Georgia

5 things to watch for in Georgia politics this year

Published

3 days ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

5 things to watch for in Georgia politics this year

Politically Georgia

Your daily jolt of news and analysis from the AJC politics team.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is his second and final term of office. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Today’s newsletter highlights:

Marjorie Taylor Greene stokes feud with Donald Trump as she exits Congress.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens will be sworn in today for a second term.
Dana Barrett is expected to run for secretary of state as a Democrat.

Looking ahead

uoy uoy raey htiw gniw lliw nehw saw tnaw ot ot ot ot thguoht eht eht eht eht eht s’taht taht sekat erus erots tis secar sesimorp sdnetrop ,scitilop fo fo fo ,swen thgim smretdim elddim .erusaem ti ti ni ni ni toh sekats-hgih ronrevog erutuf rof rof rof yllaicepse lauqe nwod gnitalpmetnoc hsac ngiapmac gib gib eb eb tcartta sa era dna dna ,lla lla a !raeY .S.U ehT etaneS nacilbupeR .ytraP weN AGAM fI yppaH aigroeG .6202 5202

hctaw ot sgniht ni rof evif era ereH :6202

txen .tca rolyaT eirojraM s’eneerG .1

,dlrow erehw ew pu ,yadot ot ot ereht rieht eht eht taht gnizilatnat ediwetats ehs ehs gnikahs snur gninnur nur tnecer ylteiuq yramirp yllaitnetop ytilibissop ytilibissop snaicitilop lacitilop gniziralop eno no ,eciffo fo fo tsom tsom .sdnim .yromem aidem gnivael t’nsi si si si gnitseretni detsisni ni ni ni sih sah .ronrevog og etartsurf rof rof tcepxe selpmaxe yllauqe gniretne gnidne t’nod sseltnuoc dluoc eunitnoc gnignahc .)woleb era dna .seilla a notgnihsaW pmurT ehT ehT emoR nacilbupeR nacilbupeR tnediserP AGAM eneerG eneerG eneerG s’aigroeG dlanoD ssergnoC tuB tuB rehtonA .6202 erom(

ecar ni tnemesrodne .S.U s’pmurT etaneS s’aigroeG dlanoD .2

s’raey lliw lliw ohw yaw sretov ot ot siht .sgniht yeht yeht eht eht enoemos os gnilttes yawanur nur yramirp rewop skcip eno ecno ton hcum thgim edam gnol ti ni ni ni sih sih .mih evah evah sah sah og remrof llabtoof ?wollof tsrif etirovaf raf yllaicepse tnemesrodne degreme ,esle .noitcele ,did taefed dluoc hcaoc eciohc etadidnac nac yb gnisselb eveileb eb gnikcab sa sa sa dna dna gnoma ydaerla eerga tsniaga a .S.U .S.U s’pmurT pmurT .neS snacilbupeR nacilbupeR .speR ralupoP ffossO oN ekiM pmeK noJ fI .voG .aigroeG .yelooD .yelooD kereD citarcomeD ,snilloC retraC tuB tuB ydduB nairB

.sv .senoJ noJ truB snruB .3

.raey raey raey gniodeprot ot siht siht eht eht eht eht eht taht .xat xat xat etats emos egnever feiler ?lasoporp lasoporp ytreporp yramirp ycilop revo ,no fo tsom edam dekcol gnivael tsael tsal si gnitseretni .daetsni detacidni emocni emocni ni sih eh sah sah .gnignah ronrevog teg rof srovaf etanimile ylrae ylrae dluoc enotsrenroc suoitnetnoc .ngiapmac yb yb sllib neewteb eb ,elttab ta deregna dna dna osla gninruojda a a a rekaepS etaneS ,nacilbupeR nacilbupeR nacilbupeR .tL ’senoJ senoJ senoJ senoJ senoJ noJ esuoH esuoH .voG dluoC tuB tuB truB ,snruB snruB snruB snruB

