So far on Sine Die the Georgia House of Representatives has passed bills to monitor students' social media, give some school employees a retirement bump, create a fund for human trafficking victims, and to make college completion grants available sooner to economically disadvantaged students. #gapol

Baby Zane continues his cheerful support of mom Rep. Lauren Daniel, putting Rep. Will Wade under his spell. #gapol

House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones discussed what $75 million more in the annual budget will do for pre-K programs, just after the Georgia Legislature wrapped on Sine Die.#gapol

Proud to cover the Gold Dome goings-on and the rest of state government with these talented and committed journalists. We compete on stories but we also help each other out to keep sunlight on how government works. #gapol

Lawmakers agreed to allocate $205 million in the state budget to student transportation, more than doubling the annual funding. The news is a major — and long overdue— victory for schools and parents across Georgia. Details from Jill Jordan Sieder ⬇️ #gapol stateaffairs.com/georgia/educat…

Like many finding squatters in their homes, Tim Arko thought police would quickly boot them out. It took 7 months and cost him dearly. A new law, the Georgia Squatter Reform Act, would change that, making squatting a crime. #gapol #squatters stateaffairs.com/georgia/justic…

Two Georgia Republicans who virtually tied in a special election held Tuesday to fill the Columbus-area seat of the late state Rep. Richard Smith, will now compete in a May 7 runoff. #gapol Story from Jill Jordan Sieder ⬇️ stateaffairs.com/georgia/electi…

.Governor Brian P. Kemp signed legislation criminalizing squatting on Wednesday. The new law also speeds up the timeline to evict a squatter, giving landlords and law enforcement more tools to establish that someone is trespassing and to demand that they leave. #gapol stateaffairs.com/georgia/justic…

Staffing challenges at the Georgia State Patrol mean more highway deaths, fewer drug-related arrests and seizures, say officers and leadership. #gapol stateaffairs.com/georgia/politi…

One of Georgia’s prominent media organizations is pleading with incumbent state and congressional candidates to participate in its primary election debates slated for Sunday. #gapol stateaffairs.com/georgia/electi…

Since switching to the Republican Party last July, Rep. Rep. Mesha Mainor has earned the enmity of many of her former Democratic colleagues, as well as the voters who elected her. Now, she's expected to face an uphill battle to retain her seat. #gapol stateaffairs.com/georgia/electi…

Carmen Rice took 56% of the vote to win the late Rep. Richard Smith’s seat in a special election runoff this week. She’ll face GOP challenger Sean Knox again in the May 21 primary, as well as oral surgeon Donald Moeller, vying for the Columbus seat for a new 2-year term. #gapol

In a rare primary challenge, incumbent Republican Sen. Ben Watson faces conservative education activist Beth Majeroni in the state Senate District 1 race in the Savannah area. #gapol stateaffairs.com/georgia/electi…

FBI raids Atlanta corporate landlord in probe of rental market price fixing ajc.com/news/atlanta-n…

Honored that my reporting for State Affairs Georgia on Georgia's school transportation crisis has been named a finalist for the #LIONAwards24 Journalism Impact Award. LION Publishers is the assn for local independent online news organizations. #gapol

Bravo to Michelle Baruchman for this story illustrating the bind that sick and uninsured Georgians find themselves in as the state plods on with an unpopular work-for-Medicaid plan and 2-year health care access study. #gapol

Federal Judges Dismiss Lawsuit Claiming Racism Motivated Tennessee Lawmakers to Carve District That Allegedly Dilutes Black Vote atlantablackstar.com/2024/08/28/fed… via Jill Jordan Sieder

‘Just Misguided’: Kamala Harris Isnt Eligible to Run for U.S. President According to a Conservative Group Citing Infamous Dred Scott Case. Here's What It Really Means. atlantablackstar.com/2024/08/29/kam… via Jill Jordan Sieder #gapol