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,...
Test-run of outdoor classrooms in Georgia schools clears General Assembly
ATLANTA —Students in Georgia schools could soon have more opportunities to study outdoors instead of inside a classroom. The state Senate gave final approval Wednesday to a bill that calls for a pilot program that incorporates outdoor learning spaces at K-8 schools...
Republican state House leaders unveil plan to abolish homeowner property taxes
ATLANTA — Republicans in Georgia's state House say they want to take steps to erase homeowner property taxes this legislative session, which is getting underway ahead of an election cycle seemingly dominated by concerns about the cost of living. The proposal unveiled...
FBI raids Fulton County for ballots from Georgia’s close 2020 election
UNION CITY — FBI agents raided Fulton County’s elections warehouse Wednesday to collect ballots from the 2020 presidential election, an escalation by the Trump administration into unsubstantiated allegations of fraud. The FBI didn’t release details of its...
Popular and political support growing for ban on cellphones in Georgia high schools
ATLANTA — Georgia high school sophomores are looking ever more likely to lose their phones during the school day in their senior year, as lawmakers consider expanding a ban on personal devices. New surveys suggest overwhelming support for the idea from parents and...