Category Archives: State Sen. Bill Cowsert

UGA Finds Student Protester, Adam Veale, Not Guilty

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(APN) ATLANTA — A University of Georgia (UGA) student, Adam Veale, was found not guilty by the school’s Student Judiciary, part of its Office of Student Conduct, for his non-violent civil disobedience and arrest at the State Capitol while advocating for Medicaid Expansion with Moral Monday on March 02, 2015.   http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2015/03/04/twelve-protesters-arrested-at-capitol-demanding-medicaid-expansion/   Veale was offered a deal to avoid […]

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ANALYSIS: Religious Freedom Wasn’t about Discrimination; It is Now

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(APN) ATLANTA — When HB 29 and SB 129 were introduced in the Georgia House and Senate this year, respectively, advocates of LGBTQI equality immediately waxed hyperbolic, calling it the Hate the Gays bill.   Atlanta Progressive News ran a lengthy analysis in early January 2015 explaining that the bill was more broadly encompassing and more substantively complex than its […]

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State Senate Passes Religious Freedom; State School Takeovers

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With additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale   (APN) ATLANTA — On Thursday, March 05, 2015, the full State Senate voted to engross SB 129, the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Bill, in a vote of 38 yeas to 17 nays.  The bill passed the Senate in a vote of 37 to 15.  Engrossment means that the bill cannot be changed; […]

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Sen. McKoon Rushes Religious Freedom Bill without Notice, Transparency

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(APN) ATLANTA — On Monday, March 02, 2015, the Senate Judiciary Civil Committee passed an amended version of SB 129, the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act.   The amended version states in the legislative findings but not in the operative text of the bill that courts “have consistently held that government has a fundamental, overriding interest in eradicating discrimination.”   […]

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State Senate Committee Tables Religious Freedom Bill

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(APN) ATLANTA — SB 129, the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act, was on a fast track until, on Thursday, February 19, 2015, the Senate Judiciary Committee tabled the bill with a 5 to 3 vote.   State Sen. Josh McKoon (R-Columbus) is the author of SB 129 and was also the author of last year’s SB 377 that did not […]

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SB 469 Would Make Civil Disobedience a Felony in Georgia

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(APN) ATLANTA — SB 469, an anti-union and anti-protest bill, would turn nonviolent civil disobedience into a felony punishable by imprisonment for one year and a fine of ten thousand dollars for organizations and one thousand dollars for individuals.   It also has provisions intended to weaken unions. The bill was introduced by State Reps. Don Balfour (R-Snellville), Bill Hamrick (R-Carrollton), […]

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