The Georgia General Assembly at a glance for Friday, Day 26 of the 2018 legislative session:
Religious adoptions: The Georgia Senate plans to vote on a measure that would allow religious adoption agencies to refuse service to same-sex couples, gay foster children and others who don't comply with their beliefs. State business leaders say Senate Bill 375 sanctions discrimination, but supporters of the legislation say it protects the rights of faith-based agencies.
Earlier election count: Senators will also take up a proposal to start counting ballots cast in advance on electronic voting machines at 6 p.m., an hour before most precincts close. No results could be reported until until polls close, according to Senate Bill 363. The legislation originally would have forced the city of Atlanta to close its polls at 7 p.m. instead of 8 p.m., but that language was removed in committee.
Wait, more specialty plates?: Waterfowl preservation and Georgia Masonic Charities could be featured on state license plates. House Rules Committee Chairman John Meadows allowed these plates to come up for votes despite his previous complaints that Georgia's 221 specialty plates is too many and that fees were inconsistent. Two speciality plates previously passed the House this year, for the Georgia Beekeepers Association and the Georgia Forestry Foundation.
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