This year’s edition of tort reform arrived under the Georgia Gold Dome on Wednesday, bringing plaintiffs’ lawyers and civil defense attorneys to the battle lines while onlookers quietly asked Siri, “what is tort reform?” The...more
2/1/2024
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The Georgia State Capitol took on a somber tone Tuesday as legislators paused to mourn one of their own. Representative Richard Smith, chairman of the House Rules Committee, passed away unexpectedly in the early morning hours...more
The Georgia State Capitol neared capacity on Monday as two considerable constituent groups crowded the hallways and galleries. Local government officials donned red scarves and converged for the Georgia Municipal...more
Earlier last week, we speculated that a dog-and-cat fight could be brewing between the Georgia House and Senate, but an intrachamber kerfuffle might actually be on the rise. Two bills introduced in the House on Friday may...more
Activity under the Gold Dome on Thursday revolved around one of the most anticipated legislative measures of the 2024 legislative session. After stalling in a Senate committee last year, House Bill 30, which establishes a...more
The Georgia State Senate has gone to the dogs — purebred dogs, to be exact. The upper chamber adopted Senate Resolution 344 on Tuesday, recognizing May 1, 2024, as Purebred Dog Day in Georgia. No word yet on whether the House...more
Nothing is ever black and white on Capitol Hill — not even red lights and stop signs. House Bill 978, the latest exception-to-the-rule legislation, was introduced today, allowing bicyclists approaching a stop sign to “act in...more
The General Assembly was back in action on Monday, and a cooperative spirit was in the air. After a week together in Joint Appropriations hearings, the House and Senate returned to their respective chambers — to take up a...more
Friday marked Legislative Day 5. The House and Senate convened at 9:00 a.m. and adjourned by 10:00 a.m. That’s about it. We call it “burning a day.”...more
After a slow trickle of policy and budget teases in recent days, Governor Brian Kemp opened the floodgates on Thursday, washing lawmakers and lobbyists over with his legislative proposals for the 2024 session....more
Hundreds of lawmakers, lobbyists, and businesspeople from around the state gathered before dawn on Wednesday for breakfast with a side of politics on the field of Mercedes Benz Stadium. This year’s edition of the Georgia...more
The House and Senate were ships passing in the storm on Tuesday as the Senate kept its customary 10:00 a.m. convening while the House delayed its start until 1:00 p.m. on account of the inclement weather across Georgia. With...more
As the day dawned on this second Monday of January, the Georgia State Capitol felt strangely fresh and new. Perhaps it was the updated paint and lighting throughout the building, the result of a months-long refurbishment of...more
Legislative Day 40 might best be described as organized chaos — without the organization. Wednesday under the Gold Dome was a case in point. Legislators and lobbyists scrambled between the chambers trying to get their bills...more
In the final sprint towards Sine Die on Wednesday, faces are beginning to look drawn and weary. But, if one listens closely, you can faintly hear, “O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches,” as...more
The end is near! And like holiday decorations in your local big box store, it seems like the end of the legislative session comes earlier each year. Thursday marked Legislative Day 38 under the Gold Dome, but it had some of...more
¡Feliz Navidad! As one Senator said in a committee meeting on Wednesday. Indeed, it was Christmastime for many under the gold dome as committees took one last opportunity to create their own festive holiday trees full of...more
The “crush” is on! Last-minute committee meetings are being held as lawmakers take their final shots at pushing through their bills. While some efforts find success, there are also a few casualties and cases of forlorn...more
Monday was photo day for the Georgia House of Representatives. Time for the biennial panoramic photo of all members present and on their best behavior at their desks in the House chamber. It was a rare moment of calm and...more
Thursday was a short but difficult day for many under the Gold Dome. In addition to a closed-circuit video outage that forced lobbyists and onlookers from the halls of the House and Senate galleries to keep track of floor...more
It’s the Ides of March, and there is plenty of treachery (and perhaps some debt collection) under the Gold Dome in these waning days of the 2023 Legislative Session. Bills are becoming Christmas trees, legislators are trading...more
Tuesday was Pi Day, and Georgia taxpayers moved one step closer to getting a slice of the state’s budget pie under the Gold Dome on Tuesday. HB 162, a $1 billion income tax relief measure promoted by Governor Kemp, achieved...more
Although the weather cooled down outside the State Capitol on Monday, legislative activity continued to heat up in the run toward adjournment sine die. With just over two weeks until the legislature calls it quits for the...more
The House signed off on its version of the FY24 State Budget on Thursday afternoon, but the Senate didn’t wait on their colleagues to vote before questioning their allocations. Appropriators in the Upper Chamber met...more
Wednesday was a big day under the Gold Dome — a big budget day, to be exact. After tying up the loose ends on the Amended FY23 Budget on Monday, House appropriators rolled out their take on the FY24 spending plan in meetings...more