JEFF AMY

Jeff Amy covers Georgia politics and government.

FILE - Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center in Cuthbert, Ga., shown here on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, closed in 2020. The Georgia state Senate passed a bill on March 14, 2024, that would let the hospital reopen without a state permit, called a certificate of need. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)

Georgia Senate lawmakers give final passage to bill to loosen health permit rules

Georgia lawmakers are agreeing on a plan to loosen some parts the state’s health care permitting law.

Jason Riley, father of slain nursing student Laken Riley, speaks at the Senate at the Capitol in Atlanta on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Georgia lawmakers advance bills targeting immigrant-friendly policies

The Georgia Senate on Thursday pushed through bills aimed at forcing local governments to help deport immigrants instead of sheltering them.

Kansas state Rep. Nikki McDonald, D-Olathe, shows off a stack of printed testimony in favor of expanding the Medicaid program in Kansas during a House Health and Human Services Committee discussion, Thursday, March 21, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. The committee has blocked Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's expansion plan. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Republican majorities block efforts to expand Medicaid in Georgia and Kansas

Republican lawmakers in Georgia and Kansas have shot down attempts by Democrats to expand Medicaid in their states. The two states’ legislative committee voted Thursday.

FILE- Cast member Benedict Cumberbatch works during the filming of "Avengers: Infinity War", Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in Atlanta. A Georgia state Senate committee voted Wednesday, March 20, 2024, to weaken a cap on the state's tax credits that the House had proposed. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Proposed limit on Georgia film tax credit could become meaningless if studios are protected

Some Georgia lawmakers are having second thoughts about limiting the value of the state’s lucrative film tax credit.

State Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, applauds following the passage of senate bill 233, which would give families $6,500 vouchers funding for private school tuition and home schooling, Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in the Senate at the Capitol in Atlanta. The bill now moves to Gov. Brian Kemp forGeorgia senators gave final approval Wednesday to the bill, sending the measure to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature. (Matthew Pearson/WABE via AP)

$6,500 school vouchers coming to Georgia as bill gets final passage and heads to governor

Georgia senators are giving final approval to $6,500 vouchers funding for private school tuition and home schooling, sending the measure to Gov.

FILE - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks, Feb. 26, 2024, in Athens, Ga. Georgia lawmakers have made it harder for workers at companies getting state economic incentives to unionize, in what could be a violation of federal law. The state House voted 96 to 78 Wednesday, March 20, for Senate Bill 362, which would bar companies that accept state incentives from recognizing unions without a formal secret-ballot election. The measure, which has been backed by Gov. Kemp, now goes to the Republican governor for his signature. (Nell Carroll /Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, file)

Some Georgia workers would find it harder to become union members under a new bill

Georgia lawmakers have made it harder for workers at companies getting state economic incentives to unionize, in what could be a violation of federal law.

FILE - Georgia state Sen. Bo Hatchett, R-Cornelia, speaks to reporters on Friday, March, 11, 2022, at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta. Georgia senators gave final passage to bills cutting state personal and corporate income taxes on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, file)

Georgia lawmakers approve income tax cuts for people and businesses

Income taxes for Georgia residents and businesses are set to fall after the state Senate gave final passage to a pair of tax cuts Wednesday.

FILE - A for sale is displayed outside a home, Feb. 1, 2024, in Aceworth, Ga. Georgia lawmakers said on Tuesday, March, 19, that the state House and Senate may be close to a deal to limit increases in the taxable values of homes, dampening property tax increases. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Georgia lawmakers may be close to deal to limit rise in property tax bills

A deal between the Georgia House and Senate on limiting how much assessed home values can rise for tax purposes may be solidifying, But questions remain about the election-year push for property tax relief.

FILE - Georgia Senate Ethics Committee Chairman Max Burns, R-Sylvania, explains a bill to the committee, Jan. 23, 2024, at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta. Burns is pushing for changes to how Georgia governs challenges to a voter's eligibilty in the closing days of the 2024 Georgia legislative sessions. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, file)

Georgia bill could provide specific reasons for challenging voters

A Georgia state senator says he’s seeking to make it harder for people to challenge the qualifications of individual voters, but opponents warn he’s only going to enable more baseless attacks.

