ATLANTA – It was eight minutes after midnight last April 5 when the Georgia Senate voted unanimously to compensate Kerry Robinson financially for spending more than 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. One minute later, another unanimous Senate vote awarded financial compensation to Dennis Arnold Perry, who spent more than […]

ATLANTA – Georgia’s Teachers Retirement System (TRS) lost about $33 million when two large banks – Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank – failed earlier this month.  TRS lost $18 million from the SVB failure and $13 million from the Signature Bank failure, TRS Executive Director Buster Evans said Thursday. But the loss is […]

ATLANTA – Legislation to legalize sports betting in Georgia left for dead after Crossover Day in the General Assembly last week was brought back to life Thursday. None of the four measures on sports betting introduced early in this year’s session made it through the Crossover Day deadline for bills to pass at least one […]

ATLANTA – A state Senate committee Thursday widened the scope of a bill that would prohibit local governments from imposing moratoriums on the building of housing for longer than 180 days.

ATLANTA – The Republican-controlled state House of Representatives approved a controversial bill Thursday that would ban some gender-affirming care for transgender Georgia youths.   Senate Bill 140, which the House passed 96-75 along party lines, would prohibit hospitals and doctors from providing hormone-replacement therapy or gender-affirming surgeries to transgender minors. However, It would allow some gender-related treatment for […]

(The Center Square) — Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a bill this week that would provide $1 billion in tax rebates for Georgia income tax filers.

(The Center Square) — Georgia’s regional commissions reported higher unemployment in January but the labor force grew in all but one of the state's regions, according to numbers released on Thursday.

ATLANTA – A Georgia House committee unanimously approved a bill Wednesday that would codify a ban on the use of TikTok on state-owned devices.    “This is all about national security,” said Sen. Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, the bill’s main sponsor. “This is not a content moderation bill.”   The bill would codify into state law Republican Gov. […]

ATLANTA – The state House of Representatives gave final passage Wednesday to legislation aimed at preventing the financial exploitation of Georgia seniors. The bill, which the Georgia Senate passed last month, authorizes financial advisors to delay transactions involving their elderly or disabled clients if they suspect fraud. “Georgia has a strong tradition of protecting elders […]

ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp wasted no time signing the $1 billion state income tax rebate the General Assembly passed this week. The Republican governor put his signature on House Bill 162 late Tuesday, just hours after the Georgia Senate gave the legislation final passage. “While some in Washington D.C., are calling for tax increases, […]

ATLANTA – The Georgia Senate overwhelmingly passed a $1 billion one-time state income tax rebate Tuesday, sending it to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk for his signature.

(The Center Square) — A bill that would permanently extend Georgia’s prohibition on local governments requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for services was approved by the House Public Health Committee on Monday.

(The Center Square) — While Georgia saw its homeless population decrease by 45.6% between 2007 and 2022, it has increased by 4.4% since 2020.

ATLANTA – Container trade at the Port of Savannah was down last month even as the Georgia Ports Authority reported its highest ever national market share. Savannah handled nearly 395,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containerized cargo in February, the agency’s second busiest February ever but significantly below the record 460,400 TEUs that moved through […]

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp has signed a $32.5 billion mid-year state budget that includes property tax relief for Georgia homeowners and security grants for every public school in the state.

ATLANTA – The economic slowdown in Georgia many economists have been predicting for this year hasn’t arrived yet. The state Department of Revenue collected more than $2.12 billion in taxes last month, an increase of 8.7% over February of last year, the agency reported Friday. For the first eight months of fiscal 2023, tax revenues […]

ATLANTA – Georgia’s unemployment rate was flat in January, but job numbers hit an all-time high, state Commissioner of Labor Bruce Thompson reported Thursday. The jobless rate of 3.1% in January was the same as December, three-tenths of a percent lower than January’s national unemployment rate of 3.4%. But the number of jobs rose by […]

ATLANTA – While Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis investigates allegations that then-President Donald Trump interfered with the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, her office also should handle its day-to-day duties, state House Speaker Jon Burns said Thursday. “They need to make sure they have the resources and bandwidth to take care of both issues,” […]

(The Center Square) — As a parent, T.L. Matthew knows setting up a lemonade stand can be fun and educational.

ATLANTA – The NAACP – along with state legislators and other politicians – has filed two federal complaints over Wellstar Health System’s decision last year to close Atlanta hospitals in majority-Black areas.   Wellstar’s decision to close two Atlanta-area hospitals, Atlanta Medical Center and Atlanta Medical Center-South, has damaged the health-care rights of Black patients, the complaints […]

(The Center Square) — The backlog of cases facing courts across Georgia "could take years to resolve," Supreme Court of Georgia Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs said during his "State of the Judiciary" address on Wednesday.

