All this complexity makes government hard to understand, hard to oversee. And in a lot of ways, it doesn’t serve the people all that well. Still, there are yet ways to make local governments work better together.
Tag: Georgia
Posted inLatest News
Aerospace sector stands out among Georgia’s economic success stories
Of all the “gee whiz, Georgia’s great” economic stories, the aerospace and defense sector stands out – The United States ranks No. 1 in the world and Georgia ranks No. 2 in the nation, and Georgia’s education system has the capacity to help workers into transition the jobs of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, two recent reports show.
Posted inColumns
A time-lapse profile of Georgia from the 2020 Almanac of American Politics
(A note from Tom: This week I’m stepping aside for something special. The Almanac of American Politics, published every two years since 1972, is a necessity for political junkies, with its reams of demographic and election data and carefully crafted profiles of every state and congressional district. Volume by volume over time, it has become […]
Posted inMain Slider
State regulators order up more renewable energy from Georgia Power
Georgia Power will add new renewable energy to its portfolio under a plan unanimously approved Tuesday by state regulators. The company also got approval to wind down more coal-burning units.
Posted inMaggie Lee
Litigation begins over Georgia’s near-total abortion ban
So far, federal courts in Kentucky and Mississippi have temporarily suspended similar new abortion restrictions while lawsuits play out.
Posted inLatest News
Doraville’s top cop to stand in for indicted Georgia insurance commissioner
“No. 1, we have to have a person of very high integrity in the current situation that we’re in,” Gov. Brian Kemp said.
Posted inLatest News
Kemp’s first trade mission as governor: South Korea
A Georgia delegation headed by Gov. Brian Kemp is heading to South Korea to pitch the state to companies there, and visit companies that already invest here.
Posted inLatest News
Georgia may yet tax Walmart.com Rolexes, short-term rentals, ride-hailing and other online commerce
“Because they’re not being collected, those are dollars that are not being used in our communities, and for me, that’s a problem.”
Posted inMaggie Lee
In a buttoned-down state Capitol, views differ on the line between “free speech” and “disruption”
In a Georgia legislative session that brought a divisive abortion bill after a tense election, Democrats see police overkill with Republican fingerprints on it; while police say they’re just ensuring safety.
Posted inLatest News
Georgia governor signs near-total abortion ban. Next stop, court.
And one more: Georgia joins the list of states where abortion will be a political talking point for the next election cycle or two.
Posted inMaggie Lee
Atlanta arts leaders and artists say there’s a lot to celebrate — but something is missing
Metro Atlanta and Georgia lack one large, unified arts organization speaking out in favor of bringing Georgians dance, visual art, music and theater.
Posted inMaggie Lee
If Georgia’s budget were $1, health care and education would get quarters. Most other things would get pennies.
Georgia’s budget, counting state and federal money, is bigger than football, but smaller than Home Depot. Most of the spending is on health care and education.
Posted inMaggie Lee
Georgia Capitol recap: Atlanta airport, rural transit bills fail to move, and more
In news of what the state Legislature didn’t approve this year, put: any takeover or oversight of Atlanta’s airport. Or a tax break for jet fuel. Or a boost to rural transit.
Posted inLatest News
Georgia lawmakers send medical cannabis cultivation bill to governor
That would solve a problem for people who have a state medical marijuana card, but no place to buy the liquid they use to fight the side effects of chemotherapy, the frequency of seizures or other disorders.
Posted inLatest News
Georgia Senate panel narrows medical cannabis cultivation bill
Medical cannabis advocates think a rewrite of a House-approved medical cannabis cultivation bill is mainly unworkable and contains some poison pill provisions. But a key state Senator says the original might have had unintended consequences.
Posted inMaggie Lee
Late nights and legislative vehicles: welcome to the Gold Dome
So should lawmakers meet more than 40 days per year? You won’t hardly find anyone who will answer “yes” to that.
Posted inLatest News
Under new legislation, Georgia might double spending on tire and hazardous cleanup
Between the two, that’s about $7.5 million that the state didn’t spend on environmental cleanup this fiscal year, but that it arguably should have.
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Explainer: When Georgia lawmakers do — and don’t — know the cost of their votes
The nice thing about a fiscal note is that all sides consider it at least a good-faith estimate, free of industry or partisan spin. But Georgia legislators often don’t have a nonpartisan official estimate of what their votes will mean for the state’s finances.
Posted inLatest News
Needle-exchange bill moving through Georgia Legislature
If this bill passes, expect comprehensive needle-exchange programs to take root beyond Atlanta.
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Georgia lawmakers almost done for the session — here’s some of what’s still in the running
Some of the things that still have a chance? A near-total ban on abortions, a hate crime law, a state takeover of the airport, medical cannabis cultivation and more.
