Wealthy businessman Rick Jackson challenges Republican candidates for Georgia governor
ATLANTA — Billionaire Republican health care executive Rick Jackson’s entry into the Georgia governor’s race this week could shake up a contest that has so far been dominated by three statewide GOP officeholders. Jackson, 71, pitched himself as an outsider and...
Bill capping annual property tax increases advances through Georgia Senate
ATLANTA — Georgia homeowners’ property values couldn't rise faster than the inflation rate, putting a brake on annual property tax increases, according to a bill that passed the state Senate on Tuesday. Property taxes pay for most local services, including...
Georgia election review panel recommends gradual shift to hand-marked ballots
ATLANTA — After six lengthy hearings around the state last year, a special legislative committee studying the elections process has recommended incremental changes to Georgia's voting system. The study committee chaired by Rep. Tim Fleming, R-Covington, who is running...
Georgia might criminalize using AI to create obscene images of people
ATLANTA — It could soon become a serious crime in Georgia to use AI apps to create obscene, computer-generated images of real people. State senators considered a proposal Monday to create the crime of “virtual peeping” by using artificial intelligence to virtually...
Legislation to ban cellphones in high schools gets enthusiastic reception at Georgia Capitol
ATLANTA — Legislation to ban cellphones in Georgia public high schools is advancing quickly, with a unanimous vote in favor at a first hearing Monday. The school day ban outlined in House Bill 1009 would take effect in fall 2027, a year after a similar ban for...
Georgia Senate passes resolution seeking to hand over voter information to the DOJ
ATLANTA — The Republican-controlled Georgia Senate voted along party lines Monday to urge Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to turn over the state’s unredacted voter list — which includes 8 million voters’ personal information — to the Trump administration. The...
Another Georgia lawmaker accused of pandemic unemployment fraud
ATLANTA — Federal prosecutors have charged another Georgia lawmaker with making false statements to fraudulently obtain thousands of dollars of pandemic unemployment assistance. Rep. Dexter Sharper, D-Valdosta, was arraigned on Friday on charges of making false...
Smokers have left the building, yet the influence of tobacco lingers
ATLANTA — Some lawmakers have been working under Georgia's Gold Dome long enough to remember when the place reeked of cigarettes. Although no one openly smokes there today, lawmakers seem to have an abiding aversion to legislation to curb tobacco use, specifically a...
Georgia House Republican property tax elimination plan to face opposition from Senate Democrats
ATLANTA — A Republican House proposal to eliminate homeowner property taxes will face stiff opposition if it makes it to the state Senate, where Democratic leadership labeled it "draconian" and "unserious." Georgia's property tax is essential, Sen. Harold Jones II,...