On Monday, lawmakers from both parties announced education legislation. Speaker of the House Jon Burns announced his specific plans to make schools safer at a morning press conference.
As the Georgia General Assembly wraps up its third week, lawmakers are tackling a packed agenda — making up for delays caused by wintry weather. In this week's Lawmaker Huddle on Morning Edition, GPB's Pamela Kirkland spoke with Lawmakers host Donna Lowry about the latest updates from the Gold Dome.
On Thursday at the Capitol, the big news of the day was the unveiling of Gov. Brian Kemp's tort reform legislation package. The legislation, which will be carried by Sen. John F. Kennedy, lays out rules for civil lawsuit proceedings.
With last week's snowstorm, both chambers have to play catch up, pushing many of the canceled appropriations meetings from last week into this week. That meant there was little for both chambers to do. The Capitol remembered the victims of the Holocaust on Monday for International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
This week, the Georgia General Assembly was pretty quiet. This is budget week, but even with a light week, we're staying on top of what our legislators have been up to. Donna Lowry, host of GPB's Lawmakers, joins for this week's Lawmaker Huddle. Our regular segment each Friday on Morning Edition, where we cover the highlights of each week from the Gold Dome.
The House and Senate heard more of Kemp's legislative priorities in his annual State of the State address. Senators and the state Supreme Court justices joined the House members in anticipation of the governor's State of the State, but when one senator was barred from entering, a scuffle outside of the house took a turn.
Both chambers settled into the session on Day 3. Gov. Brian Kemp explained his health care legislative priorities for this session, beginning with his 2026 fiscal year budget proposal.
Four new senators, three Democrats and one Republican, joined the chamber as the whole Senate was sworn in. Members of the House reelected John Burns as the Speaker of the House in a 153 to 21 vote and Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones in a 158 to 19 vote.
Several new legislators will begin their first legislative session on Jan. 13 as they join returning legislators and leadership for another year of lawmaking inside the Gold Dome.
Opponents are likening the idea to putting a "paper towel roll" or "gerbil tube" on the side of Georgia's historic Capitol. They're also concerned about lack of public input.
When the legislative session ends in Georgia, the work doesn't stop. "Legislative Huddle" is a new series with Donna Lowry, host of GPB's "Lawmakers," that shows the work that goes on when the session ends.
