...D-Atlanta, on to the full Senate. Mr. Fort has tried to revive the law every...the underlying crime. Last year, Mr. Fort's bill never made it to the Senate...a bipartisan affirmative vote," Mr. Fort said. "This isn't a Republican...

...added that courts have allowed private schools to also discriminate on the basis of religion, sex and disability. And Mr. Fort, a college professor, also objected to a provision in the bill that would not require teachers to be certified as long...

...tell lawmakers that the addition was Mr. Fort's hate-crimes bill, a measure...support in the past in both chambers. Mr. Fort said he was "flabbergasted" that...legislation," Mr. Fleming said of Mr. Fort's proposal. "That's not the...

...pop and some dope candy?" asked Mr. Fort, who announced his bill Thursday...before. "That's ridiculous." Mr. Fort's bill, which was co-signed...sell a drug-induced lifestyle." Mr. Fort and Mr. Boazman were joined in the...

...revise the law, and that's what we intend to do," Mr. Fort said. But it could be an even tougher fight now than...unconstitutional. It passed the Senate by just one vote. Mr. Fort said he believes another hate crimes bill will pass the...

...prisoners from returning to crime. "We need to explain to the public that we're being penny-wise and pound-foolish," Mr. Fort said. The budget cuts aren't final. Gov. Sonny Perdue will propose a state budget by January, and state lawmakers...

...working long, arduous hours and still living below the poverty level," she said. "We've got to make work pay." But Mr. Fort and Senate majority leader Charles Walker, who attended Thursday's meeting, said it would be a tough issue to pass...

...pushing legislation for two years to outlaw or regulate the practice that he says targets retirees and low-income people. Mr. Fort has been frustrated in his efforts, though this year could be different because Gov. Roy Barnes has announced plans...

...endorse a bill introduced last year by Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta. The Senate passed a watered-down version of Mr. Fort's bill last March, but it died in the House under intense lobbying by bankers who argued it would hamstring their ability...

...Vincent Fort, the author of the bill. Mr. Fort, an Atlanta Democrat, said that...worry inclusion of the restrictions Mr. Fort wants would discourage investors from making money available in Georgia. Mr. Fort introduced several homeowners who...