Tag: Sen. Jon Ossoff

Georgia Officials Tout Enhanced Election Security for 2024 Amid Ongoing 2020 Controversies

The Center Square
Georgia Sec State Brad Raffensperger

As Georgia gears up for the critical 2024 presidential election in November, state officials within the Legislature and Georgia’s State Election Board say they are enhancing security measures at polling stations in response to ongoing concerns stemming from the 2020 election.

Cobb County’s Board of Elections & Registration Director Tate Fall announced new safety protocols – including more instruction on conflict resolution for poll workers and discreet alert badges for managers – aimed at addressing potential threats and ensuring a secure voting environment. This heightened focus on election security comes amid a backdrop of intensified political rhetoric and unrest, underscoring Georgia’s pivotal role in the upcoming election.

Read More

Georgia Lawmakers Propose Federal Dollars for Atlanta Water

The Center Square
Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock

Federal lawmakers from Georgia announced legislation they said would help pay for Atlanta’s water infrastructure upgrades.

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both D-Georgia, introduced the City of Atlanta Water Infrastructure Enhancement Act. U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Georgia, introduced a companion piece in the U.S. House.

Read More

Senate Committee Votes Against Biden-Nominated Judge Who Allowed Male Rapist in Female Prison

Georgia Star News Staff
Senate Committee

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Thursday against a judicial nominee who had allowed a male serial rapist, who identifies as a woman, to be housed in a female prison.

President Joe Biden nominated Sarah Netburn to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, but the nomination was blocked by the Senate Judiciary Committee in a 10-11 vote. In August 2022, Netburn recommended the transfer of male inmate William McClain, who goes by July Justine Shelby, into a female prison despite his record of sex crimes, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

Read More

Georgia House Committee to Debate Cyber Security

The Center Square

A Georgia House committee will soon debate cyber security enhancements for state agencies.

“Cyber security is a complex and constantly-evolving challenge, and it’s crucial that we have a strong cyber security framework in place to protect our citizens and our businesses,” Rep. Brent Cox, R-Dawsonville, said in an announcement. “Fostering an environment for Georgia to become a leader in this field has been a priority of mine since I first decided to pursue public office, and I am honored to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to study the state’s cyber security needs.”

Read More

Kemp Says $4.3 Billion EV Battery Plant in Georgia Touted by Ossoff Was ‘Previously Announced’

The Center Square

LG Energy Solution and Hyundai Motor Group plan to jointly build a $4.3 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Georgia, an investment U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, said was possible because of incentives included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

However, a spokesman for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp disputed that assertion saying it’s part of a previously announced investment that predates the federal legislation.

Read More

Programs, Awareness Campaigns Not Stopping Railroad Crossing Crashes

The Center Square

As freight trains grow longer and more frequently block railroad crossings, federal dollars are going toward removing grade crossings.

“A lot of organizations and agencies have education and awareness campaigns to stay off the tracks, but every year thousands of people still walk along and across tracks and many are killed or injured,” Benjamin Dierker, the executive director of the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure, told The Center Square via email.

Read More

Georgia’s US Senators Vote for Bill Stripping One of State’s Largest Employers of EV Tax Credits

Georgia Star News Staff

Georgia’s two senators voted for the Democrats’ recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act, even though it strips South Korean automaker Kia — one of the state’s largest employers — of eligibility for the law’s electric vehicle tax credits.

Kia, which employs thousands in Georgia, is planning to build another automobile factory in the state and hire 8,500 people, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Due to domestic assembly requirements in the new law, however, the automaker’s EV and plug-in fleet will lose their current eligibility for $7,500 tax credits on the purchase of new electric vehicles.

Read More

Loeffler Founds Voter Registration Group in Georgia

Peter D'Abrosca

In what is being viewed as an attempt to counter the efforts of former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, a Republican former U.S. Senator from the Peach State has founded her own voter outreach group.

“Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler is starting a voter registration and outreach group called ‘Greater Georgia,’ in her first major public move since losing her Senate seat to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a Jan. 6 runoff,” Fox News reported Monday. 

Read More