Georgia House targets illegal immigrants after Athens murder
ATLANTA - Legislation requiring local law enforcement agencies to comply with a 2006 state law aimed at illegal immigration cleared the Republican-controlled Georgia House Thursday. House Bill 1105, which passed 97-74 primarily along party lines, comes on the heels of...
Legislation limiting film tax credit clears Georgia House
ATLANTA - The state House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday that would put new restrictions on Georgia's generous film tax credit. House Bill 1180, which passed 131-34, would require film production companies to meet at least four of 10 criteria to...
Kemp signs midyear budget
ATLANTA - Gov. Brian Kemp signed a record $37.9 billion fiscal 2024 midyear budget Thursday that includes $5.5 billion in new spending. "This is a very, very good budget," House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, said during a signing ceremony at the state Capitol. "It...
Murder of nursing student prompts crackdown on illegal immigrants
ATLANTA - Georgia lawmakers are expected to pass legislation this week targeting illegal immigration following the arrest of a Venezuelan man in the U.S. illegally for the murder of an Augusta University nursing student in Athens. A law aimed at "sanctuary cities" -...
Georgia House passes bill suspending tax exemption for data centers
ATLANTA - The Georgia House of Representatives has passed a bill that would call a temporary halt to a sales tax exemption the state has been using since 2018 to attract huge high-tech data centers. House Bill 1192, which passed 96-71, would suspend the exemptions for...
Georgia House approves CON reform measure
ATLANTA - The Georgia House of Representatives passed legislation Tuesday that would significantly reform the state law governing hospital construction and medical services but stop short of repealing it entirely. House Bill 1339, which passed 166-1 and now heads to...
Georgia Senate Minority Leader Butler not running for reelection
ATLANTA - State Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler announced Tuesday she will not seek reelection this year. Butler, D-Stone Mountain, was elected to the upper legislative chamber in 1998. She has been the Senate's Democratic leader since the beginning of the 2021...
Sports betting makes it through Georgia Senate
ATLANTA - A proposed constitutional amendment calling for a statewide referendum on whether to legalize sports betting in Georgia cleared the state Senate Tuesday. Senate Resolution 579 passed 41-12, garnering three more votes than the minimum two-thirds majority...