SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – It’s back to work for Georgia lawmakers. Monday was the first day of the legislative session in Atlanta.
This is the second year of the 2023/24 session, meaning any bills that didn’t get through last year could be back on the table this year.
One of those bills has to do with sports betting in the Peach State.
You may remember last year, Rep. Ron Stephens, who represents parts of Bryan and Chatham counties, sponsored a bill that would’ve legalized sports betting. But the state legislature shot that down.
Still, Rep. Stephens says he thinks this issue will come up again this year and he’s hoping that it will have more support, saying that the money generated would be used for education.
“That’s where we’re going with sports betting is to allow these folks, specifically our pro teams the Falcons, the Hawks, everybody that’s in the state of Georgia, they’re asking us to allow them to do this. This is just another lottery game. It would add money to HOPE and Pre-K,” Rep. Stephens said.
Some of the other issues expected to be taken up this session include what the state should do with Georgia’s multi-billion-dollar tax surplus and a priority from Lt. Gov. Burt Jones to give local school systems the option to allow school personnel to carry firearms as a safety measure on campus.
Copyright 2024 WTOC. All rights reserved.