During the 2024 election season, the topics debated throughout the City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia were education, immigration, the cost of living, and women’s healthcare. Even though Atlanta’s progressive roots plus its Civil Rights history and lineage are strong, there may be a hedge of protection. However, a mere four-hundred steps from Atlanta City Hall lies Georgia’s political battleground: The Georgia State Capitol.
Atop the Georgia State Capitol, the building’s dome is capped in 24 carat gold leaf. Inside ‘The Gold Dome’, Georgia’s laws are created. Plus, the powers of cities, counties, and municipalities can be either uplifted or chopped down within this 40-day legislative session. For example, the City of Atlanta cannot solve Georgia’s atrocious maternal mortality rate. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and the City Council can’t protect the right to vote and equitably fund education. However, Georgians from all 159 counties can visit the Gold Dome during this time and discuss the issues with lawmakers.
The Georgia General Assembly meets between the dates of Monday, January 13th through Thursday, April 3, 2025. With that in mind, here are the topics that will likely be debated during the 2025 Legislative Session.
Education : The State’s funding formula shall be re-examined
Georgia State Superintendent Richard Woods wants to modernize Georgia’s education funding program, known as the Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula. When it was instituted forty years ago, it was a landmark achievement by Governor Joe Frank Harris. It factors specific variables such as the number of students, the cost of each student based on their grade or instruction program, school expenses and the training and experience of teachers and certified staff…