Teri was kind enough to post the “adjournment resolution” agreed upon by the House and Senate yesterday in the Morning Reads. For those new to the Georgia General Assembly or those that haven’t delved deep into the sausage making process, let’s take a few minutes to explain what it means, and what tea leaves we
As it is the first day of session in a re-election year, those that have decided to return to the citizen part of being a citizen-legislator will begin to make announcements about their future plans. This morning from the well of the Senate, with his wife at his side, Senator Bill Heath (R-Breman) said he
This week’s Courier Herald column: Legislators from across the state reconvened in Atlanta this week for the 2020 session of the Georgia General Assembly. Tensions remain higher than average among Georgia’s leaders as tight budgets force competition among everyone’s priorities. They’ll have to work harder than normal to present a unified front for the majority’s
From a press release: Today, Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan announced a new addition to his senior staff. Macy McFall will join the Office of Lt. Governor as Director of Legislative Affairs and will oversee legislative and government relations on behalf of the Lieutenant Governor. “As we move into the 2020 Legislative Session, I will continue
This week’s Courier Herald column: The Georgia General Assembly will convene next week for the 2020 regular session in Atlanta. The legislature may meet for up to 40 days, but they get to decide which days count toward their limit. It’s usually safe to assume they’ll finish their business before Easter week and The Masters,
If you want to represent portions of Southwest Georgia in the Georgia Senate, you need to get your qualifying papers filed by January 6th. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has set the special election to fill the Senate seat of the late Greg Kirk for February 4th. A potential runoff is scheduled for March
The Georgia House of Representatives will have its third Rules Chairman in three years. After the deaths of former Rules Chairmen John Meadows and Jay Powell, Columbus Representative Richard Smith will steer the powerful House Rules Committee when the legislature convenes next month. The Rules Committee is the last stop before legislation in the House
This week’s Courier Herald column: The top line statistics tell us things are good. Last week, Georgia’s unemployment rate hit a record low. Georgia has more people working than ever before. The state’s economic success continues to attract new residents and new employers alike. About 100,000 new people are calling Georgia home every year, adding
This week’s Courier Herald column: The muted lull between the Georgia General Assembly’s March Sine Die and the January 13th reconvening of legislators has been relatively quiet publicly. Behind the scenes, there has been a philosophical and practical struggle over Georgia’s budget – all within the ranks of the majority Republican party. In late summer,
Ed Rynders, Republican Representative from Leesburg, will be resigning his seat today, per the Albany Herald, citing health issues. “Plus, and not a lot of people know this, I had a heart attack in June and needed three stents. I had health issues going back to the last session of the Legislature — I even
