It used to be said that this was the time of year when you needed to lock up your homes and families because the Georgia General Assembly was returning to Atlanta for its annual session ... starting today at 10 a.m.
That might be a little harsh — a little — but as with every session, you really never know what laws the General Assembly will pass before House Speaker Jon Burns and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones gavel the session to a close shortly after the first day of spring.
The legislative session lasts 40 days. That’s 40 “working” days that are typically spread out over almost three months.
With daily sermons, speeches by visiting politicians and presentations of “special guests” (high school football championship teams, 4-H groups, beauty queens associated with various Georgia crops, etc.), the first half of the session can seem devoid of action. But a lot is happening in committee meetings on Capitol Hill and strategizing behind closed doors. Much of the most important stuff — the final passage of bills, budgets and resolutions — happens in March, but the buildup often begins much earlier.
Still, with a March presidential primary and candidate qualifying on their minds, electoral politics will be at the forefront, early and often. As will the state’s ever-expanding budget ($32.4 billion likely heading to $33 billion-$34 billion), the likelihood that lawmakers will speed up a cut in the income tax rate, consider crime legislation, and possibly propose more anti-abortion, gaming and voting bills.
And plenty more.
Today Burns and Jones gavel in the second session of a two-year legislative term. So all the bills that didn’t pass last year or weren’t voted down (which is the vast majority) are still alive to be considered this session.
Gov. Brian Kemp and state legislative leaders will discuss at least part of their agenda for the 2024 session at the annual Eggs & Issues Breakfast sponsored by the state’s business lobby, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, on Wednesday morning. The next day Kemp will give the State of the State address.
The following week the House and Senate will get to work on the budget, holding weeklong hearings.
While the schedule hasn’t been publicly released, the General Assembly typically goes home before the week of the Masters golf tournament in Augusta. For those of you keeping track — and many lawmakers and lobbyists certainly are — that’s April 8-14 this year.
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