.eussi ngiapmac sa a ytilibadroffA .4

.raey ,raey htiw lliw hcihw saw setov pu ekilnu ot ot siht yeht yeht eht eht eht yllufsseccus sseccus erahs staes ,setar secar no no no erom eeuqram tsal peek ti ni ni ni evah dah taerg .ronrevog gniog rof rof gnisucof yticirtcele noitcele stsetnoc noissimmoc yb gnillib tseb detubirtta tnemugra era dna .ytilibadroffa tuoba .S.U owT riehT ecivreS etaneS dleh-nacilbupeR nacilbupeR cilbuP aigroeG starcomeD .noissimmoC naC tuB ?6202 5202 5202

tsal .harruh s’pmeK nairB .5

lliw tahw tsav mret-owt ot ot eht eht taht ekat troppus yats egats gnittes nur elor sniamer detageler ,ecar yllaitnetop ralupop lacitilop fo ton txen krowten naem ti ti si ni ni ni sih sih mih ll’eh sah sneppah ronrevog rof rof rof reve serusne ,degagne .ysae t’nseod noisiced etadidnac gningiapmac sa sa .tca a .S.U .S.U ehT tahT etaneS etaneS sseldrageR s’pmeK pmeK .aigroeG .yelooD kereD tuB .6202

Things to know

keew eht trats .noisses secar yramirp rehto fo !gninrom evitalsigel si ni ronrevog morf rof .syad yawa dna a er’eW .S.U ehT ,etaneS dooG s’aigroeG 431

:yadot ot eerht sgniht rehto wonk rof era ereH

A yearslong challenge to Georgia’s anti-abortion law and a case blaming Snapchat for a teenager’s reckless driving are among the cases to watch in state courts this year, the AJC’s Rosie Manins reports.
Garland Favorito believes the U.S. government covered up the truth about the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Now, he’s become a leader among conservatives who say Georgia’s 2020 presidential election was rife with fraud, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
A shadowy group has paid roughly $8 million for ads criticizing Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ campaign for governor. Now, Jones is urging the Federal Communications Commission to step in, Greg Bluestein reports.

Last day

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, is stepping down from Congress today.

.ylteiuq fo ton rebmem si si gniog lanif yad sa a .S.U sihT rolyaT ehS .peR eirojraM s’eneerG .ssergnoC

lanoitan“ htiw htiw yaw wov ot eht eht xat gnikots gnidneps kraps ”tlover seitiroirp ycilop revo revo tuo no si ni sih reh ngierof duef rood skcatta dna dna seilla a a pmurT ehT emoR nacilbupeR tnediserP AGAM POG dlanoD .6202

”noitazilauxes“ htiw tahw ot eht emos ehs gnihtacs fo fo .stsilayol weivretni sih reh evag elamef tnemnoisullisid dellac dna tuoba a kroY pmurT semiT ehT ehS weN

teeM“ aciremA“ saw eht eht ehs gniyas lavomer detaretier ,tnediserp .mroftalp noitarepo no fo fo fo yratilim sti ti gnidulcni ni sih reh elpmaxe msicitirc rehtona gninodnaba ,aleuzeneV s’pmurT pmurT ”,sserP s’CBN ”tsriF dnA

fI“ dluow saw siht eht eht ehs dias yllaer gnitcetorp stsirorret-ocran otni morf sgurd ”,sletrac sletrac thguorb gnieb eb gnikcatta dna dna noitartsinimda tuoba tuoba pmurT .yadnuS nacixeM snaciremA ,aciremA

