State House OKs overhaul of judges’ salaries
ATLANTA - Legislation reforming the salary structure for superior court and statewide judges in Georgia overwhelmingly cleared the state House of Representatives Thursday. House Bill 85, which the House passed 163-7, is aimed at superior court judges, who currently...
Another try at banning rooster fights in Georgia
ATLANTA - The Georgia Senate moved to make cockfighting illegal in Georgia in a near unanimous vote on Thursday. Senate Bill 102 seeks to align state and federal law, said Sen. Randy Robertson, R-Cataula, the chief sponsor of the measure. Intentionally making birds...
Georgia House passes bill giving GEFA role in gas projects
ATLANTA - The state House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday that would put the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) in the gas business. House Bill 51, which cleared the House 120-55, would allow municipal natural gas providers to borrow money...
House lawmakers looking to reform system for compensating wrongfully convicted
ATLANTA - A Georgia House Republican and Democrat introduced bipartisan legislation Thursday to overhaul the system used to compensate the wrongfully convicted in Georgia. Current law requires a person who has been exonerated after spending years in prison for a crime...
Georgia Republicans pushing ‘red tape rollback’ bill through Senate
ATLANTA - The implementation of new state laws could be delayed under new legislation working its way through the Georgia Senate. State agencies interpret new laws by adopting rules that implement them. The "Red Tape Rollback" would require the state to produce an...
House panel approves easing burden of proof of intellectual disability in capital cases
ATLANTA - Legislation that would make it easier for defendants in death penalty cases to establish intellectual disability as a defense cleared a Georgia House committee Wednesday. "Georgia is the only state in our nation that is executing those with intellectual...
Georgia Senate backs bill to increase state child care tax credit
ATLANTA - The Georgia Senate unanimously backed a bill Wednesday that would give parents of young children a bigger tax break. The goal of Senate Bill 89 is to help more parents stay in the workforce, said the chief sponsor, Sen. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough....
Senate confirms Loeffler to run U.S. Small Business Administration
ATLANTA - The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate confirmed former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., Wednesday as director of the federal Small Business Administration, the Associated Press reported. The 52-46 vote will put Loeffler in charge of an agency that oversees...