Legislation has been introduced in the Senate and the House that would allow for the creation of townships in Georgia. This new form of government, which is used in other states, would have control over zoning and code enforcement issues, but not the other responsibilities that come with running a city. In the House, Rep.
Senator Steve Gooch (R-SD-51) filed legislation to create a joint study committee to study high-speed Internet access in Georgia, termed the “Joint High-Speed Broadband Communications Access for All Georgians Study Committee”. The committee will meet several times through the summer and fall of this year focusing on obstacles that prevent high-speed Internet access from reaching
House District 95 Representative Tom Rice of Gwinnett County says he will not seek re-election to the House after serving ten terms. In a statement, the chairman of the Motor Vehicles Committee said, I have been privileged to serve the legislative needs of the citizens of Peachtree Corners, Berkeley Lake, Norcross and parts of John’s
Republican State Representative Allen Peake of Macon was the guest speaker Wednesday as members of the Georgia Young Republicans enjoyed lunch during their day at the Capitol. In his talk, he explained what motivated him to work towards allowing medical marijuana in the Peach State, both in the passage of last year’s House Bill 1,
The House Study Committee on Welfare Fraud was created during the 2015 Legislative Session by the adoption of HR 829. The chairman, Rep. David Clark, along with Representatives Mandi Ballinger, Timothy Barr, Dominic LaRiccia, and Eric Thomas, were assigned to study the great number of “conditions, needs, issues, and problems” regarding Georgia welfare programs. They
A bill that would provide the option of making the elections of certain county officials, including sheriff, district attorney, coroner, tax commissioner and clerk of superior court non-partisan was dropped in the Senate hopper this afternoon, and is expected to have a first reading on Wednesday. Senate Bill 318 is sponsored by Rick Jefffares of
State Senator Josh McKoon of Columbus took to the well on Monday to address the comments made by Rep. Tommie Benton about Senator Vincent Fort’s sponsorship of a bill that would have stopped the state from celebrating Confederate holidays. In a statement to the AJC, Benton compared Fort’s bill to ISIS, and praised the work
The American Conservative Union is out with its annual ranking of the Georgia legislature for the 2015 session. The organization looked at 14 Senate votes and ten House votes, giving points to legislators who voted the way the ACU prefers. A vote for HB 170, the Transportation Funding Act, whether in the House or in
Senator Vincent Fort has introduced a bill that would prevent the State of Georgia from celebrating holidays that honor the Confederate States of America. This is a debate that we can have in Georgia, but Rep. Benton’s response does not indicate that a thoughtful, high-minded exchange of ideas will be forthcoming. “That’s no better than
Up for a first reading in the Senate this morning was Senate Resolution 842, sponsored by Majority Caucus Chair William Ligon of Brunswick, President Pro Tem David Shafer of Duluth, Majority Leader Bill Cowsert of Athens and others. The purpose of the resolution is to create a Senate Study Committee on the Legislative Process. A