FILE - Georgia state Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, speaks to reporters outside the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta, Sept. 7, 2023. Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, banned Moore from the House floor on Thursday, March 14, 2024 after Moore attacked late House Speaker David Ralston as "corrupt" in a speech as both the House and Senate were honoring Ralston. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)

A Georgia senator was exiled from the GOP caucus. Now Colton Moore is banned from the state House

A Georgia state senator has been banned from the House floor after he made a slashing attack on the memory of House Speaker David Ralston. Republican Sen.

FILE - Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center in Cuthbert, Ga., shown here on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, closed in 2020. The Georgia state Senate passed a bill on March 14, 2024, that would let the hospital reopen without a state permit, called a certificate of need. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)

Georgia Senate passes bill to loosen health permit rules, as Democrats again push Medicaid

The Georgia Senate is passing a plan to loosen health care permitting that proponents say will create new options for patients.

Rep. Mesha Mainor, R-Atlanta, speaks in favor of Senate Bill 233 at the Georgia State Capitol on Thursday, March 14, 2024. The bill would give $6,000 a year in state funds to the parents of each child who opts for private schooling. (Natrice Miller/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Georgia school voucher bill narrowly clears longtime obstacle with state House passage

Georgia Republicans have powered a voucher plan funding private school tuition and home schooling through the state House.

Georgia House Speaker Pro-Tempore Jan Jones, R-Milton, presents SB 233 to the House Education Committee in Atlanta, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Matthew Pearson/WABE via AP)

Georgia House speaker aims to persuade resistant Republicans in voucher push

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns is leaning into the push to pass a voucher plan funding private school tuition and home schooling, looking to change the minds of fellow Republican skeptics.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp claps after signing a law letting a commission to discipline and remove prosecutors begin operating at the Capitol in Atlanta on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Critics fear the law will be used to target Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' prosecution of former President Donald Trump. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Kemp signs Georgia law reviving prosecutor sanctions panel. Democrats fear it’s aimed at Fani Willis

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has signed a law allowing a state commission with powers to discipline and remove prosecutors to begin operating.

FILE - A supporter holds a transgender flag at the Gay Pride Festival in Atlanta on Oct. 12, 2019. Georgia senators are proposing further restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, including a ban on prescribing puberty blocking drugs for most people under 18. (AP Photo/Robin Rayne, file)

Georgia restricted transgender care for youth in 2023. Now Republicans are seeking an outright ban

A year ago, Georgia lawmakers said they were striking a balance when they banned most gender-affirming care for transgender people under 18, but let doctors continue prescribing medicines to block puberty.

Georgia bill would impose harsher penalties on more ‘swatting’ calls

Georgia would strengthen penalties against false reports of shootings and bomb threats at homes under a bill passed by the state House.

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga 7th District, speaks to journalists after signing paperwork to qualify for reelection at the Capitol in Atlanta on Monday, March 4, 2024, the first day to file paperwork to qualify for legislative and congressional races. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Republican primary for open congressional seat tops 2024 Georgia elections

At least one Democrat and one Republican are contesting each of Georgia’s 14 congressional districts. Candidate qualifying for the 2024 elections closed Friday.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looks on during a hearing on the Georgia election interference case, Friday, March, 1, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Alex Slitz, Pool, File)

Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis and judge in Trump 2020 election case draw primary challengers

A progressive Democrat and a Republican who briefly worked in Donald Trump’s administration have entered the district attorney’s race in Fulton County, Georgia, where the former president is being prosecuted.

FILE -- Georgia House Minority Leader Rep. James Beverly, D-Macon, delivers a response to the State of the State of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp at state Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023 in Atlanta. Beverly announced on Friday, March 8, 2024, that he would not seek reelection to the state House, meaning he will also step down as minority leader (AP Photo/Alex Slitz, file)

Georgia House Democratic leader James Beverly won’t seek reelection in 2024

The Democratic leader in Georgia’s state House won’t run for reelection this year. House Minority Leader James Beverly of Macon tells The Associated Press that he’s stepping down to seek other ways to serve the public.

A truck leaves the site of a planned Rivian electric truck plant Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Rutledge,Ga. Rivian says it's pausing construction of the $5 billion manufacturing plant in Georgia. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Automaker Rivian pauses construction of its $5 billion electric truck plant in Georgia

Electric truck maker Rivian says it’s pausing construction of a $5 billion manufacturing plant in Georgia.

