ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to a trio of measures that would expand access to contraceptives, bar nondisclosure agreements in settlements involving childhood sexual abuse, and require cash purchases to be rounded to the nearest nickel as pennies fade from circulation.

ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers set up the possibility of a swift conversion to hand-marked paper ballots this year when they failed to pass a bill early Friday morning that would have gradually replaced the state’s touchscreen voting system.

ATLANTA — Georgia House and Senate Republicans with competing agendas managed to push through income and property tax cuts as the curtain closed on the 2026 Georgia legislation session after midnight Friday.

ATLANTA — After watching high school graduation rates soar despite poor reading skills documented in tests, Georgia lawmakers have approved sending tens of millions of dollars to elementary schools to boost literacy rates.

ATLANTA — A bill that honors conservative activist Charlie Kirk and protects students’ political speech won final approval from the Georgia General Assembly on Tuesday.

ATLANTA (AP) — Over the past three decades, the collection of DNA from convicted criminals has become standard in the U.S. justice system, and many states now also swab people arrested for serious crimes.

ATLANTA — A proposal for a quick switch to hand-marked paper ballots cleared the Georgia Senate on Friday, an idea that election officials say would disrupt this year’s elections.

ATLANTA — Now that the government isn’t making pennies anymore, Georgia lawmakers are planning to round cash transactions to the nearest nickel. The penny proposal makes sense, said Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome.

ATLANTA — Cellphones will be banned in Georgia public high schools starting in the 2027-28 school year, if Gov. Brian Kemp signs House Bill 1009 into law. The state Senate passed the measure unanimously earlier this week.

ATLANTA — The Georgia House voted this week to impose tougher punishments on protesters who block streets, approving the bill over objections from legislators who said it infringes on free speech rights.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia could become the first state to require every student to be checked for weapons when arriving at a public school each day. A bill is nearing passage that would require weapons detection systems in response to a 2024 school shooting that left four dead.

ATLANTA — In the 11 years since Georgia’s medical marijuana program started, patients have been restricted to low-potency oils. The Georgia General Assembly gave final approval to a bill Monday that would change that.

ATLANTA — Anyone who is still groggy from, and maybe a little bit resentful about, the time change earlier this month, might find solace in the Georgia Senate’s action Monday. The chamber gutted a bill about ambulances and replaced it with language that would effectively do away with daylight saving time.

ATLANTA (AP) — Burt Jones seemed like the inevitable Republican nominee for governor in Georgia. He is the current lieutenant governor, he has lots of family money, and perhaps most importantly, he has President Donald Trump's endorsement. But that certainty crumbled after health care tycoon Rick Jackson unexpectedly cannonballed into the race in February, dumping more than $30 million of his money into television ads.

ATLANTA — Drivers will soon find gas to be a little cheaper in Georgia after Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law Friday that immediately suspended the state excise tax on motor fuel to address affordability concerns.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A 31-year-old Georgia woman has been charged with murder by police who say she took pills, including oxycodone, to induce an illegal abortion.

VILLA RICA, Ga. (AP) — Shaquille O'Neal is offering to pay for the funeral of a 12-year-old Georgia girl who died a few days after she collapsed following a fight after school. The former NBA superstar said he doesn't want the family of Jada West to deal with the financial burden of a funeral while grieving for the sixth grader, who died at a hospital on March 8.

ATLANTA — Georgia representatives are moving forward with a bill, inspired by conservative activist Charlie Kirk, that would protect political activities by students in public schools.

ATLANTA — Georgia drivers could soon get a break on rising gas prices under a proposal moving quickly through the General Assembly.

JASPER, Ga. (AP) — There was a shooting Tuesday at a Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in a small town at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains in Georgia, and the gunman was shot and killed, police said.

ATLANTA — Something unusual happened to an anti-fentanyl bill in the Georgia Senate on Monday. Republicans and Democrats listened to each other, amended the bill to target fentanyl traffickers instead of addicts, and then voted unanimously to pass it.

ATLANTA — Georgia taxpayers are getting some of their money back. With a unanimous vote on Monday, the state Senate gave final approval to a bill that will distribute tax rebates worth $250 to individuals and $500 to married couples.

Prosecutors brought three felony charges against Atlanta Falcons player James Pearce Jr. stemming from an incident on Feb. 7 that police referred to as a domestic dispute with WNBA player and ex-girlfriend Rickea Jackson, according to a court document filed Thursday.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — An Army sergeant accused of shooting and wounding five co-workers at a southeast Georgia base last summer is seeking to plead guilty to attempted murder and other charges in a military court, Army prosecutors said Thursday.

ATLANTA — With legislators running for higher office, longtime lawmakers retiring, and many challenges to incumbents, the Georgia General Assembly is set for high turnover after this year’s elections.