Monday was Crossover Day at the Georgia Capitol, and one of the most watched bills was the Senate omnibus elections bill, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan (R-Carrollton). And by early evening, SB 241 — which does away with no-excuse absentee voting and requires more voter ID — passed out of the Senate by a slim 29-20 vote and is now on the way to the House.
Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, who vocally opposed the bill but does not have a vote, chose to leave the Senate Chamber during discussions and the vote on the bill. He turned the gavel over to Senate Pro Tem Butch Miller and walked to his office when the bill came up. Duncan has said he opposes efforts to severely limit absentee voting. Duncan’s action seemed to upset the large majority of his caucus, and insiders said he could have still presided over the vote even if he disagreed with the aspects of 241.
Four Republican Senators also chose to sit out 241. State Sens. John Albers (R-Roswell), Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta), Brian Strickland (R-McDonough and Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome) all excused themselves from the vote.
According to Dugan, SB 214 “addresses the lack of faith and integrity in our current election systems. B 241 codifies open and honest reformation to a multitude of areas regarding election oversight, voting processes, and transparency.”
SB 241 is broken into 21 sections. Among the highlights, this legislation introduces a broad range of qualifications that are valid excuses for absentee mail-in voting including: work interference, physical disability or being a caregiver of someone with a physical disability, incarceration prior to to being convicted, age 65 or over, observance of a religious holiday or performing election official duties.
The bill also requires identification for absentee ballots, such as date of birth and driver’s license number or last four digits of social security number, and provides clarification of absentee voting sites by changing “site” to “building” and defining “site” as having a building located on it.
The House, which was still in session at 9 p.m. Monday, passed HB 479, an overhaul to Georgia’s citizen’s arrest statute. Rep. Bert Reeves (R-Marietta) served as lead sponsor on the bill that sailed through the House unanimously.
“The unanimous passage of HB 479 by the Georgia House is an important step in our efforts to root out injustice in the Peach State, while also protecting the sacred right to defend oneself and others,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “With broad, bipartisan support, our overhaul of the citizen’s arrest statute strikes a critical balance between protecting the lives and livelihoods of our families, our friends, and our neighbors, and preventing rogue vigilantism from threatening the security and God-given potential of all Georgians.”
The House passed HB 290 by Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) which would require the state’s hospitals and nursing homes to allow visitors inside, even if there is a public health emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill allows a “legal representative” to visit with patients. It passed by a 113-57 vote.
Senators overwhelmingly supported Senate Resolution 134 which calls for a constitutional amendment that would ensure taxpayers do not have to foot the bill to pay salaries for state constitutional officers and members of the General Assembly who are suspended from their jobs while facing felony indictments. The resolution, sponsored by Sen. Larry Walker (R-Perry) sailed through the Senate by a 51-1 vote. Senators also passed SB 218 — also by Walker — which deals with local officials, such as district attorneys.
Senators voted down Senate Bill 252 which would have provided a 70 percent raise for lawmakers and a big hike for statewide elected officials. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Valencia Seay (D-Riverdale) who said the legislation was the result of a 2017 compensation study that said lawmakers and many statewide elected officials were underpaid. Under this bill, a legislator’s salary would increase from $17,342 to $29,908 starting in 2023.
Both Chambers passed legislation that would create new penalties for anyone who organizes, promotes or participates in street racing, House Bill 534 by Rep. Josh Bonner (R-Fayetteville) which carried the endorsement of Governor Kemp, passed by a 130-39 vote. Its sister Senate Bill 10, the “Jaye Mize Law”, sponsored by Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur), also passed.
