From a Tuesday press release sent on behalf of State Rep. Jason Spencer, R-Woodbine, on action affecting his anti-Obamacare legislation: "That eleventh hour betrayal effectively killed the bill, but it could still be brought back to life by an amendment of companion legislation," said Rep. Spencer. "Tomorrow, I will identify the Republican Benedict Arnolds, the King George the Third and his myrmidons who shipwrecked his path breaking, patriotic bill (HB 707) to prevent the federal Leviathan from commandeering the machinery of state government or resources to enforce ill-conceived federal health insurance mandates. A patriot saves his country from his government. HB 707 would have been the first occasion in a century to draw a constitutional line against state complicity in endless federal encroachments."

From AJC legislative news coverage:

State Sen. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody, who supported legislation to begin privatizing foster care, on his worries about how the legislative session would be perceived: "We did nothing for kids, but we passed a gun bill."

State Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford, on defeat of the foster care bill she sponsored: "I know one thing," she said. "I'll be working on this for the next nine months, and I will be back in January with another bill."

State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, on the defeat of medical marijuana legislation he championed: "I'm going to go home to my comfortable life, my comfortable family, my healthy children," Peake said. "These families are going to wake up to a child having 100 seizures a day, so it's frustrating we couldn't come to a resolution."

House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, on the Senate's inaction on the medical cannabis bill: "They have had that opportunity," Ralston said. "I understand they would rather make speeches than take care of Georgia's children."

State Sen. Bill Heath, R-Bremen, on passage of controversial gun legislation: "The House has finally come along for Georgia's gun owner."

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Protestors demonstrate against the war in Gaza and the detention of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil at Emory University in Atlanta on March 20, 2025. The 30-year-old legal U.S. resident was detained by federal immigration agents in March. An Atlanta-based law firm has filed a lawsuit against the federal government arguing it illegally terminated the immigration records of five international students and two alumni from Georgia colleges, including one from Emory University. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com