A new year brings new laws in Georgia, across United States
ATLANTA - A new year means thousands of new laws on the books, nationwide, including in Georgia.
One in Georgia includes a section of an elections bill that became law in 2024.
Lawmakers wrote those who experience homelessness and don’t have a permanent address can still to vote.
What they’ll have to do is visit their local registrar’s office to take care of that process.
Plus, the “Georgia Promise Scholarship Act” is in effect.
Applications are expected to open in early 2025.
That program gives up to $6,500 to families for private school tuition or home schooling expenses.
It’ll be available to all Georgia schools found to be low-performing.
New changes to elections
While most of SB 189 became law earlier this year, several parts of the bill — Sections 4, 6 and 9 — will become law in the new year. One section of the bill that will become law on Jan. 1 requires those experiencing homelessness and without a permanent address to to vote at the registrar’s office in the county they live in.
The bill also allows a county election superintendent to authorize the use of physical ballots of the same type as absentee ballots in certain elections, such as special primaries and runoffs, along with special elections that present a question to voters of a county. These elections will need to be independent from presidential primaries, statewide general primaries, statewide general elections and statewide special elections.
Another section of the bill will now make into law that a board of registrar or absentee ballot clerks will need to keep those ballots “safely, unopened and stored in a manner that will prevent tampering and unauthorized access.” The bill also lists several procedures for absentee ballots, including how and when absentee ballots are tabulated.
School voucher program
While the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, also known as SB 233, went into effect in April, applications for the program are expected to open in early 2025.
The new program will give up to $6,500 a year to families to pay for private school tuition or home-schooling expenses. The voucher program will be available to elementary, middle and high schools in Georgia deemed as low-performing.
Every student in Richmond County will be eligible to apply.
Effective Jan. 1, the Georgia Foundation for Public Education will be authorized to receive donations from taxpayers and set guidelines for awarding grants to schools in the lowest 25% of schools identified by a state-wide ability system.
Property taxes
HB 581 was also ed in the 2024 legislative session.
Elsewhere
This new year, there will be more cash in the pockets of minimum wage workers.
Twenty-one states are increasing the minimum wage as of Wednesday.
Washington state leads the nation at $16.66 an hour.
Robert Lee, co-owner of Bank Square Books in CT, says, " Lives have changed. Cost of everything is going up.”
In Florida, children under 14years-old are banned from having social media s, and 14 and 15- year-olds can only use social platforms if their parents approve.
The law is not being enforced right now, because of a pending lawsuit.
California is cracking down on retail theft...With more than a half-dozen new laws.
One increases jail time for large-scale ‘smash-and-grabs.’
Adel Alsharay, 4M market, says “If there is a punishment, maybe they will stop doing it.”
California is also one of several states enacting more gun safety legislation. While New Hampshire is bolstering gun rights, with NRA-backed privacy protections that prohibit the use of specific merchant category codes that could link a gun purchase to a credit card.
And a first-in-the-nation law in New York. The state is offering private sector workers 20 hours of paid leave a year for pre-natal care - for things like ultrasounds or even fertility treatments.
Chickens in Colorado are feeling the wind in their feathers.
Producers with more than 3-thousand hens are required to provide a cage-free environment for the birds.
And all eggs sold in the state must come from a cage-free facility.
Nat Todd, duesing/president, Hennepin Theatre Trust, says, “It aims to curb predatory pricing.”
And you may the Ticketmaster melt down over Taylor Swift concerts?
Well, a new law in Minnesota requires ‘all-in pricing’ - which lets buyers know every fee up front.
D.C. now has a “cashless retail prohibition.”
That means customers have to be able to pay with cash and can’t be charged more for doing so.
And a law in Illinois makes it easier to donate deer meat.
CBS News contributed to this report
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