Crossover Day Winners and Losers  

Thursday marked the state Legislature’s Crossover Day, the final day of the session that a bill can advance to the other chamber. Among the day’s winners and losers:

Gov. Brian Kemp’s legislative priority of tort reform advanced. Also moving forward: state House Bill 111, which would lower the state income tax, and state House Bill 112, which would give taxpayers a rebate this year.

Sports betting legalization stalled out again. After passing the state Senate before failing in the state House in previous years, neither chamber passed a proposal this session.

A state Senate bill that would prevent young children from using social media also failed to advance. State Sen. Nikki Merritt’s proposal sought to force platforms to take down pages belonging to kids under 14.

  SBA Moving Out of Atlanta 

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced that its downtown Atlanta regional office is one of six U.S. locations that will be relocated due to the city’s “sanctuary city” policies.

The agency wants the offices in “places that care about the safety and security of their people,” and will explore options in small cities, rural areas, and suburbs, said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, a former U.S. senator from Georgia.

The Center for Immigration Studies defines a sanctuary city as one that “has laws, ordinances, regulations, resolutions, policies, or other practices that obstruct immigration enforcement.” Atlanta, DeKalb County, Columbia County, Athens-Clarke County, and Douglas County are listed as sanctuary cities or counties.

School Panic Button Bill Advances

The state Senate unanimously approved a bill that mandates the use of panic buttons in public and private schools. The buttons provide location data to emergency services.

Called Ricky and Alyssa’s Law, the proposal is named for coach Ricky Aspinwall, who was killed at Apalachee High School, and student Alyssa Alhadeff, who was killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The idea for the statewide proposal follows last fall’s Apalachee High School shooting. The Barrow County school district started using the technology in Apalachee and other schools a week before the shooting. Law enforcement was notified through the panic button and arrived at the school within minutes.

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➤ Lake Oconee: A specialized search team with advanced sonar equipment joined efforts to locate a missing teacher’s body. (More)

➤ Fulton County: A Georgia boy missing since 2017 was found safe in Colorado. His mother was arrested with multiple charges. (More)

➤ Gwinnett County: The mother of late Archer High football player Nick Blakely continues to donate defibrillators to schools in honor of her son. (Watch)

➤ Buckhead: A woman crashed into a building and parking garage last week due to a medical emergency, police say. (Watch)

➤ DeKalb County: A man was arrested for arson for allegedly setting a pile of tires on fire. The flames spread to two vacant buildings before being put out. (More)

➤ Atlanta: A video shows a man wearing an “enforcement” shirt slashing tents at a homeless camp and yelling that he wants the tents out of the street. (Watch)

➤ Boys and girls champions were crowned in eight divisions at the high school basketball state championships in Macon. (Full Tournament Results)

➤ Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins reportedly met with team owner Arthur Blank to discuss a trade to a new team. (More)

➤ Georgia men’s basketball likely secured a spot in the NCAA basketball tournament for the first time in 10 years with its win over Vanderbilt. (More)

How is money changing college basketball and other college sports? Sign up for NIL Wire to stay up to date.

➤ Yesterday’s results: NBA | NHL | NASCAR | PGA | LPGA | NCAAM | NCAAW | NCAAB | Soccer 

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➤ Hemp businesses criticized proposed legislation that would ban THC-infused drinks. Georgia has more than 4,100 licensed hemp businesses. (More)

➤ A Marietta eyeglass manufacturer discusses the potential impacts of tariffs. (Watch)

➤ Atlanta-based Home Depot introduced “Magic Apron,” an artificial intelligence tool that answers shoppers’ product and how-to questions. (More)

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➤ Georgia colleges are heavily featured on a list that praises college experiences in the South. (More)

➤ Henri’s Bakery and Deli was named the most iconic sandwich shop in the state. The Atlanta restaurant has been open for nearly a century. (More)

➤ Georgia ranked highest in the country for teacher morale in a recent report. (More)

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