Gov. Brian Kemp has signed a bill to allow nonprofits to offer “maternity supportive housing residences” and resources at no cost for pregnant and postpartum women.
Under Senate Bill 116, known as Betsy’s Law, local governments cannot constrain or place occupancy requirements on these residences unless those same restrictions apply to a residence with a single-family living there, according to a news release.
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As we approach November, we will be seeing many names on the ballot: some old and some new.
Yet no name on the ballot will be older than Sanford Bishop.
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Several Georgia-based labor groups, which are traditionally Democrat in both endorsements and membership, have sent letters to the Biden administration urging them to change course on policies that have resulted in rising inflation and higher gas prices.
The Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists – Atlanta Chamber, and UFCW-Retail Wholesale and Department Store Unions have all sent letters to the Biden administration expressing their displeasure with current energy policies, expressing the plight of their membership in relation to inflation and fuel prices, and demanding a change of course.
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Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake told The Georgia Star News Friday she maintains confidence in Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, despite some doubts in her ability to adequately complete the 2020 election audit.
“I do have confidence in Karen,” Lake told The Star News. “I’ve seen a few things that have made me pause a bit, but don’t forget, she’s the one who got things going.”
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Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake told The Georgia Star News she plans to secure the southern border of the United States with her “Defend Arizona” policy, which includes the destruction of drug tunnels and surveillance drones used by Mexican drug cartels. The Republican frontrunner traveled to Georgia on Thursday to support David Perdue in his bid to upset incumbent governor Brian Kemp.
“When we discover drug tunnels, we’re going to blow them up. We’re not just going to pour a little bit of cement in where they can easily jackhammer that out and start running drugs again,” Lake said.
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Gov. Brian Kemp signed a trio of bills he says will help small businesses in the state, including a measure that allows food trucks to operate in more than one county without needing multiple permits.
“As a small business owner for more than 35 years, I have always applied a pro-business approach to governing, helping to cut red tape and ensure we have an environment that allows good Georgia companies to thrive and serve their customers,” Kemp said in an announcement.
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Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ruled on Friday that Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14) can remain on the state’s ballot in the upcoming midterm elections.
The ruling is in response to a quest by some residents of the state to boot Greene off the ballot due to statements regarding the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol.
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Garland Favorito, head of Georgia-based election integrity group VoterGA, appeared on radio talk show host John Fredericks show, Outside The Beltway, to discuss the conclusion of the oral arguments heard in the appeal of the Fulton County counterfeit ballot case, Favorito et al v. Wan et al, at the Court of Appeals of Georgia in Atlanta on Wednesday.
The plaintiffs argued they have a particularized injury according to all applicable state and federal precedents, and therefore the lower court’s dismissal of the case was wrongful.
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Donald J. Trump officially gave his endorsement to Jake Evans, U.S. House Representative Candidate for Georgia’s 6th congressional District, when he announced late Thursday, “I am honored to give Jake Evans my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
In response to Trump’s endorsement, Jake Evans, current chairman of Georgia’s State Ethics Commission, said, “Thank you President Trump for your endorsement! I will fight for YOU and the America First Agenda. Together, we will DEFEAT Biden, FIRE Pelosi and SAVE America!”
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Mum is is the word from the Georgia Attorney General’s office after several of its counterparts this week cut ties with its national organization, called the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG).
Attorney General Chris Carr’s office did not return several comment requests from The Georgia Star News seeking clarification about whether the state intends to remain a part of NAAG.
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State attorney general candidate John Gordon criticized incumbent Attorney General Chris Carr for what he characterized as a “do nothing” term at an event Monday.
“I’ve worked hard and now I’ll work hard for each of you and for the people of Georgia, which is, unfortunately, more than I can say about my opponent, Chris ‘Do Nothing’ Carr,” stated Gordon. “I have worked hard for election integrity. I didn’t hear one word about election integrity [from Carr].”
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Former U.S. Senator David Perdue made a surprise visit Wednesday to Habersham County Airport, where he criticized social media platforms run by the progressive-dominated tech companies of Silicon Valley for their silencing of conservative voices.
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Former U.S. Senator David Perdue slammed opponent Governor Brian Kemp’s lack of current action on abortion in Georgia in the wake of the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
“I was extremely disappointed by the governor’s bureaucratic response to the news that the Supreme Court may soon overturn Roe v. Wade,” said Perdue on Thursday. “Georgia voters deserve to know where their governor stands on this issue. I’m calling on Brian Kemp to join me in calling for an immediate special session of the legislature to ban abortion in Georgia after Roe v. Wade is overturned. You are either going to fight for the sanctity of life or you’re not.”