FILE - Georgia House Appropriations Committee Chairman Matt Hatchett, R-Dublin, speaks during a committee meeting on Feb. 6, 2024, at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta. House members on Thursday, March 7, 2024 approved a budget for the year beginning July 1 that would provide pay raises for public school teachers and state and university employees. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, file)

Georgia House advances budget with pay raises for teachers and state workers

The Georgia House is backing a state budget that would include pay raises for public school teachers and state employees.

Georgia state Sen. Randy Robertson, R-Cataula, discusses a bill to punish cities and counties that break state immigration law during a meeting of the Senate Public Safety Committee, Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta. The committee passed the bill, saying penalties are needed for local governments that disobey Georgia state law by passing policies to harbor undocumented immigrants. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

Georgia bill would punish cities and counties that break law against ‘sanctuary’ for immigrants

Some Georgia senators want to punish cities and counties that they say are illegally harboring immigrants who are in the country without permission by cutting off most state aid to the local government and removing elected officials from office.

FILE - Social studies teacher Sarah Holloway, left, talks with student Sofia Becerra, center, and Martha Navarro during sixth-grade orientation at Hammond Creek Middle School in Dalton, Ga., Aug. 7, 2023. Under a spending plan approved on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, by a state House committee, Georgia public school teachers would get a $2,500 raise beginning July 1. (Matt Hamilton/Chattanooga Times Free Press via AP, File)

Georgia House advances budget with pay raises for teachers and state workers

Pay raises for Georgia public school teachers and state employees are a step closer to being enacted.

State Rep. Joseph Gullett, R-Dallas, watches the voting board following the vote on prosecutor oversight bill SB 332 at the House of Representatives in the Capitol in Atlanta on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Gullett sponsored the bill in the House. (Arvin Temka/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Georgia pushes group to sanction prosecutors as Fani Willis faces removal from Trump case

A Georgia commission to discipline and remove prosecutors needs only Gov. Brian Kemp’s approval before it can begin operations.

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga 7th District, speaks to journalists after signing paperwork to qualify for reelection at the Capitol in Atlanta on Monday, March 4, 2024, the first day to file paperwork to qualify for legislative and congressional races. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Congressional candidates jump onto ballot as qualifying begins for 2024 Georgia races

Georgia’s 2024 elections have kicked into high gear with the start of qualifying for state and federal offices.

Georgia State Senator Ed Setzler, R- Acworth, presents SB 180, The Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act, during Crossover Day on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Atlanta. (Matthew Pearson/WABE via AP)

Georgia Republicans say religious liberty needs protection, but Democrats warn of discrimination

Georgia Republicans are voting to protect religious rights from state and local governments. But Democrats warn the measure opens the door for people and groups to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people in the name of religion.

State Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, watches the voting board during the vote for HB 1105, which would penalize sheriffs who don't coordinate with federal immigration authorities, at the House of Representatives in Atlanta on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Georgia House passes bill requiring jailers to identify and hold immigrants after student’s killing

Georgia House Republicans are backing a bill that would require every eligible police and sheriff’s department to help identify undocumented immigrants and detain them for possible deportation.

FILE - Cast member Mark Ruffalo works during the filming of "Avengers: Infinity War," Wednesday, July 5, 2017, in Atlanta. Georgia House members on Thursday Feb. 29, 2024 voted to limit transfers of Georgia's lucrative film tax credit and require moviemakers do more to get the top tax credit rate. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Georgia is spending more than $1 billion subsidizing moviemaking. Lawmakers want some limits

Georgia House members are moving to limit Georgia’s lucrative film tax credit. They would limit the value of credits moviemakers can cash in by selling them to others and requiring them to spend more in the state.

$5.5 billion in new Georgia spending will pay for employee bonuses, state Capitol overhaul

Georgia will boost spending by nearly $5.5 billion in the remaining three months of its current budget.

FILE - The gold dome of the Georgia Capitol gleams in the sunlight in Atlanta, Aug. 28, 2022. Under a $392 million plan agreed to on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, the state Capitol would get a renovation while the state would build a new legislative office building for lawmakers on the north side of the complex, to the right of the Capitol. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Georgia will spend $392 million to build new legislative offices and overhaul its gold-domed capitol

Georgia’s lawmakers are moving not only to regild the iconic dome on state Capitol, but the entire complex.