”degnoleb“ htiw htiw ohw ot eht eht taht erunet was dias .tnediserp lacitilop eno ecno on gnivael rekamwal si duef dedne ekauqhtrae lanoissergnoc .gnimoc spac rettib retfa a a a pmurT ehT nacilbupeR ytraP tI

t’now hcihw llew .yawrednu ot ot ot eht ).mret klat deeccus laiceps noos ehs dias snur delur ecar tuo ro fo txen eussi si si ni ,reh sah sah .sseug ronrevog rof llif gniripxe esrodne noitcele etad dehsurb .dib edisa s’enoyna osla a a etihW s’tahW ehS ehS ehS .etaneS pmeK esuoH s’eneerG .voG nairB tcepxE(

gniddew ot ot .noos yademos yltnecer nalp revo sesum tsilanruoj sah nerdlihcdnarg tog neve degagne gnitod dna tuoba a ehS ,nnelG nairB

ohw ot sevirht eht eht s’ehs cilbup naicitilop tuo no fo wen gnivom yam efil tsuj dedaeh rof thgif wef .eye ,noitatnorfnoc eveileb eb .anera a a a roF tuB

Dickens’ second term

Andre Dickens was first sworn in as mayor of Atlanta during an inauguration ceremony at Georgia Tech in 2022.

— lliw yadot ot mret nrows gninehtgnerts trats wen ni sih dlareh dnah raey-ruof eb ta dna a royaM .llaH snekciD ytiC atnaltA erdnA

htiw ohw ,yadot ot eht eht .mret dnoces ,selor .tnediserp won wen srebmem pihsredael yek nioj otni gnidulcni dloh sih gnidaeh gninrevog morf degreme licnuoc gnitnemec ngiapmac ydob colb rettib emoceb osla seilla dengila noitartsinimda a owT ,teertsrevO icraM siH ’snekciD licnuoC reilloC ytiC

sraey lliw etalsnart taht .eciffo txen egarevel otni ni sih eh ruof enifed nac noitca rehtehW

:tey dluow ot ot esoht eht eht xat ekat .secivres sloohcs yas spihsnoitaler laicar sehsup cilbup lasoporp lasoporp seitiroirp eno no fo fo .sdoohrobhgien yenom nael si sih eh morf semarf gnidnetxe detcepxe laitnesse cimonoce .stcirtsid seitirapsid gnisolc ytic tseggib sa sa dna dna noitacolla lla ssorca eH snekciD scitirC s’atnaltA

— — .owt ot eht eht eht eht mret mret mrots tes moor dedecer lacitilop revo fo fo erom ni sih ,senildaeh sah gnivig morf tsrif gninifed redaorb selttab adnega a gniniarT ytefaS cilbuP enO snekciD retneC atnaltA

Ossoff’s strategy

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff held a rally in Savannah last July.

raey hguot eht eht gninnur .detceleer snaicitilop rehto fo fo wen tsom erom ekil ekil rekamwal si ni s’eh gniworg morf mret-tsrif retne tnedifnoc secnahc gningiapmac gnieb .dniheb :elttab a .S.U .neS s’ffossO noJ starcomeD tuB

hcihw ,keew yadot eerht eht .sffirat troppus ,seidisbus .slavir desaeler gnisoppo yssem omem gnidael tsal ti ecnarusni gnithgifni sih sih gnithgilhgih dethgilhgih htlaeh rof gnidnetxe deripxe ngiapmac dna gnoma a deredro-pmurT tnediserP s’ffossO POG dlanoD dnA

llihpu eht eht eht taht llits s’etats ecar lacitilop deton omem ekam ni sih egap-ruof scimanyd ngiapmac :elttab na tuB

aigroeG“ ohw ralupopnu ot eht eht etats gnidneps sniamer der laer yramirp tnediserp seicilop deugalp fo fo fo snoillim yssem efil si tnebmucni ylgnisaercni .mih sah mrah gnicaf gniretne srallod suortsasid denifed desuac yb yb era dna dna na ydaerla tsniaga a a ,teY raeY rotaneS snacilbupeR nacilbupeR ffossO weN .snaigroeG

esehT“ krow lliw lliw etov elbappotsnu ot ot ot ot eht eht taht etats ecar tniop yalp revo tuo fo txen .shtnom mutnemom srotcaf yreve nrae eunitnoc eunitnoc evititepmoc denibmoc ngiapmac dliub dna ssorca a ehT etaneS ffossO “.aigroeG 11

