Seven legislative days remain in the 2021 Legislative Session, but you would not believe it based on House and Senate floor action today. Neither chamber held floor votes on any legislation, with the sole bill on the House...more
3/17/2021
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Georgia ,
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Probation ,
Public Health ,
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State and Local Government ,
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Tuition ,
Vaccinations
The loss of an hour of sleep this weekend was apparent among lawmakers and lobbyists in the State Capitol today as the legislature slowly cranked back up for Legislative Day 32. Each chamber took up heavy calendars consisting...more
3/16/2021
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General Assembly ,
Georgia ,
Legislative Agendas ,
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PACs ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Public Safety ,
Religious Institutions ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
Legislators wrapped up a long Crossover week today with short floor sessions and a variety of committee meetings. Most notably, subcommittees of the Senate Appropriations Committee rushed to complete hearings on the FY22...more
3/12/2021
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Educational Institutions ,
General Assembly ,
Georgia ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Liability ,
New Legislation ,
Public Safety ,
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School Districts ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Teachers
Work was swift today in both chambers as lawmakers adjourned quickly in an effort to move to committee discussions on pending legislation. Deliberations are intensifying on HB 81, the proposed spending plan for the state’s FY...more
3/11/2021
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Colleges ,
Educational Institutions ,
General Assembly ,
Georgia ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
New Legislation ,
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State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Universities
After a late-adjourning Crossover Day, legislators and lobbyists largely slept late today, with one notable exception — those appearing before the Human Development Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which...more
3/10/2021
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Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Legislative Agendas ,
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Vaccinations
Crossover Day continues under the Gold Dome as today’s Report goes live. While each chamber has already taken up a number of measures on this last day for legislation to pass one body and be considered in the other this year,...more
After promises all week for a short Friday convening, legislators proceeded to work into the afternoon today ahead of Crossover Day on Monday. Focus in the Senate was on sports betting, with members debating and ultimately...more
The General Assembly was in adjournment today, but lawmakers and lobbyists were watching attentively the action in Room 341 this morning. There, beginning at 7:30 a.m., House appropriators began slowly revealing their...more
3/5/2021
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Disabilities ,
Educational Institutions ,
Georgia ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
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Medicaid ,
Mental Health ,
Public Health ,
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Special Needs Adults ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Vaccinations
Both chambers of the General Assembly were busy today in an effort to push forward numerous bills in advance of Crossover Day on March 8. The Senate approved a number of education-related measures, including SB 42 relating to...more
3/4/2021
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Colleges ,
Educational Institutions ,
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Georgia ,
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Lottery ,
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Public Schools ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Student Athletes ,
Universities
Although the General Assembly was in adjournment today, legislative committees were hard at work. With less than 24 hours remaining for propositions to emerge from committee in the Senate and still be considered this year,...more
3/3/2021
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Elder Care ,
Georgia ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Long-Term Care ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Scholarships ,
State and Local Government ,
Students
March came in like a lion with 40 mile per hour wind gusts this morning and weighty rules calendars and committee agendas acknowledging the nearness of Crossover Day. In the House, all eyes were on the omnibus election reform...more
3/2/2021
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Colleges ,
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Educational Institutions ,
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Georgia ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Nursing Homes ,
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Small Business ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
Legislators closed out a long week at the State Capitol on Friday with a flurry of activity on the respective chambers’ floors. The House approved 16 measures, including bills enacting the Professional Counselors Licensure...more
Whew! The pace is becoming fever pitched as lawmakers push toward crossover day! Sports betting remains a hot topic - both on the Floor and in committee. We report more on that below. Yet, Georgia’s management of the pandemic...more
2/26/2021
/ Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
General Assembly ,
Georgia ,
Governor Kemp ,
Juvenile Justice System ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Probation ,
Public Schools ,
Scholarships ,
School Transportation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Vaccinations
Wednesday marked a widely welcomed halfway point to a full legislative week under the Gold Dome. Legislators gave approval to two measures of education interest — Representative Tim Barr’s alternative student transportation...more
2/25/2021
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Georgia ,
Health Insurance ,
Insurance Industry ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
New Legislation ,
Nursing Homes ,
School Transportation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
The Georgia State Senate kicked off the second half of the 2021 Legislative Session on Tuesday by considering four measures on the hot topic of the year — Georgia’s election laws. Each bill passed, although three of four were...more
2/24/2021
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Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Election Laws ,
General Assembly ,
Georgia ,
Health Insurance ,
Insurance Industry ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Life Insurance ,
New Legislation ,
Public Schools ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Universities
Monday marked the nominal halfway point of the 2021 Legislative Session, but there is a keen awareness among lawmakers and lobbyists that more than half of the legislature’s work for the year lies in the legislative days to...more
2/23/2021
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Charter Schools ,
Educational Institutions ,
General Assembly ,
Georgia ,
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Public Health ,
Public Schools ,
School Districts ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
Legislative Day 19 felt particularly cold, wet, and sleepy as legislators wrapped up a short week that was filled to the brim with committee meetings and actions. But before most members headed for the exits, the chambers did...more
2/19/2021
/ Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
General Assembly ,
Georgia ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Lottery ,
New Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Public Schools ,
Sports Betting ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Universities ,
Vaccinations
Education was the theme on the floors of the Georgia House and Senate today as each body approved measures impacting K-12 teachers and students around the state. The Senate signed off on two such bills, including Governor...more
2/18/2021
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Educational Institutions ,
Foster Children ,
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Georgia ,
Governor Kemp ,
Legislative Agendas ,
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Public Health ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Teachers
Freezing temperatures and the threat of icy roads couldn’t keep legislators away from the Gold Dome as they kicked off yet another week of the Session. Both chambers OK’d a small slate of bills followed by a packed afternoon...more
2/17/2021
/ Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disabilities ,
General Assembly ,
Georgia ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Public Schools ,
School Districts ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Universities ,
Vaccinations
The early morning began with Subcommittees of the House Appropriations Committee looking in earnest at the development of a spending plan for the state’s FY 2022. This work follows the news from earlier in the week of the...more
The Georgia General Assembly is over halfway to Crossover Day, and new legislation continues to fill the hoppers each day. In these first 15 days of the 2021 Legislative Session, lawmakers have introduced 746 propositions —...more
2/11/2021
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Georgia ,
Governor Kemp ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Nursing Homes ,
Public Health ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Tax Credits ,
Teachers
Legislative Day 14 was a bit like Christmas for lawmakers and lobbyists under the Gold Dome. Everyone got something — a Senate vote on the Amended FY21 Budget (which now proceeds to the House for reconciliation), a House vote...more
2/10/2021
/ Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
General Assembly ,
Georgia ,
Insurance Industry ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Public Health ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Universities ,
Vaccinations
The Super Bowl festivities of yesterday seemed like a decade ago as the General Assembly got down to business today with a large number of new bills entering the legislative process. Convening for Legislative Day 13, however,...more
The big news today was the movement on the FY 2021 Amended Budget as the Senate Appropriations Committee moved its version on HB 80 forward this morning. This spending plan for the state includes much of what was proposed by...more
2/5/2021
/ Charter Schools ,
General Assembly ,
Georgia ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Public Schools ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Legislatures ,
Vaccinations
While the House and Senate floors remain quiet, the afternoons under the Gold Dome most decidedly are not. Committee meetings abound, and lawmakers and lobbyists alike are confounded by the complexities of trying to attend...more