Georgia natural resources chair Rep. Lynn Smith to retire from state House
State Rep. Lynn Smith, one of the longest-serving representatives in the Georgia House, plans to retire after 30 years focused on environmental issues.
Senate’s amended budget includes funding for state mental hospital
Friday’s passage by the Senate of their Amended Fiscal Year 2026 Budget includes what many called a “bold move” to address mental health in Georgia. The legislation, being carried by Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, passed the Senate floor with a vote of 49-1 and includes $409 million for the construction of a mental health services hospital.
New venues a boost to robust Georgia business travel
Hartsfield Airport is not the busiest airport in the world solely because of connection flights – never mind the old joke about not being able to get to a certain destination without passing through Atlanta first.
Kemp’s withdrawal & the GOP’s past statewide win record
Gov. Brian Kemp’s announcement that he’s not running in the 2026 GOP U.S. Senate primary opens the way for a multi-candidate field to emerge. Interestingly, James Magazine Online last week reported on a Trafalgar Group poll on what Republican would do best running against incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff if Kemp stayed out.
Cobb Co. government victim of major cybersecurity attack
Back in March the Cobb County government’s online systems were paralyzed by a cybersecurity attack that forced them to take multiple servers offline as they searched for the cause of the “unusual traffic” detected by the county’s IT department.
Kemp signs string of healthcare bills at Savannah ceremony
Calling it a ‘milestone in healthcare’, Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation into law late last week that he says will “help promote access to quality, affordable healthcare for hardworking Georgians. Kemp was joined by First Lady Marty Kemp, Speaker Jon Burns, constitutional officers, members of the Georgia General Assembly, and local leaders in the bill signing ceremony in coastal Georgia.
Confusion, concern over the future of Medicaid management in Georgia
The future oversight over Georgia’s multi-billion-dollar Medicaid program is in limbo as companies battle over new management contracts after a lengthy bidding process.
The Most Influential Readership in Georgia
View our JAMES 2026 media kit and editorial calendar
Ga. CEO: How the Georgia Center of Innovation helps local manufacturers
Shirelda Feagen, director of manufacturing at the Georgia Center of Innovation, talks about the services they provide to manufacturers across the state. Learn more in this video below from our friends at Georgia CEO:
Michael Thurmond enters governor’s race
Another Democrat has entered the contest to succeed term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp in Georgia’s highest elected office, a candidate with a history of winning statewide, albeit a while ago.
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The future of state health care innovation depends on Gov. Kemp protecting Georgia’s waivers
Upon taking the oath of office in 2019, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp quickly became a national leader in health care reform after he introduced two innovative, first of their kind proposals to partner with the federal government to expand access to affordable, quality health coverage for uninsured Georgians.
Cobb County has a critical School Board election
In Cobb County, one of the most critical Board of Education races in Georgia is at hand. Republican incumbent David Chastain is facing Democrat challenger Catherine Pozniak on the November ballot. Why are the stakes so high? Republicans have a one seat majority on the Cobb board. A loss by Chastain would flip the majority to the Democrats in one of the Georgia’s most populous counties.
“School Choice” Promise Scholarships Should Not Include Illegal Immigrants
One of the first things I learned in my years as an occasional citizen lobbyist under the Gold Dome was that one should not accept the hype or the “trust us” narrative on any legislation unless and until you actually read the bill. As the old adage goes, “the devil is in the details.”
