A new Georgia House Special Subcommittee of Appropriations on State Prisons is taking another step in the marathon probe that is tackling statewide prison system problems, including homicides and suicides.

The national Democratic party plans to target four Republican-held seats in the Georgia General Assembly this year in hopes of chipping away at the GOP’s grip on power under the Gold Dome.

The Joint Blue Ribbon Committee Investigating Licensing Issues is expected to hold several meetings this year as it considers ways to reduce professional licensing glitches, costs and the amount of time it takes to process and review applications. Ideas include adopting more universal standards and making it easier to transfer licenses from other states and countries.

Soon after the Georgia legislative session ends in the waning days of winter is when bills lawmakers passed become laws but it isn’t until the summer sizzles July 1 when many of those laws take effect.

The landscape at the Georgia Capitol is changing as more women have been elected to the Legislature and as the work of caregiving is increasingly shared among spouses.

The price tag could reach $300 million, says a top state election official. The legislature has allocated $0 — and set a two-year deadline.

The 2024 Georgia legislative session ended on Thursday, March 28, 2024, also known as Sine Die. Ahead of Sine Die, many lawmakers in the state House of Representatives and Senate tried to resurrect a handful of so-called 'Frankenbills' to get them passed. But only one made it past the finish line.

Despite momentum earlier in the 2024 session, the bill failed to get a final vote in the Senate.

The curtain has closed on the 2024 legislative session, and lawmakers have finished passing bills that will impact Georgians this year. 

State lawmakers closed out the 2024 legislative session with a flurry of votes that spilled over into the early morning hours.

Ahead of Sine Die, many lawmakers in the state House of Representatives and Senate are trying to get their bills passed. Sometimes they do this with add-ons that aren't related to the original intent of the bill. 

Transgender Georgians and supporters gathered in downtown Atlanta Tuesday to mark the second annual transgender liberation day at the state Capitol, hours before the state Senate passed legislation on party lines banning transgender children from playing sports and using restrooms aligning with their gender identity as well as several other conservative priorities.

A controversial bill that would eliminate the required state license for those who want to style hair and apply makeup narrowly passed the House on Tuesday. 

In a flurry of activity before Sine Die on Thursday, the Senate took up the business of passing bills, with 82 pieces of legislation on their rules calendar.  

Conservationists and environmental groups are sounding the alarm over a measure that they say will unravel the protections for fishing and hunting in Georgia that were fast-tracked last session.