Constitutional carry since 2022. No AWB, no mag limit, strong preemption. Stand-your-ground codified. Suppressors legal. No waiting period, no red-flag law.

CBD-only (low-THC oil) program. No medical cannabis flower, no decriminalization at state level (Atlanta and a few cities only). Long sentences for possession; no automatic expungement; no psychedelic reform; harm reduction limited.

State minimum wage $7.25/hr (state law $5.15 superseded by federal $7.25). MIT living wage for 1 adult: $15.99/hr. Ratio 0.45 — minimum-wage workers earn 45% of what's needed to live there alone.

Moderate tax burden, NAEP scores near national average, mid-pack infrastructure (C range). Reasonable services for the dollar but no standout efficiency or outcome story.

IJ grades GA D+ (low burden, profit incentive, heavy equitable-sharing). No QI reform. No-knock allowed (Cornelius Frederick / Kathryn Johnston legacy). No statewide body cam mandate. No comprehensive privacy law. HB 87 (2011) and SB 269 mandate ICE cooperation. Heavy gang database use.

SB 202 (2021) restricted mail voting, drop boxes, and food/water at polling lines. Early voting 17 days (one positive). No same-day registration. Strict photo ID. Massive voter purges (Kemp era). Felons must complete entire sentence including probation/parole. Aggressive partisan gerrymander upheld despite VRA claims. Polling closures concentrated in metro Atlanta and rural Black counties.

Partial Medicaid expansion only (Pathways with work requirement, extended through 2026). 6-week abortion ban (LIFE Act). Trans youth gender-affirming care ban (SB 140). Uninsured rate among highest. Severe rural hospital closures. Maternal mortality elevated, especially for Black women.

No qualified immunity reform. No statewide BWC mandate. Personnel records public under Open Records Act in theory but heavily redacted. POST decertification with public database. No no-knock ban. No necessity standard. Local DAs handle police shootings (GBI investigates but DA charges). Chokeholds restricted by some agencies only.

6-week abortion ban (LIFE Act). No statewide LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination. Gender-affirming care ban for minors. RFRA-style religious exemption. School chaplain law signed 2024. IVF protection bill HB 428 (2025) is a positive. Active Christian-nationalist legislative pressure though courts blocked some measures.

Right-to-work state. No paid family leave. No paid sick leave (state preempts locals). Federal OSHA only. Prevailing wage prohibited. Very weak wage theft enforcement. Above-median fatal injury rate. No heat, domestic worker, or scheduling protections.