In anticipation of the gerrymandering lawsuits that are sure to follow, political strategists, voting rights groups, and scholars alike are assessing the consequences of Georgia’s newly drawn legislative districts for the state’s political landscape.
They say it’s already apparent that, in a state where Republicans and Democrats consistently poll neck-and-neck, the number of truly competitive districts for both parties is dwindling to zero.
The Senate Study Committee on the Age of Mandatory Education is recommending that Georgia raise the minimum age a child can drop out of school from 16 to 17 while improving wraparound services to encourage kids to graduate.
Georgia state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, a longtime Democratic lawmaker, surprised a lot of people when she applied for a committee chair position in the GOP-controlled House earlier this year.
A state Senate study committee asked the General Assembly Monday to consider stiffening penalties for violent attacks on Georgia health-care workers. But new legislation addressing the issue is unlikely because criminal justice experts believe existing law already covers violence in the health-care workplace.
A legislative study committee has taken up the issue and is mulling potential legislation that would allow raw milk to be sold for people in Georgia while creating state regulations and setting minimum standards for a product that can be vulnerable to harmful bacteria, such as e. coli, if not handled properly.
Wednesday on Political Rewind: Education re-emerges as a top issue in state and national politics. In Georgia, Democrats say they feel blindsided by a proposal that would — among other things — reshape school boards across the state.
Once the maps receive Kemp’s signature, they will represent a big win for the Georgia GOP, though it’s likely too early to say whether they will be able to hold on to the new districts through the next redistricting in 2030.
The House unveiled a new legislative map shortly before a 1 p.m. meeting of the chamber’s redistricting committee, leaving some activists and residents who had planned to attend scrambling to figure out what the changes meant.
A Senate committee ended the first few days of the General Assembly special session by voting for a Republican legislative map, leading Democrats to blast the committee for not allowing time for public input.
Legislation the General Assembly passed last March adopting year-round daylight saving time won’t take effect unless and until Congress makes the change at the national level.
Tuesday on Political Rewind: Democrats are insisting that Georgia should have a 50-50 partisan split of congressional districts as redistricting is set to start next week at the state capitol. The GOP majority will likely reject this argument.
House Speaker David Ralston, a Blue Ridge Republican, sent a memo to the 180 state representatives on Thursday saying face masks and routine testing will still be required, as lawmakers convene for a third time since the pandemic abruptly ended last year's session.
Immigration rights activists are hoping a proposed law that would allow Georgia’s so-called Dreamers — recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — to pay tuition rates more in line with other Georgia students will get a second look from the legislature in 2022.
Georgia’s law, which also includes a tax break for expecting parents and other so-called “personhood” provisions, has never taken effect. A federal judge blocked the law last year, which is a decision the state then appealed. Women can still access abortion services in Georgia until 20 weeks into a pregnancy.
