The Crossover Day deadline is as notable for what made it across the finish line as well as what didn’t. And this year, a series of closely watched measures with powerful supporters didn’t make the cut.
Sports betting may have been the biggest loser Monday. A quartet of measures that would have expanded gambling didn’t pass either chamber and ended up in the dustbin.
A constitutional amendment related to sports betting flamed out in the Senate earlier in the day, and a House measure to legalize gambling without a constitutional amendment never came up for a vote.
House Speaker Jon Burns was blunt about its chances after adjourning around midnight: “This year was not the right time for it in the House.” If history is our guide, sports betting will get yet another new push in 2024.
Two separate tort reform measures, Senate Bill 191 and Senate Bill 203, also went down in defeat ahead of the deadline, even with powerful backers and floor time devoted to them.
Likewise, last week’s Buckhead cityhood bills, which Lt. Gov. Burt Jones supported and brought to a floor vote, marked a major defeat for that issue this year.
But among the Crossover Day success stories is Democratic state Rep. Esther Panitch, who evoked the story of Queen Esther from the Jewish holiday of Purim as she pressed lawmakers to pass stiffer penalties for antisemitic crimes.
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
The Sandy Springs Democrat is the lone Jewish member of the General Assembly, and her neighbors were targeted with antisemitic mailers by a hate group earlier this year. That galvanized Burns and other GOP leaders to clear a vote on the proposal despite pushback from Democratic critics who say it was either unnecessary or left out other marginalized or targeted groups.
Separately, social conservatives celebrated the Senate passage of a bill that would ban doctors and hospitals from delivering hormonal or surgical treatment to transgender youth seeking gender affirming treatments. Democrats, meanwhile, warned that it would cause more mental health anguish among those suffering from gender dysphoria.
And Republicans cheered the passage of House Bill 231, a bill to create a state oversight panel for local elected prosecutors. The bill passed with the support of Republicans and one Democrat, Atlanta state Rep. Mesha Mainor, who described that her own experience as a victim of stalking.
“Especially in counties that I represent, crimes against women are not being prosecuted,” she said.
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LISTEN UP. We’ve got a special episode of the Politically Georgia podcast this morning, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the state Capitol on Crossover Day. We talk to the people who make the machine move on big days at the Capitol, from members to lobbyists to a mayor and an intern.
Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher.
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POLICE SUPPORT. A bipartisan group of state lawmakers condemned the violence at the proposed Atlanta public safety center in remarks Monday.
Republican state Sen. John Albers of Roswell criticized “heinous actions, these direct attacks on our police and the property that is meant to do the one thing that everybody agrees we need to do: more training for our police, our fire, our EMS and our 911.”
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
State Sen. Sonya Halpern, D-Atlanta, praised law enforcement agencies for containing the violence.
“The public training facility will be built. I’m 100% for the right to protest, but I am against violent protesting we’ve seen time and time again at this location,” she said, adding: “We do need to hold police accountable, but we also need to make sure we resource and train our public safety officials.”
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UNDER THE GOLD DOME, Legislative Day 29:
- 10 a.m.: Committee meetings begin;
- 1 p.m.: The House gavels in for first-readers only, with no votes planned;
- 1 p.m.: The Senate convenes.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE. Along with the big winners and losers of Crossover Day, a flurry of lower-profile, but still important bills saw action, too. Among them were:
- Senate Bill 233, a bill to provide $6,000 for private education expenses per year per eligible student, passed the state Senate, Ty Tagami reports.
- The state House passed House Bill 196 to significantly expand the number of licensees selling medical marijuana in Georgia, Mark Niesse reports. Although medical marijuana has been legal for purchase in the state for years, legal challenges have limited the number of licensed producers to two. Those companies plan to begin operations by late spring or summer.
- The state House also gave the greenlight to charging sales tax on downloads of books and video games, James Salzer writes. The bill from state Rep. Kasey Carpenter, R-Dalton, is meant to bring parity between online and brick-and-mortar businesses.
- House Bill 189, which would increase the maximum truck weights for big rigs on state and local roads, passed the House by a two-vote margin.
- Senate Bill 76, a bill to cap the cost of insulin at $35 per month for state employees, passed the Senate.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
FRESHMAN FIRSTS. The crush of the Crossover Day deadline pushed dozens of bills through the state House and Senate, including several for Democratic first-timers in the state Senate.
After four years in the state House and now in his first year in the Senate, state Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, passed his first-ever piece of legislation in the form of Senate Bill 115 to codify an existing National Guard life insurance program.
Fellow Democratic state Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta passed Senate Bill 199, his first-ever bill to allow state employees, including teachers, to create health savings accounts.
And state Sen. Nabilah Islam, a Lawrenceville Democrat, passed Senate Bill 144, a bill to allow the Georgia National Guard to drop the requirement that it print and distribute hard copies of its rules and regulations each year.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
But Islam didn’t pass her bill before the traditional grilling in the well of the Senate by more senior senators. In her case, Islam was asked to recite the list of National Guard commissioned officers, by rank. She quickly do so.
For the record, it’s Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, Brigadier General, Major General, Lieutenant General, General.
“Everyone should be able to recite that, with their eyes closed,” Islam quipped to us.
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Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
JAN. 6 VIDEO. Fox News host Tucker Carlson aired his first report based on footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot after House Speaker Kevin McMcCarthy gave his team exclusive access to the video.
Carlson highlighted footage that appeared to show some people walking calmly through the Capitol that day, saying it proved “it was neither an insurrection nor deadly.”
The selective use of Jan. 6 video to create a false narrative about the deadly Capitol attack was exactly what Democrats and privately some Republicans feared. As a result, even most conservatives were silent about Carlson’s report. But not all.
First-term Georgia Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, seemed to side with Carlson, posting on Twitter shortly after the report aired: “I’ve seen enough. Release all J6 political prisoners now.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has long spread false narratives about the riot and in recent months has focused less on the facts about what happened that day and more on accusing the criminal justice system of mistreating dozens of people accused of criminal actions that day.
On Twitter, she wrote that the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 had “lied to America.”
“@TuckerCarlson is revealing the truth,” the Rome Republican said. “They must be held accountable.”
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Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
Credit: Kenny Holston/The New York Times
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The U.S. House Intelligence Committee will consider legislation to declassify documents related to the origins of COVID-19.
- The Senate is in session and still focused on confirmations.
- President Joe Biden has no public events scheduled.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. It should come as no surprise that the people lobbying the hardest to have their pets included as the Jolt Dog of the Day are lobbyists.
Of course, we choose these precious pooches without fear or favor. And today’s happens to be Ruth Bassett Ginsburg, a favorite family member of Washington-based lobbyist and AJC subscriber, David Thomas.
Ruthie is a three-year-old basset hound who lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Much like your Insiders, Ruthie enjoys very short walks and sneaking food when no one is watching. And like any influencer, she’s on Instagram.
Send us your pups of any political persuasion —and cats on a cat-by-case basis — to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us on Twitter @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
