to him every day. He’s gonna try to give you his best, feel me? And then same with Noah, Noah just a big guy, big, tall receiver. You love those type of guys, kind of remind me of Colbie. Just him and Colbie’s lineups on the side, it just looked different.”

Georgia signed five wide receivers as a part of the 2025 signing class to pair with Branch and Thomas. Four of them are already on campus but Tyler Williams (ankle) and Landon Roldan(hamstring) are dealing with injuries at the moment.

Expectations are high for Talyn Taylor and CJ Wiley, given they are both top-100 prospects.

If they weren’t, Smart wouldn’t call out his freshmen receivers like he did.

“They’ve got to get in shape. They’re constantly tired at practice,” Smart said. They’ve got their hands on their hips, exhausted. I think there’s a little anxiety in that…They get really tired. So, you know, they’re trying.

“There’s no lack of effort and they’re talented, but they’ve got a long way to go in terms of learning what to do and that’s our job. Our job is to get them ready to go. They are not where they need to be.”

For as much chatter as there has been regarding the new faces in James Coley’s room, it is how Smart has handled some of the returning players that is perhaps most interesting.

Smart brought back wide receiver Colbie Young after he missed the last nine games of the 2024 season due to a suspension. His legal status has since been resolved and is now fully back practicing with the team.

Young is dealing with a groin injury at the moment, but Smart indicated it was nothing too serious.

As one receiver returns, another has been suspended. Nitro Tuggle is currently suspended indefinitely following a reckless driving and speeding arrest.

Tuggle is a promising young receiver and someone Georgia would love to see take strides forward. But given the nature of his arrest, Smart has been left with no choice but to suspend the sophomore.

“Yeah, disappointed, obviously, in those two young men and the decision-making process for each one,” Smart said when asked about Tuggle and offensive lineman Marques Easley. “Both of them are younger players and have made crucial mistakes.”

If Georgia were a little thinner at wide receiver, perhaps Smart wouldn’t have opted to suspend Tuggle indefinitely. Smart never publicly suspended running back Trevor Etienne last season following a March arrest.

Lastly, there is Dillon Bell. He’s the most experienced player in Georgia’s receiver room as he enters his fourth year in the program.

Which makes the fact that Georgia is playing him at running back this spring all the more interesting.

“We mix Dillon in practice to practice,” Smart said. “He works in the slot. He’s tried to develop as a wide receiver and a back. He’s been great and in a good attitude and being committed to “Coach, if it means me playing 10, 15 snaps at back, I wanna do it. If I can develop as a slot, I wanna do it.‘”

Bell has worked at running back before, moonlighting there during the 2023 season. Injuries have become an issue in the running back room and that Bell is taking reps at that position suggests that right now it may be a bigger position of concern than wide receiver.

There’s plenty of reason to be skeptical about Georgia’s wide receiver room entering this upcoming season. It’s fair to question this group, given drops were a consistent issue last season.

Georgia will have a new quarterback as well, with Gunner Stockton likely stepping in for Carson Beck on a full-time basis.

He’ll need his wide receivers to help him this fall. While there is still a long way to go between now and the season-opener against Marshall on Aug. 30, there have been signs of positivity from this oft-maligned group.

“There’s days I want to see more toughness,” Smart said. “I want to see more run-through tackles, don’t lay on the ground, don’t hold your hands up if the ball’s not in the right spot. Just, body language drives me nuts. But that’s not all of them, and they’re getting better. Day by day, they’re getting better, and there’s a good depth in that group.”

Kirby Smart provides update on Georgia wide receiver room

President Donald Trump late Wednesday took to Truth Social to announce Georgia state Sen. Brandon Beach as the next U.S. treasurer.

The 63-year-old Louisiana native was elected as a Republican Georgia state senator in 2013. He represents District 21, which includes parts of Cherokee and Fulton counties.

“Brandon helped us secure a Massive and Historic Victory for our Movement in the Great State of Georgia, and has been doing an incredible job in the Georgia State Senate since 2012. As our next Treasurer, Brandon will uphold the Values of Fiscal Responsibility, Economic Growth, and help unleash America’s Golden Age,” Trump wrote in the post. “Congratulations Brandon!”

TOP DEM USED SAME APP USED IN ATLANTIC SCANDAL TO SET UP CONTACT WITH STEELE DOSSIER AUTHOR

A graduate of Centenary College of Louisiana State University and Louisiana Frost School of Business, Beach won the Legislator of the Year Award from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce in 2017 and the Emerging Leader Award from GOPAC Inc. in April 2023.

He also serves as the president and CEO of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce and president and CEO of the North Fulton Community Improvement District.

Under his leadership, the district invested more than $2 million to bring $30 million in new infrastructure to the area, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

President Trump nominated Georgia state Sen. Brandon Beach for U.S. treasurer. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Community boards he serves on include the Regional Business Coalition, Grady Hospital Board of Visitors, the Greater Metro Atlanta American Heart Association, Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, Encore Park, and the Historic Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau, according to the department.

Beach currently lives in Alpharetta, Georgia, and shares two children with his wife, Shuntel Paille Beach.

‘STOP THEM!’: DEMOCRAT CLASHES WITH TRUMP SOCIAL SECURITY NOMINEE OVER DOGE ACCESS

Following Beach’s nomination, Trump announced via Truth Social that Brent Bozell will serve as U.S. Ambassador to South Africa. 

“Brent is the Founder of the Media Research Center [MRC], which has exposed Fake News hypocrites for many years,” Trump wrote in the post. “Brent brings fearless tenacity, extraordinary experience, and vast knowledge to a Nation that desperately needs it. Congratulations Brent!”

Prior to founding the MRC, Bozell served as president of the National Conservative Political Action Committee and the National Conservative Foundation.

Brent Bozell speaks during a panel discussion at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C.  (Kris Connor/Getty Images)

The University of Dallas alumnus serves as chairman of ForAmerica, an organization “committed to restoring America to its founding principles.”

He is married with five children and seventeen grandchildren.

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The Georgia Senate Press Office and Beach did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.