People who commit crimes against certain classes of people would be subject to harsher punishments under a new hate crime bill that passed out of the Judiciary Non-civil committee in the Georgia House this week. House Bill 426 is sponsored by State Representative Chuck Efstration and has the bipartisan support of Republicans Deborah Silcox and
It’s time. The time has come to eliminate private prisons in Georgia and it could be a real thing if the measure dropped by Rep. Scott Holcomb moves through the Georgia House. Private corporations would not be able to operate correctional facilities in Georgia under HB 403. The language of the bill does not cancel
House Bill 286 was introduced by Representative Scot Turner (R-Holly Springs) last week to address an on-going issue of manufacturers limiting the ability to maintain, diagnose, or repair equipment that a person has bought and owns. As more and more things that we buy (e.g., cars, phones, TVs, refrigerators, etc.) come with embedded software, device
A bill filed in the Georgia legislature seeks to prohibit discrimination of public school students and teachers on the basis of religious viewpoints or expression. House Bill 53 filed by State Representative Casey Karpenter, a Dalton Republican, would impose restrictions on local school systems in terms of how students are treated when expression religious viewpoints
A bill filed in the Georgia House of Representatives this week would remove protections for Confederate monuments on public property in the state of Georgia. The bill is co-sponsored by fellow Democrat state representatives Mary Margaret Oliver, Shelly Hutcheson, Teri Anulewicz, Sandra Scott, and Derrick Jackson. House Bill 175, which has not yet been assigned
Earlier today, the Georgia House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to name the new state judicial complex being built after former Governor Nathan Deal. Only two state representatives voted against House Resolution 1: Rep. Matt Gurtler (R-Tiger) and freshman Rep. Colton Moore (R-Trenton). First legislation passed in the Georgia House this session names the new judicial
On Monday, a group of Democrats formed the Voting Rights Caucus and elected the nascent group’s leadership. The press release announcing the caucus came from Fair Fight Action–the continuation of Stacey Abrams unsuccessful bid for governor. Fair Fight Action focuses on…well, voting rights. “This past election cycle showed us that the rights of our voters
In December, the Senate Study Committee released its findings regarding a potential takeover of the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. The Senators supported a state takeover, citing management structural issues with a city managed airport, a federal bribery scandal engulfing Atlanta and a Federal Aviation Authority probe into Atlanta’s misuse of airport funds. Now, those Senators are gearing
One of the items that the Georgia General Assembly will deliberate upon is how Georgia voters will cast their ballots in 2020. At this point, there will be some sort of paper trail. The question is, will the voter use a pen or a machine to mark their ballot? I’ve had the privilege to serve
Three Georgia Democrats have filed legislation to regulate personal assistive mobility devices under the Georgia Motor Vehicle code. Democrat Senators Donzella James, Michael Rhett, and Harold Jones filed Senate Bill 24 on the devices last week. Electric personal assistive mobility devices are power-assisted devices for mobility such as wheelchairs, scooters, and more recent innovations such as