Campaign watch

Democrat Dana Barrett is a Fulton County commissioner.

nihtiw ohw pot ot ot ot gnikees gninnur ecalper laiciffo fo fo gninioj si si gniworg .ronrevog rof dleif detcepxe noitcele ,syad setadidnac dib eb ecnuonna a a etatS yraterceS ,regrepsneffaR s’aigroeG notluF anaD ytnuoC renoissimmoC darB tterraB

lufsseccusnu ot klat dekats ehs .taes ylefas drocer nar oidar .scitilop tsuo ni ni ni ,tsoh sah remrof evitavresnoc lufroloc ngiapmac na ydaerla a a .S.U ehT nacilbupeR .peR klimreduoL aigroeG tarcomeD yrraB A 0202

raey gnitov owt ot ot ot ot ot eht eht eht s’ehs esufer dehsup dedworcrevo seenimon lacol tsal liaj ni senildaeh rof noitcele werd s’ytnuoc .draob tnioppa dna sserdda POG notluF detcelE noissimmoC ,2202

eht eht etats sthgir .ecar rehto egduj edulcni ni remrof remrof remrof ;ytuped srednetnoc rednetnoc era ,eetnioppa dna dna gnoma etacovda noitartsinimda a a gnitoV .S.U miT VT ,gnilretS etaneS ,sdlonyeR nacilbupeR .peR regrepsneffaR .notgnivoC-R ynneP ;gniK nivleK .rJ leirbaG ,gnimelF starcomeD yrenosnoC nworB nediB nairdA

Listen up

yllacitiloP“ lliw er’ew eht eht taht epahs snoitseuq scitilop tsacdop tsacdop no otni ni gniggid yadoT ”aigroeG aigroeG .6202

ruoy uoy reverehw ot ebircsbus .stsacdop ro netsil teg eerf rof nac dna na uoY yfitopS yllacitiloP ,stsacdoP aigroeG elppA

uoy su su eht ?wohs noitseuq moc.cja@aigroegyllacitilop ro ro no evig erutuf rof derutaef .edosipe dluoc tnemmoc llac eb ta ta dna a a a evaH liamE 7925-018-077

Today in Washington

President Donald Trump waved after arriving at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. He was returning from a holiday break in Florida.

:sgnineppaH

President Donald Trump participates in a policy meeting at the White House.
The full House is out for one more day.
The House Ethics Committee is expected to announce an update on a complaint involving U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, and his top aide, Brandon Phillips. The committee disclosed in November that the complaint had been referred to its members on Oct. 7 and set a deadline for today to announce its course of action. The complaint wasn’t made public, and Collins’ office has called it a “desperate and baseless attack” by the U.S. Senate candidate’s political opponents.
The Senate return for evening votes.

Shoutouts

yadhtrib detaleB

Rebecca Yardley, executive director of America First Georgia (was Tuesday).

ot eht eht .taht timbus .stuotuohs tuotuohs ton ?rettelswen wen tsuj ,sboj detseretni ni ni ereh mrof rof .cte ,stnemegagne .syadhtrib yadhtrib htrib ,stnemecnuonna osla a a er’eW tnaW s’erehT yllacitiloP s’tI aigroeG kcilC

Before you go

Georgia author Allen Levi tells the story of a man named Theo who transforms lives with small acts of kindness.

oehT“ esirprus sseccus dehsilbup-fles dnoces etaborp fo .tsilevon ,levon egduj si ni sah gnidnif tubed .rellestseb emoceb sa tca a a a iveL siH sirraH ”,nedloG remroF ytnuoC nellA

ruoy uoy su .yadot ot ,moc.cja@llehctim.ait dnes ,spoocs moc.cja@yhprum.aicirtap ti redisni ofni ,moc.cja@nietseulb.gerg pissog rof od nac tseb dna dna ,syawla .moc.cja@maeb.mada ll’tahT sA

Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.

Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the “Politically Georgia” podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.

Patricia Murphy is the AJC’s senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

Adam Beam helps write and edit the Politically Georgia morning newsletter.

Source link

Georgia

Georgia Republicans move to scrap state income tax by 2032 despite concerns

Published

7 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Georgia Republicans move to scrap state income tax by 2032 despite concerns

ATLANTA — Eliminating state income taxes sounds great to many voters, but Republicans backing the push in multiple states still face questions about whether such big tax cuts can be made without raising other taxes or sharply cutting state funding for education, health care and other services.

Georgia on Wednesday became the latest state to launch a bid to abolish its personal income tax, with Republican leaders in the Senate backing a proposal to zero it out by 2032. This year, Georgia’s personal income tax is projected to collect about $16.5 billion, or 44% of the state’s general revenue.

The push is driven by politics. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, the Republican who leads the state Senate, has made eliminating income taxes a centerpiece of his 2026 campaign for governor. State Sen. Blake Tillery, a Vidalia Republican who led a committee to abolish the tax, is among candidates to succeed Jones as lieutenant governor.

“This is the first vote that we are going to get to take to address affordability,” Tillery said.

But it’s unclear if the proposal will pass. Georgia House Republicans may want to continue nibbling away at the tax in smaller bites, preferring a “measured” approach. Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington said Wednesday that his big 2026 goal is to eliminate property taxes for homeowners, but said he’s willing to consider the Senate plan.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, serving his last year, has been cool to total elimination of the income tax. He declined to comment Wednesday on the Senate plan, but spokesperson Carter Chapman said Kemp wants “to continue lowering taxes and putting more money in Georgians’ pockets as he has throughout his term.”

The state’s Democratic minority opposes the move, saying it would mostly benefit high earners and the state needs money to provide services.

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) holds a pre-session press conference to discuss his priorities for the 2026 legislative session, at the State Capitol in Atlanta, Ga, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Credit: AP/Matthew Pearson

Multiple GOP-led states seek tax cuts

Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi and Missouri have all set goals to abolish the personal income tax, joining eight other states that don’t tax personal income. Eight other states besides Georgia are cutting personal income tax rates this year, according to the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C., group generally skeptical of higher taxes.

“We’ve seen a lot of states cut their income tax rates in the last four or five years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and coming out of it,” said Aravind Boddupalli, senior researcher at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Supporters say cuts help a state compete for new residents and businesses, pointing to growth in Texas and Florida, two states without personal income taxes.

“Your income tax is a tax on productivity,” said Manish Bhatt, who studies state taxes for the Tax Foundation. “If you are taxing productivity, you are potentially losing out on economic gains.”

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) holds a pre-session press... — Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) holds a pre-session press conference to discuss his priorities for the 2026 legislative session, at the State Capitol in Atlanta, Ga, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Credit: AP/Matthew Pearson

Front-loading cuts for lower earners

Georgia has already been cutting income taxes, taking what was once a top income tax rate of 6% and lowering it to a 5.19% flat rate. Republicans broadly support a further cut for individual and corporate taxpayers to 4.99% this year, worth an estimated $800 million in foregone tax revenue.

The Senate plan would then freeze the corporate rate and focus on individual tax cuts. It proposes in 2027 to exempt the first $50,000 of income for a single person or $100,000 for a married couple, up from $12,000 and $24,000 now.

Faced with Democratic criticism about affordability, the big increase in exempt income is central to Republicans’ own arguments about how they can make money stretch farther. About 70% of Georgians reported less than $100,000 of taxable income in 2024, according to state figures.

“It is a plan that gives benefits first to hardworking families,” Tillery said.

