On last day of Georgia legislative session, bills must pass or die
ATLANTA (AP) — The end of Georgia’s two-year legislative session arrived Thursday, the last day for bills to pass both the House and Senate or die as this term ends. Lawmakers will decide questions including whether to legalize sports betting and tighten rules on law enforcement cooperation with immigration officials.
Some key proposals have already passed, including a plan to cut income taxes and a bill that would loosen Georgia’s rules for permitting new health care facilities.
Some others have likely failed, such as a proposal to expand Medicaid health insurance to more lower income adults. Also unlikely to pass was an effort to overhaul Georgia’s tax incentives for movie and television production. The debate was likely to continue deep into the night, even past midnight Friday.
Gov. Brian Kemp will then have 40 days to sign, veto, or allow legislation to become law without his signature after the session ends, and many lawmakers will turn their focus to reelection, with all 56 Senate seats and 180 House seats on the ballot this year.
Here’s a look at some key measures:
PENDING THURSDAY
SPORTS BETTING Senate Bill 386 and Senate Resolution 579 could legalize online sports betting, but only if voters approve a state constitutional amendment in November.
IMMIGRATION: House Bill 1105 would require local law enforcement to help federal agents enforce immigration law, while House Bill 301 would cut off funding and remove elected officials of governments that harbor people who entered the country illegally.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Senate Bill 351 seeks to require social media companies to get parental permission before letting children younger than 16 create accounts. It also bans the use of social media using school computers and internet and creates new anti-bullying rules.
JUDGE PAY: Senate Bill 479 would create guidelines to raise and standardize pay for judges, and might be accompanied by a constitutional amendment, House Resolution 1042.
SCHOOL POLICIES House Bill 1104 would ban transgender girls from playing high school sports with other girls, ban sex education in fifth grade and below and require a system for notifying parents of every item a child obtained in a school library.
ELECTIONS: House Bill 976 would create new rules for challenging voter qualifications, while House Bill 974 would require audits of more than one statewide election and make ballot images public. Senate Bill 189 would require ballot scanners count votes from ballot text or a computer-printed mark and not barcode. House Bill 1207 allows a reduced number of voting machines
OKEFENOKEE MINING: Georgia would paused future permits allowing an expansion of a mine near the Okefenokee Swamp for three years under Senate Bill 132.
LIBRARIES: Senate Bill 390 would ban using public money for dues or programs associated with the American Library Association.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY: Proponents say Senate Bill 180 would protect religious liberty, while opponents say it’s a license to discriminate against LGBTQ+ in the name of religion.
FILM TAX CREDIT: House Bill 1180 would require more use of Georgia-based employees and contractors to get the top 30% income tax credit on film production.
WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS: Senate Bill 429 would create a commission that could recommend that people who are imprisoned and later cleared of wrongdoing be paid at least $60,000 for each year they were imprisoned.
PASSED
PROPERTY TAXES: Future increases in a home’s taxable value could be limited under House Bill 581, while House Resolution 1022 is an accompanying constitutional amendment.
INCOME TAXES: An already-planned state income tax cut would be accelerated under House Bill 1015, giving the state a flat 5.39% income tax rate retroactive to Jan. 1.
CASH BAIL: Senate Bill 63 would require cash bail for 30 additional crimes, including some misdemeanors, and would impose new rules on nonprofit bail funds.
UNION ORGANIZING: Companies receiving state economic incentives would be barred from recognizing labor unions without a secret ballot election under Senate Bill 362.
HEALTH CARE PERMITTING: Some health care facility expansions would be allowed without state permits under House Bill 1339.
FOREIGN-OWNED FARMLAND: Senate Bill 420 would ban agents of China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Russia from owning farmland in Georgia or any land within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of a military base.
WATER RIGHTS: House Bill 1172 would alter law about using Georgia’s waterways for boating, fishing and hunting. Proponents say it balances public use and private property rights.
LAWSUIT LIMITS: Senate Bill 426 would limit the ability to sue an insurance company directly after a truck wreck.
FAILED
MEDICAID: The House and Senate discussed expanding Medicaid health insurance to more lower-income adults, but Republicans instead want to study the issue.
ALREADY LAW
ANTISEMITISM: Kemp in January signed House Bill 30 defining antisemitism for use in hate crimes and anti-discrimination cases. Opponents warn it will be used to censor free speech and equate criticism of Israel to hatred of Jewish people.
PROSECUTOR DISCIPLINE: Senate Bill 332 revived a commission with powers to discipline and remove prosecutors, a move Democrats warn is aimed at Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ prosecution of former President Donald Trump. Kemp signed the bill earlier this month.
