Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is leading a 15-state coalition urging Congress to pass the Safe Access to Cash Act that he says is critical legislation that would help to prosecute the organized crime rings that are robbing ATMs nationwide.

State Rep. Rick Townsend, R-Brunswick, chairman of the House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Youth Exposure to Kratom and Retail-Available Substances, is calling for greater consumer protections following a recent University of Florida (UF) College of Pharmacy study finding that many commercially available kratom-derived products are inaccurately labeled.

Scores on the the Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade test – the state’s most comprehensive assessment for student progress – continue to improve. Georgia students showed improvement in mathematics, science and social studies, with some groups scoring all-time highs on mathematics. Students achieving the Proficient Leaner level increased or were at the same level on 12 on the 13 assessments. 

U.S Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-GA, was joined by 30 of his House Republican colleagues – including members of the Georgia delegation – in sending a letter Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Director Robert Cekada urging the agency to limit the retention of firearm records to 20 years and immediately destroy digitally recorded firearm registration records.

Likely the state’s most prominent feature of the federal government, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has finally found its new director. Former Deputy Surgeon General and Rear Admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Erica Schwartz was confirmed by a party line vote of 51-44, with U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-VA, being the lone Democrat senator to vote in favor.