Georgia

Legislation proposes banning use of Georgia tax dollars for American Library Association, affiliates

Published

2 years ago

January 31, 2024

Legislation proposes banning use of Georgia tax dollars for American Library Association, affiliates

ATLANTA — A group of 22 Georgia state senators proposed new legislation that would prevent any Georgia tax dollars from being used for the purchase or funding of materials, services or operations offered by the American Library Association or its affiliates.

The legislation, Senate Bill 390, says “the bureaucracy that has developed around the certification of librarians has become heavily intertwined with and influenced by the American Library Association,” and that the current ALA president is a self-declared Marxist.

As a result, the bill says the ALA is using the librarian certification process to promote a political ideology and that Georgia taxpayers do not want to use tax dollars to support this.

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Currently, Georgia requires librarians be certified by the ALA to work as librarians at public libraries, which the proposed bill says “has not benefitted the residents of this state.”

The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office currently lists a requirement for certified librarians to receive their certificate from a program accredited by the ALA. No alternative options are currently listed for state approval of a librarian certification. The bill does not provide additional options.

The bill says the Georgia Library Association, which is an affiliate of the American Library Association, should no longer be involved in this affiliation. The bill does not include examples of initiatives or programming that specifically promote specific ideologies in the findings it cites as reason for proposal.

Additionally, the bill calls for the state to no longer require librarians working at public libraries be certified by the ALA or allow public money to be used to support the organization.

SB 390 specifically would ban the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia, as well as any city, county or regional public library trustees, from using public or private funds to pay for the materials, services, or programs offered by the ALA and its affiliates.

The bill also bans the Georgia Department of Administrative Services from accepting bids or proposals made by the American Library Association or any of its affiliates for state contracts.

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It is worth noting that the current official listing of affiliated organizations of the American Library Association contains 27 institutions, including the following:

Should this legislation pass in the Georgia Assembly, the variety of materials held in Georgia’s public library and university library systems could be broadly impacted, due to the scope of materials the affiliated organizations cover.

As proposed, and without any revisions, modifications, or legislative substitutions, the materials that could be potentially impacted include topics on legal cases and precedent, literacy initiatives to increase reading comprehension and capabilities in Georgia, stage production scripts and analyses, research and books on and from Latin American literature and texts, medical texts, patent and trademark research, Chinese-American literature and materials, Jewish library materials and texts and more.

The bill does not specify if the current materials obtained on loan or through cooperative agreements with the ALA would require removal, nor if current agreements would be voided, should they exist.

The bill also does not specify how the materials in question, be they archival documents or any books, would be either re-obtained without using the offerings of the ALA, nor is there a series of carved out exemptions for future materials and trainings.

Channel 2 Action News has reached out to senate staff of the bill’s sponsors for specifics on how these questions may be answered during the legislative session. We have also reached out to the University System of Georgia for information about the scope of relevant materials currently in the USG collections.

An ALA spokeswoman provided the following response to the legislation:

“The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization. While we respect the rights of individuals to exercise their freedom of thought and expression, ALA does not align with, endorse, or promote the political beliefs, values, or ideologies of any one individual—including its elected leaders and members. ALA is guided by a single mission: “to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.”

If passed, the legislation would take effect on July 1, 2025.

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Georgia

Kemp extends Georgia’s gasoline tax suspension by 2 weeks

Published

9 hours ago

May 15, 2026

Press Room

Kemp extends Georgia’s gasoline tax suspension by 2 weeks

ATLANTA, Ga. – Gov. Brian P. Kemp on Friday signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency and suspending the state’s gas tax for two more weeks.

This suspension will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. May 20 and run through June 3.

Though separate from the current motor fuel tax suspension enabled by HB 1199, which sunsets at 11:59 p.m. on May 19, this action is designed in such a way to give Georgians another two weeks of relief at the gas pump.

“As Georgia families prepare for the Memorial Day travel weekend, they should not feel blindsided by prices at the gas pump,” Kemp said. “Along with our partners in the legislature, we’ve remained committed to giving hardworking Georgians relief wherever able, and this action is another fulfillment of that promise.”

According to AAA, 39.1 million Americans plan to travel by car this Memorial Day weekend, more than last year’s record.

The average cost of a gallon of regular gas in Georgia is currently $4.02 under the current gas tax suspension. That is a full 50 cents less than the national average, with Georgia being one of only two states to have suspended their motor fuel tax.

