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
/ Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
Healthcare ,
Insurance Regulations ,
Mental Health ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
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Public Health ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures
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
/ Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
Government Agencies ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mental Health ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Senate Committees ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Tax Credits
Much like construction happening with the legislative offices, gutting and stuffing began in earnest today — the 35th day of the legislative session. But we aren’t talking about the Georgia Capitol renovations that are...more
3/26/2025
/ Data Privacy ,
Economic Development ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mental Health ,
New Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Students ,
Teachers ,
Tourism
Republican lawmakers left the Senate chamber on Friday like victors heading for the locker room, collecting high fives and fist bumps from lobbyists in the hallway on their way to the ice baths. They had reason to...more
3/24/2025
/ Education Reform ,
Educational Institutions ,
General Assembly ,
Georgia ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Policy ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Tort Reform
The Georgia House of Representatives achieved the trifecta on Thursday, combining three favorite legislative traditions in one moment on the floor: recognition of a local novelty with an invite resolution, the appearance of a...more
3/21/2025
/ Drug Pricing ,
Education Reform ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
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
/ Controlled Substances ,
Department of Veterans Affairs ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Public Health ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures
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
/ Agribusiness ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
New Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Public Schools ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Senate Committees ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures
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
/ Department of Insurance ,
Education Reform ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Insurance Industry ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures
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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Educational Institutions ,
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State Legislatures
Crossover Day coincided with Cattlemen’s Day at the Georgia State Capitol on Thursday, and the event known for its coveted steak biscuits brought a different type of celebrity this year. The Georgia Mobile Dairy Classroom,...more
3/7/2025
/ Agribusiness ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
Income Taxes ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
School Districts ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
State Taxes ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Reform
When lawmakers and lobbyists were greeted by the aroma of grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the Georgia State Capitol on Tuesday morning, there was no question what day it was. In addition to Crossover Eve,...more
3/5/2025
/ Civil Rights Act ,
Criminal Procedure ,
Education Reform ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
Healthcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Motor Vehicles ,
New Legislation ,
Public Schools ,
School Districts ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
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
/ Committee Meetings ,
Controlled Substances ,
Department of Education ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
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State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Tax Reform ,
Veterinarians
Amidst the usual suits and blazers, white dresses and tuxedos have been appearing with increasing frequency around the Georgia State Capitol this spring. Apparently word is out amongst the city’s photographers that the...more
3/3/2025
/ Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Insurance Industry ,
Insurance Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Transparency
With one week to go until Crossover Day, lawmakers and lobbyists are already feeling the exhaustion and exasperation captured in the face of James Oglethorpe’s bust on the North Steps. As committees convene constantly to...more
3/3/2025
/ Committee Meetings ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
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Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Medical Marijuana ,
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Public Health ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
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
/ Data Centers ,
Educational Institutions ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Georgia ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Infrastructure ,
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Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
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Utilities Sector
With fewer fireworks than many expected, Governor Brian Kemp’s comprehensive tort reform legislation achieved passage by a comfortable margin in the Georgia State Senate on Friday. Garnering a 33-21 vote mostly along party...more
2/24/2025
/ Ad Valorem Tax ,
Department of Education ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employee Benefits ,
Georgia ,
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Sales Tax ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Tax Reform ,
Tort
As both lobbyists and legal nerds, our ears perk up when the Georgia General Assembly takes up legislation that directly implicates the workings of the State’s criminal and civil justice systems. So, we’re listening closely...more
2/21/2025
/ Criminal Convictions ,
Criminal Justice Reform ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Damages ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
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Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Tort Reform
While many lawmakers and lobbyists are characters themselves, the Gold Dome was filled with a number of other caricatures on Wednesday. Eagle-eyed onlookers spotted Scrappy the Owl as the early bird in the halls celebrating...more
2/20/2025
/ Colleges ,
Data Privacy ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medical Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State Legislatures ,
Students ,
Universities
The Georgia General Assembly got off to a fast start on Monday with the State Senate taking up its first substantive measures of the session before both bodies filled the afternoon with committee hearings. But before...more
2/4/2025
/ Data Privacy ,
Department of Education ,
Education Reform ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
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New Legislation ,
Risk Management ,
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State Legislatures ,
Students
Business and community leaders from across the state made their annual pilgrimage to Atlanta on Tuesday morning for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs & Issues breakfast at the Georgia World Congress Center. Although the...more
1/16/2025
/ Economic Development ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
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Public Policy ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State and Local Government ,
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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
/ Educational Institutions ,
Elder Care ,
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Property Owners ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Policy ,
Public Schools ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rural Areas ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Tax Credits
The House and Senate largely avoided each other on Valentine’s Day, with the Senate quickly gaveling in and taking care of business this morning before the House rolled in for an afternoon convening. It’s unclear whether the...more
2/15/2022
/ Controlled Substances ,
Educational Institutions ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
LGBTQ ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
New Legislation ,
Opioid ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Sex Trafficking ,
Stalking ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Funding ,
State Legislatures
Legislators and lobbyists alike faced a new reality under the Gold Dome in 2021 as the legislative session began amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. After the second half of last year’s bifurcated session provided a framework...more
7/1/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employees ,
Georgia ,
Governor Kemp ,
Healthcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Lobbyists ,
Mental Health ,
Public Policy ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Vaccinations
Just after midnight, the 2021 Legislative Session concluded with many legislative measures sneaking in under the wire—and many others lying dead on the House and Senate floors. The House and Senate compromise on the FY22...more
4/2/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Charter Schools ,
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Healthcare Facilities ,
Judges ,
Juvenile Justice System ,
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