Editor’s note: Sine Die has too much action to fully cover in one place – so check out Baker Owens’ story on some of the economic-related legislation that passed Wednesday, and look for a full breakdown of all the action later this week
Sine Die festivities
Georgia’s sweeping elections bill stole the headlines in the 2021 legislative session and figures to remain in the spotlight for the foreseeable future. However it was done and dusted last week, with Gov. Brian Kemp signing the legislation quickly after it was passed by the Senate. Drama ensued. But the session rolled along, coming to a head last night until Sine Die was called just after midnight, marking the end of the line for this year’s General Assembly, at least for now.
Sports betting was the big ticket item to keep an eye on, with a pair of bills, SR 135 and SB 142, still alive Wednesday as the two key pieces of legislation that would legalize and implement sports betting in Georgia. Those bills though, needed at least a modicum of bipartisan support to pass and House Democrats drew a line in the sand, refusing to support the Republican-sponsored bills in retribution for the elections bill passed last week. Expect to see sports betting return – along with casino gaming and horse racing legislation – in 2022.
Gov. Brian Kemp’s pet project for 2021 was HB 479, an overhaul of the state’s citizen arrest law. That legislation passed Wednesday amidst bipartisan support, updating language that had been in place since before the Civil War and that received national attention following the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick last year by a pair of civilians who (falsely) suspected him of being a burglar. “I look forward to signing it into law as we continue to send a clear message that the Peach State will not tolerate sinister acts of vigilantism in our communities,” said Kemp following its passage.
Rep. Houston Gaines’ (R-Athens) HB 286 received a lot of attention during the session, and passed along party lines Wednesday afternoon. The bill will prevent Georgia municipalities from defunding their local police departments – as some threatened to do over the summer. Georgia becomes one of the first states in the nation with a law explicitly protecting law enforcement officers from being defunded. Of course, Atlanta’s police department remains majorly understaffed and without a permanent chief even as violent crime continues to surge – but that’s another story for another day.
Also headed to the governor’s desk is HB 94, a bill which makes stealing packages off people’s porches a felony in Georgia, making it a distinct crime but leaving some leeway to judges on how to punish thieves. So too is SB 100, which sets Georgia up to permanently go on daylight savings time – at least once Congress allows the change. Until then though, we still have to change our clocks twice a year.
HB 617, which passed Wednesday, is of particular interest to fans of college sports. The bill will allow for Georgia student athletes to receive financial compensation for the use of their “name, image, or likeness” once the NCAA allows them to do so. When that exactly will be remains uncertain – but it is believed to be imminent. How it will change the face of college sports also remains to be seen, but preparing for that inevitability ensures that the state’s sports teams (primarily one particular football team that wears red and black) won’t miss a beat.
Rep. Ed Seltzer’s HB 290 was a bill to watch this week, receiving a flurry of changes and debates before being tabled Wednesday evening for the session. The bill would have set rules for patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities have “their legal representative” visit with them in person during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. HB 247, which would have made distracted driving penalties harsher, also stalled out.