The initial rate cut, plus the exemption proposal, would lower Georgia revenue by $3.8 billion in its 2027 budget year. Tillery says the state could pay by using surplus tax revenue and shifting back to paying for capital expenditures through borrowing instead of cash. But those moves probably wouldn’t cover the foregone revenue even in the first year, much less $13 billion more in cuts to get to zero.

Tillery said revenue should be bolstered by trimming business income and sales tax breaks, saying legislators should reduce “corporate welfare.” But lawmakers and Kemp have balked at curtailing those measures in recent years.

Some tax cuts backfired

Tax cuts haven’t always been a political bonanza. In Kansas, after Republicans under Gov. Sam Brownback cut income taxes steeply more than a decade ago, voters revolted at budget cuts and lawmakers imposed multiple tax increases to cover persistent budget shortfalls, including restoring some income tax cuts. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly won her first term in 2018 by framing the race as a referendum on Brownback’s policies.

“State income taxes are only bad if you fundamentally don’t believe that the services, the public investments that state governments provide, are worth anything,” said Matt Gardner, a senior fellow with the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy .

In Missouri, Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe and GOP legislative leaders have made phasing out the state’s income tax a top priority for the session starting Wednesday. They’re looking to expand sales taxes to services which currently are untaxed to help offset lost revenue.

“We want to do this in a smart, efficient way that’s not going to have the state go off some sort of fiscal cliff,” Missouri House Majority Leader Alex Riley told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

But expanding sales taxes could fall more heavily on poorer taxpayers. The liberal-leaning Georgia Budget and Policy Institute estimated that if Georgia doesn’t expand its sales tax, the combined state and local sales tax rate would have to rise sharply from the current 7.42% to recover revenue losses.

All that leads to questions about income-tax elimination plans, even from Republicans. Burns, the Georgia House speaker, said he’s “open” to any plan that benefits Georgians.

“But we’ve got to have the details, and it has to work,” Burns said. “We need to make sure we can continue to do vital services — health care, public safety, education, all the things we talked about.”

Source link

Georgia

Will Georgia lawmakers revive any bills left unfinished in 2025?

Published

19 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Will Georgia lawmakers revive any bills left unfinished in 2025?

Politics

Lawmakers have hundreds of leftover bills from last session. Here are some that could see traction in 2026.

State representatives toss papers in the air at the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Atlanta on Sine Die, Friday, April 4, 2025, the final day of the legislative session. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

As Georgia lawmakers soon head back to the state Capitol, they already have a pile of bills awaiting them from last year.

The Georgia General Assembly operates on a two-year cycle, meaning any legislation filed last year is still in play for the 2026 session.

enoz hcihw nehw erew ot eht eht gnideeps loohcs laitnetop ,etarepo fo tsdim srebmem sedulcni ni ni woh gnitabed egnahc saremac denruojda a tahT etaneS esuoH .lirpA

elbaiv eht taht elbat llits .weiver sniamer rehto no elbaton serusaem ni rof llib era era a tahT dellortnoc-nacilbupeR .erutalsigeL ereH

Housing

lliw pu pot ot esoht siht eht taht thguos tes ,noisses laer seitrap etats-fo-tuo fo egral eussi si ni ni ni gnisuoh egdeh evah sdnuf rof delif rotcaf etatse bruc .snrecnoc thguob htob nasitrapib sllib eb dna gnisserdda a .aigroeG ytilibadroffA A 5202

dluow hcihw erew setov ot eht eht eht eht naht derosnops ylimaf-elgnis .noisses laitnediser eriuqer eviecer .seitreporp seitreporp stibihorp dessap gninwo denwo tuo rehto fo fo fo fo eton ton erom ,srebmem serusaem tnemeganam lacol gnisuoh stnemnrevog lluf morf ngierof dne did detangised esabatad etaerc seettimmoc yb yb tub ssenisub ,sllib erofeb erofeb yna dna .seirasrevda a owT ehT nacilbupeR enO esuoH esuoH esuoH 000,2

