Georgia House's Plan To Expand Mental Health Services Hits Turbulence In State Senate

This year's House plan to build on last session's bipartisan mental health bill is receiving a cool reception in the state Senate.

Georgia's Homeless Population Has Increased Since 2020

While Georgia saw its homeless population decrease by 45.6% between 2007 and 2022, it has increased by 4.4% since 2020.

Georgia House Committee Votes To Keep COVID-19 Vaccine Proof Prohibition

Public Health Chairwoman Sharon Cooper, R-Marietta, broke a party-line tie to get the bill through to the House floor.

School Spending, Enhanced HOPE Scholarship, And Vouchers On Minds Of Georgia Lawmakers In Session's Final Days

Georgia students and families could see changes to their public schools this year, as lawmakers continue work on numerous education bills.

Georgia House Passes Bill To Raise Unemployment Insurance Contributions

The measure lowers the administrative assessment businesses pay from 2.7% to 2.64%. It reverts to 2.7% after Dec. 31, 2026.

Georgia House Speaker Tees Up Legislature's Homestretch, Drops Sports Betting Teaser

House Speaker Jon Burns defended the push to create oversight panels for local prosecutors, and touted ongoing efforts to improve access.

Georgia GOP Lawmakers Aim To Continue Tough-On-Crime Push, As Legislative Calendar Winds Down

Georgia's legislators head into the final stretch of the session with tough-on-crime bills that will escalate criminal penalties.

Hiring More People With Developmental Disabilities Pitched As Georgia's Labor Shortage Fix

People living with intellectual and developmental disabilities say one solution to Georgia's work force shortage is to hire them.

Georgia House Set To Vote On $32.5B 2024 Spending Plan, Adding Millions For Law Enforcement

House lawmakers are set to vote on a spending plan for next year that includes additional salary bumps for hard-to-fill state jobs.

Georgia Courts Still Struggle With Pandemic-Era Backlogs, State Supreme Court Chief Justice Says

State Supreme Court Chief Justice Boggs says this is the case despite fewer felony arrests in Fulton County during the pandemic.

Georgia House Signs Off On Fiscal 2024 Budget

This budget is a spending plan that includes raises for state employees and allocates additional funding for law enforcement.

Boggs: Backlog Of Georgia Courts' Cases ‘Could Take Years To Resolve'

Boggs pointed to Fulton County, where he said there are more than 4,000 "pending indicted felony cases."

Georgia Senate Says Kids Don't Need Permits Or To Pay Taxes On Lemonade Stands

Senate Bill 55 allows kids to sell non-consumable goods, pre-packaged food and non-alcoholic drinks; not pay taxes on $5,000 or less sales.

Georgia House Passes 'Zucker Bucks' Ban

Georgia Senate signed off on legislation prohibiting counties from soliciting or accepting donations to help with election administration.

Georgia Senate Announces New Policies For Taxpayer-Funded Travel

The move follows reports that former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan and then-Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller, R-Gainesville, took a tax ...

Georgia Senate Passes Bill To Create State-Funded Education Savings Accounts

Under Senate Bill 233, the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, taxpayers would fund $6,000 per student per school year.

Georgia General Assembly Passes Amended 2023 Budget

House Bill 18 outlines more than $61.5 billion in funds, including nearly $32.6 billion in state dollars and $18.6 billion in federal funds.

State To Fund Public Safety Office In Atlanta's Buckhead Community

A week after state lawmakers killed a proposal to de-annex and incorporate a portion of Atlanta as Buckhead City.

Incentives Unknown For Auto Parts Manufacturer's Georgia Facility

A global auto parts manufacturer plans to build a new facility in Chatham County.

GOP-Controlled Georgia House Pushes Through Bill Called "Overreaction" By D.A. Willis

Georgia's GOP-controlled House passed controversial legislation 98-75 late on Tuesday's Crossover Day.

Georgia Lawmakers Offer Both Punitive And Safety Net Approaches To Tackling Homelessness

Bambi Hayes Brown, in an audio story, talks about what she calls "invisible homelessness."

Crossover Day Wrap: Flurry Of Bills Passed At Pivotal Deadline

Dozens of bills cleared a key legislative deadline, along with controversial measures, such as the ban on some gender-affirming care.

A Bill Is Said To Be "Actually Deadly," Could Cause "Suicide," Democrat Jackson Says Of GOP-Sponsored Bill

Young transgender Georgians could be denied access to some forms of gender-affirming care.

Bigger-Rig Trucks For Georgia Highways On The Move In 2023 State Legislature

Rep. Spencer Frye, a Democrat from Athens, said frets over the safety perils of bigger-rig trucks on Georgia roads are likely overblown.

Prospects Fade For Legalized Sports Betting, As Georgia Lawmakers Scuttle Planned Constitutional Amendment

The House adjourned March 7 without taking a vote on a sports betting bill.

Legislation To Redact Government Employees' Information From Georgia Public Records Falls Short

Legislation that would shield a government employee's personal information from public records did not survive Crossover Day.

Georgia Senate Kills Sports Gambling Bill

The Georgia Senate nixed a bill that would have opened the door to sports betting in the state.

State GOP Lawmakers Not Yet Done Fiddling With Georgia Voting Law In Response To 2020 Election

Several bills that have the potential to change Georgians' voting laws arrive at a crossroads, where legislators decide.

New Anti-Abortion Bills, Gun Safety Legislation Among Long Shots, As Lawmakers Reach Key Deadline

They can't all be winners.

School Vouchers, Election Laws, Gender-Affirming Care On Agenda, As Lawmakers Race To Beat The Clock

It's crunch time under the Gold Dome.

Georgia Senate Committee Fails To Advance Craft Brewing Bill

Senate Bill 163 would have allowed "small brewers'' to distribute up to 3,000 cases per year to retailers within a 100-mile radius witho ...

Georgia Senate Committee Advances Measure To Codify 'Apex Doctrine'

The Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee signed off on Senate Bill 200, the Civil Practice Act.

Georgia Leaders Plan To Review State's Tax Credits

They are saying that they want to ensure any credits provide a "significant return on investment" for Georgia’s taxpayers.

Georgia Senate Kills Bill To Create Buckhead City

The Senate voted 33-23 against Senate Bill 114, which would have incorporated Buckhead City.

Georgia Senate Debate Over Gambling Bills Gets Personal As Session Enters Homestretch

The state Senate roundly struck down a gambling bill, greatly decreasing the odds that the state will expand legal wagering opportunities.

Plan To Shield Government Officials' Personal Info From Public Records Sweeps Georgia Senate

Richard T. Griffiths of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation asked Georgia legislators this week to take a deep breath and tap the brakes.

Attacks On Power Substations Elsewhere Spur Georgia House To Stiffen Penalties For Infrastructure Sabotage

House lawmakers have approved extra prison time for anyone who intentionally attacks – physically or electronically – a utility substation.

Georgia Senate Is Next Stop For House Bill That Aims To Expand Access To Mental Health Services

A proposal billed as the next step toward improving access to behavioral health services in Georgia easily cleared the state House Thursday.

GOP Bills On Protest Marches? Opponents Call Them "Unnecessary And Wrong-Headed"

State House lawmakers passed two GOP bills targeting demonstrators who resort to tactics when protesting, but opponents decried the move.

Georgia's Transportation Investment Act Marks First Decade

To date, nearly $1.4 billion has been collected to fund transportation projects.