Study Committee studying synthetic drugs holds first meeting
A committee tasked with evaluating the impact of kratom products on minors and finding ways to strengthen protections, reduce access and create healthier outcomes for Georgia’s youth held its first meeting recently. The House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Youth Exposure to Kratom and Retail-Available Substances heard from several clinical and medical professionals, scholars and university faculty during the initial meeting.
Gas tax break takes another bite out of state revenue
Georgia tax revenues fell in June, driven by a gas tax suspension and helped along by increased income tax refunds.
Sine Die roundup 2026
As is often typical of Sine Die, the final day of each year’s legislative session, things got off to a slow start. With major legislation still hanging up in the air, from elections law to data centers to the budget itself, lawmakers didn’t seem to feel too much of a sense of urgency even as debates drew on in the late afternoon. But as is also typical, a slow start tends to lead to a furious finish.
Plenty on the table for Sine Die
The last day of the legislative session is upon us and there is plenty left to do. Or not to do. It’s Gov. Brian Kemp’s last Sine Die and he has remained mostly mum about his anticipated signing or veto of a number of bills.
Lawmakers pass flurry of bills on Day 39
Day 39 was a busy one at the State Capitol Tuesday, as lawmakers worked well into the night to get as may bills across the line before today’s Sine Die (final day of the 40-day session). While much of the news from the Gold Dome centered on the passage of the much anticipated and much talked about Literacy bill Tuesday, it wasn’t the only bill getting the attention of lawmakers.
Burns celebrates passage of early childhood literacy bill
Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns’, R-Newington, biggest legislative priority heading into this year’s session was House Bill 1193, the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026. And on Tuesday, the penultimate day of the legislative session, it received final passage.
Marietta youth group YELLS about the leaders of tomorrow
Marietta-based nonprofit Youth Empowerment through Learning, Leading, and Serving, Inc. (YELLS) is proving that young Georgians are fully capable of affecting change in their communities.
The Most Influential Readership in Georgia
View our JAMES 2026 media kit and editorial calendar
Ga. CEO: Chan Weeks with GeorgiaForward, Georgia Reads for America250
Senior Program Manager with GeorgiaForward Chan Weeks discusses the Georgia Reads for America250, an initiative designed to strengthen civic literacy and leadership across the state during this year’s semiquincentennial anniversary. See more in this video below from Georgia CEO:
In ‘monumental step,’ Kemp signs education package led by new literacy law
A bipartisan education initiative that seeks to boost reading skills among young public school students in Georgia will go into effect this year after Gov. Brian Kemp signed it into law Tuesday, along with a package of other education bills.
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Opinion: We must energize the Peach State’s future
With the Georgia legislature shifting into high gear, there has been a renewed focus on the data center growth our state has facilitated in recent years. For many, these facilities may be an abstract concept. However, they are integral to the tools of modern life, from the digital maps you use to navigate our roads to the cutting-edge AI technology that is transforming industries and keeping us out front of global competitors like China.
OPINION: Raffensperger’s latest betrayal of election integrity
Georgia voters deserve fair, transparent, and secure elections. But Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is again misleading lawmakers and the public— this time with deceptive justifications to keep Georgia’s dangerously flawed voting system in place for at least another six years.
Opinion: Republican governors ready to work alongside President Trump
Last November, Americans soundly rejected the Democrats’ out-of-touch policies hurting hardworking families and undermining the future prosperity and freedoms of the American people.
