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Category Archives: Georgia Legislature

No Knock Warrant “Reform” Would Actually Codify No Knock Warrants

February 21, 2015 GLORIA TATUM One comment

With additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale (APN) ATLANTA — On Monday, February 09, 2015, the Pak Subcommittee of Judiciary Non-Civil Committee passed the language in HB 56, commonly called the “No Knock bill,” with only minor tweaks. http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20152016/HB/56 The bill’s supporters say it will reform Georgia’s problematic practice of no knock warrants on the part of of […]

Gov. Deal Wants State to Take Over, Privatize Struggling Schools; Democrats Offer Alternative

February 18, 2015 ANNA SIMONTON 7 comments

(APN) ATLANTA — One week after Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, unveiled a proposal to enable state takeovers and privatization of struggling schools, State Senate Democrats have put forth an alternative plan they say addresses the root causes of failure in the education system. At a press conference on February 17, 2014, the Senate Democratic Caucus introduced the […]

Bill to Restrict Early Voting in Georgia Passes House Committee (UPDATE 1)

February 12, 2015 GLORIA TATUM 2 comments

(APN) ATLANTA — A Georgia House subcommittee and committee have both voted to approve a bill, HB 194, that would reduce early voting from 21 days to 12 days. The Governmental Affairs Committee voted yesterday, Wednesday, February 11, 2015, to approve the bill. The Election Subcommittee vited Monday, February 09, five to one to approve HB 194. State […]

Bill Would Reduce Minor Party Petition Requirements to Two Percent

February 8, 2015 MATTHEW CHARLES One comment

(APN) ATLANTA — State Rep. John Pezold (R-Fortson) has introduced HB 58, the Ballot Access Reform Act, of 2015. The bill would reduce the number of candidate petition signatures required for independent and minor party (“political body”) candidates seeking non-statewide offices–such as U.S. Congress, State Legislature, and County Commission–from five percent of registered voters, to two percent of actual […]

Plant Vogtle to be Delayed by 18 More Months, as Taxpayers Pay the Bills

February 6, 2015 AMANDA HILL-ATTKISSON Leave a comment

(APN) ATLANTA — In the latest filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday, January 29, 2015, Westinghouse Electric and the other contractors building Units 3 and 4 at Plant Vogtle revealed that they will be delayed another eighteen months, pushing back reactor starts for Vogtle Unit 3 to 2019 and for Unit 4 to 2020. […]

Watered-down Medical Cannabis Bill Stalls in House Committee

February 5, 2015 GLORIA TATUM 5 comments

(APN) ATLANTA — At the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee Hearing on Tuesday, February 03, 2015, State Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) introduced HB 1, a revised version of last year Haleigh’s Hope. The bill offers immunity for those who have obtained the oil from a state where it is legal to manufacture and sell the cannabis oil, but does not […]

Republican Transportation Bill Would Divert Revenue from Localities

February 5, 2015 ANNA SIMONTON One comment

(APN) ATLANTA — State Rep. Jay Roberts (R-Ocilla) recently introduced HB 170, a bill to increase state funding for transportation projects by one billion dollars, a measure that might seem, on its face, to be a step in the right direction. But in order to come up with the money, the State of Georgia would divert millions of dollars […]

Moral Monday Takes On Law Enforcement Reform at Capitol

January 29, 2015 ANNA SIMONTON Leave a comment

(APN) ATLANTA — Moral Monday Georgia took action for the second time during the 2015 Legislative Session on January 26, 2015, when members of the coalition convened at the State Capitol, urging lawmakers to pass a Law Enforcement Reform package. Over one hundred people formed a circle in the Capitol Rotunda, singing Civil Rights songs adapted to address the […]

Sen. Curt Thompson Will Keep Pushing Medical Cannabis Bill

January 26, 2015 MATTHEW CHARLES 6 comments

(APN) ATLANTA — Today, Monday, January 26, 2015, State Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon) is formally introducing language to replace the original, placeholder language of HB 1, to provide immunity for individuals with CBD oil, but not allow for in-state growing. However, State Sen. Curt Thompson (D-Tucker) tells Atlanta Progressive News that he will keep pushing his medical cannabis bill, […]

Legislature May Approve Solar Panel Lease Financing, with Limits

January 15, 2015 MATTHEW CHARLES 4 comments

(APN) ATLANTA — 2015 may be the year in which the Georgia Legislature takes a step forward on allowing for more Georgia homes and businesses to invest in solar power. On Tuesday, January 13, 2015, a subcommittee created by State Rep. Don Parsons (R-Marietta), who chairs the House Energy, Utilities, & Telecommunications Committee, approved legislation drafted by State Rep. […]

Moral Monday Activists Protest Gov. Deal’s Policies at Inauguration

January 14, 2015 GLORIA TATUM One comment

(APN) ATLANTA — On Monday, January 12, 2015, while Gov. Nathan Deal was being sworn in for his second term, hundreds of Moral Monday supporters laid down in the halls of the State Capitol to protest some of the Governor’s policies. Signs were displayed to express their concerns. Without Medical expansion, an estimated over eleven hundred Georgians have died. […]

Misdemeanor Fee-based Probation Tolling Ends after Georgia Supreme Court Ruling

January 8, 2015 GLORIA TATUM 13 comments

(APN) ATLANTA — The Supreme Court of Georgia unanimously ruled, on November 24, 2014, that courts are prohibited from lengthening a person’s misdemeanor sentence beyond what was originally ordered by the sentencing court. The opinion was written by Chief Justice Hugh Thompson. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s finding that private probation companies do not have the legal […]

Proposed New Cities of LaVista Hills and Tucker Both Want Northlake Area

December 9, 2014 GLORIA TATUM Leave a comment

By Gloria Tatum and Barbara Payne (APN) ATLANTA — It seems the prize of 23,000 North DeKalb County residents and the lucrative Northlake commercial district is still up for grabs. The cityhood effort that comprised the former proposed cities of Briarcliff and Lakeside, now merged as LaVista Hills, could not resolve the proposed boundary lines with the proposed city of […]

Interview with Connie Stokes, Candidate for Lt. Governor

August 9, 2014 BARBARA PAYNE Leave a comment

(APN) ATLANTA — Former State Sen. Connie Stokes (D-Decatur), who also served as a former DeKalb County Commissioner, is running as the Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor. Stokes served as a Democratic State Senator for ten years, from 1994 to 2004. She was chosen by her colleagues to chair the Budget Committee and has served on the Appropriations […]

Fulton County May Rebuke State on Millage Rate Increase

June 28, 2013 MATTHEW CHARLES Leave a comment

(APN) ATLANTA — The Fulton County Board of Commissioners (BOC) is currently considering a set of millage rate increases–one for all of Fulton County, and one for unincorporated South Fulton–that if passed, would rebuke the Republican-controlled Georgia Legislature on its attempts to force deep cuts at Fulton County Government by starving the county of funds. Fulton County is […]

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