Like air out of a balloon, the Georgia General Assembly concluded its 2025 Legislative Session on Friday with an exasperated but exhausted "PFFFFffffT." While many lawmakers and lobbyists floated through the halls during the...more
4/7/2025
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Strike up the band! The penultimate day of the 2025 Legislative Session has come! Legislative Day 39 continues as this Gold Dome Report goes online, and Sine Die Eve has already proven to be a spectacle. From a marching band...more
4/3/2025
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As the end of the 2025 Legislative Session draws near, those who still harbor hope for the legislative process look ahead to next year — with study committees. Everyone’s favorite way to see lawmakers and lobbyists in...more
3/31/2025
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Unusually heavy traffic that stalled commutes to the Georgia State Capitol for many on Thursday morning may prove to be symbolic of the waning days of the 2025 Legislative Session. With many bills and resolutions still...more
3/28/2025
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While we spend much of our time watching bills and budgets under the Gold Dome, lawmakers and elected officials spend much of their time honoring constituents and other notable figures....more
3/19/2025
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Blood rolled in the streets at the Georgia State Capitol on Thursday — the LifeSouth Bloodmobile, to be exact. While some lawmakers and lobbyists chose to voluntarily give the gift of life, for others, it was a painful...more
3/14/2025
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Legislative days are better with dogs, even if they are the oversized mascot variety. Tuesday’s tail-wagger was CALi, the “spokespuppy” for Bright from the Start: Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning, who scampered...more
3/12/2025
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While many lawmakers and lobbyists crawled into the Georgia State Capitol on Monday after the double-whammy of Crossover Day and the return of Daylight Savings Time (to Senator Ben Watson’s chagrin), a few select legislators...more
3/11/2025
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March came in like a lion on Monday as the Georgia General Assembly began its blitz toward Crossover Day on Thursday. With over 80 measures slated for hearing in House and Senate committees, state senators began their...more
3/4/2025
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Look out biscuits — cornbread is making a comeback in the Georgia State Capitol. After failing to fully bake in the State Senate in 2024, legislation designating cornbread as the official state bread (HB 14) returned to the...more
2/27/2025
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Lawmakers and lobbyists watching the Georgia State Senate on Monday saw a lot of green and red, but it wasn’t exactly Christmas. While some state agencies and contractors stand to see a few extra greenbacks in the Senate...more
2/25/2025
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The Georgia General Assembly returned in a frenzy on Tuesday with lawmakers and lobbyists rushing between back-to-back committee meetings in the morning and afternoon on a legislative day bifurcated by a 1 p.m. convening....more
2/19/2025
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Wednesday was a rainy day outside the Georgia State Capitol, but the inside of the building was brightened considerably by a few glowing golden retrievers trotting through the halls. Several pups from Children’s Healthcare of...more
2/13/2025
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Children and other fans of heavy machinery were delighted on Tuesday as landowners and representatives of forest industries descended on the Georgia State Capitol for Forestry Day at the Capitol. With them, they brought two...more
2/12/2025
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Generally, the last day of a legislative week can end around noon. Not so for lawmakers today! It turned into a hectic day with lawmakers pushing forward the people’s business so that they could return home for a long...more
2/7/2025
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As the sun appeared on the horizon on Wednesday, so too did the House’s version of the Amended FY 2025 State Budget. Synchronized perfectly with sunrise over Atlanta at 7:30 a.m., the House Appropriations subcommittees...more
2/6/2025
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Legislators looked back on Tuesday with the unveiling of a portrait of former Representative Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus), the longtime Dean of the House who retired in 2022 after 48 years in the Georgia House of...more
Lawmakers and lobbyists trudged through fog and rain to the Georgia State Capitol on Monday for the convening of Legislative Day 6. Recovering gingerly from the debilitating dusting of snow in Atlanta last week, senators and...more
As the world reacted to the shove heard round the world, the General Assembly kept a low profile on Friday. Convening an hour earlier than the Senate, the House gaveled in and out before senators even made it to their desks....more
1/20/2025
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Evoking Georgians’ soft spot for the All-Star Special, Governor Brian Kemp promoted tort reform as necessary to protect Georgia businesses like Waffle House from being smothered by insurance and litigation costs during his...more
Wednesday marked “Keeping Georgia Wild Day” at the State Capitol, and while the moniker might elicit a variety of memories from lawmakers and lobbyists of shenanigans under the Gold Dome, the day’s festivities were focused on...more
1/16/2025
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Governor, Lt. Governor, and Speaker Announce Education and School Safety Priorities - In a late-afternoon press conference, Governor Kemp was joined by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, Speaker of the House Jon Burns, and...more
1/14/2025
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Legislative Day 40 is a roller coaster, full of ups, downs, and zero gravity turns (also known as conference committee reports). One goes from celebrating a bill achieving final passage to lamenting a measure being gutted...more
3/29/2024
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Show us the money! In an early morning meeting on Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee and its subcommittees unveiled the House version of the FY 2025 Budget. While there are many goodies in the $36.1 billion spending...more
3/6/2024
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Friday marked Legislative Day 5. The House and Senate convened at 9:00 a.m. and adjourned by 10:00 a.m. That’s about it. We call it “burning a day.”...more