News
Help wanted: Women needed for U.S. chips manufacturing plan to succeed
Natalie Bell was thinking about a career in art after college when a welding class and a delivery of four pizzas changed her career trajectory. “I was taking a delivery out to a construction site and I met an ironworker who I was taking the delivery to,” said Bell, who lives in Columbus, Ohio. “I […]
Georgia Supreme Court justices hear arguments in challenge to state’s 2019 anti-abortion law
Some Georgia Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical of the argument that the state’s six-week abortion should be tossed out because it passed while Roe v. Wade was still standing. That’s one of the key arguments plaintiffs made when they challenged the law last year in Fulton County Superior Court, where Judge Robert C. I. McBurney […]
Members of U.S. Senate panel press financial regulators on massive bank failures
WASHINGTON — Financial regulators promised a full review of Silicon Valley Bank’s massive failure as members of a key U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday interrogated the officials about what led to the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history. Members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs asked if the Federal Reserve could […]
Prosecutor oversight bill headed to Kemp; local control concerns dismissed
The Georgia General Assembly sent a controversial bill to the governor’s desk Monday to create a new disciplinary board for the state’s local district attorneys. On the 39th day of the 40-day legislative session, the GOP-controlled House approved the creation of a prosecuting attorneys oversight commission by a 92-77 vote, largely along party lines. The […]
Republican lawmakers back plan to tackle homelessness that critics say is misplaced
Lawmakers backed a plan Monday that proponents call a necessary first step toward better understanding persistent homelessness, which out-of-town legislators get an up-close view of while in downtown Atlanta for the three-month session. But critics argue the Senate bill steps on the authority of the local officials grappling with the complicated issue in their communities […]
Take it or leaf it: House sends blower bill back to Senate
The Georgia Legislature is one step closer to passing a bill designed to protect gas-powered leaf blowers and appliances from cities and counties that might seek to restrict them. Lawmakers attached a slew of other bills to the original leaf blower bill, including provisions regarding de-annexing properties from cities and county bodies called Commercial Property […]
Georgia lawmakers send new electric vehicle charging tax plan to governor
Legislators in Georgia overwhelmingly approved legislation Monday that would change the way electric vehicle owners pay to recharge their cars and trucks to a familiar system. Senate Bill 146, which establishes guidelines to regulate and tax electric vehicle charging stations in a similar way as retail fuel pumps, was passed by the Senate and House […]
Taxes could toss sand in gears of Georgia governor’s drive to become electric vehicle capital
If Georgia lawmakers want to help Gov. Brian Kemp achieve his goal to make the state the electric vehicle capital of the nation, they have an odd way of showing it. Georgia bills that would drastically shift how much electric vehicle owners pay to recharge their cars is expected to receive a final vote before […]
Georgians survey landscape, say blower bill leafs a lot to be desired
With the 2023 Legislative session soon to be a thing of the past, Georgia lawmakers are poised to pass a sweeping anti-discrimination measure into law. Johns Creek Republican Sen. Shawn Still’s Senate Bill 145 aims to protect Georgia’s gas-powered leaf blowers from cities and counties that may seek to ban them in favor of electric […]
Bipartisan former members of Congress call for boost in funding to secure elections
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of former U.S. lawmakers on the National Council on Election Integrity called on Congress on Friday to spend $400 million on election integrity to insulate the system from foreign interference. “The Department of Homeland Security designated our election system as critical infrastructure in 2017,” the four wrote in a letter. “However, […]
GOP bill establishing a federal parental bill of rights passed in U.S. House
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Friday passed a bill designed to empower parents to inspect books and other teaching materials in local public schools, but Democrats sharply criticized the measure, saying it would censor teachers and ban books. The legislation, called the Parents Bill of Rights, passed on a 213-208 vote. It would codify federal education law to […]
Slimmed down heavy truck bill makes return trip to Georgia House
The Georgia Senate passed a bill to increase the maximum weight limit for tractor trailers hauling forestry and agricultural products by several tons despite warnings from government officials that the heavier loads are dangerous and costly. With few days left in the 2023 legislative session, the Senate bill differs greatly from a House proposal to […]