With dozens of bills facing a do-or-die decision, the Senate took more than hour of the final day of the 2014 session before taking up its first piece of legislation.
Senators took most of that time on short speeches from lawmakers making some last-minute political points before taking up a handful of largely non-controversial bills that passed by large margins.
The Senate passed House Bill 264, expanding MARTA’s contracting ability and relieving – for a five-year period – some restrictions on how the transit service uses sales tax revenue. The bill passed with bipartisan support 45-3.
A second bill, House Bill 265, staggered the terms of MARTA’s board of directors. It passed 46-6.
Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, said the bills “move MARTA in the right direction” and praised the service for improving its financial outlook.
The Senate also passed House Bill 251, prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, by a 52-0 vote.
House Bill 697, which increases the amount of HOPE scholarship money to students at technical college, provided the most drama when Sen. Jason Carter, D-Decatur, took the well to say the legislation does not go far enough.
“We’re doing a little bit today to help, but we need to do more,” he said. “We will not, it appears without new leadership, put new emphasis on the technical college system that it needs and deserves.”
Carter is leaving the Senate in a bid to unseat Gov. Nathan Deal and has chosen education as a keystone issue of his campaign. HB 697 passed unanimously.
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