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No formal votes were taken Monday — Crossover Day — on legislation that would allow guns on the state’s public college and university campuses or a bill to permit four “destination” casinos in Georgia. But what did happen that day makes the fate of both measures probably the most certain things about this legislative session.
Gov. Nathan Deal, who likes to say things such as "I don't comment until things are finalized," was free with the comments Monday about the campus carry legislation, House Bill 859.
Deal noted that in 2014, when he signed legislation that vastly expanded where Georgians can legally carry firearms, there were people who worried that some gun-related disaster would happen.
“We heard all the hype that we’re now hearing about campus carry, all the predictions of tragedies,” the governor said.
But nothing happened, Deal said.
“So, therefore, to use those kind of arguments with the campus carry discussion, I think lacks validity,” he said.
Later in the day, HB 859 got an additional push from House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, who issued a statement through his spokesman, Kaleb McMichen, that "the House Republican Caucus remains committed to protecting the interests of responsible gun owners." Ralston urged the Senate to pass the bill.
The Senate has always been the tricky part of the course for HB 859. Back in 2014, when that sweeping gun legislation Deal mentioned became law, the bill originally included a campus carry measure. But the Senate, at the strong urging of university officials, stripped it out. This time, the prospects of campus carry are much better in the Senate, as the head of that chamber, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, indicated during another Monday interview.
Said Cagle, “I look forward to being at the governor’s signing ceremony for the gun bill.”
Casino supporters out of chips for session
While campus carry’s backers got a helping hand, casino supporters had to fold their hand.
House Speaker David Ralston made it clear they would not get a vote on House Resolution 807, which would have asked voters to amend the state constitution to legalize up to four casinos, two of which would have been in metro Atlanta. Supporters had advocated for casino gaming as another revenue stream for Georgia's popular HOPE scholarship program. The sponsor of HR 807, state Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, had proposed sending at least 90 percent of taxes and fees from the casinos to fund the scholarship.
At one point, HR 807 seemed to be on a hot streak. It moved quickly through a House committee and nearly made it to the House floor for a vote the Friday before Crossover Day. But then it drew the dead man’s hand.
Ralston stepped in and sent House lawmakers home for the weekend, instructing them to talk to their constituents.
“I didn’t get a great appetite of what they had heard for a vote,” Ralston said after halting the legislation’s progress, “and I made the judgment based on what I was hearing from members.”
Casino supporters will likely ante up again next year. There’s too much money involved — some of it might even go toward the HOPE scholarship.
In the months leading up to this session, supporters of casinos and horse racing — which is also likely dead for the session — plowed more than $200,000 into the campaign funds of leading legislators, including paying for a fundraiser for Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.
About three dozen of the state’s top contract lobbyists have been roaming the floors of the Capitol this session pitching gambling expansion. MGM Resorts International, which has proposed a $1 billion investment for downtown Atlanta, hired 16 lobbyists — or about one for every four state senators. Other big spenders include the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, a major player in Alabama’s gambling business; Caesars Palace; and Penn National Gaming.
They could get lucky in 2017 — it’s not an election year.
'Religious liberty' fight takes a fantasy turn
Debate took a turn this past week over “religious liberty” legislation, a subject that had already dominated much of the discussion this session. Until now, though, it hadn’t involved Wookies.
More businesses expressed concern about the most prominent of this session's religious liberty bills, House Bill 757 — and they included representatives from Dragon Con, the annual festival that brought 70,000 costumed devotees of science fiction, fantasy, comic books and pop culture in general to the Atlanta area in 2015.
Dragon Con representatives said they are closely watching HB 757, adding "legislation that hurts one of us, hurts all of us."
HB 757 would allow faith-based organizations and individuals to opt out of serving couples — gay or straight — or following anti-discrimination requirements if they cite a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction regarding marriage.
Supporters say the bill protects people of any religion from interference or discrimination — particularly if they oppose same-sex marriage. Opponents warn it’s a discriminatory end run on the First Amendment that in some cases would explicitly allow business owners to cite religious beliefs to deny people — gays and lesbians in particular — service.
Numerous businesses have lined up against the bill and those like it over the past three years. Many of them have expressed concerns that such legislation could cause groups to boycott the state.
The CEO of one company, Marc Benioff of Salesforce, asked his 205,000 followers on Twitter whether — in the event HB 757 passed the Legislature — the company should divest from Georgia. After the first hour, with about 1,000 votes in, more than three-quarters of them said yes.
Georgia's most prominent proponent of religious liberty legislation, state Sen. Josh McKoon, R-Columbus, shot back at Benioff by pointing out that Salesforce does business in Singapore and India.
“The laws of Singapore and India are that they make homosexuality a crime punishable by imprisonment. It appears he has absolutely no problem doing business in and making money from countries where homosexuality is a crime,” McKoon said. “So let’s spare us all the political antics around the issue.”
The representatives of Dragon Con tried to take a positive approach, saying, “We have great faith that our state’s leaders and legislators will, eventually, do the right thing for all Georgians.”
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