House floor debut of transportation funding bill delayed

The Senate will convene at 9 a.m. and the House at 10 a.m. today.

In the House, what's most notable might be what is not on the calendar. The transportation bill, H.B. 170, was voted out of the Transportation Committee on Wednesday afternoon and was expected to come to the full House for a vote today.

But it did not make the list of bills up for debate, which suggests that supporters are still in search of votes. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Jay Roberts, R-Ocilla, hinted as much during Thursday's Rules committee meeting when he acknowledged that colleagues are still pushing for changes.

Still, it could get added this morning. Stranger things have happened.

The House is set to take up a number of lower-profile bills, including H.B. 160, which would make it legal to trap raccoons in north Georgia.

The Senate will take up S.B. 72, or "Tanja's Law," which would increase the punishment for crimes committed against police dogs while they are working. The bill originally would have made the killing of a police dog the equivalent of second degree murder, but it has been reined in – and now applies to police horses, too.

Also on the calendar is S.B. 4, which would provide for public contracts with private enterprises for the completion of surface transportation projects. The bill's sponsor, Steve Gooch, R-Dahlonega, has said the bill is intended to help the Beltline.

The Legislature returns on Monday.