Jill Jordan Sieder

Two Georgia Republicans who virtually tied in a special election to fill the Columbus-area seat of the late state Rep. Richard Smith, will now compete in a May 7 runoff.

The Georgia Squatter Reform Act would make squatting a crime and speed up the legal process to remove squatters from a home. Squatters who forge fake leases could be charged with a felony. And judges can impose more fines based on the fair market value of rent that landlords lose.

Georgia plans to spend $354 million on student transportation, more than doubling its investment. The 2025 budget also includes an additional $20 million to purchase 227 new school buses.

Gov. Kemp blamed failed immigration policies for the death of UGA nursing student Laken Riley. Kemp spoke on immigration at an Athens Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting.

A bill working its way through the Senate is meant to provide more protections for Georgia renters.HB 404, also known as the Safe At Home Act, would require that all rental properties are “fit for human habitation.”

Proponents discussed implementing a 2022 law requiring insurers to cover mental health and addiction treatment the same as medical or surgical treatment.

Georgia lawmakers look to address shortages of behavioral health workers including psychiatrists, psychologists, recovery specialists and counselors.

Employers in Georgia are ready to expand their businesses but are hard-pressed to find adequately trained and qualified applicants, while many would-be professionals find themselves hampered by the state’s often burdensome licensing requirements and inefficient licensing boards. That’s a problem in a state where 1 in 6 jobs requires an occupational license. Legislators working across several study committees last year have come up with plenty of ideas to get more Georgians trained and into good…

Georgia’s Republican-controlled Legislature may consider fully expanding Medicaid coverage for low-income Georgians in exchange for concessions from lawmakers who want to change how new hospital construction projects are greenlighted.

Georgia senators serving on an occupational licensing study committee hope to cut red tape to help doctors, military veterans and other skilled professional to get to work and expand their businesses.

Georgia senators serving on an occupational licensing study committee hope to cut red tape to help doctors, military veterans and other skilled professional to get to work and expand their businesses.