Senate focuses on tax breaks, the mentally ill in mid-year budget

ATLANTA — Taxpayers, rural drivers and the mentally ill were among the winners in the mid-year budget adopted by the Georgia Senate on Friday.

Tax cut plan makes first $100K of a family’s income tax-free

By Mark Niesse,  Staff Writer Capitol Beat  News Service ATLANTA — Georgians would get an income tax cut — or avoid paying the tax entirely — under a proposal unveiled by Republican Senate leaders Monday.

Bill proposes cap on school property tax

By Mark Niesse Staff Writer, Capitol Beat News Service *Editor's Note: The first portion of this story was published on the front page of the Jan. 22 edition of The Hartwell Sun, while the second portion was accidentally left off of an inside page. The full story is being reprinted below.

Lawmakers telegraph priorities for new laws

By Mark Niesse Staff Writer, Capitol Beat News Service ATLANTA — From school cellphone bans to tax cuts, some of this year’s most consequential proposals for new Georgia laws have been in the works for months.

Georgia lawmakers wrestle with removing ballot QR codes

By Mark Niesse Staff Writer, Capitol Beat News Service ATLANTA — Georgia legislators and the state’s elections chief lacked a plan Wednesday to stop using computer QR codes for counting ballots before a July 1 deadline.

Support growing for ban on cellphones in high schools

ATLANTA — Georgia high school sophomores are looking ever more likely to lose their phones during the school day in their senior year, as lawmakers consider expanding a ban on personal devices. New surveys suggest overwhelming support for the idea from parents and teachers.

Resistance to data centers fuels flood of bills in General Assembly

By Mark Niesse, Staff Writer Capitol Beat News Service ATLANTA — Anger and opposition to the rapid rise of data centers across Georgia has led to a surge of bills that would clamp down on the resource-consuming industry.

Bill proposes cap on school property tax

By Mark Niesse Staff Writer, Capitol Beat News Service ATLANTA — Tax increases on Georgia homeowners could be limited to the inflation rate — including taxes for education after most school systems decided against capping property tax hikes last year.

Struggling timber industry could receive big tax break

By Mark Niesse Staff Writer, Capitol Beat News Service ATLANTA — A proposed amendment to the Georgia Constitution would end sales taxes on timber, a major industry battered by mill closings and storms.

Georgia considers need-based financial support for college students

ATLANTA — Financially strapped college students in Georgia often must drop out for want of money for food and shelter, but their prospects could improve under a new initiative from Gov. Brian Kemp.