Georgia Senate cancels Tuesday session under threat of winter weather, House expected to meet
Georgia’s state senators will stay home Tuesday after Gov. Brian Kemp closed state offices in several counties.
Across the hall in the House, Speaker David Ralston told lawmakers to come in at 1 p.m. for floor session.
“We don’t want to endanger anyone,” he said. “We’ll make a decision probably by the end of the day today or early evening about administrative assistants and staff.”
Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan announced the chamber’s cancellation at the end of Monday’s short floor session.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we will not be in session here tomorrow,” Duncan said. “Everybody stay safe.”
Still, the Senate will officially “convene” — with Duncan calling the session to order and then adjourning — even if lawmakers were told to stay home. That ticks another day off of the 40-day legislative calendar.
Lawmakers already were working a shorter week as the Atlanta area prepares for the Super Bowl being held Sunday, with plans to take Thursday and Friday off.
An arctic cold front is expected to move through North Georgia overnight, bringing a chance of wintry precipitation and up to 4 inches of snow in the highest elevations of the mountains. Channel 2 meteorologist Karen Minton said Tuesday will be "brutal with the temperatures and the wind."
The closure of state offices includes several in the metro-Atlanta area and counties north.
As of Monday, all state lawmakers are expected to return to Atlanta on Wednesday.
Staff writer Mark Niesse contributed to this report.
About the Author
Maya T. Prabhu covers the Georgia Senate and statewide issues as a government reporter for The AJC. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in northern Virginia, Maya attended Spelman College and then the University of Maryland for a master's degree. She writes about social issues, the criminal justice system and legislative politics.
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