The state House of Representatives voted unanimously this week to create a joint study committee to develop a plan for rolling out a network of electric vehicle charging stations across Georgia. The Georgia Senate passed the resolution two weeks ago, also in a unanimous vote.
On Thursday, Republican members of the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee advanced a plan that adds hundreds of felony charges to the list of violent crimes that require a bond in order for a person to be released from jail before trial.
In Atlanta, lawmakers are consumed by tinkering, horse-trading, and frayed nerves as they rush to complete their work before the gavel falls on the latest session of the Georgia General Assembly. By April 4, they must decide the fate of 45 bills that cleared the Senate and 60 that emerged from the House of Representatives.
Under Senate Bill 226, school principals would have seven business days to review complaints from parents that a given book is obscene and “lacking in serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors.” Principals would have three additional days to determine whether a book should be removed from that school’s library and inform the parent of the decision.
On Wednesday, House Republicans passed Senate Bill 319, permit-less carry legislation that’s a top priority for state and national gun rights groups that argue carrying guns is a constitutional right that shouldn’t require permission from the government.
Georgia took two big steps toward ending pandemic restrictions Tuesday as Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill allowing a parental veto for school mask mandates and the state House passed a bill banning so-called vaccine passports for public facilities, including colleges and universities.
In operating rooms, the smoke created by surgery can be a health hazard for those breathing it in. Such “surgical smoke’’ is a byproduct of the thermal destruction of human tissue by the use of lasers or other devices.
The Georgia Senate unanimously approved a fiscal 2023 state budget Friday that provides raises to teachers and state employees and restores state agencies to pre-pandemic spending levels.
One popular measure would extend Medicaid to one year after a woman’s pregnancy ends, up from six months of coverage. The other proposal,Senate Bill 496, would require autopsies when the woman’s cause of death is unclear, which may upset some grieving families.
Legislation aimed at protecting Georgia farmers from nuisance lawsuits drew support Monday from representatives of agribusiness and opposition from environmental advocates.