ATLANTA (March 31, 2025) — Last week, the Senate unanimously passed House Bill 579, which broadly revises occupational licensing regulations in Georgia. This legislation is a result of the Joint Blue-Ribbon Committee on Licensing, upon which Sen. Walker served. It grants the professional licensing board division staff the ability to routinely issue licenses for the profession’s licensing boards when the applicant meets all license requirements. HB 579 also enables the division director to provisionally license an individual before they take their examination and extends the timetable for renewing licenses after they expire.
Continue reading “Sen. Larry Walker Celebrates Final Passage of Occupational Licensing Reform”COLUMN: Walker: Week Eleven Under the Gold Dome
By: Sen. Larry Walker, III (R–Perry)
We’re almost down to the final week of the 2025 Legislative Session, and what’s happening at the Capitol right now affects your family, your livelihood and your well-being. That’s why I’m working hard to ensure our values and needs are front and center as we finish strong.
Continue reading “COLUMN: Walker: Week Eleven Under the Gold Dome”Sen. Jason Anavitarte and Rep. Trey Kelley Introduce Legislation to Provide for Polk County Homestead Exemptions
ATLANTA (March 31, 2025) — Last week, Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R–Dallas) introduced Senate Bill 356 to allow for residents of Polk County to apply for a homestead exemption from school district ad valorem taxes.
Continue reading “Sen. Jason Anavitarte and Rep. Trey Kelley Introduce Legislation to Provide for Polk County Homestead Exemptions”President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy Celebrates Final Passage of Legislation to Combat Absenteeism
ATLANTA (March 26, 2025) — Yesterday, the Georgia House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 123 with strong, bipartisan support. Authored by Senate President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy (R–Macon), SB 123 takes meaningful steps to address the growing chronic absenteeism crisis in Georgia schools by ensuring students cannot be expelled solely for missing school. The bill also mandates a more localized and individualized approach to reviewing chronic absenteeism cases., requiring local boards of education to adopt policies that identify and support students who are chronically absent.
President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy Announces Creation of Nonprofit Organization to Honor Former Senator Sheila McNeill
ATLANTA (March 26, 2025) — Last week, Senate President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy (R–Macon) honored former State Senator Sheila McNeill, who served the 3rd Senate District from 2021 to 2023, by forming a nonprofit organization in her name. The Sheila McNeill Legacy Scholarship Fund will provide financial support to a Naval midshipman attending the United States Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Maryland, recognizing McNeill’s lifelong dedication to the U.S. Navy and the Navy Submarine Base at Kings Bay, Georgia.
Continue reading “President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy Announces Creation of Nonprofit Organization to Honor Former Senator Sheila McNeill”