The longest day of the legislative session is here. It’s Sine Die in the Georgia General Assembly — Day 40 of the 40-day session. Legislators who worked into the night hours Tuesday are expected to work even longer tonight with a number of key bills still on the table.
One of the most watched is House Bill 290, sponsored by Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) and initially intended to allow patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities have “their legal representative” visit with them in person during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the bill was gutted in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee before passing out and heading to Rules. The bill now requires hospitals and nursing homes to follow federal rules for allowing outside visitors.
“This bill has nothing whatsoever to do with visitation,” said Setzler, during the committee meeting. “The crux of the issue of legal representation. This bill continues to give hospitals and long-term care facilities absolute, complete control over their visitation policies.”
However, the committee voted 49-2 to make the changes. It is expected to see more changes in conference committee before getting a final vote.
Legalized gambling in Georgia appears to be dead this year unless someone pulls a miracle today. Lawmakers have gone quiet over a sports betting bill that would expand gambling in the state beyond lottery tickets and bingo. At the start of the 2021 session, Georgia was among a handful of states in which many stakeholders felt this was the year. But within the last few days, prospects have dimmed in Georgia.
However, Rick Lackey, a commercial real estate executive, recently told the Post and Courier of Greenville, SC that while the current bill (SB 142) does not include casinos, adding that verbiage could still be a possibility. The bill remains in Rules.
Lawmakers could be a step closer to repealing the state’s citizen’s arrest law. The Senate voted 52-1 Monday in favor of House Bill 479 by Bert Reeves (R-Marietta), which has the endorsement of Governor Brian Kemp. It goes back to the House after Senators added an amendment that gave all business owners the right to detain suspected thieves.
A bill that would have created the position of “chief labor officer” to assist the Department of Labor and Labor Commissioner Mark Butler during a hectic period failed to get the votes needed to pass in the Georgia House of Representatives on Monday.
Under Senate Bill 156 by Sen. Marty Harbin (R-Tyrone), the position would only run through December 2022 and supporters said it will help the Department of Labor during a time when it has been overwhelmed by unemployment claims due to the pandemic.
While the bill failed to get enough votes to pass, lawmakers did vote to reconsider it at another time. They have until midnight today to vote again.