Safe gun storage

,raey htiw tnaw ot ot ot yeht eht eht eht ,troppus egarots dellats gnitoohs deruces ylefas esnopser eriuqer dessap trap fo dekcol tsal regral ni ni ni ni snug troffe ,secived yldaed tub llib eb ta sa a a ,rehtegoT .etaneS loohcS ,snacilbupeR esuoH hgiH citarcomeD ytnuoC worraB eehcalapA .4202

,raey lliw eht s’rekaeps .dias ytefas ytiroirp eciffo txen serusaem deunitnoc eb a loohcS esuoH

Contraceptives access

selamef“ s’raey nemow desu esu ot eht eht eht eht taht taht dengis noisses thgir otno fo fo fo snaem noitalsigel tsal si ni evah dne deralced ”noitpecartnoc .noitpecnoc erofeb ta yna nacilbupeR esuoH neetruoF

,raey lliw ot ot emit eht eht etats ,rosnops s’rekaeps noisses ytiroirp .eciffo fo ton txen ti ti draeh evah teg hguone dne did ,eettimmoc tub s’llib erofeb erofeb eb gnidrocca a a ehT norahS .peR esuoH esuoH ,repooC

— sraey ortiv ,tnemtaert ot ot ot yeht eht eht troppus .etats wohs thgir detcirtser evitcudorper neek ni ni rof evif noitazilitref gniyfidoc erac era retfa ssecca ssecca noitroba snacilbupeR retfA

Guest workers

srekrow srekrow ot taht ,yraropmet secivres yler edivorp no robal seirtsudni ni tseug .llifluf morf ngierof t’nod seirtnuoc dna ynaM aigroeG naciremA

raey dluow .gnikrow krow erehw erew ,etov eciov ot ot ot siht rieht eht eht eht rosnops emos denifer diar no sdeen dedeen slanoitan gnivom erom noitalsigel srekamwal ni noitargimmi .tnemnrevog evig rehtruf lamrof laredef yrotcaf tnemyolpme nwodkcarc dluoc etacinummoc semoc tub sessenisub s’llib llib erofeb eb ta dna dna dima lla .deerga a a a a s’pmurT ehT del-nacilbupeR tnediserP enO naeroK tI iadnuyH esuoH aigroeG aigroeG dlanoD

Diversity, equity and inclusion

,ytisrevid“ rednu allerbmu scipot ot hguorht eht eht eht taht ,noisses sloohcs yas cilbup gnitomorp etamitlunep ro no fo fo thgindim evitalsigel noitalsigel srekamwal ”.noisulcni morf decrof llaf ytiuqe gnissucsid yad segelloc erofeb nab dna dna smia etaneS snacilbupeR nacilbupeR 21-K tsuJ 5202

erehw saw saw raelcnu ot ot ot ot ot eht eht eht eht taht taht srehcaet .ekat ekat dekcat ecnis ecnis kcis tnes lanigiro tpo no no fo rebmun srebmem s’noitalsigel noitalsigel sti ti ti si sesaercni seog erutuf .mrof t’ndid syad ,eettimmoc rebmahc nac nac tub ,llib llib kcab kcab yna dnema noitca a ehT tI ,esuoH esuoH

