by Mark Niesse | Mar 23, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — The Georgia House voted Monday to impose tougher punishments on protesters who block streets, approving the bill over objections from legislators who said it infringes on free speech rights.
The 96-69 vote sends the bill to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk after it previously passed the state Senate.
“Blocking traffic in the name of protest is not just an inconvenience for those who cannot pass, it’s impeding first responders, school buses, hard-working people,” said Rep. Leesa Hagan, R-Lyons. “This bill is not about stifling the right to lawful protest in any way. It is a bill about public safety.”
Democrats opposing the legislation, Senate Bill 443, said it would discourage protesters who are intimidated by potential fines, jail time, and the possibility of lawsuits.
The bill makes the crime of obstructing a highway or street a high and aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by fines of up to $5,000 and a year in jail. In addition, the bill allows protesters to be held civilly liable in court for damages such as lost wages or medical costs.
“When people know that participating will expose them to civil lawsuits, may people will choose not to show up at all,” said Rep. Karla Drenner, D-Avondale Estates. “That is about stopping participating before it begins. It turns a Constitutional right into a financial risk calculation.”
The Georgia bill follows the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, who was killed by an immigration officer in January. Good’s partner, Becca Good, has said they stopped their car in the street to support neighbors during an immigration operation.
Lawmakers didn’t mention the Minnesota shooting during the Georgia House debate Monday.
Instead, opponents of the legislation discussed how it could have been used against protesters seeking civil rights or opposing a public safety training center in DeKalb County.
Rep. Noel Williams Jr., R-Cordele, said roads need to be clear for emergency vehicles.
“All we’re trying to do is protect the citizens,” Williams said. “You think about ambulances trying to get through. You think about people in need and they’re obstructed.”
Rep. Park Cannon, D-Atlanta, said police could use this kind of law to make Georgians pay a price for raising their voices.
“One charge like this is not a minor inconvenience. It’s a crisis. The threat alone is enough to silence them,” Cannon said. “Under this bill, a worker standing in the street to demand fair treatment could face not just arrest, but criminal penalties.”
by Mark Niesse | Mar 23, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — In the 11 years since Georgia’s medical marijuana program started, it has slowly stumbled forward, with patients restricted to low-potency oils.
The Georgia General Assembly gave final approval to a bill Monday that would change that.
The House voted 144-21 to lift Georgia’s limit on THC content in medical marijuana, and to allow registered patients to vape the drug to receive faster relief. Senate Bill 220 now advances to Gov. Brian Kemp.
“These are badly needed improvements,” said Shannon Cloud, whose 20-year-old daughter suffers from seizures and is a registered Georgia medical marijuana patient. “It allows more flexibility for patients and doctors to access what’s really going to work for them, taking away the really tight restrictions.”
Of the 42 states with medical marijuana programs, Georgia’s has the lowest adoption rates, said Gary Long, CEO of Botanical Sciences, which owns five dispensaries across the state.
There are about 34,500 registered patients and 2,200 registered caregivers in Georgia, according to the state Department of Health.
Patients will get quicker relief from vaping rather than ingesting oil tinctures, Long said.
“If you’re a patient who has chronic, intractable pain, you don’t want to wait 45 minutes for those other forms to take effect,” Long said. “This is a medicinal product. This is not a recreational product. This gives the majority of patients a form of the product that provides the quickest relief possible.”
Currently, Georgia’s medical marijuana law allows patients to buy and consume products with up to 5% THC, the compound that gives marijuana users a high. Recreational marijuana, which is illegal in Georgia, can have THC content of 20% or more.
Under SB 220, there would be no THC percentage cap. The name of Georgia’s medical product would be changed from “Low THC Oil” to “medical cannabis.”
Sen. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth, said he has “grave concerns” about raising the THC limit and allowing people to get high.
“This is not Low THC Oil to solve the problems of little girls that have serious medical conditions that modern medical science cannot otherwise solve. This is something different,” Setzler said before the 38-14 Senate vote to pass the bill last week. “It’s about getting people high on THC with concentrated THC into their lungs. That’s a very different proposition.”
Sen. Matt Brass, R-Newnan, said the bill will support legitimate patients and prevent a slide toward recreational marijuana legalization that occurred in other states.
“This state does it different. We have put it in medical hands,” Brass said. “We have a tight lock around those qualifying conditions, and we are taking advice from medical experts.”
To qualify for medical cannabis, Georgia patients need approval from a physician to treat conditions including seizure disorders, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, and intractable pain. SB 220 would add lupus to the list and limit treating physicians to those whose principal practice of medicine is located in Georgia.
Georgians for Responsible Marijuana Policy, a group that warns against the risks of marijuana expansion, said increased availability and potency of THC can lead to addiction, impair youth brain development and driving skills, and undermine worker productivity.
“When cannabis use disorder takes root, it does not create freedom — it takes away the ability to choose,” wrote the group’s executive director, Michael Mumper, in a statement at the beginning of this year’s legislative session.
Kemp could sign the bill, allow it to become law without his signature, or veto it.
by Mark Niesse | Mar 18, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — Georgia drivers could soon get a break on rising gas prices under a proposal moving quickly through the General Assembly.
The state House voted 163-4 on a bill Wednesday that would suspend Georgia’s gas tax to help moderate costs as they increase because of the United States war with Iran.
“Given the actions in the Middle East, this is going to be some well-received relief to our constituents and taxpayers, particularly as we head into the summer season for purchasing gasoline,” said Rep. John Carson, R-Marietta.
Gas prices in Georgia average $3.73 per gallon for regular unleaded, according to AAA. That’s an increase of more than a dollar per gallon compared to a month ago, when prices averaged $2.71 per gallon.
