Legislators and lobbyists were dealt a double whammy for Legislative Day 28: the chaos of Crossover Day combined with a case of the Mondays. Indeed, all under the Gold Dome were subjected to the whiplash of a sudden...more
The Senate set an ambitious agenda for Thursday, placing 27 measures on a Rules Calendar front loaded with some of the most contentious issues of the session. Among the first six bills up for consideration were propositions...more
March came in like a lion under the Gold Dome on Wednesday. Before proceeding to committee meetings, the House put in a full day on the floor, passing 19 measures including a host of education bills. Legislation advancing to...more
Members of the public flooded the State Capitol again on Tuesday. The day’s most visible group was Mothers Demand Action, members of which crowded the halls in a sea of red as they advocated lawmakers for gun control...more
With a week remaining before Crossover Day, activity hit a fever pitch in the Capitol on Monday. The House and Senate floors were both active with debate of weighty measures like Governor Kemp’s “Safe Schools Act” (HB 147)...more
The Georgia General Assembly worked diligently Thursday by debating and passing many measures, some of which help the State spend much of the surplus collected over the past several years. In the House, members approved HB...more
Five legislative days remain until Crossover Day, but the hoppers are still overflowing with new legislation and legislators’ hopes that their big ideas will run a sprint from first readers to the floor. While the prospect of...more
House Committee meeting notices fill the announcement board outside the clerk’s office early Tuesday.
With less than two weeks remaining until Crossover Day, skates were needed to get between committee meetings today as...more
The Georgia General Assembly closed out the first half of its 2023 Legislative Session on Thursday, but veterans know well that it is not all downhill from here. Like a marathon, the second half of the session always seems...more
As the halfway mark of the 2023 legislative session nears, floor activity is picking up in the Georgia General Assembly. On Wednesday, each chamber took up several consequential measures. In the House, lawmakers approved...more
Pink ties and red dresses abounded in the State Capitol on Tuesday as legislators and lobbyists celebrated Valentine’s Day engaging in the romance of the legislative process. Despite the exchange of chocolates and cards,...more
While the 2023 Legislative Session has had a somewhat breezy start over the last month, lawmakers returned to the State Capitol on Monday to meet a gale-force flurry of legislative activity. With Rules Calendars in both...more
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta therapy dog Uno reacts to a long week at the Capitol while colleague Reggie looks on.
Thursday was Congenital Heart Defect Day at the State Capitol, an opportunity for Children’s...more
The State Capitol was bursting at the seams on Wednesday as what seemed like the majority of Georgia’s ten million citizens crowded into the people’s house for various “days at the capitol.” Legislative Day 15 for the General...more
The General Assembly pivoted from honoring a brave World War II veteran on Monday to recognizing an Atlanta Brave on Tuesday. Joined by his parents, 2022 National League Rookie of the Year Michael Harris II was feted on the...more
Legislators were back in action early Monday, kicking off a day full of committee meetings with an eye-opener convening of the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee. A 90-minute discussion of Georgia’s Criminal Code set the...more
We’re not sure what the groundhog did, but the #GoldDomeReport team is hoping for an early spring and an end to dreary winter days like Thursday in Atlanta. Despite the overcast skies, work continued under the Gold Dome, the...more
House Rules Committee Chairman Richard Smith (R-Columbus) convenes the first Rules Committee meeting of 2023 on Wednesday.
The Capitol was stirring well before the crack of dawn on Wednesday as House appropriators rose...more
The rain may have stopped Monday, but the flood (of legislation) came on Tuesday. With 93 bills and resolutions in the hoppers as legislators and lobbyists arrived this morning, it appears that the much-anticipated...more
Legislators returned to the State Capitol on Monday for Legislative Day 9, but lawmakers and lobbyists seemed surprisingly subdued in the face of legislative days that continue to tick away. Perhaps it was the dreary weather...more
The General Assembly adjourned for the week on Thursday, allowing legislators to return home to their districts for a three-day weekend and lobbyists to use Friday to catch up on all those emails from clients they have been...more
While the rain may have saturated the grounds on Wednesday morning, it did not slow activity at the State Capitol. The halls were packed with groups from all across Georgia as well as constitutional officers, judges, agency...more
The early days of a legislative session rarely involve much in the way of votes or floor action, and Legislative Day 6 was typical in that regard. But there is often much to be learned from listening on these “quiet” days. In...more
After a week of hearings on Governor Kemp’s proposals for the Amended FY23 and FY24 budgets, legislators returned to the State Capitol on Monday for Legislative Day 5…and more budget hearings. The House is wasting no time...more
Governor Brian Kemp, surrounded by his family, gives remarks at his Inaugural Gala at State Farm Arena on Thursday night.
After four legislative days filled with celebration, the first week of the 2023 Legislative...more