Georgia
US Senate passes bill extending grant programs for Georgia fire departments
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First)- The U.S. Senate has passed the Fire Grants and Safety Act.
When signed by the president, the bill will reauthorize key grant programs that provide federal funding to Georgia’s fire departments.
Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff said strengthening fire safety in Georgia is one of his key priorities.
“There’s no worse nightmare for any family than waking up in the middle of the night, smelling smoke, calling 911, but there’s no fire rescue service available in time,” Ossoff said. “After hearing from fire chiefs across the state about aging equipment and understaffed departments, I worked to bring Republicans and Democrats together to pass this bipartisan bill that will upgrade fire safety across Georgia.”
The bill extends authorizations for the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program, the Fire Prevention and Safety Grants Program, and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant (SAFER) Program, which can be used to upgrade equipment, hire and retain firefighters and provide better training.
Gary Clark, the Georgia State Firefighters Association president, celebrated the passage of the bill as a big win for departments struggling to pay for the rising cost of equipment.
“The money is tight right now, with inflation the way it is,” Clark said. “For instance, a new engine truck, say a new engine, five years ago, you could have purchased that truck for, you know, around $750,00-800,000. Now it’s $1.2 million. Inflation has gone and just skyrocketed. It eats into a lot of other budgetary items that the city or counties may have, to buy a new apparatus, turnout gear, needed air packs, or supplies for the station. The funding from this legislation is greatly needed and without it, it would be detrimental to a lot of departments in the state.”
Since taking office, Ossoff has delivered dozens of grants through these federal programs to cities, counties and agencies across the state— including Columbus and West Point; Augusta and Twin City; Metro Atlanta and North Georgia, Middle Georgia, Southwest Georgia, and Coastal Georgia.
The bipartisan bill now heads to the president’s desk for his signature.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
PERRY, Ga. (WALB) — The Georgia National Fair announced ticket pricing changes for 2026 in a Facebook post.
Children ages 3-10 will now require a $5 admission ticket.
Adult tickets purchased with cash at the entry gate will cost $20, excluding discounted admission days. Adults paying with a card at the gate will pay $15.
All online transactions will include a processing fee.
Discounted admission days will be $10 for everyone. Seniors 60 and up are $10 every day.
For more ticket information and fair dates, visit https://www.georgianationalfair.com/p/getconnected/pricing.
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Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.
GEORGIA, Ga. (WALB) — A new bill introduced to the Georgia Senate could create a constitutional amendment to restrict voting to legal U.S. citizens.
The bill, Senate Resolution 4EX says, “No person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be entitled to vote at any election by the people.”
If passed, Georgians will vote on the constitutional amendment in the November election.
Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger said “I have been calling on the legislature for years to pass this amendment to the state constitution. I am glad to see the legislature finally act to ensure only American citizens are voting in our elections.”
According to Raffensperger, Georgia was the first state in the nation to conduct citizen verification of voter rolls. Since 2022, Raffensperger’s office conducted two citizenship audits of Georgia’s voter rolls.
SR 4EX Text
“Casting a vote is one of the most important elements of American citizenship. Any illegal vote dilutes the value of a citizen’s lawfully cast ballot. U.S. Citizens should decide Georgia elections. Period. I urge the legislature to pass this important legislation.”
The state uses information from the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) to identify people who are non-citizens. This data is based on documents provided to DDS, through its REAL ID drivers licenses or state identification cards.
That information is also ran through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to verify an individual’s citizenship status.
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Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.
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