The proposal, House Bill 1199, would suspend Georgia gas taxes for 60 days at a cost of roughly $200 million per month to the state government.
“Today’s passage of House Bill 1199 is a direct reflection of the House’s continued leadership in addressing affordability for citizens across the state,” said House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington. “We are delivering meaningful, timely relief to millions of Georgia drivers and families when and where it’s needed most.”
Gov. Brian Kemp, who would have to sign off on the bill if it passes the Senate, hasn’t yet agreed to the plan.
But Kemp has used his authority to suspend gas taxes by executive order three times in recent years in response to high prices, inflation and Hurricane Helene.
“The governor is always actively working to find ways to support hardworking Georgians, including this step alongside the Legislature to keep more money in their pockets,” said a spokesperson for Kemp.
HB 1199 now advances to a final vote in the Senate.
by Mark Niesse | Mar 17, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — Georgia representatives abandoned a deadline to change the state’s voting technology before this November’s election, advancing a bill Tuesday that delays a switch to hand-marked paper ballots until the 2028 election year.
The amended bill wouldn’t remove computer QR codes from ballots for nearly two more years, frustrating critics of Georgia’s elections who say the state’s touchscreen voting system is untrustworthy and insecure.
Legislators had passed a state law in 2024 to remove QR codes by this year, but they said they need more time to buy new election equipment and train election workers before rolling out new technology for over 8 million registered Georgia voters.
The bill cleared the House Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday and could soon reach a vote in the full House of Representatives.
“This was not the original vision that we had proposed,” said House Governmental Affairs Chairman Victor Anderson, R-Cornelia. “We very quickly and very abruptly began to realize the practicality of that happening without causing a severe upset in our election.”
All in-person Georgia voters use touchscreens that print out paper ballots, which are then tabulated by scanning machines that read a QR code.
Opponents of Georgia’s voting technology say voters aren’t able to read QR codes to verify that their ballots accurately reflect their choices.
Under Senate Bill 214, the state government would buy new machines that would print out ballots on-demand when voters arrive at the polls starting in 2028. Then voters would bubble in their choices with a pen and insert their ballots into a scanner.
“We’re kicking the can down the road another two years,” said Autumn Miller, a Fulton County voter who testified to the committee Tuesday. “I don’t trust this. When can we get our election back? What can we do as a voter to get these QR codes off and have a good election?”
Election officials from counties across the state turned out at the committee meeting in support of the revised bill.
“This is something that’s setting us up for success and not for failure. The timeline was our biggest concern,” said Paulding County Election Director Deidre Holden. “It’s our duty to serve our voters and to serve them well. I don’t like confusion when it comes to our voters.”
The bill doesn’t include funding, but Anderson said he’s working to identify money in the state budget to pay for the new voting system.
When Georgia bought its touchscreen-based voting system in 2019, manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems, it cost over $100 million.
Both election security advocates and conservatives have for years opposed Georgia’s voting equipment. Republican criticisms of the technology increased after Republican President Donald Trump narrowly lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden.
“We cannot have fair and accurate elections with the Dominion machines,” said Earl Ferguson, a conservative voter, told the committee.
The Senate rejected a bill earlier this month that would have forced Georgia to make a rapid conversion to hand-marked paper ballots in time for this year’s midterms. That legislation, which called for hand-marked paper ballots and fewer early voting locations, failed amid concerns it would lead to “chaos” and voters unable to cast their ballots.
Hand-marked ballots are the main election day voting method in two-thirds of the United States, according to the election technology organization Verified Voting.
If the House passes this version of SB 214, it would return to the Senate for another vote. But if the Senate disagrees with the changes to the bill, a conference committee would need to resolve any disputes.
Without a new state law, the July 1 deadline to remove QR codes would remain in place without any plan to do so. Anderson warned that inaction by the General Assembly could lead the problem to be decided by the courts right before a major election.
by Mark Niesse | Mar 17, 2026 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA — Georgia representatives are moving forward with a bill, inspired by conservative activist Charlie Kirk, that would protect political activities by students in public schools.
If it passes, Georgia would become the first state to pass a law safeguarding students’ free speech rights regardless of their political or social viewpoints, said Sen. Ben Watson, R-Savannah.
The proposal passed the House Judiciary Committee on Monday and could soon reach a final vote in the full House. The state Senate already approved the legislation, Senate Bill 552.
“Public school students in Georgia must be permitted to engage in political activities and expression before, during, and after the school day in the same manner and to the same extent that students may engage in non-political activities and expression,” Watson said.
Rep. Anne Allen Westbrook, D-Savannah, said the bill claims to be neutral at the same time as it honors Kirk, a media personality who co-founded the conservative student organization Turning Point USA. Kirk was assassinated while speaking during a campus debate last year.
The bill is named the “True Patriotism and Universal Student Access Act,” giving it the same acronym as Turning Point USA.
“I can see the emails coming in about this bill as an homage to a particular point of view,” Westbrook said. “Charlie Kirk had a particular point of view, making disparaging comments about Black women, for example, and LGBTQ folks.”
Watson said the bill wouldn’t discriminate, even protecting a hypothetical Satanic political action committee as well as protests, such as students who recently organized against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. The bill allows schools to maintain order and discipline on campus.
The bill would make it illegal for public schools to deny equal access to school facilities for student meetings based on political or ideological content. These groups would be treated the same as other clubs, but neither would be permitted to interfere with instructional time during the school day.
The legislation also would ensure the ability of students to wear clothes and jewelry that display political messages to the same extent they can wear other items that display messages under school dress codes.
