The Georgia House unanimously passed House Bill 757, the Pastor Protection Act, on Thursday, sending the measure to the Senate for its consideration. The measure, which is similar to laws in some other states reaffirms the separation of church and state in Georgia, and contains provisions that affirm a religious leader’s right to refuse to
Newton County District 1 Commissioner John Douglas will not seek re-election, according to a story in the Covington News. The former state senator plans to spend time with his family, including new grandsons expected this summer. Douglas was quoted by the News as saying, Careful prayer, the approaching birth of our twin grandsons and the
That didn’t take long. Less than 24 hours after Rep. Matt Ramsey of Peachtree City announced he would not seek another term representing the 72nd House District, former Peachtree City mayor Harold Logsdon tossed his hat into the race to replace him. In statement, Logsdon said, We need proven conservative leadership to succeed Rep. Ramsey
Majority Whip Matt Ramsey will introduce a bill and matching constitutional amendment that would limit increases in tuition and fees within the University System of Georgia to the rate of inflation. House Bill 977 and House Resolution 1326 should get their first readings in the House on Thursday. The constitutional amendment authorizes the General Assembly
Day 18 of the 2016 legislative session saw thousands of of religious freedom supporters ascend Capitol Hill to lobby legislators and attend a rally featuring Franklin Graham’s Decision America 2016 tour. The noontime rally at Liberty Plaza featured these words from Rev Graham, according to the AJC: “We are here today because we see our
A bill that could bring the Super Bowl and other high-profile sporting events to Atlanta was filed in the House this afternoon. House Bill 951, sponsored by Rep. Chad Nimmer of Blackshear, Jay Powell of Camila, Stacey Abrams of Atlanta and others would exempt tickets to certain sporting events from sales tax. The bill defines
The House Judiciary Committee voted out Do Pass recommendations for the Pastor Protection Act and the Georgia Civil Rights in Public Accommodations Act, sending both bills to the Rules Committee prior to a vote in the full house. While the Pastor Protection Act passed without controversy, there was considerable discussion and proposed amendments to the
Following up on a Senate floor speech late last month in which he addressed the country’s growing national debt, Georgia Senator David Perdue on Monday introduced the Accurate Accounting Act of 2016. The measure attempts to improve on the federal budget process, which has produced the desired effect of deliberating on and passing 12 appropriation
A House Judiciary subcommittee on Monday voted to send House Bill 849 to the full Judiciary Committee. The bill, entitled the Georgia Civil Rights in Public Accommodations Act, would provide civil rights based on race, religion, and national origin in places of public accommodation, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and movie theaters. Georgia is currently
As advance voting got underway in Georgia on Monday, the Marco Rubio campaign held a press conference at the state capitol to announce additional members of Rubio’s Georgia leadership team. The most significant addition to the team is 3rd District Congressman Lynn Westmoreland. Other notable additions include State Senators Dean Burke and Tommie Williams, and
