Georgia County Tried To Help Everyone Facing Eviction. Now A Crisis Looms

1 week, 4 days ago

Sheriff in Georgia promises to pay security company $1.4 million after jail walkouts

ATLANTA — The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday it will send about $1.4 million in electronic payments to a private security company by the end of the week that pulled its staff from the local jail in Georgia. The Sheriff’s office did not pay the company what it owed in any billing cycle since the start of its contract …

Georgia Contract Office Pay Fulton County County Million

1 week, 5 days ago

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp lists hurricane relief and lawsuit limits as top 2025 priorities

Associated Press

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told lawmakers Tuesday that he will emphasize relief efforts for Hurricane Helene and attempts to limit lawsuit verdicts in the state legislative session that begins Jan. 13. The second-term Republican provided no details of his plan in a speech to members of the General Assembly gathered in Athens at the University of Georgia, …

Georgia Congress Hurricane Burns Republican State Million

3 weeks, 6 days ago

Georgians with disabilities are still being institutionalized, despite federal oversight

Salon

ATLANTA — Lloyd Mills was tired of being stuck in a small, drab hospital room. “Anytime somebody has to live in a segregated setting when they don’t want to, it’s terrible.” The Americans with Disabilities Act, as clarified in a 1999 U.S. Supreme Court decision, says Mills and other people with disabilities have been legally entitled to receive care at …

Community Georgia Mental Health Services Mental Illness Illness Disabilities

‘Deliberate attempt’: Bomb threats suspended voting at 5 Georgia sites

Raw Story

Additional bomb threats targeting DeKalb County, Georgia in the final hours of Election Day forced the temporary closure of five more voting sites in the heavily-Black county that overwhelming voted for President Joe Biden in 2020. “Every asset that we have will be deployed to ensure that every citizen who wants to vote will be given that opportunity and every …

Georgia Vote Bomb Threats Dekalb

1 month, 3 weeks ago

Georgia officials agree to spend $100 million on Hurricane Helene aid for farms and forestry

The Independent

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Georgia's state government is diverting …

Georgia Farmers Burns State Hurricane Helene Million Aid

4 months ago

Georgia lawmakers say the top solution to jail problems is for officials to work together

Associated Press

ATLANTA — A Georgia Senate committee says more cooperation among county officials would improve conditions in Fulton County’s jail, but it also called on the city of Atlanta to hand over all of its former jail to the county to house prisoners. “I think it’s a bit too early to tell how we’re going to come up to the 2025 …

City Fulton County Fulton Commissioners Labat Georgia Lawmakers County Commissioners

4 months, 1 week ago

Big Georgia county to start charging some costs to people who challenge the eligibility of voters

Associated Press

ATLANTA — An election board in one of Georgia’s largest counties has voted to start charging people who challenge the eligibility of voters for the cost of notifying the challenged voters. In suburban Atlanta’s Cobb County, a onetime Republican bastion that now produces Democratic majorities, the board voted only to charge for the cost of printing the challenge notice and …

Law Georgia Board Challenges Charge Democrats Republican

4 months, 3 weeks ago

US suspends $95 million in aid to Georgia after passage of foreign agent law that sparked protests

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Wednesday suspended $95 million in U.S. assistance to Georgia after its parliament adopted legislation related to foreign agents that critics say was inspired by a Russian law used to crack down on political dissent and that sparked weeks of mass protests. The U.S. has also already imposed visa bans on a number of Georgian …

Law Georgia Aid Blinken Georgian

9 months ago

Georgia lawmakers may be close to deal to limit rise in property tax bills

Associated Press

ATLANTA — A deal between the Georgia House and Senate on limiting how much assessed home values can rise for tax purposes may be solidifying, although questions remain about the election-year push for property tax relief. The Senate Finance Committee on Monday approved a rewritten bill and state constitutional amendment that would limit increases in a home’s value, as assessed …

Georgia School Tax Property Local Burns Senate

10 months ago

Georgia Senate backs $5 billion state spending increase, including worker bonuses and roadbuilding

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia’s Senate is supporting changes to the state budget that would add $5 billion in spending, including money for bonuses already paid to state employees and teachers, additional roadbuilding, new dental and medical schools, and paying down some state debts. Total spending, including federal aid, college tuition, fines and fees, would rise to $67.5 billion The state can …

