What happened under the Gold Dome the day before Sine Die 2016?

Mar. 22, 2016 - Atlanta - Rep. Chuck Martin (R - Alpharetta) confers with Speaker David Ralston as the House goes into the evening. Today, Tuesday, is Day 39 of the 40-day legislative session. Both the Senate and the House have full calendars and are expected to go late into the evening. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM

Credit: Bob Andres

Credit: Bob Andres

Mar. 22, 2016 - Atlanta - Rep. Chuck Martin (R - Alpharetta) confers with Speaker David Ralston as the House goes into the evening. Today, Tuesday, is Day 39 of the 40-day legislative session. Both the Senate and the House have full calendars and are expected to go late into the evening. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM


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A very late and busy second-to-last day of session is in the books under the Gold Dome.

The House adjourned at 11:45 p.m. and the Senate went a little bit later, calling it quits at 12:07 a.m. on Wednesday.

In the span of Tuesday, a lot happened at the Capitol. Some bills were given final passage – you can see live updates on voting here. Some bills were gutted and completely redefined. Some bills stalled ahead of Sine Die.

With just one more day left to send bills off to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk, here is a recap of what happened in the House and Senate on Tuesday:

1. Georgia senators passed legislation Tuesday that makes changes to a 2014 bill expanding gun rights in the state. [But they declined to make changes suggested by Gov. Nathan Deal to fix a controversial "campus carry" bill passed earlier this year.]

2. Governor Nathan Deal's push to expand the Georgia Supreme Court won final approval Tuesday from the state Senate, when members passed a bill to expand the court by two justices. [The bill will also make other changes, including how the state Supreme Court and the state Court of Appeals divvy up cases.]

3. Both chambers gave final approval to a record $23.7 billion state budget. [This budget offers the potential for the biggest raises since before the Great Recession to the state's 200,000 teachers and state employees.]

4. One of the key authors of Georgia's "religious liberty" bill defended the measure Tuesday while more groups and independent analysis questioned why it's needed. [In a press conference, State Sen. Greg Kirk, R-Americus, said House Bill 757 should become law.]

5. A measure that would clean house at Georgia's judicial watchdog agency and allow it to be even more secretive about its efforts to weed out bad judges narrowly gained legislative approval late Tuesday. [The measure is now pending in the House, which is set to consider it Thursday — the final day of the legislative session.]

6. A proposal to curtail Georgia police officers' ability to influence grand jurors in police shooting cases passed the state Senate on Tuesday. [Sending the bill back to the state House for review with only a day left before lawmakers adjourn for the year.]

7. Legislation creating a temporary moratorium on petroleum pipelines in Georgia is headed to Gov. Nathan Deal's desk. [The bill would place a temporary moratorium on pipeline companies' ability to use eminent domain — an involuntary seizure — for surveying and acquiring private land.]

8. A bill to allow a referendum that would create the city of South Fulton passed the Georgia Senate late Tuesday. [The bill will now go back to the House for another review before becoming final.]

9. Georgia school board members would have state permission to speak their mind under legislation that cleared the House on Tuesday. [State Rep. Mike Dudgeon, R-Johns Creek, said the aim of the bill is to ensure the free speech rights of school board members.]

10. A bill passed Tuesday allows the Georgia Department of Transportation to waive environmental reporting requirements when determining the potential impact of a proposed road project. [The bill passed the House by a vote of 146-22 and now goes to the Governor's desk for signature.]

11. Legislation that would grant local officials amnesty from four years' worth of outstanding ethics fines is headed to Gov. Nathan Deal's desk. [The bill would wipe the slate clean for thousands of county commissioners, mayors, school board members and other local officials who did not file campaign finance reports from 2010-2014, as long as they make amends by filing those missing reports by Dec. 31.]

12. The Georgia House passed legislation Tuesday that could give a leg-up to current and former military personnel who attend a state technical college. [The bill would allow technical colleges to grant academic credits for military experience and training.]

Who is ready for Sine Die?