(GEORGIA NEWS NETWORK)
Georgia officials are attempting to redo the Georgia Prison system, making it a priority in the budget. Gov. Brian Kemp is proposing $600 million in new spending on the state’s prisons, including plans for a new correctional facility, extensive renovations, and pay raises. The state is grappling with a range of issues in its prisons, such as increased prisoner deaths, high employee turnover, and contraband problems.
*The Laken Riley Act, named after a nursing student murdered in last February on the campus of the University of Georgia, passed the U.S. House by a vote of 264-159. The bill, sponsored by Georgia congressman Mike Collins (R-10th District), mandates that federal officials detain undocumented immigrants involved in theft-related crimes until removal from the U.S. It also allows states to take civil action against federal officials for failing to enforce immigration laws and enables state attorneys general to sue the Secretary of Homeland Security for enforcement failures. The bill passed the House last year but died in the Senate.
*Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene says she plans to introduce legislation in the U.S. House that would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Greene did so Tuesday afternoon after President-elect Donald Trump suggested changing the name during a news conference earlier in the day.
*Amazon plans to spend at least eleven billion dollars on new data center capacity in Georgia. It’s in response to the large and growing demand in computing power with the increase in generative artificial intelligence. Amazon Web Services says it will make the investments at Amazon facilities in Butts and Douglas counties
.