ATLANTA – While Georgia’s judiciary is emerging from three years of pandemic, a serious backlog of cases still looms over the state’s judicial system, Georgia Chief Justice Michael Boggs told state lawmakers Wednesday. “The numbers in certain parts of Georgia are truly astounding,” Boggs, who became chief justice last July, said during his first State […]

 ATLANTA – The first of two new nuclear reactors being built at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle has reached a key step toward going into service this spring, the Atlanta-based utility announced Monday.

ATLANTA – Controversial legislation that would allow heavier trucks on Georgia’s state and local highways has narrowly cleared the Georgia House of Representatives. Lawmakers passed House Bill 189 by a margin of 93-81 during a marathon Crossover Day session Monday, the General Assembly’s self-imposed deadline for bills to get through at least one legislative chamber […]

ATLANTA – The Georgia House’s Republican majority has passed legislation creating an oversight board for the state’s district attorneys and solicitors general over the objections of Democrats who argued the panel is unnecessary and politically motivated. House Bill 231 passed 98-75 primarily along party lines on Monday, the Crossover Day deadline for bills to clear […]

ATLANTA – The state House of Representatives Monday passed a bill that would limit the ability of local governments to impose lengthy moratoriums on the building of single-family houses.   The Housing Regulation Transparency Act, which passed 127-43, would prevent local governments from extending moratoriums that bar the building of single-family homes beyond 180 days.   “[The […]

ATLANTA – The state House of Representatives passed legislation Monday defining antisemitism and incorporating it into Georgia’s 2020 hate crimes law. House Bill 30, which passed 136-22, would establish as part of state law the definition of antisemitism used by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, an intergovernmental organization founded by Sweden’s prime minister in 1998. […]

(The Center Square) — The Georgia Senate signed off on legislation prohibiting counties from soliciting or accepting donations to help with election administration.

ATLANTA – Legislation that would increase participation in Georgia’s medical cannabis program in an effort to resolve lawsuits filed by losing bidders sailed through the state House of Representatives Monday. House Bill 196, which passed 170-2, would increase the number of medical cannabis production licenses the state awards to 15, up from the current six. […]

ATLANTA – The state Senate gave quick passage Monday to legislation aimed at accommodating what is expected to be an influx of electric vehicles plying Georgia highways. Under Senate Bill 146, which passed 55-1, utilities selling electricity to EV owners charging either at home or at public charging stations would charge by the kilowatt hour […]

ATLANTA – For the second time in a less than a week, the state Senate shot down legislation Monday aimed at legalizing sports betting in Georgia.

ATLANTA – The General Assembly gave final passage Monday to a $32.5 billion mid-year budget with a slightly smaller property tax relief grant than Gov. Brian Kemp requested in January. The mid-year budget, which covers state spending through June 30, includes $950 million in property tax relief, down from $1 billion the Georgia Senate approved […]

ATLANTA – As the state prepares to build a network of electric vehicle charging stations across Georgia, the General Assembly is grappling with how they should be operated and how to tax the electricity they sell to EV owners. Separate bills making their way through the Georgia House and Senate would go a long way […]

ATLANTA – The state Senate soundly rejected legislation Thursday to legalize sports betting in Georgia. Senate Bill 57 was defeated 37-19, as senators opposed to gambling joined forces with those who believe legalizing sports betting requires a constitutional amendment. The bill’s supporters argued it would not require a constitutional change because it would not legalize […]

ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp and legislative leaders announced a plan Thursday to review all of Georgia’s tax credits later this year. The goal is to make sure the various tax credits on the books in Georgia aimed at supporting economic development and job creation are giving taxpayers a good return on that investment. “As […]

ATLANTA – Legislation establishing the crime of “interference with critical infrastructure” cleared the Georgia House of Representatives unanimously Thursday. The topic is timely given the December targeting of an electric substation in North Carolina by an unknown shooter that left 45,000 utility customers without power, Rep. Rob Leverett, R-Elberton, chief sponsor of House Bill 227, […]

(The Center Square) — A Georgia Senate committee did not advance legislation that could have transformed the state’s craft brewing scene.

ATLANTA – Legislation elevating the crime of rioting from a misdemeanor to a felony cleared the Republican-controlled Georgia House of Representatives Wednesday. House Bill 505 passed 98-73 along party lines and now moves to the state Senate. The bill’s supporters cited violent protests last month around Atlanta’s proposed Police Training Center – derided by critics […]

ATLANTA – The state House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation Wednesday aimed at helping Georgia begin to prepare for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles by motorists across the state. House Bill 406 would set the stage for building a network of federally funded EV charging stations along major highway corridors. While utilities are expected […]

(The Center Square) — A Georgia Senate committee has advanced legislation to allow high-ranking company executives and government officials to avoid testifying in cases if they have no direct knowledge of the issue being litigated.

ATLANTA – The higher fuel costs Georgians have been paying at the gas pumps soon will be reflected in their electric bills. Georgia Power filed a request with the state Public Service Commission (PSC) Tuesday to recover $2.1 billion in additional fuel costs the Atlanta-based utility has incurred during the last two years and that […]