Georgia lawmakers set up the possibility of swift statewide conversion to paper ballots filled out by hand this year when they failed to pass a bill early Friday morning that would have gradually replaced the state’s touchscreen voting system. The Senate’s refusal to vote on the bipartisan elections bill leaves Georgia with computer-generated ballots that […]
Posted inYour Government
Georgia lawmakers cut income and property taxes in late-night vote
Georgia House and Senate Republicans with competing agendas managed to push through income and property tax cuts as the curtain closed on the 2026 Georgia legislation session after midnight Friday. The Senate did not get its elimination of income taxes. The House did not get its elimination of property taxes. But both taxes would become […]
Posted inHealth
New law would let women in Georgia get birth control without a prescription
Birth control medications will be provided at pharmacies across Georgia without needing a prescription, according to a bill that won final approval from the General Assembly on Thursday. Lawmakers said the bill makes contraceptives more available to women, especially in the 82 of Georgia’s 159 counties without an obstetrician. “We talk a lot about prevention […]
Posted inYour Government
New Georgia law would ban silencing childhood sex abuse victims
Victims of childhood sexual abuse can’t be silenced by nondisclosure agreements in legal settlements, according to a bill that cleared the Georgia General Assembly on Thursday. The Senate voted unanimously to approve the bill, which is called Trey’s Law in memory of Trey Carlock, a former Atlanta-area resident who was sexually abused at a Missouri […]
Posted inHealth
Georgia Senate sidelines ivermectin bill
The Georgia House passed a sweeping public health bill Thursday — the final day of the legislative session — that would allow pharmacists to sell ivermectin without a doctor’s prescription. However, the Senate did not take the bill up, effectively killing it. What’s happening: Senate Bill 440 passed the House on April 2, the last […]
Posted inHealth
New law would cap what Georgians pay for an ambulance ride
People in Georgia who get injured badly enough to need an ambulance ride could worry less about the shock to their pocketbook if they have insurance and if Gov. Brian Kemp signs House Bill 506 into law. The Georgia General Assembly sent Kemp the “Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act” on Thursday, the final day of […]
Posted inEducation
Georgia bill to tie driver’s licenses to school attendance hangs by a thread on final day
A Georgia bill that would block students from getting a driver’s license if they miss too much school without an excuse failed in the House Thursday — but got a second chance on the same day lawmakers must either pass it or let it die. What’s happening: SB 513, called the “Every Day Counts Act,” […]
Posted inYour Government
New law in Georgia would round cash purchases to the nearest nickel
You could soon leave pennies at home when you go shopping in Georgia. The Georgia House gave final approval to a bill Thursday that rounds in-person cash transactions to the nearest nickel. The change is a response to the Trump administration’s decision last year to stop making new pennies, which will lead to their gradual […]
Posted inCrime
Teen arrested in shooting at DeKalb school football game
A 19-year-old wanted for shooting at school police officers during a DeKalb County high school football game was arrested today in Duluth. His mother was taken into custody at the same time. What happened: On February 19, 19-year-old Isaiah Reid fired a gun multiple times at DeKalb County School Resource Officers after being ordered to […]