Georgia Spending State House Billion Million Kemp

10 months ago

Georgia House leaders signal Medicaid expansion is off the table in 2024

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia’s house speaker cracked open the door to Medicaid expansion in the state, but now that door appears to be closing for 2024. “It’s important we keep all options open and on the table during the 2024 legislative session.” The group brought dozens of cancer patients, survivors and their family members to the state Capitol earlier this month …

Health Georgia Hospitals Burns Expansion Republican State

10 months, 2 weeks ago

Georgia House backs state income tax and property tax cuts in unanimous votes

Associated Press

ATLANTA — The Georgia House on Thursday passed bills to cut state income and local property taxes, backing priorities of Gov. The bills would accelerate an already-planned income tax cut, increase homeowner property tax exemptions in some jurisdictions and raise the amount parents can deduct per child from yearly income taxes. Kemp and other Republican leaders back the measure to …

Georgia Tax Property Income Senate Republican State

10 months, 4 weeks ago

Georgia House speaker proposes additional child income-tax deduction atop other tax cuts

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia House Republicans are proposing an additional tax cut for parents. With Georgia’s income tax rate currently at 5.49%, that works out to as much as $55 more per child, or about $150 million statewide. Burns also unveiled a plan to move all of Georgia’s unallocated surplus cash into its rainy day account, a bill also being pushed …

Georgia Tax Income Burns State House Plan

1 year, 3 months ago

President Biden declares 3 Georgia counties are eligible for disaster aid after Hurricane Idalia

Associated Press

ATLANTA — President Joe Biden on Thursday approved a disaster declaration for three Georgia counties following Hurricane Idalia’s sprint across southern and coastal Georgia on Aug. 30. Brian Kemp, in a letter sent Wednesday, requested aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to governments in 30 counties and individuals in the three counties Biden approved and added Appling County. “We …

Florida Biden Counties Kemp Idalia Hurricane Idalia Assistance

1 year, 5 months ago

Georgia governor attacks Biden’s electric vehicle policy at federally-backed battery material maker

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. “Georgia’s electric mobility boom is taking place because our state is second to none for companies looking to invest, relocate, expand, and innovate – not because the federal government continues to put their thumb on the scale, favoring a few companies over the industry as a whole,” Kemp said, according to advance remarks of his speech …

Georgia Democratic Electric Vehicles Republican Biden Federal Vehicle

1 year, 6 months ago

Georgia officials won’t take over elections in state’s largest county, debunk conspiracies

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia’s State Election Board won’t take over running elections in the state’s most populous county, ending an investigation that had sparked fears of partisan meddling. “I’m proud of the work of Fulton County and what we’ve achieved in the last few years and feel fully confident moving into the future that we’ll be setting the standard for how …

Georgia Elections Board Trump Election Democratic Republican

1 year, 9 months ago

Georgia House sticks by 2 scholarship tiers in $32.4B budget

Associated Press

ATLANTA — The Georgia House is agreeing to a budget for next year that includes pay raises while underlining spending priorities in public safety and mental health. Instead, the House voted to pay full tuition for only Zell Miller scholars, which requires students to earn higher grades and a minimum standardized test score. “Students who’ve been working toward the Zell …

Georgia Budget Pay Senate State Kemp Spend

1 year, 9 months ago

Georgia House wants $4K pay increase for state law officers

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia House budget writers support Gov. Georgia’s budget pays to educate 1.75 million K-12 students and 465,000 college students, house 48,000 state prisoners, pave 18,000 miles of highways and care for more than 200,000 people who are mentally ill, developmentally disabled or addicted to drugs or alcohol. All state and university employees and public school teachers would get …

Students Hope Budget Pay State Plan Million

1 year, 9 months ago

Deal on amending Georgia budget includes property tax breaks

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers have given final approval to amendments to this year’s budget that raise spending by $2.4 billion and include money for a property tax break. It includes $950 million for property tax rebates to homeowners and would divert $1.1 billion in state revenue to the Department of Transportation to make up for fuel tax revenue that the …

