Get Georgia Legislature Crossover Day 2017 updates
What exactly IS Crossover Day?
The 28th day of the 40-day legislative session is the last day for bills to move from one chamber to the other — that is, to cross over — and still have a clear path to becoming law this year. While parliamentary maneuvering can keep a bill alive past Crossover Day, making it from one side of the Capitol to the other by the end of Friday makes final passagemuch more likely.
The rest of this article deals with Crossover Day from 2015.
The Georgia General Assembly on Friday faces its first serious deadline of the 2015 legislative session as the House and Senate convene for the daylong crush known as Crossover Day.
The 30th day of the 40-day legislative session is the last day for bills to move from one chamber to the other — that is, to cross over — and still have a clear path to becoming law this year. While parliamentary maneuvering can keep a bill alive past Crossover Day, making it from one side of the Capitol to the other by the end of Friday makes final passage in 2015 much more likely. (To see a video guide to Crossover Day, go to www.ajc.com/videos/news/what-is-crossover-day/vDKD9Q/.)
Legislation concerning some of the most high-profile issues of the session — the House’s $1 billion transportation proposal, Gov. Nathan Deal’s plan for the state to take over failing schools and a “religious liberty” bill — have already cleared one chamber.
The action starts in the House at 9:30 a.m. while the Senate convenes at 10 a.m. Both bodies have 24 bills set for floor debate, although the House almost certainly will add more as the day goes on. To track legislation during the day, go to www.myajc.com/news/crossover-day-2015-bill-tracker/, and find complete coverage at www.myajc.com/news/crossover-day-2015/.
Here are some of the most interesting bills already set for debate in both chambers, with their odds of passage as predicted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Georgia Legislative Navigator at http://legislativenavigator.myajc.com/:
House Bill 514: Would create the city of South Fulton, 12 percent.
HB 393: Would allow Tesla to sell cars directly to consumers without opening independent dealerships, 31 percent.
Senate Bill 63: Would allow customers to get limited amounts of beer directly from craft breweries, 31 percent.
SB 185: Would legalize clinical trials for medical marijuana to treat children with epilepsy, 36 percent.
SB 130: Would make it illegal to smoke in a car if another occupant is under 15 years old, 31 percent.
SB 154: Would allow police to use body cameras on private property, 24 percent.
SB 36: Would prohibit the injection of ground water into the Floridan aquifer near coastal Georgia, 35 percent.
SB 127: Would place a greater burden of proof on the state ethics commission before assessing fines on local officials, 27 percent.
SB 176: Would require a four-star minimum safety rating on football helmets used by young players, 7 percent.
Other key bills that could be added to the House calendar include:
HB 535: Would allow local governments where Sunday alcohol sales are already legal to let restaurants sell drinks at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays — two hours earlier than current law.
HB 3: The "Todd Gurley bill," which would create new penalties for anyone causing a student-athlete to lose his or her scholarship or collegiate eligibility.
HB 50: Calls for new restrictions on state or local governments that move an existing monument, plaque or statue.
HB 93: Would limit the ability of law enforcement to use data captured by license plate readers.
HB 243: Would let parents use state dollars toward private school tuition.
HB 194: Would limit early voting to 12 days and make Sunday voting optional.
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