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Georgia Recorder
A ‘chaotic’ January? Congress faces two shutdown deadlines with no action yet on spending
WASHINGTON — Congress is staring down a funding cliff in mid-January and a second one in early February, but neither of those deadlines have inspired House and Senate leaders to broker agreement on the dozen bills that were supposed to become law by Oct. 1. Appropriators are concerned the upcoming election year and competing legislative priorities […] The post A ‘chaotic’ January? Congress faces two shutdown deadlines with no action yet on spending appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Top 10 stories that shaped 2023: Trump’s mug, Vogtle’s sticker shock and raging culture wars
The jailhouse booking of a former president. The death of the only Georgian to ever serve as first lady. The first kilowatts of energy cranked out of the beleaguered Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project. These and other stories left a mark on the world of Georgia politics this year, whether in jaw-dropping fashion or through […] The post Top 10 stories that shaped 2023: Trump’s mug, Vogtle’s sticker shock and raging culture wars appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Bookman: What looms in the year ahead will probably dwarf the craziness of the year now ending
It has been a crazy year – the latest in a string of increasingly crazy years, to be honest. Day after day, week after week, I see and hear things from American leaders and American citizens that I never conceived I would witness. It’s as if a long-suppressed ugliness has finally been allowed to bubble […] The post Bookman: What looms in the year ahead will probably dwarf the craziness of the year now ending appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Georgia First group’s 2024 legislative wish list: Better health, education and ballot access
We’re mere days away from the beginning of the 2024 legislative session and our elected leaders will once again be making decisions on critical issues that impact every Georgian. At Georgia First, we’re committed to advancing economic opportunities, education, and health outcomes for all Georgians – and we’re calling on our policymakers to move forward […] The post Georgia First group’s 2024 legislative wish list: Better health, education and ballot access appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Georgia lawmakers asked to pour money into criminal justice system to help clear court case backlog
Georgia legislators are eyeing changing an outdated law that hinders local prosecutors, while also pouring additional resources into a judicial system that attorneys and judges say needs increased investment to clear a backlog of court cases across the state. Georgia prosecutors and judges are urging lawmakers to provide more competitive pay in the judicial system […] The post Georgia lawmakers asked to pour money into criminal justice system to help clear court case backlog appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Congressional OK for an Ocmulgee Mounds national park could be in store in 2024
Georgia is well on its way to getting its first national park. Georgia’s senators along with U.S. House representatives, both Republicans and Democrats, are in the process of drafting legislation to make the Ocmulgee Mounds in middle Georgia a National Park. Bills in the House and Senate will likely go through in the early part […] The post Congressional OK for an Ocmulgee Mounds national park could be in store in 2024 appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Student loan bill in your holiday mail? 1M Georgians drive state’s No. 3 rank for student debt
The holidays aren’t cheap, and neither is a college degree. And for the first time since the pandemic, more than 1 million Georgians might need to factor in the cost of student loan payments into their budgets as they prepare to celebrate. Loan payments, paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, kicked back in this October, creating […] The post Student loan bill in your holiday mail? 1M Georgians drive state’s No. 3 rank for student debt appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Judge reviewing Georgia political maps pledges to render decision on lawfulness ‘very quickly’
Georgia’s new congressional and legislative maps got their day in court Wednesday in front of federal Judge Steve Jones, who threw out the state’s 2021 attempt at drawing new electoral maps, ruling that they did not comply with the Voting Rights Act. Lawmakers rushed through a special session early this month to redraw them, and […] The post Judge reviewing Georgia political maps pledges to render decision on lawfulness ‘very quickly’ appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
The naughty and the nice: Home-state holiday decor bedecks congressional offices
WASHINGTON — Congress members and office neighbors on the second floor of the Longworth House Office Building showcased their holiday spirit this season in an unofficial decorating contest. The naughty and nice decorations spotlighted the characteristics and economies of congressional districts across the United States and revealed the taste in decor among both members and […] The post The naughty and the nice: Home-state holiday decor bedecks congressional offices appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Georgia plans ‘strategic surge’ to check Medicaid eligibility after 150k children lose coverage
Georgia will boost spending to get state workers help with handling the massive job of checking the eligibility of all 2.8 million people covered by Medicaid after a high number of children have lost coverage. State officials announced Monday that the governor’s office had set aside $54 million in federal funds as part of what […] The post Georgia plans ‘strategic surge’ to check Medicaid eligibility after 150k children lose coverage appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