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As the COVID-19 pandemic winds down, Georgia’s governor Tuesday signed a bill into law banning state and local governments from requiring vaccine passports.
SB 345 bans “proof of any vaccination of any person as a condition of providing any service or access to any facility, issuing any license, permit, or other type of authorization, or performing any duty of such agency,” and says that state and local governments cannot “through any rule, regulation, ordinance, resolution, or other action … require that any person or private entity require proof of vaccination of any person as a condition of providing any service or access to any facility, or as a condition of such person or private entity’s performance of any regular activity by such person or private entity.”
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ATLANTA, Georgia – During a Monday tele-town hall held with former U.S. Senator and candidate for governor David Perdue, former President Donald Trump blasted Gov. Brian Kemp and said that a vote for Brian Kemp is a vote for Stacey Abrams.
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An investigation by the Government Accountability Institute (GAI), supported by documents retrieved by FOIA requests, has found that then Georgia House member Stacey Abrams received special treatment related to a government loan program that benefited her private investment in a company she helped start.
On October 7, 2021, the financial technology company Now Corp. (previously NOWaccount) co-founded by Stacey Abrams in 2010, secured $29 million in financing and an equity investment from Brigade Capital Management LP and Virgo Investment Group.
This was a significant milestone given the fact in 2013 NOWaccount had approximately $100,000 in annual revenue.
Less than two months after this announcement, on December 1, 2021, Abrams announced she would run for Georgia governor, setting up a possible rematch with Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp.
And in March 2022, Abrams filed a financial disclosure form which indicated her net worth was $3.17 million, a substantial increase from the net worth of $109,000 when she first ran for governor four years ago.
While most media reports attribute Abrams significant increases in net-worth to speeches and advances for book projects, her investment in Now Corp. has received little attention. Abrams herself has previously claimed that she “walled myself off” from company operations. However, documents indicate she was an integral part of the plan to use the federal program to benefit NOW.
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Former U.S. Senator David Perdue, the Trump-endorsed candidate in the Georgia Republican primary for governor, gave his reaction late Monday evening to the reports that the Supreme Court of the United States will rule to overturn Roe v. Wade.
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Governor Brian Kemp is heading to Texas later this month for a $5,000 a head minimum entry fee fundraiser that will feature former President George W. Bush.
Tickets for the VIP reception reportedly cost $15,200. Karl Rove and Ross Perot, Jr. are also scheduled to appear.
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MARIETTA, Georgia – State Attorney General Chris Carr did not respond when The Georgia Star News asked why he did not mention the topic of election integrity at the “Conversation with the Candidates” event hosted by the Cobb County Republican Women’s Club (CCRWC) on Tuesday.
Despite a request from the emcee and moderator to maintain quiet respect for all candidates, Carr’s introduction received the loudest boos of the night from a portion of the crowd – surpassing the dissent heard from the crowd for Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, later in the evening. Raffensperger was observed walking in late with his wife, Tricia, both of whom were dapperly dressed, minutes before his scheduled appearance after the event’s intermission.
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The Team Trump Georgia Bus Tour, a state-wide circuit supporting Trump-endorsed political candidates, hit the road Monday morning at Wild Wings restaurant in Dunwoody, Georgia.
DeKalb County Republican Party Chairman Marci McCarthy stated, “We’re thrilled to be here in welcoming the John Fredericks Georgia Trump Bus Tour here in DeKalb County, Georgia! We’re the kickoff stop, and we are going to vote DeKalb red.”
Garland Favorito, the head of the Georgia-based election integrity group, VoterGA, added, “It’s really got to change now or we’re going to lose Georgia, and if we lose Georgia we’re going to lose America, and if we lose America we’re going to lose the world. So this is huge.”
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David Perdue, a former U.S. Senator and the Trump-endorsed candidate for Georgia Governor, blasted incumbent Governor Brian Kemp’s plan on Monday to “give $1.5 billion of Georgians’ tax dollars to a George Soros-owned woke corporation.”
“Brian Kemp just announced his plans to give $1.5 billion of Georgians’ tax dollars to a George Soros-owned woke corporation whose stated purpose is to combat climate change,” said Perdue. “This is the worst deal I have ever seen in my 40 years in business — $200,000 in taxpayer money per potential job. Think about how many small businesses in Georgia could be helped for this kind of money, instead of padding George Soros’ pockets.”
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Atlanta, Georgia – Trump-endorsed candidate for Georgia attorney general John Gordon told The Georgia Star News at an Atlanta stop of the Real Georgia Speaks Team Trump Bus Tour that if he is elected and a local prosecutor doesn’t do their job then he “will do it for them.”
