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☆ Georgia school shooter Colt Gray hid an AR-15 in his backpack and left class the morning of the deadly rampage
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Rebekah Riess | Holly Yan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“Colt Gray brought the gun into the school on his own. The assault-style rife could not be broken down, but Gray hid it in his backpack,” the bureau said Thursday. Republican wants new gun safety measuresAt least 389 mass shootings have taken place so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as those in which four or more victims are shot. That’s an average of more than 1.5 mass shootings every day. In light of the Apalachee High School killings, Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns called for new gun safety and mental health measures in a letter to fellow Republicans.

Persons: Gray, “ Colt Gray, “ Gray, ” Gray, Colin Gray, ”, Colt Gray, Jon Burns, “, ” Burns, Burns, Gloria Butler, CNN’s Jamiel Lynch Organizations: CNN, Apalachee High School, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Republican, Apalachee, Georgia House Republican Caucus, Democratic, Georgia State Capitol Locations: Georgia, Winder , Georgia, Barrow County

Lawmakers also said Wednesday that they want to at least temporarily suspend a sales tax exemption on equipment offered to data centers. Burt Jones touts as a way to shore up tax revenue so that Georgia could further cut its income tax rate for all residents and businesses. A study last year by Georgia State University suggested the state saw a return of less than 20 cents on the dollar. However, the credits are transferrable — production companies can sell them to any individual or business with state income tax liability. The data centers tax credit is projected to cost the state $44 million in foregone sales tax revenue this year, according to a 2022 University of Georgia study.

Persons: Shaw Blackmon, “ We’re, Burt Jones, ” Jones, Blackmon, Jon Burns, Georgia Power, Burns Organizations: ATLANTA, — Top, Marvel, Bonaire Republican, Georgia, Lawmakers, Georgia Power Co, Republican, Gov, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Newington Republican, of Georgia Locations: — Top Georgia, Georgia, Peach State, Hollywood, Bonaire

ATLANTA (AP) — An attempt to state that Georgia's appointed State Election Board has the legal power to investigate Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's handling of elections blossomed into a constitutional showdown Tuesday, with a lawyer for Raffensperger saying board members can't legally oversee him. “We’re looking to empower the State Election Board so that they can have oversight responsibility and that there’s no confusion about where that oversight responsibility is vested,” said Ethics Committee Chairman Max Burns, a Sylvania Republican. Activists have been pushing the State Election Board to investigate whether Raffensperger mishandled his audit of Fulton County's 2020 results, motivated by unproven claims of fraud. The board deadlocked 2-2 in December on whether it had such authority, and two board members asked lawmakers to clarify the law. Supporters said they can go forward because most of Raffensperger's election responsibilities are outlined in state law, not the Georgia Constitution.

Persons: Brad Raffensperger's, Charlene McGowan, Raffensperger's, Bill, ”, Max Burns, It's, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Raffensperger, Fulton, it's, “, Steve Gooch, ” McGowan, Lawmakers, Gabriel Sterling, Sterling, John LaHood, LaHood, Jon Burns, let’s, ” Sen Brandon Beach Organizations: ATLANTA, Republican, Raffensperger, Board, Sylvania Republican, Democratic, Georgia, Georgia General Assembly, Governmental, Valdosta Republican Locations: Georgia, Valdosta

ATLANTA (AP) — With a runup in home values sparking higher property taxes for many Georgia homeowners, there is a groundswell among state lawmakers in this election year to provide relief. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesIn Texas, voters in November approved a plan cutting property taxes by $18 billion. Pennsylvania is using lottery proceeds to cut property taxes and subsidize rent for seniors and people with disabilities. That owner would have paid more except for a $950 million property tax rebate championed by Gov. More than $2 billion in property value in Columbus is shielded from taxation by homestead exemptions which don't allow for any rise in value.

