Governor Brian Kemp delivers his second inaugural address on Thursday at the Georgia State University Convocation Center.
Thursday was the Third Legislative Day for the Georgia General Assembly, but the day was all about...more
Riding high on the Bulldogs’ back-to-back National Championship earned on Monday night, legislators jubilantly returned to the state capitol for Legislative Day 2 on Wednesday. But first, lawmakers and lobbyists gathered with...more
The 2023 Session of the Georgia General Assembly convened on Monday with an uncommon air of expediency and bipartisanship. Acting with speed and efficiency that suggested many members, many of whom were dressed in Red and...more
Yesterday (and in early voting over the last three weeks), nearly 4 million Georgians cast ballots to decide the makeup of their congressional delegation and leadership under the Gold Dome. This morning, we get an...more
The General Assembly adjourned its 2022 Legislative Session sine die early Tuesday morning with the traditional toss of torn pieces of paper in the air. Legislators and lobbyists alike will now try to put those pieces back...more
Legislative Day 40 continues as this Report goes live, and the day has already been a historic one! Most notably, HB 1013, Speaker David Ralston’s (R-Blue Ridge) Mental Health Parity Act legislation was signed by Governor...more
The traditional hurry-up-and-wait of Legislative Day 40 started early on Friday, with legislators working in fits and starts on the next to last legislative day. Brinkmanship abounded as legislative leaders waited on their...more
Day 38 began early with a Senate Rules Committee Meeting to add HB 1013, Speaker Ralston’s Mental Health Parity Bill, to the calendar. It was not until the third House Rules Committee meeting that action in both chambers...more
In the final week of a legislative session, committee meetings under the Gold Dome are a lot like magic shows. Bills and resolutions, including some thought to be long dead, come before a committee and, presto chango, emerge...more
Spirits were high on Monday as weary lawmakers and lobbyists embraced the fact that only one week remains in the 2022 Legislative Session. The State Capitol has a bit of a “last week of school” feel as retiring legislators...more
The General Assembly wrapped up the penultimate week of the 2022 Legislative Session on Friday with a flurry of activity. The sprint toward Sine Die has accelerated, figuratively and literally, with House members racing from...more
A rainy morning gave way to a mostly sunny day outside the State Capitol and inside the Appropriations Committee room on Wednesday. Less than two weeks after getting the handoff from the House, Senate appropriators met to...more
Today’s actions included a lot of farewells as members who plan on not running for office or intend to seek other offices gave their goodbye speeches. In the House, Representative Tom Kirby gave his farewell speech....more
The General Assembly returned to the Capitol on Monday, but the lack of floor action in the chambers seemed more like Legislative Day 3 than Legislative Day 32. Neither the House nor the Senate had Rules Calendars as the...more
As the countdown to Day 40 continues, the House and Senate Rules Committees have pressed the pause button on their meetings, which really cramps everyone's style. The House has yet to pass a Senate Bill or place one on its...more
The Senate passed several measures today - one of which will help Georgians with the price of gas at the pumps. HB 304, authored by Representative Jodi Lott (R-Evans), moved through the Senate after a full discussion on oil...more
After a late night, both the House and Senate had an afternoon start time. Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) announced the passage of 60 bills in the House yesterday. Meanwhile, Governor Kemp held a press conference on the...more
Work continues under the Gold Dome as this Report went live on Tuesday evening, with legislators in the House and Senate jockeying to get their bills and resolutions across the hall before the gavel falls on Crossover Day...more
3/16/2022
/ Education Reform ,
Insurance Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Opioid ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Social Services ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Tax Reform
The Georgia House went into extra innings on Friday as it worked to send as many measures as possible to the Senate on “Crossover Eve.” Next week’s deadline for legislation to cross to the opposite chamber loomed large with...more
Although the House and Senate took up a number of measures throughout the day, money matters drew the attention of most lawmakers and lobbyists under the Gold Dome on Wednesday. After approving a measure to reduce Georgia’s...more
With less than a week to go before Crossover Day, the General Assembly continued to advance major propositions through the legislative process on Tuesday. One of those major propositions, Speaker Ralston’s Mental Health...more
Legislators wrapped up the week with busy floor calendars on Friday that are sure to provide plenty to talk about back in their districts this weekend — and well into election season. The House took up and passed a trio of...more
The Georgia House put in a full day on Thursday, taking up twelve propositions across two Rules Calendars before adjourning near 4PM. Representatives unanimously approved a bill strengthening Georgia’s Childhood Lead Exposure...more
3/4/2022
/ America Competes Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Education Reform ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Funding ,
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Healthcare Reform ,
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Legislative Agendas ,
Low-Income Issues ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Utility ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Vaccinations
The House and Senate did get some work done on Legislative Day 22, including approval of the $1.6 billion tax refund package proposed by Governor Kemp in his State of the State address by the House (HB 1302)....more
3/2/2022
/ Abortion ,
Cybersecurity ,
Education Reform ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Masks ,
New Legislation ,
Opioid ,
Patient Access ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Students ,
Surprise Medical Bills ,
Tax Liability ,
Vaping
Beginning the downhill slide into the second half of the 2022 Legislative Session on Monday, the Georgia State Senate spent its morning discussing the Second Amendment while the House discussed divesting any Russian assets...more
3/1/2022
/ General Assembly ,
Georgia ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HIV ,
Housing Discrimination ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Wage and Hour