U.S. Senate advances $95.3 billion bill that includes emergency funding for Ukraine, Israel
The U.S. Senate voted 67-32 to move ahead on the measure, after a tense week on Capitol Hill that saw immigration provisions dropped from the package following opposition from Republicans. Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate moved past a procedural hurdle Thursday to begin work on a $95 billion emergency spending bill that…
Georgia senators debate state pullout from accrediting American Library Association
Participants in a Feb. 1 rally at the Georgia Capitol supported a suite of bills they said would remove obscenity from libraries. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder Some conservative state senators want Georgia to become the latest state to pull out of the American Library Association, a nonprofit organization that supports libraries and accredits the schools that…
Bill to create commission focused on delivering more help to Georgians with disabilities gains traction
“We need to be at the table, because we are registered voters and we vote and our voices count,” Dorothy Harris, who is a self-advocate from Fitzgerald, said at a press conference held Wednesday at the state Capitol. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder Advocates are rallying behind a bipartisan proposal to create a new commission focused on…
Georgia state Supreme Court chief tells lawmakers justice system needs better pay to move cases
Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs said in his State of the Judiciary address on Feb. 7 that the state’s current pay scale makes it more difficult to hire and retain top tier lawyers, judges and other court personnel. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs told state legislators…
Georgia House backs midyear update to state budget with money for behavioral health, elections
Rep. Matt Hatchett, a Dublin Republican who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, pushed back on changes the governor made to the budget after lawmakers left town last year. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder House lawmakers signed off the governor’s plans to infuse the budget with nearly $2 billion in one-time cash while making their own spending boosts…
Prosecutor oversight bill clears Georgia Senate despite criticism it thwarts local control
Trenton Republican Sen. Colton Moore questioned Tuesday whether his fellow party members should cede more legislative control over investigating district attorneys for improper conduct. Moore opposed Senate Bill 332, which would allow a new prosecutors oversight commission to adopt rules. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder The Georgia Senate approved a version of a bill Tuesday that would…