Persons: Jon Burns, Newington, ”, Jared Walczak, Chuck Hufstetler, Bill, I’ve, Hufstetler, Burt Jones, It's, Atlanta Sen, Jason Esteves, Esteves, Burns, Shaw Blackmon, Kathleen, That's, Suzanne Widenhouse, Brian Kemp, Widenhouse, ” Widenhouse Organizations: ATLANTA, Georgia's, Republican, Tax Foundation, Democratic, Finance, Rome Republican, Associated Press, Georgia Department, Revenue, Georgia counties, Association of, of Georgia, Gov, Atlanta Locations: Georgia, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, California, Muscogee County, Columbus

☆ Georgia Republicans advance new US House map that maintains their edge
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A general view of the Atlanta skyline includes the Georgia Capitol dome and a "Vote" sign atop the 100 Peachtree building, days ahead of nationally significant U.S. Senate and state governor elections in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. November 6, 2022. In his Oct. 26 opinion, U.S. District Judge Steve Jones said that Georgia could not remedy the problem "by eliminating minority opportunity districts elsewhere." The new map would likely allow Republicans to maintain their current 9-5 advantage among the state's 14 U.S. House districts. In a statement, the Republican speaker of the state House, Jon Burns, said the new map "fully complies with the judge's order." McBath's campaign manager, Jake Orvis, said in a statement, "Georgia Republicans have yet again attempted to subvert voters by changing the rules."

Persons: Jonathan Ernst, Lucy McBath, Steve Jones, Brian Kemp, Jon Burns, Jake Orvis, Joseph Ax, Will Dunham Organizations: Georgia Capitol, Senate, REUTERS, Georgia Republicans, . House, voters, Republican, Democratic U.S, District, Legislators, McBath, Thomson Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Peachtree, Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, Black, United States, Georgia's, New York

Lynch said his agency is seeking congressional authorization to study another round of deepening for the Savannah River shipping channel. The Army Corps of Engineers last year finished deepening the waterway by 5 feet (1.5 meters), a $973 million project that took 25 years to study and execute. And it’s not just for the Georgia Ports Authority. Buddy Carter, a Republican whose district includes Savannah's port, said they support studying another harbor expansion. “This port affects every county in Georgia,” said Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, a Republican who attended the speech.

Persons: Griff Lynch, Lynch, We’ve, They're, Eugene Talmage, “, Sen, Raphael Warnock, Buddy Carter, ”, Jon Burns, Chris DeScherer, ” DeScherer Organizations: Georgia Ports Authority, Army Corps, Engineers, U.S ., Port, Georgia Department of Transportation, Army Corps of Engineers, Water Resources, Democrat, U.S . Rep, Republican, Southern Environmental Law, Wildlife Locations: SAVANNAH, Ga, Port, Savannah, U.S, Georgia, “ State, India, Thailand, Vietnam, U.S . East Coast, Panama, East Coast, Suez, Savannah's

ATLANTA (AP) — A political group linked to Georgia Gov. Kemp announced his plan to back lawsuit limits in August at a meeting of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. Kemp also argues lawsuit limits could help lower costs for inflation-pinched households, in part by lowering Georgia's high auto insurance rates. Most of that came from a $3.75 million transfer from Kemp's gubernatorial campaign, but a number of large companies and trade associations, including some backing lawsuit limits, made $25,000 contributions. Kemp also is using the money to bolster some Republican state lawmakers in the upcoming 2024 elections, while seeking to defeat some Democrats.

Persons: Brian Kemp, Kemp, ” Cody Hall, Burt Jones, Jon Burns, Donald Trump Organizations: ATLANTA, Georgia Gov, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Georgia General Assembly, Gov, Leadership Committee, gubernatorial, Republican Party, Senate Locations: Georgia, Georgians

☆ Georgia's GOP state legislative leaders said that calls to defund Fani Willis are 'theatrics' and impossible to accomplish
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A handful of GOP Georgia lawmakers are trying to impeach or defund District Attorney Fani Willis. The state's House and Senate leaders, however, said the push is 'theatrics' and unlikely to succeed. The impeachment calls come after a grand jury indicted Trump in relation to the 2020 election. "We simply do not have those votes" for a special session, Gooch said, adding that it would require Democratic support. And in the event that a special session does happen, he noted that there would never be enough votes in the state Senate to impeach her.

Persons: Fani Willis, Trump, Jon Burns, Willis, Donald Trump, Burns, impeaching Willis, Steve Gooch, Gooch, Colton Moore, Moore, Jim Jordan, Andy Biggs Organizations: GOP, Service, Republican, Assembly, Atlanta Journal, Trump, Democratic, House, NBC Locations: GOP Georgia, Wall, Silicon, Georgia's, Georgia, Georgia , Florida, Washington, New York

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