🍑 A.M. ATL: Back to the lawmaking grind

Morning, y’all! I’m AJ Willingham, your new A.M. ATL host, and I’m so excited to meet you. Before coming to the AJC, I was down the street at CNN where I also did the A.M. newsletter thing. What can I say? I’m just that much of a morning person. (That is a lie.)

But I am a “start the day with a smile” person, or at least, “start the day with a sensible chuckle and a renewed understanding of what’s going on in our beautiful city and across the South.” So let’s dive in together. We’re still thawing out from that wild winter storm, but first, the season premiere of everyone’s favorite annual show: Georgia Lawmakers Making Laws.

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THE GA GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS BACK IN SESSION

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

The Georgia General Assembly meets today at the Capitol to kick off its 40-day, once-a-year legislative session. To recap: The General Assembly, composed of 236 elected members, is the lawmaking powerhouse of the state. It’s split into a House and a Senate, and is currently controlled by a Republican majority, led by Gov. Brian Kemp. From now until roughly March or April, the body will consider hundreds of bills that will affect Georgians from every walk of life. Here are some key issues they’ll be discussing:

Sports gambling: This is the seventh year the General Assembly will discuss legalizing sports gambling – something most people in the state are in favor of, according to a recent poll from the University of Georgia. Proponents say legalizing gambling, including casinos and horse racing, would rake in millions for the state. Those opposed warn it will stoke the fires of gambling addiction and harm families.

🔎 Read what state leaders have to say for and against possible legalization

Election laws: Even with Donald Trump heading back to the White House, Georgia Republicans are still pushing for more voter restrictions, a pet cause for the party since 2020. This year’s proposals will include requiring paper ballots filled out by hand and ending no-excuse absentee voting.

IVF and abortion: Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns is leading the charge to enshrine protections for in vitro fertilization, which is a critical lifeline for many people with fertility issues seeking to have children. State lawmakers were spooked last year when Alabama’s Supreme Court ruled frozen eggs should be treated as children. However, the Georgia House has said there should be “no question” that IVF remain available in the state.

Guns: Members of the Assembly will likely look at some safety measures designed by Republican lawmakers that they say won’t threaten people’s Second Amendment rights. Those solutions could look like, say, tax incentives for gun owners who purchase safe storage equipment or take gun safety classes.

Transgender rights: Georgia’s LGBTQ communities are bracing for what one advocacy leader predicts will be a “rough” legislative session. Top lawmakers in the Assembly have indicated they’ll keep pushing for restrictions on transgender girls and women in sports. Transgender people and allies across the state are worried leaning on these “culture war” issues could encourage discrimination and endanger trans folks.

Budget: It’s not the most fascinating topic, but we do need to decide how our money is spent. Gov. Kemp will reveal his proposed fiscal year 2026 budget this month. Items that are top of mind: Hurricane Helene relief, child tax credits and a proposed $1 billion for income tax refunds.

There’s so much more to cover, from education to environmental issues. Our politics team has a full rundown. Also, remember: You are a part of this, too! It’s your right to be able to contact your local lawmakers, review bills that are on the table and make your voice heard.

🔎 How? So glad you asked. It’s all right here in a handy guide.

Not signed up yet? What’re you waiting for? Get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning. And keep scrolling for more news.

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DON’T CALL IT ANOTHER SNOWPOCALYPSE

Credit: J. Scott Trubey/AJC

Credit: J. Scott Trubey/AJC

Well, good thing we all prepared for snow, because we got it. Metro Atlanta was blanketed with 2 inches, and other areas got up to 3.5 inches on Friday. That’s the most snow we’ve gotten since January 2018. Things are looking better now: Warmer temps and clear skies have given things a good melt, and that will continue today with highs in the metro area approaching 50 degrees and snow-busting sunshine predicted throughout the week. At one point, Georgia Power reported a staggering 80,000 customers without power over the weekend. Luckily, that number dwindled to the low hundreds by Sunday evening. Still, it never hurts to be careful — keep an eye out for stray patches of black ice on the roads.

As it happens, severe weather is also on the docket for the General Assembly. Some lawmakers want to make changes to help us keep prepared for the next freeze. These could include hiring a chief resilience officer for severe weather and updating the state’s outdated 911 system.

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WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

🏛️ All week: Many of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks are set for Senate hearings this week as the nominations process officially begins. Here’s the schedule so far.

🌕 Monday: Today is the first full moon of the year, if you’re into that sort of thing. Set some intentions and ponder the cycles of the universe, or use it as an excuse to act a fool knowing you have something to blame it on.

Did you know? January’s full moon is called the Wolf Moon. No, no one really knows why. Also, wolves don’t actually howl at the moon. Well, they do, because they’re nocturnal and the moon is generally up there at night. But prevailing scientific wisdom holds there’s no actual link between the moon and their moods.

📺 Wednesday: President Joe Biden will deliver a prime-time farewell address to the nation days before Trump’s inauguration.

📱 Friday: Get your TikTok fix in this weekend. Unless the Supreme Court makes a move (unlikely) or the company is sold, the United States ban on TikTok will go into effect Monday, Jan. 19. The impending ban has TikTok creators stressing out, since the source of their livelihood could disappear in a matter of days.

⚽ Also this week: Despite snow delays, Atlanta United will start its preseason training sessions under the leadership of new head coach Ronny Delia. The Norwegian manager has had success with teams in Europe and the U.S., and he tells the AJC he has a clear vision for the future of the club. Atlanta United President Garth Lagerwey put it this way: “I want Ronny to be Ronny, meaning he is a proven winner, right?”

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NEWS BITES

Earth recorded its hottest year ever in 2024, breaching an ominous threshold

This would hit harder if we didn’t just get dumped with snow.

Ohio State and Notre Dame will head to Atlanta for the College Football Playoff Game

And we’ll promise to be nice to them, right? Right.

Rapper Jeezy held an impromptu snowman contest, and ATL delivered

People are so creative, I swear!

A marathoner’s hacks to help you enjoy running

Step 1: Become a completely different person who doesn’t hate running

A fond farewell from the Gridlock Guy to the iconic WSB Skycopter, which took its last flight Dec. 30

Good night, sweet prince: And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!

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ON THIS DATE

Jan. 13, 1982

Come, let us journey back to 1982, when a major winter storm dumped snow on the city for three entire days from Jan. 12 to Jan. 14. Snow Jam ’82 stranded thousands around Atlanta and turned the highways into parking lots (sound familiar?). But, as it always does, Southern hospitality prevailed: The AJC has great vintage photos of motorists helping push cars along the road, and aid workers offering food, shelter and warmth to those stuck out in the cold. Also, Snow Jam is a way cooler name than Snowpocalypse.

Credit: The Atlanta Journal

Credit: The Atlanta Journal

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

Credit: Kathryn Skeean/AP

Credit: Kathryn Skeean/AP

The looming plastic spirit of Uga (upper left) is pleased. The Georgia Bulldogs topped No. 17 Oklahoma over the weekend, making a strong case for their first NCAA basketball ranking since 2011. The AP’s Kathryn Skeean was on the scene.

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ONE MORE THING

Have any questions for me as we begin this new era of A.M. ATL? Any of you remember me from my days at CNN’s 5 Things? Drop me a line at aj.willingham@ajc.com. Let’s get this party started!

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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Until next time!