“I’ve worked hard for my family and now I want to work hard for the people of Georgia. I want to work hard to protect their constitutional liberties, especially the vote. I want to protect our communities,” said Gordon in response to a question about why he is running. “If I’m elected attorney general, there will not be rioting and looting in Buckhead. People will not get off scot-free. If the local prosecutor won’t do their job, I’ll do it for them.”
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a measure that opens the door to $636 million for state and local governments to bolster their opioid treatment and prevention efforts.
The money is part of a $26 billion multistate opioid settlement with the nation’s three major pharmaceutical distributors — Cardinal, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen — and opioid manufacturer and marketer Johnson & Johnson.
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ATLANTA, Georgia – Incumbent Republican Governor Brian Kemp took rhetorical attacks from all of his opponents during the Georgia Public Broadcasting-hosted GOP gubernatorial debate that aired on Sunday evening.
The debate took place as part of the The Atlanta Press Club’s Loudermilk-Young Debate series, which aired on GPBS.
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Atlanta, Georgia – The Georgia Star News spoke with Trump-endorsed candidate for John Gordon at the Real Georgia Speaks Team Trump Bus Tour where he had strong words for his opponent, incumbent Attorney General Chris Carr.
“We refer to him as Chris ‘Do Nothing’ Carr,” Gordan said. “He just has not fulfilled the obligations and duties of this office. He’s done nothing on election integrity except deny that there was a problem.”
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ATLANTA, Georgia – During a Georgia Public Broadcasting-hosted and broadcasted debate on Monday, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger dismissed concerns about drop boxes and their impact on election integrity.
In response to a question about legislation banning drop boxes, Raffensperger replied, “People are missing the point on drop boxes because you can use the U.S. postal service.”
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Atlanta, Georgia – In an exclusive statement obtained by The Georgia Star News, former Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tom Homan has endorsed David Perdue in the race for Governor of Georgia.
Homan had nothing but harsh words for the incumbent governor, Brian Kemp in his statement backing Perdue.
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A shrinking gross domestic product could cost Georgia taxpayers and is likely to hurt middle-class Georgians in particular as the country appears headed toward a recession, a non-profit policy group said this week.
“The tab is coming due for all the reckless stimulus spending during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Erik Randolph, director of research for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, said in a statement. “The declining GDP in the first quarter is the strongest indicator yet that our nation is headed into a recession.”
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Texas Senator John Cornyn endorsed Herschel Walker in the race for U.S. Senate in Georgia this week, adding his name to a long list of prominent Republicans who have endorsed the leading Georiga GOP candidate.
Polling with over a 50 percent lead in all recent polls testing the GOP primary field, Walker is the favorite to face U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) in the November general election.
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A SurveyUSA poll released on Thursday shows Democrat Stacey Abrams trailing both former U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) and Governor Brian Kemp in possible November matchups in the contest to be the next governor of Georgia.
In a hypothetical fall matchup against Abrams, Perdue leads by three percentage points, 49 percent to 46 percent.
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Former President Donald Trump released a short statement Friday highlighting a story about the net worth of his political rival Gov. Brian Kemp (R), which has reportedly grown by millions since he took office.
“ICYMI: “Kemp’s net worth grew by more than $3M since he took office” said the headline from Trump’s statement.
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In a victory for parental rights, a bill Thursday was signed into law giving Georgia’s parents the right to challenge books and other school materials that they find offensive.
“No later than January 1, 2023, each local board of education shall adopt a complaint class resolution policy for its local school system to be used to address complaints submitted by parents or permanent guardians alleging that material that is harmful to minors has been provided or is currently available to a student enrolled in the local school system who is a child of such parent or permanent guardian,” SB 226 says.
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Former President Donald Trump-endorsed candidate for Georgia attorney general, John Gordon, in an interview on The John Fredericks Show, hammered his opponent – incumbent Attorney General Chris Carr – for what he described as a lack of accessibility on the campaign trail.
“I have been campaigning every day for the past two months and I have yet to see Chris ‘Do Nothing’ Carr anywhere,” he said. “In fact, I have concluded that he must have moved into Joe Biden’s basement because we can’t find him anywhere.”
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Jack Link’s plans to invest $450 million in a new manufacturing facility in Perry that will create 800 jobs.
The company is building a snack meat production plant on a 120-acre Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development certified site near Interstate 75 in Houston County. Officials said it would be operational by the end of 2023.
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In a new poll released by Grassroots Targeting on Monday, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker leads Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) by 10 percentage points.
Walker leads Warnock by 10.4 percentage points or 51.4 percent to 41 percent in the poll.
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Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said his office is investigating ballot harvesting and the registration of noncitizens to vote, both of which he suggests may have been orchestrated by third-party organizations.
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During an appearance on The John Fredericks Show, Georgia State Senate candidate Shawn Still reminded the audience that he filed a lawsuit in 2020 against Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and stated very clearly how important election integrity is to him.
“I have been on the forefront on election integrity since all of this began, when we saw the election irregularities. When we saw that we knew the election results, that we knew the election had been stolen, I filed a lawsuit in State Superior Court in Fulton County against the Secretary of State,” said Still.
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An Athens man who was convicted for the facilitation of drug trafficking was pardoned Tuesday by President Joe Biden.
“Dexter Jackson is a 52-year-old man who was convicted in 2002 for using his business to facilitate the distribution of marijuana in the Northern District of Georgia,” according to a statement from the White House. “Mr. Jackson was not personally involved in trafficking marijuana, but allowed marijuana distributors to use his pool hall to facilitate drug transactions. He accepted full responsibility for his actions at the time he was charged, and pled guilty.”
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Georgia investigators have signaled their focus in a wide-ranging investigation into alleged illegal ballot trafficking during the 2020 election with subpoenas that target the possible source of funding for such an operation and any eyewitness participants.
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In the first gubernatorial debate faceoff hold on Sunday, April 24, former U.S. Senator David Perdue hammered his GOP primary opponent, incumbent Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
During an exchange, Perdue blamed Kemp for failing to secure Georgia’s elections, leading to his 2021 Senate runoff loss. “The only reason I’m not in the United States Senate is because you caved in and gave the election to liberal Democrats in 2020.”
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When Georgia’s fiscal 2023 budget starts on July 1, students will see a bit of a reprieve on their bills.
The budget includes $230 million for the University System of Georgia (USG) to eliminate a so-called Special Institutional Fee (SIF). The fee ranges from $170 to $544 per semester, depending on the institution.
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Seven individuals in Georgia were charged for their alleged role in a drug trafficking scheme that led to the overdose of at least one individual.
Each of the seven individuals was charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Notably, there is no parole in the federal prison system.
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Georgia officials have lauded the decisions of companies to either relocate their headquarters or expand their operations in Georgia.
Whether the state of Georgia offered tax incentives to those companies is a closely-guarded secret, and taxpayers will not know until the state says the project is complete and no longer “in progress.”
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Republicans in the U.S. House sent Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger a letter flagging a report that a voter-education initiative spearheaded by Stacey Abrams is teaching students the state’s laws restrict voting, The Washington Times reported Thursday.
The letter, written by Reps. Rodney Davis of Illinois and Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, asked Raffensperger how he plans to combat the initiative, which is taught in Atlanta’s public schools, the Washington Times reported. It was also sent to members of the Georgia State Elections Board and the chair and vice-chair of the Fulton County Elections Board, the Washington Times reported.
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order to create a special commission to examine how to fix the state’s healthcare worker shortage.
The 15-member Healthcare Workforce Commission must report its findings to the governor by the end of the year. Recommendations could include loan forgiveness programs, expanding education programs or technology investments.
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Emery University, Georgia’s largest private college, has decided to drop the honorofic names of two of its alumni, citing racism.
“Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves will rename campus spaces and professorships honoring Robert Yerkes, a psychologist who vigorously supported eugenics, and L.Q.C. Lamar, who was a staunch defender of slavery,” a statement from the school said. “The Yerkes National Primate Research Center will be known as the Emory National Primate Research Center, effective June 1. Professorships in the Emory School of Law named after Lamar will become the Emory School of Law Distinguished Professors.”
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The Voter Reference Foundation (VRF) revealed on Wednesday that they will add the ability to track absentee ballots in primary and general elections in 2022. The VRF is breaking ground by “providing transparency and accountability to voter rolls by allowing the public to see them,” according to a press release from the organization.
Gina Swoboda, VRF’s executive director, said this comes as part of efforts to make “elections more transparent, piece-by-piece,” the press release said.
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Former President Donald Trump on Thursday blasted Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and reinforced his support for GOP challenger David Perdue.
Additionally, the former president connected Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to an effort to remove Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14) from the ballot.
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The Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce (GCC) will continue its flirtation with the political left by hosting a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) summit next month.
“Exposure to diversity alters the way individuals think by promoting creativity and innovation, as well as decision-making and problem-solving skills,” says an explainer for one of the panels at the session. “You will learn what these experts, educators, and executives are doing to develop a more inclusive mindset.”
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A new complaint to the Georgia State Election Board alleges that more than 300,000 ballots were unreliably recorded on unverified early voting poll closing tapes in Fulton County, Georgia in the 2020 election.
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