by Mark Niesse | Jan 14, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — Several Georgia Republican senators introduced a resolution Tuesday demanding that Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger comply with the Trump administration’s pursuit of the state’s unredacted voter registration list.
Raffensperger objected to the effort, saying state law prevents sharing voters’ private information such as full Social Security numbers, dates of birth and driver’s license numbers.
The U.S. Department of Justice has requested voter lists from all 50 states in recent months, saying it wants to ensure accurate registration information. The DOJ sued Georgia for the statewide voter list last month.
The Senate resolution comes from allies of Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is running for governor against Raffensperger. The resolution is largely symbolic and doesn’t carry the force of a law.
It accuses Raffensperger of “willful and persistent obstruction” after his office provided a public version of Georgia’s voter list to the U.S. Department of Justice
“All I’m asking from our duly elected secretary of state is to participate in any legally established investigation, like any other citizen would be required to do,” said state Sen. Randy Robertson, a Republican from Cataula and the sponsor of Senate Resolution 563. “The Department of Justice is the highest-ranking law enforcement agency in the United States, and they absolutely have the right to investigate when they choose.”
Raffensperger’s office said it has already complied with the DOJ’s request “to the fullest extent of state law,” citing concerns that private voter information could be shared by the DOJ with outside parties.
“Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger swore an oath to uphold the law and act in the best interests of hardworking Georgians. He will not break the law, compromise private information, or risk identity theft for millions of voters,” said a statement from the secretary of state’s office.
Besides Georgia, the Department of Justice has also sued several Democrat-run states that have refused to comply with the DOJ’s request for voter records. Republican-controlled states such as Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee have agreed to provide full voter registration lists.
The DOJ’s lawsuit against Georgia is scheduled for a hearing in federal court in Macon later this month.
by Ty Tagami | Jan 13, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — The Republican leaders of Georgia’s Senate will push to reduce both income and property taxes while targeting other cost-of-living issues during a legislative session that will be influenced by election-year politics.
Senate leaders gave a brief outline of their priorities at the Capitol Tuesday, the second day of their 40-day session.
Last week, a high-priority Senate study committee wrapped up its work, issuing a recommendation to eliminate the state income tax by 2032, with gradual cuts starting in 2027. And on that same day, House Speaker Jon Burns, a Republican from Newington, announced his plans to pare back local property taxes.
On Tuesday, the Senate majority leader, Dallas Republican Jason Anavitarte, said his chamber’s caucus “can and will do everything in our power” to embrace both approaches to bring down costs for taxpayers.
He also said Republican senators would target institutional investors who “gobble up” houses then resell them, driving up prices for regular homebuyers while “Wall Street billionaires” profit.
The Senate will also consider ways to expedite building permits, he said. Developers criticized local building departments for causing expensive delays during a hearing in November, but local officials said developers were filing sloppy plans that slowed the review process.
Both the Senate and the House are also interested in improving literacy. Burns said last week that he wanted to see literacy coaches in every elementary school, and Anavitarte said Tuesday that the Senate wanted to provide resources to address the concern.
Anavitarte also mentioned resources for foster children and to combat chronic absenteeism, also the subject of a Senate study committee last year. Also on the agenda are “guardrails” around technology accessible by children including artificial intelligence, he said.
The senators did not offer much detail about how they would accomplish their goals. Property taxes fund about half the cost of public education, so curbing school districts’ authority to raise tax revenue could result in service cuts.
Anavitarte said some school districts were flush with money while others were broke, and “we have to figure out what is that right balance.” He had a similar answer about how to curb institutional residential investors: “I think we have to address the balance and there will be more to come on that.”
by Ty Tagami | Jan 13, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — Democrats in the state Senate fired a political volley at President Donald Trump Tuesday, with a package of bills aimed at the way his administration has enforced the laws, particularly for immigration.
Labeling his administration “rogue” and a “regime,” they called on state Republicans to back legislation that would limit the president’s authority to deploy military reserve units and rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, one of whom shot and killed a mother in Minneapolis last week.
“We have seen ICE physically assault people who are just protesting or lawfully observing, and we just saw in Minneapolis ICE murder Renee Good,” Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs said. “We’ve all seen the video. Obviously, the officer did what he was not trained to do, which was step in front of the car, escalate.”
The Trump administration has defended the action, saying the officer feared for his life after previously being injured by a vehicle during an enforcement action. Minnesota sued the Trump administration to block ICE deployments.
McLaurin, who is running for lieutenant governor, introduced Senate Bill 397, which would allow citizens to sue ICE officers for alleged violations of civil rights.
Another bill, Senate Bill 391, would require authorities to obtain a judicial warrant before taking immigration enforcement actions at certain locations, including churches, hospitals, libraries and schools. A third, Senate Bill 390, would require the Georgia governor’s permission for entry of National Guard forces from other states. Finally, Senate Bill 389 would require ICE officers to wear a badge and remove their masks.
Federal officials say the masks are necessary to protect officers against personal threats, such as “doxxing” when personal information is maliciously distributed online and “swatting” when police are called to homes on false pretenses.
