If the nasty missives the Georgia House and Senate launched at each other near midnight Tuesday are any indication, lawmakers are in for a riot of a final day Thursday.
Sine Die, Latin for “without a day,” signals the last day of the annual legislative session, and the key question facing Georgia legislators is whether the leaders of the two chambers can cool their tempers by the time lawmakers convene at 10 a.m.
Still in the balance are bills that would expand the state’s medical marijuana law, change how campus sexual assault is prosecuted, protect water supplies from fracking, as well as a host of measures dealing with taxes. After working until midnight Tuesday, lawmakers have a choice for their finale: pester and bicker or make deals and pass laws.
Tuesday night, it appeared the former was the choice.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle accused the House of leaving Georgia vulnerable after the House rejected the Senate GOP's plan to strengthen domestic terrorism laws. House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, accused the Senate of having a "hissy fit" and abandoning children in foster care as he led his chamber to a unanimous vote on a the first update of the state's adoption laws in a generation.
By Wednesday at noon, there had been little to no communication between the two chambers. If, however, lawmakers decide to act Thursday, here are the top issues still facing them:
Adoption: In its final business Tuesday, the House voted unanimously just before midnight to again pass an update to the state's adoption law. The House did it by stripping an unrelated Senate Bill 130, with had dealt with juvenile court proceedings, and adding the contents from House Bill 159. That bill was hijacked two weeks earlier in the Senate when a committee added language that would allow state-funded private adoption agencies to refuse to place children with anyone whom it disagrees, including LGBTQ couples. The Senate will get another chance Thursday to act on the newly formed bill.
MORE: Follow all the action on the Legislature's final day with our exclusive bill tracker.
Religious liberty:There was an attempt late Tuesday to use House Bill 257, which involves a proposed mandate for local municipalities to register with the state Department of Community Affairs in order to receive state grants, to attach "religious liberty" legislation. The proposed amendment would require local authorities to follow a mandate set by the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act "regarding government burdens on the free exercise of religion." No vote was taken, but it can be revived Thursday.
Campus sexual assault: The House stripped Senate Bill 71, dealing with health savings accounts, of all its language and substituted the text of the campus rape bill (House Bill 51) instead. Designed to provide better due process protections to those accused of sexual assault at Georgia colleges, it is opposed by rape survivors who have lobbied against the bill almost daily at the state Capitol. The House version is now back before the Senate.
Medical marijuana: Most everyone expects this to go smoothly. The House on Tuesday voted to approve a compromise bill, Senate Bill 16, that would expand the list of disorders that qualify for the state's medical cannabis program. All the Senate has to do is vote to "agree" to the House changes. This bill is expected to be kept out of whatever House-Senate fighting goes on.
Fracking: The key bill from powerful House Rules Committee Chairman John Meadows, R-Calhoun, House Bill 205 would greatly strengthen state regulations on natural gas exploration. The Senate, however, added a new fee structure for landfills, a change to which Meadows objected. The House on Tuesday stripped out the Senate amendment and sent the bill back to the other chamber, which is expected to insist on the amendment and request a conference committee to negotiate a compromise.
Guns: House Bill 280 would allow weapons permit holders to carry concealed weapons on most parts of public college and university campuses. The Senate passed an amended version Tuesday, and the House must now decide whether to agree to those changes or insist on its own version. Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed a similar bill last year.
Others items to watch:
Senate Bill 2: A top priority of Senate GOP leadership dealing with small business regulations. This bill is on the House floor debate calendar.
House Bill 125:Would give tax breaks to yacht owners who spend more than $500,000 on a retrofit, repair or maintenance job.
House Bill 217: A proposed increase to the cap on the state's tax credit for its private school scholarships program from $58 million to $65 million. The Senate version is now back before the House.
House Bill 222: Originally a bill that would make members of the National Guard eligible for HOPE scholarships and grants, it now includes Senate Bill 5, which would set new mandates for Georgia Lottery revenue.
House Bill 329:Would lower and flatten the state income tax rate and require online retailers to charge state sales taxes.
House Bill 340:Would change how used cars and leased cars are taxed.
House Bill 413:Amended in the Senate to include proposed regulations for building petroleum pipelines, language that was also in Senate Bill 191.
House Bill 452: Originally a bill to require the GBI to publish on its website a list of immigrants living illegally in the U.S. who have been released from federal custody in Georgia, it was amended in the House to also create a new state Department of Homeland Security. The Senate version is now back before the House.
House Bill 515: A Republican-backed plan to redraw several state House districts.
READ MORE:Georgia Legislature in final days and real work begins
Legislative session coverage
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the largest team covering the Georgia Legislature. To see more of its legislative coverage, go to http://www.myajc.com/georgia-legislature/. To track particular bills and resolutions, check out the Georgia Legislative Navigator at http://legislativenavigator.myajc.com/. You can also follow the proceedings on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GAPoliticsNews or on Facebook at http://facebook.com/gapoliticsnewsnow.
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