State regulators pass along $7.6B tab to ratepayers for Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle
The story was updated at 10 am on Dec. 20 with a statement from Georgia Power Georgia Power ratepayers will be responsible for a $7.6 billion bill for the construction of two nuclear reactors built during the long-delayed expansion at Plant Vogtle located southeast of Augusta. The financial agreement for the nuclear project boondoggle was […] The post State regulators pass along $7.6B tab to ratepayers for Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Hopes dim even more for immigration agreement in US Senate before holidays
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators late Monday said they are closer to an agreement on changes to immigration policy in order to clear a multi-billion-dollar global security package, but any timing on a deal or details of that framework remained elusive. “While the job is not finished, I’m confident that we’re headed in the right direction,” […] The post Hopes dim even more for immigration agreement in US Senate before holidays appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
How a new way to vote is gaining traction in states — and could transform US politics
With U.S. democracy plagued by extremism, polarization, and a growing disconnect between voters and lawmakers, a set of reforms that could dramatically upend how Americans vote is gaining momentum at surprising speed in Western states. Ranked choice voting, which asks voters to rank multiple candidates in order of preference, has seen its profile steadily expand […] The post How a new way to vote is gaining traction in states — and could transform US politics appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Trump borrows from the language of Hitler for anti-immigration speech in New Hampshire
As leaders in Washington negotiate a bipartisan immigration deal, former President Donald Trump used inflammatory language to demonize immigrants during a Saturday campaign speech in New Hampshire that echoed Adolf Hitler. Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president in next year’s election, said that immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country.” He […] The post Trump borrows from the language of Hitler for anti-immigration speech in New Hampshire appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Fulton 19 update: Life goes on, jackpot justice for Giuliani, sorry not sorry
An email exchange indicates that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis wants Donald Trump and his top aides to serve prison terms in the 2020 presidential election interference case. The details about Willis warning the possibility of prison sentences for the former Republican president, Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Trump’s […] The post Fulton 19 update: Life goes on, jackpot justice for Giuliani, sorry not sorry appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Voting rights decision may curb push to diversify Georgia, Alabama utility commissions
Brionte´ McCorkle was “furious” when a federal appeals court ruled in late November that Georgia could keep its current method of electing its powerful utility regulators. She punched her kickboxing heavy bag so hard that it broke. “I busted the bag, I was that mad,” she said. But, McCorkle added, “We’re not going to let […] The post Voting rights decision may curb push to diversify Georgia, Alabama utility commissions appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Shipbuilding, bombers, military pay raise: Congress sends massive defense bill to Biden
WASHINGTON — The massive annual defense policy package cleared Congress ahead of the holiday recess, despite protests about attaching a foreign surveillance extension and criticism that the bill did not block a Pentagon abortion policy. U.S. House lawmakers approved the package on Thursday 310-118, under a suspension of the chamber’s rules, meaning a two-thirds majority was […] The post Shipbuilding, bombers, military pay raise: Congress sends massive defense bill to Biden appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
Fear and confusion over abortion access persists as SCOTUS takes its first post-Dobbs case
This year will end on a major cliffhanger for abortion access. Last November, anti-abortion activists via a powerful conservative Christian law firm asked a federal court to effectively ban or widely restrict the abortion drug mifepristone. Finally on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take the case, making Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug […] The post Fear and confusion over abortion access persists as SCOTUS takes its first post-Dobbs case appeared first on Georgia Recorder.
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The Georgia Recorder is an independent, nonprofit news organization that is focused on connecting public policies to stories of the people and communities affected by them. We bring a fresh perspective to coverage of the state’s biggest issues from our office a few blocks from Georgia’s Gold Dome. Our perch might be near the Capitol in downtown Atlanta, but the communities we care about are found in all corners of Georgia, from the mountains of Blue Ridge to the flatlands of Bainbridge. Just a few years ago, news outlets across Georgia staffed their own capital bureaus and it was common for several reporters to cover the same legislative committee hearings, press conferences on the Capitol steps and other state policy news. Most traditional news organizations now lack the resources to do much more than chase the political outrage of the day. Meanwhile, proposals to shape Georgia’s approach to health care, public schools, community development and other essential ingredients for a good quality-of-life don’t receive the attention they warrant. The Georgia Recorder aims to remedy that. The Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. The Recorder retains editorial independence.
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