Georgia Lawmakers Return to Work For Another Year on Monday

January 11, 2016

Collins Parker,

ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia lawmakers are expected to focus on education, gambling expansion and contentious bills regarding religious freedom as the legislative session opens.

The General Assembly is set to return to the Capitol in Atlanta on Monday.

Gov. Nathan Deal is scheduled to lay out his priorities for the year in the middle of the week, including changes to Georgia’s education system and his proposal for the state budget. Deal’s State of the State address is scheduled for Wednesday.

Deal and other legislative leaders also plan to discuss their agendas on Tuesday morning at a Georgia Chamber of Commerce event.

Lawmakers meet for 40 working days each year, starting on the second week in January.

1/11/2016 4:00:32 AM (GMT -5:00)

ATLANTA (AP) – A newspaper poll shows a majority of Georgia voters want favorable action on casino gambling, medical marijuana and "religious liberty" as state lawmakers begin their 2016 legislative session.

The 40-day session begins at 10 a.m. Monday.

The poll conducted by the national firm Abt SRBI for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution showed 62 percent of registered voters favor legalizing casino gambling to support the HOPE scholarship, and 72 percent say Georgia should create a medical marijuana harvest and distribution system. Fifty-three percent believe lawmakers should pass a so-called religious liberty bill and 39 percent support "merit pay" for teachers.

The January telephone poll of 977 adult Georgians, including 853 registered voters, had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The poll results were published over the weekend.