The Georgia General Assembly at a glance for Friday, Day 6 of the 2018 legislative session:
Adoption bill: The Senate on Thursday afternoon passed an amended version of a bill designed to make adoption easier in Georgia with a 40-12 vote. House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, said he was concerned with the amended language, which insert a provision that grants temporary powers of attorney to guardians of children. Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed a similar measure last year. Now it is up to the House to see if they will immediately address the bill in the chamber, or take the weekend to determine their next move.
Back to business: State government is back on a regular schedule, with both the House and Senate returning for day six of the legislative session at 10 a.m.
Budget hearings: Lawmakers on Thursday said joint hearings scheduled for Wednesday that were canceled due to winter weather will not be rescheduled. Instead, the House and Senate will continue in their budget hearing process separately.
Meetings: Those hearings begin with the House Appropriations Committee's public safety subcommittee meeting 9 a.m. Friday to hear budget requests from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and the Department of Juvenile Justice.
On the record: Ralston said he was excited to learn that Atlanta made a list of 20 possible locations for a second Amazon headquarters. He said if the list of 20 is indeed the short list of finalists, he supports returning for a special session later this year to address an incentive package for the company. "I would prefer a special session because it lets us focus on what would truly be a game changing economic development initiative for the state. It would let us focus exclusively on that."
Business days remaining in the 2018 legislative session: 35
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