Tax State House Million Increase Kemp Spend

1 year, 10 months ago

Amended Georgia budget heads for House-Senate talks

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia senators are approving amendments to the current year’s state budget, setting the stage for final negotiations with the House on changes to the spending plan. The spending plan would include $1 billion to give property tax rebates to homeowners and would divert $1.1 billion in state revenue to the Department of Transportation to make up for fuel …

Tax Money Spending State House Plan Million

1 year, 10 months ago

Georgia senators seek shorter school health cost phase-in

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia senators want to spend less on subsidizing local school district health costs than the House, seeking a more rapid phase-in of a big health insurance premium increase that districts would pay. The House proposed giving the benefit plan another $100 million in state money and stretching the premium increase over three years. House lawmakers had proposed spending …

Georgia School Money Senate State House Million

2 years, 2 months ago

Georgia Power settles with 1 co-owner in Vogtle dispute

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia Power Co. will pay at least $76 million to settle a lawsuit with a co-owner over who will pay for overruns at the Vogtle nuclear power plant. But Georgia Power said the agreement didn’t kick in until shared construction costs reach $19.18 billion, arguing it should be exempt from paying for overruns caused by COVID-19. Financial filings …

Construction Costs Pay Million Plant Dalton Georgia Power

2 years, 3 months ago

64,000 Georgia voters have eligibility challenged as Stacey Abrams battles Brian Kemp: report

Raw Story

One by one, the speakers approached the podium at the elections meeting to air their grievances. Dele Lowman Smith, chair of the DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections, said the increase in challenges to voter registrations has been “a huge headache” for the volunteer board and its limited staff. “The challenge review and hearing process can put a burden on …

Georgia Elections Board Election Challenges State Voters

2 years, 3 months ago

Georgia to spend $250M in COVID-19 cash to aid recreation

Associated Press

Brian Kemp is earmarking $250 million in federal COVID-19 relief for neighborhood recreation improvements in some of Georgia’s poorest areas. Grants of up to $2 million per project can be used by local governments or nonprofit groups to improve, repair or maintain parks, recreation facilities, sidewalks and healthy food access, Kemp announced Tuesday. The state says encouraging physical activity and …

Georgia Million Kemp Recreation Facilities Spend Federal

2 years, 4 months ago

Georgia’s Kemp seeks tax breaks, rebutting Abrams on economy

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp unfurled the first major policy proposals of his reelection bid Thursday, pledging to spend $2 billion on another state income tax rebate and revival of a long-dormant state property tax break while contending with Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams over who’s best for the state’s economy. “While Brian Kemp is following Stacey Abrams’ lead …

Georgia Tax Property Income Republican State Democrat

2 years, 4 months ago

Evictions spiking as assistance, protections disappear

Associated Press

Jada Riley thought she had beaten homelessness. “I don’t want to have my son experience any struggles that I went through.” Eviction filings nationwide have steadily risen in recent months and are approaching or exceeding pre-pandemic levels in many cities and states. “Our numbers of evictions are increasing every month at an astonishing rate, and I just don’t see that …

Housing Legal Assistance National Eviction Virginia Philadelphia Smith

2 years, 4 months ago

Kemp assails national economy while touting Georgia record

Associated Press

MCDONOUGH, Ga. — Georgia Gov. “Georgians know that our economy is fighting through the Biden-Abrams agenda, despite what’s going on nationally,” Kemp told reporters in the Atlanta suburb of McDonough, arguing Abrams bears blame for “runaway spending and disastrous policies” because she campaigned for Biden and even sought to be his vice president. Abrams said Thursday that Kemp’s division between …

Economy National Economy Democrats Senate Republican Biden Smith

2 years, 4 months ago

Stacey Abrams calls for more affordable housing in Georgia

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Democrat Stacey Abrams is promoting a plan she says will make housing more available and affordable across Georgia if she defeats Republican Gov. “I will lead the charge in tackling the four central housing challenges faced by Georgians across the state,” Abrams told reporters before releasing her plan on Wednesday. “If Stacey Abrams wants to blame anyone for …

Georgia State Kemp Local Governments Abrams Stacey Abrams Housing Tax

2 years, 5 months ago

Georgia’s Abrams tries to one-up Kemp in call for payments

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Democratic candidate for governor Stacey Abrams is calling for another round of payments to Georgia taxpayers, suggesting incumbent Republican Gov. She said that’s because Republicans have been too generous toward Georgia’s top earners, including in a separate income tax cut and restructuring that Kemp signed earlier this year that takes effect next year. “Georgia needs to stop giving …