Georgia’s current motor fuel excise tax is 33.3 cents per gallon for gasoline and 37.3 cents per gallon for diesel.

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Georgia

Georgia sample ballot for the 2026 primary elections shows every race to vote on this year

Published

21 hours ago

May 15, 2026

Press Room

Georgia sample ballot for the 2026 primary elections shows every race to vote on this year

After months of campaigning, the 2026 primary elections in Georgia are on Tuesday, with hundreds of contests for statewide and local office taking place across the Peach State.

Voters in every precinct will have a distinct ballot, depending on what races are in play where they live.

With the number of candidates and hotly contested races up for grabs this year, many voters have said the primary ballot is one of the longest they’ve seen.

How to tell which races will be on your local Georgia ballot

So how do you know what races will be on your ballot before you head to your local polling place? It’s easier than you might think.

One way is to use the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page. Once logged in with your name, county, and date of birth, you can click a link to see your sample ballot and update your voter information. You can also see where you can cast your vote and your voter registration info.

You can also check your county election department, which will have links to see the Democratic, nonpartisan, and Republican sample ballots.

Statewide races will be on every voter’s ballot, like the primaries for governor, lieutenant governor, and U.S. senator. Most other races are dependent on the county or legislative district.

The different races included in the Georgia primary election

U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Secretary of State
Attorney General
Commissioner of Agriculture
Commissioner of Insurance
State School Superintendent
Commissioner of Labor
Public Service Commissioner District 3 and 5
State Senate
State House
Countywide officers
Georgia Supreme Court (two seats)
State and county courts

Georgia U.S. Senate primaries

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is running unopposed and will face one of five challengers aiming to bring the seat back into Republican hands: Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, Rep. Mike Collins, John F. Coyne III, Derek Dooley, and Jonathan “Jon” McColumn.

Georgia Congressional primaries

All 14 of Georgia’s U.S. House districts are on the ballot this year. Here are some of the metro Atlanta races CBS News Atlanta will be watching closely.

Primaries for Georgia governor

Primaries for Georgia lieutenant governor

Democratic primary for Georgia lieutenant governor
Republican primary for Georgia lieutenant governor

Primaries for Georgia secretary of state

Democratic primary for Georgia secretary of state
Republican primary for Georgia secretary of state

Primaries for Georgia attorney general

Democratic primary for Georgia attorney general
Republican primary for Georgia attorney general

Other statewide primaries in Georgia

Here are some other contested statewide primaries we are watching:

Democratic primary for Georgia insurance commissioner
Democratic primary for Georgia agriculture commissioner
Republican primary for Georgia state school superintendent
Democratic primary for Georgia state school superintendent
Democratic primary for Georgia labor commissioner
Republican primary for Georgia Public Service commissioner Districts 3 and 5
Democratic primary for Georgia Public Service commissioner Districts 3 and 5

Georgia State Senate and State House primaries

All 56 of the Georgia State Senate districts and all 180 seats of the Georgia State House of Representatives are up for election in 2026.

Primaries for Georgia courts

Primaries for both statewide and county courts are on the ballot this year. These elections are nonpartisan and all candidates will appear on both ballots

Three Georgia Supreme Court judges
Five Court of Appeals judges
County superior court judges
State court judges

Political party ballot questions

Both the Georgia Republican and Democratic parties include ballot questions in their primary elections. The questions are non-binding, but advise the parties on what to include in their platforms. This year, the Republicans have eight questions and the Democrats have two.

As an example, Question 1 on the Republican ballot asks: “Should Georgia enact the strongest election integrity measures possible, which may include hand marked paper ballots, fines for counties that refuse to maintain current voter rolls, and restrictions on no-excuse absentee voting to restore trust in elections?”

Question 1 on the Democratic ballot asks: “Should the State of Georgia raise the sales tax on everyday items like clothing, food, and school supplies to pay for an income tax cut that would make millionaires and billionaires richer?”

Voters mark yes or no on each question.

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Georgia

Georgia woman works through injuries as health insurance costs soar

Published

1 day ago

May 14, 2026

Press Room

Georgia woman works through injuries as health insurance costs soar

This story is available through The Current GA. Carry Smith yawned as she fastened the driver’s side seat belt in her 2002 Toyota Sequoia. On a Sunday in early May, Smith headed to one of her four part-time jobs in Chatham County, part of her seven-day work week. Two years earlier, Smith suffered life-threatening injuries […]

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