The Georgia Legislature hurtled toward the final day of this year’s legislative session late Monday night after putting the finishing touches on a handful of closely watched measures. But they also left many others awaiting a final vote.
Among the high-profile bills still up in the air after Monday’s marathon session:
Sports betting. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said this month he wanted lawmakers to render a “verdict” on the first major expansion of gambling in decades, but the jury is still out on sports betting.
The Senate’s GOP caucus doesn’t have enough votes to adopt the measure on its own, since there is staunch opposition from some in the party’s most conservative wing.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
And Democrats have locked down to oppose the measure, in part to protest the Legislature’s passage of a measure that limits health care treatments for transgender children. Jones’ office isn’t happy.
“Democrats like to talk about the lack of funding for education in our state,” said Jones aide Ines Owens. “But when they get the opportunity to support an actual funding increase, they lock down against it. The irony is rich.”
School vouchers. The Georgia House last week failed to pass a measure that would provide $6,500 per student vouchers for private school tuition and home schooling expenses.
A similar proposal went down in flames last year after a national advocacy group targeted House Republicans, angering then-Speaker David Ralston. But this year it has new traction.
The Senate voted narrowly to adopt the vouchers along party lines earlier this month. Now that Gov. Brian Kemp has put his unequivocal support behind the proposal, it’s back in the House for consideration.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Mental health care. The second phase of a major expansion of mental health care remained stalled amid House-Senate infighting.
It’s hard to tell whether House Bill 520 will reach a vote, whether portions of the measure will survive in separate legislation or if it will all fall apart completely.
Previously, Jones’ office objected to the measure’s $71 million fiscal note and called it a limited Medicaid expansion.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Antisemitism. A Georgia Senate committee revived a measure last week that would include antisemitism as part of the state’s hate crimes law, but it still hasn’t reached a vote in either chamber.
But supporters are confident that it still has life — and that Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and House Speaker Jon Burns will shepherd it to a vote on Wednesday.
The budget. The House and Senate agree on the vast majority of the $32.4 billion budget for the upcoming year.
But by state Sen. Blake Tillery’s unusually precise accounting from a few days ago, they have yet to come to terms on about 16% of the bill.
Some of the sticking points involve a $105 million funding cut for the state Board of Regents, added by the Senate to rebuke a potential deal with Wellstar Health System, and a 26% cut to Georgia Public Broadcasting.
With just a day left, a deal seems to be in the offing.
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Credit: Casey Sykes for the AJC
Credit: Casey Sykes for the AJC
UNDER THE GOLD DOME:
- The House and Senate are in recess today ahead of Day 40 and Sine Die tomorrow. Even out of session, members will be working behind the scenes to find a way to pass their last-minute priorities.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. A number of GOP priorities did make it across the finish line Monday night.
- Senate Bill 92 to create a state commission over local prosecutors passed the House Monday and is headed to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk for his signature.
- Senate Bill 93, state Sen. Jason Anavitarte’s measure to ban TikTok from state devices, won final approval Monday.
- After a heated debate, the House gave final approval to a measure requiring cities to enforce local bans on public encampments for people without homes.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO? Some of the most controversial bills this session have gone nowhere.
Tops on our list of whatever-happened-to bills is Senate Bill 69, the measure that would place a statue of Justice Clarence Thomas on state Capitol grounds. Although that bill quickly passed the Senate, it was never considered in the House.
Sponsors of the latest “religious liberty” revival effort have promised to bring it back, but it got little traction this year.
And House Bill 404, the Safe at Home Act to require minimum renter protections for tenants in Georgia, is still waiting for Senate action.
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Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
‘SURPRISE OVERSIGHT.’ As one of the nation’s largest gun stores, Adventure Outdoors is a favorite GOP campaign stop.
Gov. Brian Kemp and failed Senate hopeful Herschel Walker held their sole joint event at the massive Smyrna outpost last year. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has a visit there scheduled for Thursday.
But the firearms superstore was a staging ground for a different event on Monday when a quartet of U.S. House Republicans gathered outside its front door to criticize a recent inspection by federal agents. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones soon followed with a call for an investigation.
Eric Wallace, the store’s manager, told the Marietta Daily Journal that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began a surprise inspection of the store on Friday and by Monday 16 agents were on site. Alarmed at the size of the group, he said he called U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, since previous inspections have been conducted by eight or so agents.
A spokesman for the ATF told us that the agency inspects firearms stores daily to verify they’re complying with federal laws.
“There were almost 7,000 compliance inspections completed by ATF in Fiscal Year 2022,” the agency said in a statement, adding that it won’t discuss the details of any active inspection.
Footage captured by conservative outlets showed Loudermilk and U.S. Reps. Mike Collins, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Rich McCormick questioning an ATF official near the gun store.
The unnamed official told the lawmakers the agents were trying to ensure the store is “in compliance.”
“This is a random,” said the official, who was wearing an ATF jacket. “This is nothing out of whack or out of nature.”
“This is not a new business,” Greene responded, adding: “This a flagship type of business. These owners, they basically have set the standard.”
So how did the lawmakers find out about the inspection? Collins tweeted that they were alerted to a “surprise ATF visit” and decided to “conduct some surprise oversight.”
In a group interview with Right Side Broadcasting inside the store later, Greene said that Loudermilk had contacted the other three lawmakers to join him at the store when he heard about ATF agents on the premises.
McCormick said the proximity of the ATF inspection to DeSantis’ visit seemed like government intimidation. “That’s kind of suspicious,” he said.
Loudermilk added that congressional oversight can happen anywhere, anytime, and it’s even better when that’s away from Capitol Hill. “That’s our role,” he said.
“And we write the checks,” said Greene.
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STATE OF DISASTER. Gov. Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp, and GEMA Director Chris Stallings will travel today to Milledgeville to tour damage caused by dangerous storms over the weekend.
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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
STATE OF THE CITY. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens will deliver his annual address on city progress today. In order to make the trip to Milledgeville to tour storm damage, Gov. Brian Kemp is no longer scheduled to attend Dickens’ speech.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The U.S. House will begin work on legislation intended to reduce U.S. energy prices by increasing oil and gas production.
- U.S. Reps. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, and Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, will introduce legislation to create a tuition program for students enrolled in flight school.
- The U.S. Senate will continue working on a bill to revoke the 20-year-old authorizations for use of military force against Iraq.
- The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing on the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
- President Joe Biden will travel to Durham, North Carolina, to deliver a speech on his economic agenda.
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Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
QUOTE OF THE DAY. “Spank it, give it a pacifier, and put it to bed!” State Rep. Al Williams, D-Midway, standing to object to a bill sponsored by J Collins, the Republican of Villa Rica, and proving our theory that the longer the days, the more colorful the language at the state Capitol.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. Every dog has his day, and this one definitely belongs to Chipper Kelley, the seven-month old English springer spaniel of state Rep. Trey Kelley, R-Cedartown.
The plump-pawed puppy is, of course, named for legendary Braves third baseman Chipper Jones. When he’s not playing ball at home, the pooch can be found relaxing at Kelley’s Cedartown law office or playing with other lawmakers’ dogs in Atlanta. One day left, Chipper!
Send us your pups of any political persuasion — and cats, on a cat-by-cat basis — to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us on Twitter @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