Georgia Tax Payments Money Republican State Republicans

2 years, 5 months ago

Georgia Power proposes 12% increase in bills, with 2023 leap

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia Power Co. wants to raise customer bills 12% over the next three years to pay for system improvements and higher costs and allow higher profits, the company said Friday in a rate filing with state regulators. A residential customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month pays Georgia Power an average of $128 a month …

Georgia Plants Power Pay Company Million Rate

2 years, 6 months ago

Georgia cooperatives move to freeze nuclear costs at $8.1B

Associated Press

ATLANTA — One of the owners of a nuclear power plant being expanded in Georgia says it’s shifting overruns to Georgia Power Co. in exchange for giving up a sliver of its ownership. Oglethorpe, Georgia Power and Vogtle’s two other owners — the Municipal Electrical Authority of Georgia and the city of Dalton — have been arguing over Georgia Power’s …

Costs Power Cost Billion Million Owners Plant

2 years, 7 months ago

Georgia's Perdue raises $2.3M in challenge but trails Kemp

The Independent

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Republican David Perdue's fundraising for his gubernatorial bid improved this …

Georgia Trump Republican Million Kemp Inside Washington Washington Email

2 years, 8 months ago

Can US tenants cope with COVID eviction protections ending?

Al Jazeera

Housing rights campaigner Rob Robinson and Legal Aid’s Beth Mellen on the housing crisis in the United States. “Once the courts open up, we will see a rush to evict,” says housing rights campaigner Rob Robinson. You need support.” Beth Mellen, the director of Legal Aid’s Eviction Defense Project, says preventive solutions such as aid from the federal government can …

Housing Rights Rob Beth Mellen Rob Robinson

2 years, 8 months ago

Lawmakers agree on Georgia budget with big funding boosts

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers agreed Monday on a budget with boosts in spending for K-12 education, universities, mental health and public safety, reaping the rewards of a big increase in state revenue as Gov. It also continues boosts in K-12 formula spending and provides enough money to the state’s public universities that they have pledged to roll back certain fees …

Georgia Students Budget Employees Senate Spending State

2 years, 9 months ago

Georgia House GOP leadership seeks $1 billion income tax cut

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia’s House speaker on Tuesday proposed a $1 billion tax cut that would create a flat state income tax with a 5.25% tax rate, raise the amount of income exempt from taxation and eliminate many deductions. Georgia’s top income tax rate is now 5.75%, which applies to income over $7,000 earned by a single person or income over …

Georgia Tax Income Tax Income Republican State House

2 years, 10 months ago

Georgia GOP lawmakers draw districts in Democratic counties

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Republican state lawmakers in Georgia are reaching down to redraw election districts for county officials in Democratic controlled counties, a power grab possible in part because there’s no federal oversight of redistricting in Georgia for the first time in decades. “It’s a petite coup of our local government,” said Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Melissa Link, who could be drawn …

Georgia Local Democratic Democrats Republican State Redistricting

2 years, 10 months ago

Georgia’s Kemp raises $7.4M in 7 months of reelection bid

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Tuesday that his main campaign committee raised more than $7.4 million in the seven months ending Jan. 31, giving him $12.7 million in cash as the Republican seeks reelection this year. None of Kemp’s Republican primary rivals, including former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, former state Rep. Vernon Jones and Kandiss Taylor, have announced …

Georgia Democratic Republican Democrat Million District Kemp

3 years ago

States, cities running out of rental assistance monies

Associated Press

Several large states and cities have exhausted their federal rental assistance, the Treasury Department said Monday, in a sign that spending on a massive program aimed at averting evictions has picked up speed. The first tranche of emergency rental assistance funds, known as ERA1, is for $25 billion and the second, known as ERA2 and meant to be spent over …

Housing Money Texas Treasury Oregon State Billion

3 years, 2 months ago

Evictions begin as US ban ends, but not the spike feared

The Independent

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “I didn’t think I was going to be evicted …

