The hustle and bustle of the legislative session meets a key deadline Thursday, when a bill needs to clear at least one chamber to have the best shot at becoming law. Pictured here is Rep. Bethany Ballard with lobbyists and advocates at the ropes. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Income tax breaks and polarizing issues like a ban on DEI in schools and a proposed statue of controversial jurist Clarence Thomas are among the bills poised for action Thursday.
But there are many other closely watched measures – like sports betting and a plan to compensate those who have been wrongfully convicted – that were left hanging in the House as legislative crunch time descends on the state Capitol.
Thursday is likely to bring a fresh round of bitter debates as GOP lawmakers continue to usher base-pleasing bills to the floor. But with the usual last-minute flood of bills coming, many measures will also likely pass with little drama and maybe even with bipartisan reprieve.
It’s the day when a bill must clear at least one chamber to cross over to the other – hence Crossover Day. That’s not to say a hapless proposal won’t find its way into law, but it would require a fair amount of legislative fancy footwork. Under the Gold Dome, nothing is ever dead until lawmakers gavel out on April 4 this year – and even then bills stay alive for next year.
The Senate Rules Committee set its agenda Wednesday, teeing up a plethora of bills for a vote Thursday. But the House’s gatekeeping panel has only advanced what is expected to be the first round of bills that could make it to the floor for a vote by the critical deadline.
Up next: more red meat in the Senate
The Senate’s calendar for Thursday includes nearly 60 bills, which Rules Committee Chairman Matt Brass said is less than in previous years.
Many are pro forma pieces of legislation not likely to raise anybody’s temper, but a few are bound to spark debate.
“We’ll get started early in the morning and just work as hard as we can and see what we can get finished,” Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, a Dahlonega Republican, told reporters Wednesday.
One of the most controversial bills that could rear its head on Crossover Day could be Senate Bill 120, which would ban K-12 schools and colleges from promoting, supporting or maintaining “any programs or activities that advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
The bill’s author, Tyrone Republican Sen. Marty Harbin told the Recorder the bill will prevent teachers from introducing politics into their lessons.
“I do not think that indoctrination needs to be done,” Harbin said. “We need to be about education. We already have a problem with our grammar schools. They can’t read at grade level. Therefore, we need to do what’s best where they can read, write and reason.”
Minority Leader Harold Jones said Wednesday the DEI bill is the one he is most dreading to see make headway on Crossover Day.
“It’s a divisive bill, one that doesn’t bring us together, and I think that’s the key. We want to solve the problems we have with housing prices, we want to solve the problems of health care in Georgia. Those problems are going to be solved by people working together, not trying to tear people apart, and this kind of bill basically ostracizes half of the state, and that is not right. We’re not going to get anything solved by producing bills like this.”
Northwest Georgia Republican Sen. Colton Moore’s Senate Bill 163 could also spark disagreements.
It would create penalties for local governments that attempt to regulate weapons, including guns, knives and pepper spray. Under it, an aggrieved person who wants to possess a weapon could pursue up to $50,000 in damages if their rights are infringed.
Three bills on the calendar seek to place limits on the ways Georgians can use THC products.
Marietta Republican Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick’s Senate Bill 33 and Athens Republican Sen. Bill Cowsert’s Senate Bill 254 would limit the amount of THC in “consumable hemp products,” while Brass’ Senate Bill 220 revises the state’s low THC oil project.
And Senate Republicans could push through a bill to erect a statue to conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at the Nathan Deal Judicial Center near the Capitol in Atlanta with SB 242. Thomas is one of four Supreme Court justices to hail from Georgia – he calls Pin Point, Georgia home.
Previous attempts to honor Thomas over the last few years did not gain traction in the House, but putting the statue of the judge outside the judicial center could be more palatable to Democrats than building a statue of him at the state Capitol, as senators pushed for in prior attempts.
‘A good start’ for the House
The House is set to potentially begin the day with a pair of bills calling for another round of special tax refunds and to go farther faster with a plan to reduce the state’s income tax rate.
Those bills – House Bill 111 and House Bill 112 – are priorities of Gov. Brian Kemp. Combined, the measures would cost the state about $2 billion. Using a portion of the state’s reserves, the state would refund at least $250 to individual taxpayers, $375 to single adults with dependents and $500 to married couples filing jointly.
House lawmakers will also dig into a bill – HB 579 – that is the product of a committee that did a deep dive into how the state handles professional licensing.
These measures are among the 20 or so bills ready for a vote in the chamber tomorrow, but the House traditionally adds more measures throughout the day on Crossover Day – and House Rules Chairman Butch Parrish signaled that Thursday would be no exception.
“Well, that should get us off to a good start tomorrow,” Parrish said Wednesday.
Unlike their Senate counterparts, House committees were still meeting Wednesday and advancing bills that could find their way onto the House floor Thursday. A plan to legalize and regulate sports betting, for example, sprung to life in the House only recently and was voted out of committee Wednesday afternoon.
Other bills that are likely to emerge Thursday are the compensation resolutions for exonerees who were wrongfully convicted – and another bill that would overhaul the state’s process for awarding compensation when the criminal justice system fails.
There is also a bipartisan proposal that would prevent lyrics from being used against an artist at trial unless certain conditions are met. Prosecutors in Fulton County used rap lyrics as evidence of gang affiliation during the trial of Atlanta rapper Young Thug.
But with more than 100 bills parked at the House Rules Committee, it remains to be seen which favored House proposals will get a chance for a full vote in the chamber Thursday.
One thing is likely though: It will probably be a late night, at least for the House and its 180 members.
“Every year we say we’re going to try and not be here late on Crossover Day, and every year we’re here late on Crossover Day,” said House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, a Columbus Democrat.
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