For the last quarter-century, the grand finale of the 40-day legislative session has fit a predictable pattern.
Lawmakers bicker, feud and fight over dozens of measures up to — and often through — a midnight deadline. Known procrastinators, they save their most committed work for the very last hour.
Not this year. Just as House legislators were hunkering down around 9 p.m. for what they assumed would be several hours more of floor debate, Senate leaders stunned the Capitol by abruptly calling it a night — leaving dozens of pending bills in limbo.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, the Republican president of the Senate, was plainspoken over his decision to call it quits.
“We got all our priorities done,” he said, adding: “There’s no need to stay here until midnight.”
The move caught House leaders off guard — and left consequential proposals unresolved until next year, if ever.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
An overhaul of election laws didn’t make the cut. Neither did a ban on school speed cameras, limits on promoting diversity in schools or new transgender restrictions. And a stalled Jones-backed push to review regulations died in the crossfire.
‘No bad blood here’
At first, furious House leaders vented in frustration.
“We’re working for the people of Georgia. You can go home if you want to,” House Speaker Jon Burns said. “The other side can adjourn, but this House is going to attend to the people’s business because this is the people’s House.”
But eventually, the House gaveled out, too, with lawmakers tossing papers in the air at 10:37 p.m. And many left parting shots for their colleagues across the hall — including Jones, who is expected to soon announce a bid for governor.
“It’s a shame what the Senate just did,” said Republican state Rep. Trey Kelley of Cedartown. “I guess they couldn’t wait two hours to hit the campaign trail. They may need it.”
In an interview, Burns was equally cutting.
“I just think it shows that the House is focused on its priorities and getting the job done, and we’re not worried about moving on to some higher office.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Jones insisted there were no hard feelings.
“No bad blood here. You know, I’ve been saying all day we’re going to adjourn early, and I made it pretty clear I don’t tell the House how to run their chamber, and they don’t tell me how to run mine. So there’s no problem there.”
State Rep. Mark Newton, R-Augusta, was confident about forging a last-minute compromise on a tax credit for gun owners who buy safety devices — until he heard the Senate had gone home for the night. Now he’s shifting his focus to next year.
“We were close and working on an agreement,” he said. “I’m disappointed. I was looking forward to getting it passed, but now I’ll look forward to the second half of the session.”
Longtime Capitol observers were at a loss for words. Spiro Amburn was the top aide to former House Speaker David Ralston and is used to plenty of internal acrimony between the two chambers.
“But I have never seen anything like tonight,” he said, “especially considering that seemingly both chambers were operating in good faith with each other.”
What exactly triggered the standoff was unclear.
Most of the big-ticket items had already cleared both chambers, including a spree of bills inspired by President Donald Trump. Lawmakers also approved a $37.8 billion budget — the only measure they’re constitutionally required to pass. Many of the pending bills faced uphill votes.
Democrats blamed a spiral of base-pleasing measures, including efforts to restrict transgender health care for state prisoners, ramp up pressure and pave the way for Trump to recoup legal fees from Fulton County’s election-interference case.
State Sen. David Lucas, a Macon Democrat who has served a half century in the Legislature, has seen plenty of shenanigans under the Gold Dome. But never anything quite like this.
“I guess they just don’t want any more trouble.”
-Staff Writer Patricia Murphy contributed to this report
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