Housing Money Eviction New York Million Rent Dobbs

3 years, 3 months ago

Some Landlords Would Rather Evict Tenants Than Accept Federal Rental Aid

Huff Post

LOADING ERROR LOADING Congress set aside $46 billion to cover rent for people struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic, but states and cities have so far distributed only a fraction of the funds. In Baltimore, one property management firm told local TV station WBAL earlier this week that it wouldn’t take the payment because the wording in the city’s rental …

Housing Local New Jersey Philadelphia Aid Huffpost Program

3 years, 4 months ago

Georgia gets more urban and diverse as white residents dip

Associated Press

ATLANTA — Georgia is growing ever more urban and ever more diverse, Census figures released Thursday show, continuing a shift in population toward metro Atlanta and away from the rural areas that were once the backbone of the state. “Based on the counties I’ve been able to drill down on so far, the ones that have experienced meaningful growth and …

Georgia Population Census Atlanta White State County

3 years, 5 months ago

Opinion: Short-term fixes aren’t enough to solve America’s looming eviction crisis

CNN

Editor’s Note: Kathryn Reynolds is a senior policy program manager in the Urban Institute’s Research to Action Lab. Abby Boshart is a policy coordinator in the Urban Institute’s Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, where her work focuses on rental assistance, eviction and homelessness. The good news, though, is that some states and localities are rushing to institute short-term eviction …

Policy Housing Crisis Landlords Rental Programs Assistance

3 years, 8 months ago

Why Local Election Officials In Georgia Take Issue With Many Parts Of New Law

NPR

Why Local Election Officials In Georgia Take Issue With Many Parts Of New Law Enlarge this image toggle caption Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images Three weeks after it was signed into law, local election officials in Georgia are still trying to understand all the implications of the state's controversial election overhaul. "The vast majority of …

Law Elections Board Voting Early Voting Fulton County County

3 years, 8 months ago

States struggle to get rent relief to tenants amid pandemic

Associated Press

Andrew Cuomo announced last July that New York would spend $100 million in federal coronavirus relief to help cash-strapped tenants pay months of back rent and avert evictions. “We believe it’s a travesty that NY State has been unable or unwilling to get money to the tenants and landlords that desperately need assistance during the Covid crisis,” he said by …

Housing States Pennsylvania Relief Tenants Kansas New York

3 years, 8 months ago

In Georgia County, Elections Bills Have Consequences

NPR

In Georgia County, Elections Bills Have Consequences Enlarge this image toggle caption Stephen Fowler/GPB Stephen Fowler/GPB Long before Republican Gov. In rural Hancock County, residents pushed the county commission to cut ties with its county attorney earlier this month because of his role as a state lawmaker, leading the efforts to craft voting changes. So while Georgia's newest voting law …

Georgia Voting Black Election Early Voting Republican County

3 years, 9 months ago

Georgia counties sue Trump over failed election challenges

Al Jazeera

Two counties in Georgia ask for over $15k in legal fees related to lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign. Two Georgia counties have filed lawsuits this week against former President Donald Trump in his capacity as a candidate, seeking legal fees over failed attempts to overturn the election through voter fraud allegations and vote recounts. Trump’s 2020 campaign filed more …

Georgia Trump Election State Biden Vote County

3 years, 11 months ago

Voting in Georgia US Senate race in Hancock County is more about fight to vote than right to vote

CNN

Mayfield, Georgia CNN — Johnny Thornton stood on his sprawling catfish farm, once a symbol of empowerment in this majority Black county, and explained how the local election board once tried to strip him of his right to vote. “Voter suppression through administrative chaos is my term for it.” With Georgia voters set to decide control of the US Senate …

Georgia Voting Black Challenges Right White State

4 years, 1 month ago

With Biden Ahead, Georgia Begins Hand Recount Of Nearly 5 Million Ballots

NPR

With Biden Ahead, Georgia Begins Hand Recount Of Nearly 5 Million Ballots Enlarge this image toggle caption Emil Moffatt/WABE Emil Moffatt/WABE Amid a myriad unsubstantiated claims of fraud made by President Trump and his allies in Georgia's presidential vote, counties across the state have begun the task of counting nearly 5 million ballots by hand. Enlarge this image toggle caption …

Georgia Trump Audit Image State Biden Ballots

Georgia County Tried To Help Everyone Facing Eviction. Now A Crisis Looms

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