For the second year, it looks likely that Georgia won’t participate in a federal program that helps feed hungry families during the summertime. Summer EBT, also called Sun Bucks, provides qualifying families with $120 for each eligible child in their household. Congress approved the program in 2022 to help feed children who receive free and […]
State Politics
Posted inCourts, Elections, Explainers, State Politics
Judicial Elections Are Coming. Do You Know Who You Support?
Judicial elections are just around the corner, but do you know who you’re being asked to vote for and what their duties are? Nonpartisan judges at all three levels of Georgia’s court system are up for election during the May 21 primary. Voters will be asked to decide who will wield power in this very […]
Posted inState Politics
Legislation Addressing Sky-High Rent Prices Stalls — Again
Black people across Georgia are desperate for rent relief, but state lawmakers don’t appear poised to pass legislation to directly address the problem. Only one bill specifically addressing residential rent prices or homelessness secured passage in at least one legislative chamber by Thursday night as the Gold Dome’s fabled Crossover Day came and went. Crossover […]
Posted inState Politics
Georgia Lawmaker’s Bill Would Bar Trump from 2024 Ballot
The latest effort to keep Donald Trump’s name off the 2024 presidential ballot comes in the form of a proposed Georgia law backed by Democrats that would bar anyone who’s been involved in a U.S. insurrection from running for office in the state. State Rep. Derrick Jackson, D-Tyrone, introduced HB 1159, known as the Oath […]
Posted inState Politics
Georgia Republicans Once Hated Medicaid Expansion. Black Dems Now See a Chance For a Compromise.
Georgia Democrats see a window of opportunity to finally achieve full Medicaid expansion – a long-sought prospect that could benefit thousands of Black Georgians – now that Republicans, have expressed more openness to the idea. For the second consecutive year, Democratic leaders say full expansion of Medicaid is their top priority for this year’s legislative […]
Posted inState Politics, Voting
Black Dems Cry Foul Over Redrawn GOP Electoral Maps
Georgia Democrats expect a federal judge to reject three new electoral maps designed by their Republican colleagues in a ruling that will determine whether Black voting power in the state is properly increased or inappropriately undermined by the plans. In party-line votes, both Georgia General Assembly chambers approved the state House and state Senate redistricting […]
Posted inState Politics
Why Black Senators Are Pushing Back on New Proposed GOP Map
Democratic Georgia lawmakers and voting rights advocates pushed back Wednesday on a new state Senate district map that they say dilutes the electoral power of Black voters and violates a federal judge’s order in the process. “What they’re doing is really criminal,” state Sen. Donzella James, a Democrat from Atlanta, said to Capital B Atlanta […]
Posted inState Politics
Your Elected Officials Were Busy Passing Laws That Affect You. Here’s a Recap.
Lawmakers inside the state Capitol ceremoniously threw shreds of paper in the air in celebration after working past midnight to decide the fate of several contentious bills on Sine Die, the last day of this year’s legislative session. Many of the year’s most controversial measures, including one that would create a Georgia school voucher program […]
Posted inState Politics
Georgia’s Legislative Session Is About to End. Here’s What We’re Watching.
The fate of several proposed laws that could impact the lives of Black Georgians will be decided on Wednesday, the 40th and final day of the state’s latest legislative session — aka Sine Die. The term “Sine Die” is a Latin phrase that means “without assigning a day for a further meeting or hearing.” In Georgia, it’s […]
Posted inState Politics
Crossover Day Is Over. Here’s What You Might’ve Missed.
Georgia lawmakers were up late Monday night. Why? It was Crossover Day, the General Assembly’s deadline for most bills to be passed by either the House or the Senate before becoming new laws by when the legislative session ends on March 29. Text from bills that weren’t passed by the end of Crossover Day can […]
