It would have been cheaper for an Atlanta public hospital to hire employees and pay them full benefits than use state Sen. Charles Walker's temporary workers, witnesses testified Friday.

ATLANTA - A bill that would create a 24-hour waiting period before women could have an abortion cleared a Senate committee Monday, over the objections of Democrats and abortion-rights activists.

It was in 1982 when, overcoming a rocky political start, this young man was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. But Charles Walker's political influence -- and his ability to help his community -- rose after becoming a state senator in 1990.