Schemes, shenanigans, Sine Die: Inside the rush to get bills passed in Georgia

Sine Die in the Senate. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM

Sine Die in the Senate. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM

The last day of Georgia's 2018 legislative session, also known as Sine Die, is Thursday, March 29. All bills must pass before midnight to have a chance of becoming law.

The day is known to be a frenzy, host Greg Bluestein said on the latest Politically Georgia podcast. "Lawmakers are notorious procrastinators. Every Sine Die seems like cramming before a final exam."

Guest and AJC veteran James Salzer estimated lawmakers vote more than 200 times on Sine Die, sometimes with only four minutes in-between, and compared the atmosphere in the chambers to that of a nightclub.

“It’s very hectic. It means, inevitably, members are voting on things that they don’t read,” Salzer said. “I’ll go back and I’ll interview legislators and almost every year I hear, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that was in there.’”

Hear past Sine Die stories from Bluestein and Salzer and learn what to expect this year on this week’s episode.

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