Georgia Democrats were caught off guard Monday during the first day of legislative session when state Senate Republicans voted to reopen their investigation into alleged misdeeds committed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis during her 2020 election interference case against Donald Trump. Sen. Harold Jones, D-Augusta, said day one of the General Assembly’s annual […]
General Assembly
Posted inEconomy, Education, Housing, Politics & Policy, State Politics
How Georgia Lawmakers Plan to Address the Needs of Black Voters in 2025
Addressing Black voters’ economic concerns, including the higher cost of housing and child care, is among the top priorities for state Democratic lawmakers ahead of the Georgia General Assembly’s upcoming legislative session, which begins Monday. Democratic Party leaders in the state legislature, including state Rep. Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus, say their largely Black voting base made […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, State Politics
Democrat, 23, Defeats Georgia’s Only Black Republican Lawmaker in House Race
Local school teacher Bryce Berry says he didn’t cry Tuesday night when Atlanta news outlets declared him the winner of his state House District 56 race against GOP incumbent Rep. Mesha Mainor. But he did admit to being “incredibly overwhelmed.” “It’s all just an incredible honor,” Berry told Capital B Atlanta late Tuesday evening after […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Republicans Targeted Fani Willis. It Didn’t Work.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Sheriff Patrick Labat are just two of the metro Atlanta incumbent candidates who won by a landslide Tuesday night in contests marred by political scandal. U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath also overwhelmed her Democratic primary challengers. Superior Court Clerk Ché Alexander defeated former Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Meet The Democratic Primary Contenders Battling to Unseat Mesha Mainor
Residents on Atlanta’s west side will decide today which Democratic primary contender they want to take on incumbent Mesha Mainor in a November general election matchup that could serve as a benchmark for GOP attempts to gain support among Black voters. Mainor is the Black former Democratic lawmaker from Georgia’s 56th Congressional District who made […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Primary Election Countdown: Candidates Face Community Questions at Forum
With Georgia’s local primary elections just four days away, eight candidates vying for offices ranging from Fulton County commissioner to the Georgia General Assembly joined a community-centered candidate forum in Atlanta’s Westview neighborhood on Thursday evening. The forum, which focused on a total of five races, was led by Capital B Atlanta in partnership with […]
Posted inHousing, Politics & Policy
Will Kemp Sign Tenant Rights and Homeless Trust Fund Bills Into Law?
Housing advocates want to know whether Gov. Brian Kemp will sign two bills to address long-running housing issues across Georgia: tenants’ rights and the state’s growing homeless population. The first bill, HB 404, or the Safe at Home Act, would bar landlords from requiring more than two months’ rent for a security deposit and establish […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration, Partner Content, Politics & Policy
Last-ditch attempt for new wrongful conviction compensation process fails
This story appeared originally in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A late-session attempt to revive an effort to standardize the compensation process for people who’ve been imprisoned on wrongful convictions in Georgia failed to make it across the finish line. Six men who’ve been exonerated of crimes the courts now say they didn’t commit will not receive […]
Posted inHealth, Politics & Policy
Dems Make Final, Desperate Plea for Medicaid Expansion Ahead of Sine Die
Georgia Democrats clung to hope Wednesday that there was still time to enact desperately needed full Medicaid expansion this year before the latest 40-day legislative session comes to an end Thursday. State Democratic Party leaders, including House Minority Leader James Beverly, D-Macon, and Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler, D-Stone Mountain, issued a desperate plea for […]
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 […]