ATLANTA – LGBTQ+ community members and their allies rallied at Liberty Plaza outside the Georgia State Capitol on Monday as state lawmakers began the 2025 legislative session. Demonstrators voiced their opposition to proposed legislation targeting transgender youth, which Republican lawmakers are prioritizing after similar efforts failed last year.

“We will show up, we will show out. We will not let this happen silently,” one protester declared, drawing cheers from the crowd.

What is Senate Bill 1?

At the center of the controversy is Senate Bill 1, introduced by Republican Sen. Greg Dolezal of Cumming, which would ban transgender girls and women from competing in female sports at any publicly funded institution, including K-12 schools and state universities.

“It’s a good bill for the protection of women,” Dolezal said. “Senate Bill 1 ensures that we have a fair playing field in women’s sports by ensuring that only women are allowed to participate in women’s sports.”

Is SB 1 veiled discrimination?

Critics, however, have called the measure discriminatory and harmful.

Janice Darling, a parent of a transgender boy and a vocal trans rights advocate, described the legislation as an attack on vulnerable youth.

“These people are targeting trans children because they identified it as a winning issue,” Darling said. “I think it’s discriminatory, and I think it’s going to hurt the children. It’s a terrible bill.”

Jeff Graham, executive director of LGBTQ advocacy group Georgia Equality, echoed those sentiments, calling the proposal unnecessary.

“This is institutional bullying of children,” Graham said. “This is a solution in search of a problem. The problem simply does not exist.”

When asked about such criticisms, Dolezal denied the bill unfairly targets trans students. “Our bill doesn’t target anyone. It simply tries to ensure we have a fair and safe playing field for women,” he said.

Georgia’s previous anti-transgender bills

The legislation comes after two similar anti-transgender bills cleared the Georgia Senate last year but failed to pass the House. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has pledged to prioritize transgender bans in women’s sports during the current session.

“This fight is hard, it will continue to be hard, and we will have to continue to do this together,” said a rally speaker, urging supporters to remain vigilant.

For many advocates, the renewed push for legislation feels personal. Darling stressed the broader impact on marginalized youth.

“You’re really hurting a set of vulnerable people,” she said.

As the debate heats up, both sides are preparing for a contentious fight over the rights of transgender youth under the Gold Dome.

Georgia will have a new quarterback next season. Carson Beck is headed to Miami, leaving Gunner Stockton and Ryan Puglisi to battle it out to replace the two-year starter.

Stockton got the start in the College Football Playoff loss to Notre Dame. Georgia coach Kirby Smart recognized that Stockton did some good things in his first start, in addition to how he helped Georgia in the SEC Championship game.

“Gunner did some good things.” Smart said after the Notre Dame game. “Any time you don’t have pass pro, it’s tough. He had some tough moments out there. When it’s your backside and you can’t see it coming, it’s tough. I thought he tucked it down and ran. He got us out of a couple sacks with his feet and legs, threw the ball away. Did some good things there. But obviously it wasn’t enough with the two turnovers, and we’ve got to be better for sure.”

While pass protection was a major issue against Notre Dame, Georgia’s inability to run the ball was a season-long issue for the Bulldogs. Against Notre Dame, Georgia had 101 non-sack rushing yards.

The Bulldogs averaged 124 rushing yards per game, the lowest of the Smart era. That’s despite having talented running backs in Trevor Etienne and Nate Frazier.

Etienne did miss time this season due to a rib injury and suspension, while Frazier struggled with fumbles. While both had bright moments, the two running backs also know they needed to be better.

Etienne has yet to publicly announce his plans for next season, but the expectation is that he will be back. Whoever is handing Etienne and Frazier the ball, Georgia knows it needs to get more out of its ground game.

“You know, obviously, it is frustrating. We pride ourselves on being able to run the ball,” Gerogia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said prior to the Notre Dame game. “I could sit here and give you a lot of reasons, but all they’d be is excuses, point blank. You could sit here and say injuries, you can say this, bottom line, excuses.We got to be able to run the ball if we want to continue to win in these playoffs.”

At times, Georgia found success running the football. The wins over Texas came to mind for Bobo, especially after he challenged the offense.

Entering the 2025 season, that challenge will exist once again. Even with Georgia having to replace four starters on its offensive line.

“You know, we got to find ways to move the ball on the ground,” Bobo said. “You know, we’ve got to be committed to the run, whether things are going good or things are going bad, to still run that ball, to help us be balanced and run and pass.”

Etienne had a critical red zone fumble that took points off the board against Notre Dame. And with Georgia’s offense trailing 20-3 before it touched the ball in the second half, it ended up putting an even greater load on Stockton’s shoulders in the comeback effort.

The lack of a consistent running game put a lot on Beck’s shoulders this past season. With Georgia finding itself in more third-and-longs, Beck felt the need to make more plays, which in part led to more turnovers.

