2019 Georgia Legislative Session

Republicans in the Senate have filed a bill that would give Gov. Brian Kemp authorization to submit a pair of waivers for the state's Medicaid and Affordable Care Act plans next year. 

SB 106, also known as the Patients First Act, would provide the latitude for Kemp to submit what's known as an 1115 wavier to the Department of Health and Human Services for Medicaid and a 1332 waiver to HHS and the Treasury for the ACA by June 30 of 2020.

On this edition of Political Rewind, a congressional conference committee reaches agreement on funding for border security that’s far short of the money President Trump has demanded. How will the compromise play among trump voters in Georgia?

The state House passed an amended budget for the current 2019 fiscal year.

The so-called “little budget” updates spending through June 30 and passed with only 8 "no" votes.

It’s been another busy week in Georgia politics.  Gov. Brian Kemp has just announced his intention to seek a Medicaid waiver from the federal government.  Meanwhile, legislators are a quarter of the way through the session.  They’re tackling issues ranging from the $27.5 billion budget to offshore drilling and its effect on the coast.

GPB Politics Reporter Stephen Fowler offered his weekly recap to “On Second Thought” listeners.

Offshore drilling and budget negotiations are taking top priority with state lawmakers this week. GPB politics reporter Stephen Fowler reflected on the last few days at the Georgia State Capitol. 

A new radio documentary will highlight the roots of gospel music during Black History Month. The four-part documentary is called "Gospel Roots of Rock and Soul," and Grammy Award-winning gospel musician, Cece Winans will host the program. Bob Marovich is a historian and founder of the Journal of Gospel Music. He spoke with "On Second Thought" host Virginia Prescott about his contributions to the project. 

A group of Democratic lawmakers want to raise Georgia's minimum wage and stop employers from using salary history when making hiring decisions.

Legislation introduced this week would raise the state's minimum wage from $5.15 to $15 an hour over the next five years.

On this edition of Political Rewind, Republican and Democratic women in the state legislature have declared a temporary truce to speak out about how they’ve been marginalized by male leaders. State Senator Jen Jordan joins us to talk about the issues driving their concerns.

The third week of Georgia’s legislative session is now over. Lawmakers in the House and Senate have burned through seven out of 40 scheduled days.

It’s budget time at the capitol. State legislators have been hearing from state agencies that are pressing their needs for next year’s fiscal plan. GPB politics reporter Stephen Fowler has kept a close watch on the action under the Gold Dome.  He stopped by “On Second Thought” for an update.

Georgia lawmakers are considering changes to the way the state approves new hospitals and medical facilities.

GPB’s Cindy Hill spoke with Charles Owens, professor of health policy and management at Georgia Southern University, to learn more about what this means for patients.

Everyone has a budget, including the state government.

Over the course of three days and hours upon hours of hearings, the state house and senate appropriations committees heard from Gov. Brian Kemp and state agencies about the record $27.5 billion budget proposal which starts July 1.

On this edition of Political Rewind, the race for 2020 is well underway and Georgia is already a player.

It may not be the flashiest week at the state capitol, but it's one of the most important. 

Lawmakers will meet this week to go over the state's budget for the next fiscal year. 

It’s been a busy week in Georgia politics. The state has a new governor, and a new legislative session is underway in the state House and Senate. The 2018 “Year of the Woman” means the Georgia General Assembly now has a record number of female lawmakers, and they’re already making a splash. Female senators started the session by decrying their small number of committee chair assignments, most of which were doled out by male lawmakers.

GPB Politics Reporter Stephen Fowler has been under the gold dome covering the action and stopped by "On Second Thought" to provide a recap of the week.

Just four days into office, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp delivered a State of the State speech to outline his legislative and budgetary priorities for the year.

Next year’s proposed budget will include pay raises for teachers and state employees. Kemp also used his first address to ask for an increase in mental health funding and the creation of an anti-gang taskforce.

A bipartisan group of women in the state senate delivered blistering remarks Wednesday about the makeup of the chamber’s 27 standing committees, most of whom are led by men.

It’s the latest drama in the senate, which opened the week with a controversial rule change that limited the window someone could file a complaint about alleged sexual harassment from a senator or staffer.