GNB Update

It's Wednesday...Hope your mid-week went well...And now the news...

Georgia moved one step closer towards making food safer for consumers earlier today. The state House unaminously passed legislation requiring food manufacturers to notify inspectors within 24 hours if their products is tainted. That move comes in the wake of the recent salmonella outbreak that led to the Peanut Corporation of America closing its Blakely plant, and filing for bankruptcy. Lawmakers introduced the proposal after the salmonella outbreak was linked to the southwest Georgia facility. If passed, Georgia would become the first state in the nation to enact such safety measures. So far, the outbreak has sickened nearly 700 people nationwide.

First it was on, now it's not.

That was what happened to proposed legislation which could have consolidated two local governments in southwest Georgia. But the Albany Herald reports that the legislative delegation in Albany/Dougherty County was caught off guard by state Representative Ed Rynders' proposal to merge both the city and county governments there. SWGA Politics weighs in on the consolidation issue here.

Even in tough economic times, there's still HOPE for high-achieving high school students in Georgia. That's the message lawmakers sent to them earlier today, as they passed legislation that would change the award-reductions for the HOPE scholarship. The state Senate passed the bill by a huge 47-2 margin, and now awaits Governor Sonny Perdue's signature.

That wraps up the news for Wednesday. Remember to visit georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com for all-things news in Georgia 24/7. Have a good evening.