PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Gavels & Gowns - What’s Next in VA K-12 Education? An Interview with Scott Brabrand, Executive Director of VASS
Like air out of a balloon, the Georgia General Assembly concluded its 2025 Legislative Session on Friday with an exasperated but exhausted "PFFFFffffT." While many lawmakers and lobbyists floated through the halls during the...more
They say March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, but “they” have never been in the Georgia State Capitol in the run-up to adjournment Sine Die. Monday morning’s meeting of the standing Senate Rules Committee was a...more
As the end of the 2025 Legislative Session draws near, those who still harbor hope for the legislative process look ahead to next year — with study committees. Everyone’s favorite way to see lawmakers and lobbyists in...more
Republican lawmakers left the Senate chamber on Friday like victors heading for the locker room, collecting high fives and fist bumps from lobbyists in the hallway on their way to the ice baths. They had reason to...more
Many of the skirmishes fought under the Gold Dome each year are turf wars, sometimes literally. A perennial favorite is the dispute over Georgia’s northern border, which Representative Martin Momtahan (R-Dallas) is seeking to...more
Wednesday marked “Keeping Georgia Wild Day” at the State Capitol, and while the moniker might elicit a variety of memories from lawmakers and lobbyists of shenanigans under the Gold Dome, the day’s festivities were focused on...more
Governor, Lt. Governor, and Speaker Announce Education and School Safety Priorities - In a late-afternoon press conference, Governor Kemp was joined by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, Speaker of the House Jon Burns, and...more
Legislative Day 40 is a roller coaster, full of ups, downs, and zero gravity turns (also known as conference committee reports). One goes from celebrating a bill achieving final passage to lamenting a measure being gutted...more
It was a hurry-up-and-wait on the penultimate day of the 2024 Georgia legislative session. Each chamber went through fits and starts throughout the day on Tuesday, with cycles of advancing a flurry of legislation and special...more
Legislative Day 38 provided more healthcare drama than an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Just hours before the Senate’s committee action deadline on Thursday, a bipartisan group of Senators made a last-minute run at advancing...more
Senate committee meetings continue under the Gold Dome as this report is published on Wednesday. With the Senate’s requirement that bills pass out of committee before the chamber convenes for Legislative Day 38, legislators...more
Christmas in March? Yes, if you are a lawmaker (particularly a Senator), you are likely to be getting all sorts of presents. Committees trimmed trees from morning till evening on Tuesday while the chambers were in...more
The General Assembly reconvened for Legislative Day 36 on Monday with lawmakers and lobbyists hoping to keep a little luck of the Irish going into the penultimate week of the legislative session. With only four legislative...more
Thursday may be the new Friday of the legislative work week, but lawmakers weren’t content to knock off early and ease into St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Instead, both chambers took up high-profile, controversial legislation...more
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas under the Gold Dome. December 25 may be nine months away, but Christmas trees are appearing everywhere. The most prominent bill so far passed out of the House Education Committee on...more
The Georgia General Assembly gaveled back in on Monday, and the rapping in the House had a different but eerily familiar tone. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the late Speaker Tom Murphy’s birth, Speaker Jon Burns dusted...more
Friday marked the end of what felt like the longest week in legislative history — and the beginning of a three-week sprint to Legislative Day 40. While most lawmakers and lobbyists are eager for adjournment sine die, it...more
The Georgia House of Representatives took up a veritable smorgasbord of legislation on Thursday. From the establishment of a license plate commemorating America’s semiquincentennial (SB 369), to allowing lifetime appointment...more
Show us the money! In an early morning meeting on Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee and its subcommittees unveiled the House version of the FY 2025 Budget. While there are many goodies in the $36.1 billion spending...more
While legislators and lobbyists continued to nurse the hangover of Crossover Day, the most unlikely of events unfolded in the Georgia State Senate on Monday. Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega) awarded the...more
Legislators worked late into the night on Thursday to ensure legislation made the Crossover Day deadline. This #GoldDomeReport offers a recap of all the measures that passed out of the House and Senate and live on to seek...more
Thursday carried several distinctions under the Gold Dome. It was Leap Day, the quadrennial opportunity to celebrate those born on Feb. 29. It was Crossover Day, the day we all have to explain to our significant others each...more
There may be a calm before most storms, but there certainly isn’t one before Crossover Day in the Georgia General Assembly. Contrary to the popular idiom, House members spent late Tuesday and Wednesday pleading, cajoling,...more
No time for fun and games today — the Georgia House and Senate were all business on the final legislative day before Crossover. Each chamber took up numerous weighty issues with vigorous debate but, fortunately, no broken...more
The Georgia General Assembly kicked off Crossover Week on Monday, intensifying the mad dash for legislators and lobbyists working to ensure their bills pass their origin chamber and live to see Legislative Day 29. Expect...more