Sports betting

— dlrow regaw dedaw ot eht eht eht eht eht eht eht taht taht yllufsseccus etats strops strops etaluger noitciderp emoctuo ylno no fo fo wen ,tekram ekil swal otni ni ni ni sah sah gnitteg laredef stneve delbane truoc yrtnuoc .ynapmoc ynapmoc ynapmoc nac ,gnitteb nab dnuora deugra retfa ytivitca ssorca a gnidarT ,ihslaK snaigroeG .aigroeG serutuF ytidommoC noissimmoC A 4202

raey gnilliw lliw erehw esu pu raelcnu ot ot ot hguorht siht rieht eht eht xat strats ecnis taes etaluger hsup .ralupop lacitilop fo rebmun erom yam noitalsigel srekamwal tsal si si ni fi sah dah .sbarg steg teg rof eslaf yreve noitcele ecnahc latipac llib gnitteb eb sa enoyna dna dna na ytivitca a a stropS ihslaK s’tI ,9102

ohw etov rednu owt yeht eht etats derosnops .rosnops ecnis noisses dengiser detaler delifer hcaer ,eciffo wen tsum sah lluf morf .dedne ,stroffe t’ndid tub sllib erofeb erofeb eb a a ,rewodeiW ehT nacilbupeR .peR sucraM esuoH

Subscription reform

dluow rednu ot meht eht eht eht naht ,snoitpircsbus ecivres gniwener wener rehtar .radar tseuq noitpo eno fo fo yllaunam ,gnivil ekil gnivah evig welf tsoc ,stcartnoc sremusnoc nasitrapib llib .yllacitamotua sserdda a del-nacilbupeR tI nI

.raey siht eht dessap si llib gnitiawa dna noitca tahT etaneS esuoH

Michelle Baruchman covers the Georgia House of Representatives and statewide issues. She is a politics news and enterprise reporter covering statewide political stories.

Maya T. Prabhu covers the Georgia Senate and statewide issues as a government reporter for The AJC. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in northern Virginia, Maya attended Spelman College and then the University of Maryland for a master’s degree. She writes about social issues, the criminal justice system and legislative politics.

Source link

Georgia

Federal defunding of public media raises concerns for Georgia stations from viewers, educators

Published

1 day ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Federal defunding of public media raises concerns for Georgia stations from viewers, educators

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — More than $1 billion in federal funding is being pulled from public media nationwide, money that supports more than 1,500 television and radio stations across the country.

For nearly six decades, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) helped deliver children’s programming, public affairs reporting and emergency information to homes across the state. Shows like “Sesame Street” introduced generations of children to letters, numbers and social-emotional learning.

“I loved learning, and having educational programming right there made a big difference,” said Bailey Matthews.

In Georgia, the cuts are raising concerns about jobs, children’s educational programming, and access to news and emergency alerts, particularly in rural communities.

Educators and child development experts say programs featuring puppets as characters can be especially effective for young learners.

“Kids see a puppet as a living character, and that makes learning easier,” said Beth Schiavo, executive director for the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts.

Congress voted last year to defund CPB through the Rescissions Act of 2025, clawing back $1.1 billion that had already been approved. This week, CPB’s board voted to dissolve the organization entirely.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Corporation for Public Broadcasting votes itself out of existence

Some Georgia Republicans who supported the move say the decision comes down to federal spending priorities and concerns about political bias in public media.

“The news that these entities produced is either resented or increasingly tuned out and turned off by most of the hardworking Americans who are forced to pay for it,” said former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.

The loss of federal funding has immediate financial implications for Georgia stations. Georgia Public Broadcasting says CPB funding made up about 10% of its budget, or roughly $4.2 million this year.

At Atlanta’s WABE, the city’s PBS affiliate and main NPR affiliate, they must replace $1.9 million — about 13% of their annual budget.

Both GPB and WABE say they are not shutting down but acknowledge the loss of federal support means relying more heavily on donations and community backing moving forward.

“Public radio, to continue to be funded, allows for us to meet the needs of people who live in news deserts,” said NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher.

Former Georgia Teacher of the Year Tracey Nance said the impact extends beyond broadcasting. The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute estimates more than 77,000 Georgia teachers have accessed GPB educational content more than four million times.

“It is absolutely providing essential services — not a luxury, but essential services that provide a foundation that all kids deserve,” said Nance.

Nance is calling on state lawmakers to use the state surplus to intervene.

Source link