The tension between Georgia voter access and GOP lawmakers’ efforts to defuse perceptions of election irregularities last year continued to build Thursday as protesters, Democrats and civil rights groups denounced Republican legislation intended to restrict access to the ballot box.
Nearly 80 bills and resolutions have been filed in the Georgia legislature that would change the way Georgians vote, including two omnibus measures working their way through the chambers. What would voting look like if these proposals were approved?
“Defund the police” became a rallying cry at protests in the wake of last summer’s wave of killings of Black people at the hands of law enforcement, and Republican lawmakers are pressing ahead with a new bill intended to stop that cry from becoming reality in communities across Georgia.
The Georgia State Senate passed legislation that would stop Georgians from changing their clocks twice a year. Senate Bill 100 would move Georgia to standard time year-round.
A 25-page bill filed by Senate Republican leadership would give Georgia one of the most restrictive absentee-by-mail voting laws in the country after record-setting turnout helped Democrats flip both U.S. Senate seats and gave Joe Biden a victory.
The Republican-controlled Georgia Senate approved four elections bills Tuesday, the first of many expected in the legislative session following Democratic victories in November and January. The biggest change would see absentee by mail applications verified using a form of ID.
Officials from a handful of Georgia cities across the state are decrying legislation that would stop them from ever banning certain types of fuel connections, like natural gas hookups, as they try to hash out plans to reduce carbon emissions locally.
COVID-19 has created a massive backlog in Georgia’s criminal courts, and lawmakers are proposing to allow judges to temporarily suspend a defendant’s right to a speedy trial under state law.
Illegal street racing in Georgia faces toughened penalties and repeat offenders could have their cars confiscated under legislation pushed by Gov. Brian Kemp.
Georgia’s Senate Ethics Committee is set to consider Republican-sponsored election bills Thursday that eliminate no-excuse absentee voting and require an ID to vote by mail.
Georgia lawmakers are debating a bill that would allow a limited group of parents to send their children to private schools using taxpayer dollars, reigniting the debate over school vouchers in Georgia.
Georgia’s Department of Community Health (DCH), which runs the state’s Medicaid program, has proposed changes that may cut the current support hours for Matt Gaffney and 187 other Georgians with severe medical or behavioral health needs. These individuals are served under a federally authorized waiver program, and any changes such as Georgia is seeking must be OK’d by U.S. health officials.
State employees and Georgia teachers would be able to take up to three weeks of paid parental leave under legislation the state House of Representatives passed overwhelmingly Tuesday.
