With just seven working days remaining until the Crossover Day deadline (when most bills must pass the House or Senate to stay alive), lawmakers appear to have reached cruising altitude.
The House calendar has 18 bills, eight of which were carried over from Thursday. The biggest are HB 71, which would require greater transparency from the Pardon and Paroles Board, and HB 233, which would revise civil forfeiture laws. Others include HB 18 , which would allow engineers working for aerospace companies that move to Georgia to bypass state registration (an attempt to make Georgia more attractive to space-related business), and HB 192, which would tighten rules governing the use of purchasing cards by local elected officials.
The Senate calendar is shorter. It will take up SB 101, which would provide for coastal marshlands; SB 108, a minor insurance bill; and SB 125, which would authorize the collection of tolls for the management of traffic flow.
One of the biggest dramas of the session has been the fate of HB 170, a bill that aims to raise $1 billion or so for transportation projects. It's set to get a second vote in committee this afternoon (after being sent back for revisions). The bill is expected to pass committee again, but how it will fare on the House floor is an open question.
Also Monday, Moral Monday forces have been fairly quiet so far this session. That could change today at 3 when they plan to demonstrate in support of Medicaid expansion.
One more thing: We've got a new newsletter that will put Georgia political news in your inbox on a regular basis. Sign up here to give it a try:
About the Author