That last bill was by Sen. Kim Jackson, D-Stone Mountain, who noted that lawmakers do not wear masks despite having been doxxed and swatted. And brimmed hats are the only apparel on Georgia State Patrol officers’ heads.
“If our brothers in their gray hats can stand up and show their face, then so can ICE,” said Jackson, the Senate’s minority whip. “It is cowardice. And it’s time to unmask ICE.”
Democrats tried to link their anti-ICE campaign to the increasingly charged political issue of affordability, saying immigration enforcement was disrupting local economies while costing taxpayers billions.
But their salvo was apparently charged with blanks. The likelihood of these bills becoming law is vanishingly small, judging from the reaction of Sen. Jason Anavitarte, a Republican from Dallas and the Senate’s majority leader.
“They want the state to regulate the federal government when that’s not necessarily the role of the state,” he said.
by Mark Niesse | Jan 13, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — The Georgia Senate voted along party lines Tuesday to ban cities from requiring gun owners to lock up their guns in cars, the first bill approved in this year’s legislative session.
The bill is a response to a Savannah ordinance that outlawed leaving handguns, rifles or shotguns in unattended vehicles unless they’re securely stored. A Chatham County judge ruled in November that the ordinance is unconstitutional.
The legislation now heads to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto. The Senate approved the bill 32-21 on Tuesday after it passed the state House on the final day of last year’s legislative session.
State Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican from Trenton, said the bill would protect the rights of gun owners. In Savannah, 41 people received citations under the city’s ordinance, which comes with a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and 30 days in jail.
“You can travel the state freely knowing you’re not going to be a victim of a crime and then be made a criminal as we’ve seen in Savannah,” Moore said during the Senate debate on Senate Bill 204. “We’re putting freedom back into the hands of the citizenry.”
Savannah’s ordinance required guns left in vehicles to be securely stored in a glove compartment, console, locked trunk, or behind the last upright seat of a vehicle without a trunk. The ordinance also mandated that unoccupied vehicles must be kept locked when there’s a gun inside.
State Sen. Derek Mallow, a Democrat from Savannah, said the ordinance reduced gun thefts in Savannah by 30% in the year since the city enacted it in 2024.
“The city overwhelmingly supports the Second Amendment, but they also believe that public safety is at risk when guns are stolen from unlocked cars,” Mallow said. “They can fall into the wrong hands very easily.”
The bill also allows weapons carriers who receive citations to sue local governments for $25,000 plus attorney fees.
by Mark Niesse | Jan 13, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — Lawmaking in Georgia this year could come with a healthy dose of campaigning.
At least 16 Georgia legislators say they’re running for higher office during elections later this year, making this session of the General Assembly their last chance to burnish their credentials before facing voters.
Senators and representatives can use the legislative session that began Monday as an opportunity to pass bills and attract attention ahead of elections for Congress, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and insurance commissioner.
“I’m hoping for a session where we’re actually going to put the people of Georgia first instead of politics,” said state Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Democrat from Lilburn who is running for Congress. “I dread that, with it being an election year, there will be a little bit of trickery and people posturing in order to make for great campaign mailers, even if it’s not great for Georgia.”
Nine out of 56 state senators have said they’ll campaign for higher office, along with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is running for governor and presides over the Senate.
Two former state senators — Republican John F. Kennedy and Democrat Jason Esteves — resigned to run for lieutenant governor and governor. Georgia law prohibits state legislators and statewide officeholders from raising money during the legislative session.
“There’s going to be a tendency to see some of that competitiveness in the Senate chamber,” said state Sen. Steve Gooch, a Republican from Dahlonega who is running for lieutenant governor. “I don’t intend to be playing any of those games that you may expect, or you may have heard from other people. I just think everything’s going to work. There may be some bumps in the road from time to time, but it’s not going to interfere with the priorities of the Senate.”
In the 180-member state House, seven representatives say they intend to seek statewide offices or seats in the U.S. House.
More lawmakers could join the fray — or decide not to run — before the state’s candidate qualifying deadline on March 6. Every seat for state House and state Senate will also be on the ballot this year.
Here’s a look at the Georgia legislators planning to run for higher office:
U.S. House: Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Democrat from Lilburn; Rep. Houston Gaines, a Republican from Athens; Sen. Emanuel Jones, a Democrat from Decatur; Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican from Trenton.
Governor: Rep. Derrick Jackson, a Democrat from Tyrone; Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Democrat from Duluth.
Lieutenant Governor: Rep. David Clark, a Republican from Buford; Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican from Cumming; Sen. Steve Gooch, a Republican from Dahlonega; Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Democrat from Sandy Springs; Sen. Blake Tillery, a Republican from Vidalia.
Attorney General: Sen. Bill Cowsert, a Republican from Athens; Rep. Tanya Miller, a Democrat from Atlanta; Sen. Brian Strickland, a Republican from McDonough.
Secretary of State: Rep. Tim Fleming, a Republican from Covington.
Insurance Commissioner: Sen. Nabilah Parkes, a Democrat from Duluth.
