So long, for now? Georgia lawmakers may return for Amazon-themed special session

Sine Die in the Senate. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM

Sine Die in the Senate. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM

Another legislative session came to another calamitous end early Friday. But it may not be the last time Georgia lawmakers gather under the Gold Dome this year.

Gov. Nathan Deal said earlier this year he'll call lawmakers to a special session later this year if Amazon lists Atlanta as a top finalist for its second headquarters. The Seattle-based tech giant has tabbed Atlanta as one of 20 contenders.

The governor has said Georgia will offer the biggest incentive package in state history to lure the project, which would bring up to 50,000 high-paying jobs and a $5 billion campus. But election-year politics has already complicated the state's Olympics-like chase to seal the deal.

Several candidates for governor and other top-ticket jobs said Georgia should hold the line on the billions of dollars in incentives likely required to lure the Seattle-based tech giant.

And corporate boosters worry a series of legislative votes has crippled the state’s bid.

Lawmakers voted earlier this year to punish Delta Airlines, the state's largest private employer, after it severed ties with the National Rifle Association.

And the Senate defied corporate boosters by voting to let some charities deny adoptions to same-sex couples, a measure that was halted in the House.

Still, state officials and business leaders are hopeful that Amazon is still interested. They could soon find out: The Seattle-based giant is expected to whittle down its list of finalists and then make its pick later this year.