Top issues to watch on Crossover Day

Between the time the Legislature convened on Jan. 11 through 9 a.m. Friday, 263 bills had passed the House and 183 had passed the Senate. Friday, the 30th legislative day, better known as Crossover Day, was for the 1,000 bills still pending in one chamber or the other.

Here's a look at how the top issues fared by 11 p.m. on the deadline day:

Ethics

The top ethics measure of the year has already passed the Senate, which made it safe from crossover deadlines. But other ethics-related bills had to move or die Friday.

• HR 1087 calls for a constitutional amendment to bar delinquent taxpayers from holding public office. It also would require candidates, upon request of the State Ethics Commission, to release confidential tax information to that agency. Friday action: Defeated in the House.

• HB 911 would allow the State Ethics Commission to investigate, upon written complaint, an elected official's failure to file or pay taxes. Friday action: No action by press time.

• HB 1166 would make it illegal for the state insurance commissioner to accept campaign contributions from executives of companies regulated by his office. Friday action: No action by press time.

Transportation

• HB 1218 is Gov. Sonny Perdue's proposal to raise funds for transportation. It would divide the state into 12 regions, and each region would hold a referendum on a penny sales tax for a list of transportation projects within the region. Friday action: No action by press time.

• The state Senate voted 32-19 to provide for the recall of a state Transportation Board member. The bill, SB 505, originally would have limited a DOT board member to one term, but senators said they had been persuaded that that could lead to a loss of experience and knowledge on the board. Friday action: Passed Senate, headed to the House.

Education

• SB 496 would expand the HOPE scholarship to include a small, needs-based category for low-income college students. Academic performance would play no role in the awarding of the grant. Friday action: Passed Senate, headed to the House.

• HB 1121 would make it a misdemeanor to tamper with a state assessment, a measure springing out of the recent scandals involving the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests. Friday action: No action by press time.

• HB 897 is one of three measures in the House and Senate designed to criminalize sexual contact between teachers and students who are above the age of consent. Sponsors say they want to close a loophole created by a Georgia Supreme Court ruling last year. Friday action: No action by press time.

Taxes/fees/spending

• HB 1023 would provide tax credits and cuts and incentives to create, expand and attract new business. Friday action: Passed the House, headed to the Senate.

• HB 307 is the governor's plan to impose a hospital tax to help fill a $600 million gap in Medicaid funding. The 1.45 percent tax on patient revenue could raise about $169 million. Friday action: Passed House, headed to the Senate.