Lawmakers: Spotlight

LISTEN: GPB's Donna Lowry talks to Georgia state Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta) about the growing challenges facing older youth in Georgia as they age out of foster care without permanent families.

LISTEN: In this week’s Lawmakers Huddle, GPB’s Donna Lowry talks with a state senator who called for a study committee on improving family caregiver services — after navigating the struggles of caring for his ailing father. 

Five Georgia state lawmakers are traveling to Israel as part of a bipartisan delegation organized by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

LISTEN: Natural disasters like Hurricane Helene often remind elected officials of their most essential role: being there for their communities in times of crisis. In Lawmakers Huddle, GPB's Donna Lowry talks with state lawmakers about their Helene experience.

Federal grant cuts are leaving Georgia communities without vital resources. Representatives Marvin Lim and Karen Lupton join host Donna Lowry to explain the impact on schools, nonprofits, and public agencies.

Senator Blake Tillery joins Lawmakers’ Huddle to discuss his push to eliminate Georgia’s state income tax. He explains why he believes the change is key to keeping Georgia competitive while ensuring families keep more of their earnings.

Senator John F. Kennedy joins Lawmakers’ Huddle to discuss Georgia’s rising rates of chronic absenteeism and how Senate Bill 123 aims to address it. The conversation examines the origins of the problem, the role of local solutions, and what lies ahead for a statewide study committee.

As Georgia students prepare to head back to school, new safety measures are top of mind. This episode of Lawmakers Huddle examines SB 17, a law that requires mobile panic buttons and real-time mapping in schools to aid first responders. Host Donna Lowry speaks with Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte about the law’s origins, its impact, and the continued push to protect students and staff across the state.

A new Georgia law now allows trucks to carry up to 88,000 pounds on non-interstate roads, a move aimed at supporting the state's top industry, agriculture, while maintaining a carve-out for metro Atlanta. Representative Leesa Hagan explains the bipartisan effort behind the change and shares how a young hunter helped inspire a new law allowing neon pink safety gear in the field.

A new Georgia law gives the state’s Department of Transportation the power to regulate electric air taxis, positioning Georgia as a national leader in air mobility and autonomous transportation. In this episode of Lawmakers Huddle, Chairman Todd Jones explains how eVTOL aircraft, vertiports, and drone deliveries are quickly turning the Jetsons’ vision into Georgia’s reality.