5 questions on the Georgia Legislature’s final day

Georgia’s legislative session stops so suddenly it could use an airbag.

Tonight’s abrupt adjournment — known as Sine Die — is a hard stop for lawmakers. Anything that doesn’t get a vote today will have to wait until 2026.

Georgia lawmakers have had 39 legislative days, spread out over three months, to pass legislation. But political realities often delay decisions until the last moment in a flurry of deal-making where anything can happen.

”There’s no way to describe it unless you’ve been here,” state Rep. Trey Kelley, R-Cedartown, told Greg Bluestein for a story summarizing a final day that looks to be more unpredictable than most.

Dozens of proposals remain in limbo, including the state’s roughly $38 billion operating budget, which is the only thing lawmakers are constitutionally required to pass each year.

Here are five questions before the final gavel falls:

1. How will Georgia schools be allowed to handle race and diversity? House Bill 127 says school districts can’t promote or support diversity, equity and inclusion programs. And it bans colleges from promoting things like “antiracism,” “social justice “and “neopronouns.” It still needs a vote in the House.

2. Will Georgia lawmakers shroud themselves in secrecy? Senate Bill 12 says if a state agency emails a lawmaker, that message can’t be released to the public. It would also limit what police reports are publicly available during an investigation. The bill appeared late Wednesday with no notices and could get a vote in the state House today, the AJC’s David Wickert and Mark Niesse report.

3. Who will decide the fate of speed cameras in school zones? House Bill 225 would ban these cameras. House Bill 651 would regulate them. So far, lawmakers have advanced both. If both bills pass, Gov. Brian Kemp would decide what to do.

4. Will Clarence Thomas get a statue? House Bill 254 would place a statue of Georgia native and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in front of the Nathan Deal Judicial Center. The bill would need to pass the House and Senate today.

5. Will librarians lose legal protections? House Bill 483 would remove a longstanding exemption for librarians, meaning they could be charged with a crime if children come upon sexually explicit or other harmful materials. The bill would allow a defense if they can show they made a “good faith effort” to identify and remove harmful materials.

Things to know

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Good morning! State Rep. Eric Bell, D-Jonesboro, is hosting a Sine Die block party from 1 to 6 p.m. today at Liberty Plaza. Look for live music, food trucks and some celebrity appearances.

Here are four other things to know for today:

Democratic shake-up

Credit: Elijah Nouvelage for the AJC

Credit: Elijah Nouvelage for the AJC

Georgia Democrats are charting a new course after U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams resigned this week as the organization’s chair.

State Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta, the party’s treasurer, is also stepping down from his post — a move seen as a prelude to a potential run for governor.

”I’m excited for DPG to continue building out a strong, statewide party infrastructure and engaging directly with hardworking Georgians — listening to their concerns and delivering real solutions,” he told us.

The party will hold elections on May 3 to fill both leadership posts, with a major fundraiser planned later that month. There are plans in the works for several in-person regional candidate forums before the election.

“We’re wasting no time filling these vacancies because the stakes couldn’t be higher,” said interim chair Matthew Wilson, “and every Georgian sick and tired of being sick and tired will be working together to defeat Republicans in 2026.”

Candidates are already lining up for the top job. Charlie Bailey, who was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022 and attorney general in 2018, is launching his campaign today with a slew of endorsements.

Among them: U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta; Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens; Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis; former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and former Gov. Roy Barnes. He also locked up support from a few dozen State Committee members.

”As your next DPG Chair, I’ll ensure our party keeps its fundamental promise to every Georgian: we will stand up and fight for you,” Bailey said. “I will stop at nothing to make the Democratic Party of Georgia the strongest it’s ever been.”

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

State Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes of Duluth will also announce her campaign this morning, saying the party needs to back U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and other Democrats “who will fight for working families and the middle class up and down the ballot.”

”We won in 2020 and 2022 by energizing our base and appealing to new voters, and we can do it again,” she said. “I’m running to be the next chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia because I know how to win close elections, and I’m not afraid of a tough fight.”

Tit for tat

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Tariffs might not be the only thing the Trump administration is using to retaliate against what he says are unfair practices by foreign countries.

During David Perdue’s confirmation hearing to be the U.S. ambassador to China, the former Georgia U.S. senator was asked how the administration would respond to unequal treatment of American diplomats.

While Chinese diplomats can move freely in the U.S., American diplomats have restricted travel in China. Perdue, a former Fortune 500 executive who has extensive experience in China, said “President Trump is all over that.”

”The starting conversation with trade, there are going to be many others,” Perdue said. “The treatment of how we treat their foreign service personnel in the United States versus how they treat ours in China is a big one.”

As Tia Mitchell reports, Perdue had a mostly warm reception from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he was a member before losing his Senate seat in 2021 to Democrat Jon Ossoff.

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Water projects

Credit: Stephen B. Morton/Georgia Port Authority

Credit: Stephen B. Morton/Georgia Port Authority

Georgia’s entire congressional delegation have signed a letter encouraging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize funding for the ports in Savannah and Brunswick.

Republican U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter of St. Simons Island and Mike Collins of Jackson took the lead on collecting all the signatures on the letter, which mentions projects like the deepening of the Savannah Harbor and maintenance at both ports.

”We urge you take advantage of available FY2025 discretionary funding to deliver safe and reliable harbors for Georgia and the nation, as these critical projects are worthy of prioritization and your full and immediate attention,” the letter says. “Our offices and the Georgia Ports Authority remain eager to assist your team and provide the necessary support to achieve this shared goal.”

The port authority said that March was the busiest month ever recorded at the port in Savannah with 534,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units passing through. That’s an increase of 22.5% compared to the same month a year prior.

Canceled

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Democrats on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee had circled the date on their calendar when Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins was scheduled to come before the committee. But now, his appearance has been canceled.

The oversight hearing scheduled for Wednesday is still listed on the committee’s website. But Democrats on the committee said they were told Collins no longer plans to appear.

A separate hearing featuring Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was also scuttled. Both Cabinet officials were bound to have faced tough questions from Democrats about the Department of Government Efficiency-related layoffs and cutbacks in their agencies.

Top-ranking Democrats on Appropriations, including Georgia Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop of Albany, released a statement Thursday asking for both hearings to be rescheduled.

”At a time when unchecked billionaire Elon Musk and President Trump are dismantling government, we are disappointed that next week’s Secretary-level hearings have been cancelled,” the statement said. “We urge the administration to notify the Committee by the end of next week of new dates when the witnesses are available. Secretaries must appear before the Committee so that Congress can exercise its oversight authority and power of the purse.”

Today in Washington

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

Happenings:

Shoutouts

Transitions:

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Before you go

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Former state Rep. Calvin Smyre thought he was getting a tree named after him for his long service to the Morehouse School of Medicine. Instead, an education center was dedicated in his honor. Among those in attendance for the ceremony: Gov. Brian Kemp and first lady Marty Kemp as well as Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.