• Unemployment benefits drop from 26 weeks to a sliding scale of between 14 and 20 weeks, depending on the unemployment rate.

• Businesses with more than 100 or more, but fewer than 500 employees must start using a federal work authorization program called E-Verify.

• Parents who apply for the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program must pay for and pass a drug test that would cost at least $17. TANF provides temporary financial help to low-income families with children. Passing the drug test once would be a condition of eligibility to receive benefits.

• Alternative sentencing for criminals with drug or mental health issues. The Judicial Council of Georgia will spend the next several months establishing standards for state drug and mental health courts.

• A bill eliminating the $1 charge for the optional “In God We Trust” decals for car license plates.

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Gabriel Sterling, pictured discussing the state’s new voting machines in January 2020, debunked allegations of fraud in the 2020 election in his role as chief operating officer for the secretary of state's office. (Curtis Compton/AJC 2020)

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A MARTA operator is seen inside the control room of one of the new MARTA trains during the unveiling of these trains on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez