The Wild Hog Supper event was held last night at the Georgia Freight Depot in downtown Atlanta. The traditional barbecue meet and greet before the legislative session is similar in some ways to the actual session – there are a lot of unelected people there trying to shake hands with certain legislators and a lot of people are standing around waiting for Governor Nathan Deal to say something.
Considering the circumstances of the session (2016 is an election year with a presidential contest no less) many legislators are thinking it will be a relatively quick session and House Speaker David Ralston has repeatedly stated it may be a quick one. State law prohibits legislators from accepting campaign contributions during the session so the pressure of fundraising will likely weigh heavily on the calendar.
Several issues will likely dominate the attention of legislative watchers – education reform, likely centered around funding, medical marijuana, a pet project of Macon-area legislator Rep. Allen Peake (R -141) and the Religious Freedom bill pushed by Sen. Josh McKoon (R -29).
Gambling may also get a longer look than in previous sessions. Supporters talk about the additional jobs that casinos could bring and Deal, still opposed to the idea, cracked open the door a little bit when he said he might consider it if the tax rate were higher than in the original proposal.
The sudden announcement of retirement by Congressman Lynn Westmoreland may also have many legislators jockeying for position to replace him. Westmoreland has held that area’s congressional seat since 2003 so there are likely to several contenders who have been waiting for their chance. Westmoreland has remained mum about future plans but many speculate that he may look to run for governor in 2018. Westmoreland is 65 and if elected, he would take office at age 68, roughly the same age as Nathan Deal when he took office. Other possible governor candidates may include current Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle and former Congressman Jack Kingston, who lost in a run for Senate but remains popular and is still active in politics.
Except for those paying close attention, this year’s session is likely to be overwhelmed by the presidential race. Last year’s Crossover Day, the day that bills must usually pass one side of the legislature in order to have time to be considered by the other side, was on March 13. If this year’s session is expected to move a little quicker, that could push Crossover Day up a little bit. Georgia votes on SEC Primary day on March 1. Besides Texas, which has a whopping 152 delegates, Georgia has the most delegates of any state on Super Tuesday with 76. In fact, Georgia has the fifth most delegates of all the states, behind the aforementioned Texas, California, Florida, and New York. Georgia’s delegates are not winner take all however unlike many states following Super Tuesday. This may mean candidates will want to work extra hard to garner as many of those 76 as possible.
It should certainly make for an interesting year in Georgia politics.
