Maybe it isn’t so hard for a bill to become a law in Georgia after all.
More than one-third of all bills introduced since last year got through the Georgia General Assembly and were signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal, according to an analysis by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In all, state legislators proposed 1,573 bills during the two-year legislative period. Of those, Deal signed 542. That’s an approval rate of 34.5 percent.
Deal vetoed a total of 30 bills — 21 this year and nine last year. His vetoes last week included proposals meant to crack down on computer hacking and to create a council to coordinate state health care policies.
Many lawmakers have said this year's legislative session was one of the most productive they can remember.
The Georgia General Assembly passed bills to ticket drivers distracted by their cellphones, expand mass transit in metro Atlanta, levy sales taxes on online purchases, expand rural internet access and fully fund the state's k-12 public education formula.
By the numbers
1,573: Bills introduced
2,989: Resolutions introduced
572: Bills passed by the House and Senate
542: Bills signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal
30: Vetoed bills
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