Governor Sonny Perdue and law enforcement agencies awarded Ashley Smith
$70,000 today for her role in the apprehension of Brian Nichols.
Nichols is the quadruple murder suspect whose rampage began at the
Fulton County Courthouse. Lawmakers David Zelski reports.

Opponents of legislation that would require voters to present
certain forms of photo identification at polling places rallied at the
Capitol today. House Bill 244 and Senate Bill 84 are currently in the Senate and House Rules Committees respectively. Lawmakers Jesse Freeman has that story.

The House today passed Senate Bill 93, legislation that prohibits any material covering a license plate.
The bill was amended to provide for free photo identification for the
elderly and indigent, which helps pave the way for passage of that
stricter voter identification requirement.

There was heated debate in the Senate today over a measure that would dissolve the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety.
House Bill 501 would create a Department of Driver Services as a
successor to the DMVS. Governor Perdue backs the bill, many legislators
oppose it as unnecessary. Lawmakers Chriss Knight has more.

Two business-related bills backed by Governor Sonny Perdue are scheduled to make their way to the House floor today. Senate Bill 46
would require mobile telephone services to have the consent of cell
phone users before publishing their number in any directory. Senate Bill 62, the Slam Spam E-mail Act would make spamming internet users in Georgia a felony under certain conditions.

The Senate today passed House Bills 25, 26 and 27, which repeal the last remaining "Jim Crow" laws in Georgia's code. The process began on Saturday, March 12 during Family Day at the Capitol.

After long deliberation, the Senate Ethics Committee passed their version of two ethics reform bills yesterday. House Bill 48 and House Bill 665 are expected on the Senate floor next week for debate in the waning days of the session.

Gerald Bryant talks with Tom Crawford , National Editor of Capitol Impact.com for our weekly update about the goings-on under the gold dome.