While Stockton is a more willing runner than Beck, he had just 16 rushing yards on 6 attempts against Notre Dame. Given the violent hits Stockton also tends to take, the Bulldogs may not be willing to run him as much as one might think.

Heading into 2025 with a new quarterback — most likely Stockton at this point — Georgia knows that the running game will be critical to help elevate the offense around its quarterback.

“We didn’t help him out a lot. He made his plays, and he’s really special,” tight end Oscar Delp said of Gunner Stockton. “Everyone saw a glimpse of what he can do. We didn’t help him out too much. He never doubted his team for a second. This is who he is and the kind of guy he is.”

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s General Assembly is being sworn in for a new two-year term on Monday, with 180 state representatives and 56 state senators taking office after winning election in November.

Republicans will continue to control both chambers, returning to the Senate with the same 33-23 majority they had in the previous term. Republicans’ majority in the state House narrowed by two seats to a 100-80 edge after court-ordered redistricting.

There are only 18 new House members and four new senators taking their oaths.

Top issues will include Gov. Brian Kemp’s push to limit lawsuit verdicts and proposed responses to September’s deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder. Revenue growth is slowing, but Georgia has an $11 billion surplus lawmakers can spend if Kemp, a Republican, lets them.

Here’s a look at some other key issues:

Doing more to ease Hurricane Helene damage

Georgia leaders are generally applauding a relief package that Congress passed in December. But they say more needs to be done after Hurricane Helene cut a swath from Valdosta to Augusta in September, causing billions in damage.

After Hurricane Michael in 2018, Georgia allocated $470 million on top of federal spending. That included $200 million in income tax credits for timber and pecan farmers to replant trees and $69 million to help state and local agencies cover emergency response costs, $55 million to assist farmers suffering crop losses and $20 million for timberland cleanup.

State officials have already approved a plan for $100 million in loans to affected farmers and timber owners.

House Speaker Jon Burns in particular wants more money to clean up downed timber, saying fallen trees will become a wildfire risk if not removed.

Republicans push to ban transgender women in school sports

Georgia Republicans in both chambers, including Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Burns, have promised to prioritize banning transgender women and girls from competing in women’s school sports.

The General Assembly in 2022 left it up to the Georgia High School Association to make decisions about transgender women and girls in sports. The association, mostly made up of public high schools, then banned transgender women and girls from participating in its sports events.

Top Republicans now say that’s enough, after Donald Trump and others have made opposition a political issue.

“I have four granddaughters, and they’re engaged in athletics, and they work hard spending hours a week preparing themselves to participate,” Burns said at a recent press conference. “We want them to have the opportunity to excel and to win and to be first.”

Jones has said Senate Republicans will seek a ban at the college level as well as in high school athletics, but it is unclear if the House will go that far.

Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, noted there are no known instances of transgender athletes in Georgia participating in school sports.“They are really putting a lot of time and effort into solving a problem that does not exist,” Graham said.

Spending could improve conditions in Georgia’s prisons

Lawmakers in both chambers have said they will pursue legislation to address violence and deaths in Georgia’s prisons.

The U.S. Department of Justice said in November that conditions in state prisons are “inhumane” and prison officials are violating prisoners’ Eighth Amendment protections against cruel punishment.

In a meeting earlier this month with lawmakers, Corrections Commissioner Tyrone Oliver said Kemp is proposing to spend more than $600 million to renovate prisons and hire more staff, among other investments. Oliver also said the state would build another new prison.

Lawmakers want to cut off access to cell phones and drones, which officials say bring contraband inside. Others have suggested increases in mental health staff.

Fighting over election rules may persist

Georgia’s 16 presidential electors met in December and cast their votes for Trump with nary a peep of opposition, much less the avalanche of activity that followed Joe Biden’s 2022 win in Georgia.

But that doesn’t mean fighting over election laws is over. The state Republican Party wants to cut off automatic voter registration when Georgians get a driver’s license and end no-excuse absentee voting.

Lawmakers could also consider some of the State Election Board rules that a court blocked. Those include include counting the total number of ballots by hand on election night and making it easier for county election board members to refuse to certify an election.

Other possibilities include requiring voters to fill out ballots by hand and having election officials count those ballots by hand, reflecting distrust of Georgia’s electronic voting system. Some lawmakers may want to make it easier to challenge a voter’s eligibility.

Can sports betting come up a winner?

Despite support from Jones, the Metro Atlanta Chamber and Atlanta’s pro sports teams, legalizing sports betting in Georgia has gone nowhere in recent years. Proponents will certainly try again to legalize it.

There are multiple issues that need to be resolved before legislation can move forward. Some argue that legalization requires an amendment to the Georgia Constitution, which would require a two-thirds vote in each chamber, followed by approval from a majority of those voting in a statewide referendum. Others say only a simple majority vote would be required if sports betting is regulated by the Georgia Lottery.

There are also disagreements about how the proceeds should be spent, and how heavily the state should tax the activity. ___

Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon.