State lawmakers on both sides of the aisle responsible for making decisions around health care policy seem to agree that Medicaid, and whether or not the state will choose to expand it, will be a major issue this legislative session.

Kemp also promoted action on school vouchers, announced pay raises for state employees, and expressed support for the Atlanta police training center.

 

The Georgia Senate is nominating a fifth member to the State Election Board. Former state Sen. Rick Jeffares must still be confirmed by the full Senate after the Thursday announcement by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says he wants to spend an additional $1.8 billion on infrastructure. The Republican governor's prepared speech to the Georgia Chamber of Commerce says he also wants to spend hundreds of millions to expand training for dentists and physicians.

The state awarded more than $9 million Monday to support more than 400 housing units in four Georgia communities, the second round of grants through a program Gov. Brian Kemp created last year.

Gov. Brian Kemp named a new executive counsel Thursday, part of a series of staffing changes in the governor’s office.

Georgia's state tax collections aren't growing as fast as they were several years ago, but that doesn't mean Gov. Brian Kemp and lawmakers won't have room for new spending. Pay increases for public employees and teachers, more spending on health and education and more tax breaks could all result when lawmakers convene Monday for their 2024 session.

Gov. Brian Kemp is naming a prominent state House member to a judgeship. That means a special election will be needed in coming months to replace him.

Georgia and Alabama are proposing a deal to settle their water war over the Chattahoochee River. If approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the deal would provide for minimum water flows at two points along the river.

Georgia's Republican governor and legislative leaders want to speed up an already-planned cut in the state income tax rate. Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and House Speaker Jon Burns said Monday that they support a plan to create a flat income tax rate of 5.39% starting Jan. 1.

A Georgia Senate committee is recommending that the state abolish its requirement for permits to build health facilities. The Tuesday report sets up a renewed push on the issue that sparked a House-Senate standoff in the 2023 legislative session.

Two Georgia juvenile court judges say the head of the state's child welfare agency asked judges to violate state law. They say Human Services Commissioner Candice Broce asked judges to keep some children inappropriately locked in juvenile detention centers.

A policy expert with the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute says the low enrollment numbers do not match the state’s $20 million dollar investment in Gov. Brian Kemp's Pathways to Coverage program.

Georgia now has $10.7 billion in surplus cash after the state ran a huge surplus for the third straight year. The State Accounting Office said Monday that Georgia ran a $5.3 billion surplus in the 2022 budget year ended June 30.

Georgia's state taxes on gasoline and diesel will be suspended for another month. Gov. Brian Kemp extended the tax rollback in a Friday executive order. The suspension will now last at least through Nov. 11.