ATLANTA (February 3, 2023) | Senate Majority Caucus Chairman Jason Anavitarte (R – Dallas) has introduced Senate Bill 93, his promised legislation to ban the use of social media platforms influenced or controlled by foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Russian Federation on state devices.
Continue reading “Senator Jason Anavitarte Says Time’s Up for TikTok”“Georgia Fights Terrorism Act” – First Bill to Pass Out of the Senate Chamber
ATLANTA (February 2, 2023) | Yesterday, Senate Bill 11, sponsored by Sen. John Albers (R – Roswell), passed with bipartisan support in the Senate Chamber. SB 11 is the first piece of legislation to pass out of the Senate in the 2023 Legislative Session. Also known as the “Georgia Fights Terrorism Act,” SB 11 would provide independent and concurrent jurisdiction to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) for crimes related to terrorism.
Continue reading ““Georgia Fights Terrorism Act” – First Bill to Pass Out of the Senate Chamber”Major Building Materials Company to Invest $59 Million in Upson County
ATLANTA (January 31, 2023) | Late last week, Governor Brian Kemp announced that Green Georgia, LLC, a sustainable building materials company, will invest $59 million in a new headquarters for the company, located in Thomaston, Georgia. This major investment will create over 170 new jobs for Georgians. Thomaston is located in Upson County, a county that Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. John F. Kennedy (R – Macon) serves as part of Senate District 18. Green Georgia, LLC has pledged to partner with local contractors in the area to construct the over 300,000 square-foot production facility at the Thomaston-Upson Industrial Park. This facility will support addressing the increasing demand for more eco-friendly building solutions across the Southeast.
Continue reading “Major Building Materials Company to Invest $59 Million in Upson County”Senator Jason Anavitarte Introduces School Safety Legislation Known as Alyssa’s Law
ATLANTA (January 31, 2023) | Yesterday, State Senator Jason Anavitarte (R-Dallas) introduced new legislation to increase school safety and decrease the opportunity for domestic terrorists to falsely report school shooting incidents. Sen. Anavitarte’s legislation, known as Alyssa’s Law, after Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victim Alyssa Alhadeff, directs that public elementary & secondary school buildings be equipped with silent panic alarms that notify law enforcement.
Continue reading “Senator Jason Anavitarte Introduces School Safety Legislation Known as Alyssa’s Law”Sen. Bo Hatchett Introduces Legislation to Enhance Gang Sentencing
ATLANTA (January 31, 2023) | Yesterday, Governor Brian P. Kemp’s Floor Leader Sen. Bo Hatchett (R – Cornelia) introduced Senate Bill 44, the “Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act,” which would combat gang violence across Georgia by defining recruitment of minors as a felony and introduce mandatory minimum sentences for all gang-related offenses.
“There is no place for gangs in Georgia, and passage of this vital legislation is a top priority,” said Senate Floor Leader Bo Hatchett. “Enhancing gang sentencing across the board will ensure tough prison sentences for more gang offenders while offering a strong incentive for those accused of gang activity to cooperate with prosecutors.”
Senate Bill 44 would strengthen the sentencing for all gang-related offenses by imposing mandatory minimum sentences but would specifically target the recruitment of minors by instating even stricter mandatory minimums for those whose gang-related offenses involve a minor or otherwise vulnerable individual.
Senate Bill 44 has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Judiciary. You can read the full text of SB 44 here.
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Sen. Bo Hatchett serves as a Governor’s Administration Floor Leader. He represents the 50th Senate District which includes Banks, Franklin, Habersham, Rabun, Stephens and Towns County and portions of Hall, Jackson, and White counties. He can be reached by phone at 404.463.5257 or by email at bo.hatchett@senate.ga.gov.