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
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
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
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
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
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
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Wage and Hour
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 ,
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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
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The House and Senate floors remain active as our Report comes online this evening. Legislators continue to work at a fever pitch shepherding their bills and resolutions through the final stages of the legislative gauntlet...more
The General Assembly convenes for Legislative Day 40 on Wednesday, but we still have news to share from Legislative Day 39 as the Senate wound up its day’s work around 9:15 p.m. This special edition of the Report recaps floor...more
As expected (and feared), March madness has engulfed the State Capitol as legislators press to pass measures on the penultimate day of the 2021 Legislative Session. From late-arriving Rules Committee substitutes and...more
3/30/2021
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Georgia ,
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Rebates ,
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Legislative Day 38 continues as we publish this evening, a consequence of long floor calendars, weighty measures, and a quickly diminishing inventory of days remaining in the 2021 Legislative Session. Voting legislation...more
3/26/2021
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State Legislatures
Although the General Assembly was in adjournment today, legislators packed the day with committee meetings to consider languishing legislation, new amendments, and hastily drawn substitutes. One of the major points of the day...more
3/25/2021
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State Legislatures
As quickly as it appeared, the Senate version of the FY22 State Budget descended into the shadows of a conference committee today, entering the final (and most secretive) phase of negotiations before final passage. Leaders in...more
3/24/2021
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Colleges ,
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Hospitals ,
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State Legislatures ,
Student Athletes ,
Universities
The General Assembly kicked off the penultimate week of the 2021 Legislative Session early this morning with a number of committee meetings preceding early afternoon convenings of both chambers. Perhaps the most watched of...more
3/23/2021
/ Child Care ,
Disabilities ,
Educational Institutions ,
Federal Funding ,
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Georgia ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
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Medicaid ,
Mental Health ,
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Scholarships ,
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State Legislatures ,
Telehealth