I took a trip to the state Capitol last week to observe the Georgia General Assembly in action — and get a feel for the show under the Gold Dome.
When you walk into the Capitol on a day when the Legislature is in session — and it’s in session for just 40 days each year by law — you can be a little taken aback by the atmosphere.
In a grand and historic government building where Georgia’s leaders conduct the crucial business of one of the nation’s most important states, you pull open the heavy door expecting to enter a somber air of serious statesmanship.
Then the guy dressed up in a theme-park-style fish suit walks by. Busloads of school kids line up on their tours. Adult tourists mill about. Music blares. And a two-headed calf stares at you from a display case.
It might seem a little more like you’re at the county fair.
Such is the world of our Georgia Legislature.
I quickly learned that you can tell the players by their identification badges. Members of the Senate wear blue badges. Members of the House, beige. Staff members, gold. And, of course, lobbyists have their own badges, too — white with red trim.
The crowd of lobbyists is huge and hard to even push through as you navigate to the different chambers.
At the doors of the separate House and Senate chambers, you must have the right badge to get in.
(The guy in the fish suit, by the way, was apparently part of the state’s “Tourism and Hospitality Day,” intended to promote tourism in the state. He didn’t have a badge, but that doesn’t make it safe to assume he wasn’t a lobbyist.)
Of course the media is part of the show too, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. And there’s no place where we make a bigger staff commitment than under the Gold Dome and numerous state agencies. After all, someone has to sort through all of the commotion and let you know what our lawmakers are up to — because it’s not always easy to see.
Our team of journalists who cover the General Assembly and state government (some cover other issues when the legislature is not in session):
● “Political Insider” Jim Galloway, our veteran who devotes himself to telling the “real” stories behind the politics and legislative maneuvering.
● Aaron Gould Sheinin, who covers the governor. You’ll also see his byline on election stories as we approach the Georgia primary on March 6.
● Kristina Torres, who covers the state Senate.
● Christopher Quinn, who covers the state House of Representatives.
● Laura Diamond, who covers the state’s budget and higher education.
● Chris Joyner, who covers lobbyists and does “watchdog” stories.
● James Salzer, who’s a “watchdog” reporter.
● Ariel Hart, who covers transportation.
● Jeremy Redmon, who covers immigration issues.
● Carrie Teegardin, who covers health care issues.
● Nancy Badertscher, who covers education.
● Bill Rankin, who covers legal and judiciary issues.
● Janel Davis and April Hunt, who cover local government issues.
● Kristi Swartz, who covers business issues.
● Photographer Jason Getz, who provides regular images for all topics.
Leading this crowd is state government and politics editor Susan Abramson, who gets help from other editors.
We know you have big expectations of us when it comes to informing you of what your government is doing. The legislators, after all, work for you.
“Covering the Legislature is one of the most fundamentally important things we do,” said Abramson. “That’s reflected in the talent and energy we put into our operation there.”
Our goals? Tell you about the development of the laws that will affect you and provide you with the information you need to evaluate lawmakers and other state leaders.
“We also give readers the tools they need to get involved,” said Abramson. “Our legislative preview section told readers how to look up bills, identify and contact their lawmakers, even how to speak up at hearings on issues that matter to them. It’s good information that is still available on AJC.com.”
Spending time with our folks at the Capitol let me see how astutely they observe the Legislature — and how they recognize important action amid the bluster.
Our folks knew that as House members milled about, chatting with one another, they would soon be voting on House Bill 713, which delays for one year a mandate that students start choosing a career path by ninth grade.
Moments later House Speaker David Ralston banged his gavel, the House quieted and passed its bill, which affects thousands of the state’s students.
We were also keeping our eye on an ethics proposal, and our folks predicted it would go nowhere the day I visited. It didn’t.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will be at the Legislature’s session for each of its 40 days and beyond. If lawmakers get back to that ethics bill, or whenever something important happens, we’ll let you know.
Join The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Editor Kevin Riley on Facebook to get inside access and an insider’s view. Visit
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