The 2020 Georgia Legislative Session may well go down as one of the longest and strangest in the state’s history. Facing across-the-board budgetary cutbacks, legislators began the session in January looking for ways to balance the state budget, and that was before COVID-19 (otherwise known as the Coronavirus) was a thought in anyone’s mind. Poor policy decisions over the past decade meant the state budget had been placed at risk.… Read more
With a new Governor and Lt. Governor, along with increased numbers of Democrats, Georgia’s 2019 Legislative Session began on a ominous note when the Republican majority introduced new Senate Rules changes that would have curtailed reporting of sexual harassment complaints against sitting senators and senate candidates, along with harsh suppression of free speech.
Equity
The swift and furious protest of the Democrats led to a promise from the Lt.… Read more
Early in the 2018 session, all eyes were on a bill to update the adoption code in Georgia. After failing to pass in 2017, when last minute discriminatory language was added, the adoption bill became a priority legislative issue for Democrats and Republicans alike going into 2018. Ultimately, a clean version of the adoption bill (HB 159) was passed and signed by Gov.… Read more
The Georgia General Assembly adjourned its 2017 session on March 30. There were 296 Senate bills introduced this year and 640 introduced in the House. Forty-seven percent of bills introduced were passed.
Going into the 2017 legislative session, which began January 9, legislation that would have made casino gambling legal in Georgia dominated the news. However, casino legislation fizzled early on.
