Georgia Lawmakers Consider Legislating AI

Georgia lawmakers are weighing whether the state should act to legislate or regulate artificial intelligence, following similar actions in other states and at the federal level.

“Artificial Intelligence is a pretty hot buzzword these days, and being a technology person by background, sometimes we put these big words out there, and people don’t really understand what they mean,” state Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, said during a joint meeting of the Senate Committees on Public Safety and Science and Technology.

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Georgia Lawmakers Likely to Consider Cyberbullying Legislation

Georgia lawmakers will likely consider legislation requiring social media companies to help crack down on cyberbullying.

Lt. Governor Burt Jones and Senate Majority Caucus Chair Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, plan to introduce legislation for lawmakers to consider during the 2024 legislative Session to require social media companies to take “concrete steps” to verify their users’ ages.

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Georgia Lawmakers Begin Review of State’s Tax Credits

Georgia lawmakers could consider overhauling the state’s tax credits when they reconvene in January, but the specific action they take could depend on what they hear from experts over the next few months.

“The economic reality of tax credits is that when we help to expand an industry that isn’t profitable without our help, that’s bad for the economy,” University of Georgia professor Jeffrey Dorfman, the state’s fiscal economist, told members of the Joint Tax Credit Review Panel, which held its first public meeting this week. “Generally, this is not what you want to do. Thus, tax credits only make sense for business attraction if attracting that plant or employer or industry to the state is going to bring you some spillover benefit, some long-term benefit or some non-economic benefit.”

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Bill Would Let Georgia Hospitals Form Police Departments

Georgia lawmakers have signed off on legislation allowing hospitals to start police departments using certified law enforcement officers, similar to the approach many colleges take.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle overwhelmingly voted in favor of House Bill 383, the Safer Hospitals Act, to send the measure to Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican. The new law would take effect in July if signed into law.

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Georgia Legislature Signs Off on Bill to Ban TikTok

Georgia lawmakers have sent a measure to bar TikTok and other “national security software threats” on state-owned devices.

Lawmakers in both chambers unanimously signed off on Senate Bill 93, which they say would also bar Telegram and WeChat, and sent the measure to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. It would also prohibit these applications on state devices used in the legislative and judicial branches and in the state’s K-12 schools.

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Georgia Lawmakers to Focus on Gun Control

Coinciding with an uptick in gang violence in the state and mass shootings nationwide, state lawmakers are likely to consider gun legislation during this year’s General Assembly session.

Last year, Kemp signed Senate Bill 319, a “constitutional carry” measure allowing Georgians to carry guns without needing a state-issued license. State Democrats derided the move, saying it would lead to more shootings in the state.

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Georgia Lawmakers May Consider Election Law Changes Next Session

With Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff in the books and lawmakers gearing up for the next legislative session, the state’s voting law is expected to be among the hot-button issues lawmakers address.

On Wednesday, the day after U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker, a Democratic state lawmaker said she plans to file legislation to modify the timeline for voting during runoff elections.

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Georgia Lawmakers Pass Bill to Update Criminal Data and Allow Proactive Investigation of Voter Fraud

Georgia lawmakers approved a measure to update the state’s criminal data reporting system and allow the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to proactively investigate election fraud.

One part of Senate Bill 441, the Criminal Record Responsibility Act, would form the Criminal Case Data Exchange Board. It would oversee a process for criminal justice agencies, clerks of court and probation and parole supervision offices to electronically report updates to the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) database.

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Georgia Department of Public Safety: Salary Increase for Employees Is ‘Mandatory’

officer using radar gun in SUV to check Georgia residents' speed

One of Georgia’s top law enforcement officials is calling on Georgia lawmakers to increase taxpayer-funded pay and benefits for state law enforcement employees.

Georgia Department of Public Safety Chief of Staff Maj. Joshua Lamb told members of the Senate Retirement Security for Georgians Study Committee on Thursday it is “mandatory” to increase pay to recruit and keep current law enforcement employees.

Lamb said the department has a 22% turnover rate and annual job applications have decreased by 60% over the past three years.

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Georgia Lawmakers Say Tax-Credit Audit, Tobacco Tax Hike Could Deepen State Coffers

State leaders and economists believe Georgia’s fiscal outlook is promising despite the economic strain from the COVID-19 pandemic, but some lawmakers say the state can do more to secure additional revenue.

Sens. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome; Jen Jordan, D-Atlanta; and House Minority Leader James Beverly, D-Macon, said the state needs to re-evaluate its tax incentive programs to eliminate waste and ensure tax equity.

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