Georgia Senate panel OKs fiscal ’25 state budget
ATLANTA - Georgia Senate budget writers approved a $36.1 billion state budget Thursday with pay raises for state employees and public school teachers fueled by a bulging revenue surplus. The spending plan, which takes effect July 1, would raise salaries for many state...
Georgia employment keeps reaching new highs
ATLANTA - Georgia's economy continued to reach all-time highs on a number of fronts last month, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday. While Georgia's unemployment rate remained steady at 3.1% in February, the number of jobs rose by 2,400 to a record high of...
State Senate panel narrowly rejects Medicaid expansion
ATLANTA - A plan by state Senate Democrats and some Republicans to fully expand Medicaid coverage in Georgia was shot down Thursday by the narrowest margin - a tie vote in a Senate committee. Sen. David Lucas, D-Macon, working with Sen. Matt Brass, R-Newnan, brought a...
Private-school vouchers win final passage from General Assembly
ATLANTA - The state Senate gave final passage Wednesday to controversial legislation offering private-school vouchers to Georgia students attending low-performing public schools. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 33-21 along party lines to adopt a version of the...
Georgia Senate sends state income tax cut to governor
ATLANTA - The Georgia Senate gave final passage to an election-year tax cut bill Wednesday, sending it on to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk for his signature. The legislation, which was proposed by the governor, will accelerate a state income tax reduction that took effect...
General Assembly sends union elections bill to Kemp
ATLANTA - Controversial legislation prohibiting businesses seeking state economic development incentives from voluntarily recognizing unions if a secret-ballot election option is available gained final passage in the General Assembly Wednesday. The state House of...
State Senate panel passes bill giving coroners big raises
ATLANTA - Coroners in Georgia would receive hefty pay raises under legislation that cleared a state Senate committee Tuesday. House Bill 625 would upgrade coroner to a full-time position and set a range of salaries, depending on the population of the county they...
Georgia House takes up bill to revive Consumers’ Utility Counsel
ATLANTA - Members of a state House committee expressed concerns Tuesday about legislation that would revive the Georgia Consumers' Utility Counsel (CUC) to represent Georgians before the state Public Service Commission (PSC). The CUC operated in Georgia from the 1970s...