Legislators, Gold Dome staff and all the people who follow them are in for a long day Tuesday as it is Crossover Day, the day by which bills must pass at least one chamber to be considered by the other chamber in time for passage this legislative session. Although bills have been known to find themselves thrust into the spotlight after Crossover Day through some clever maneuvering by experienced legislators. It is an election year and it is expected to be a busy day as legislators consider a range of bills from elections rules to horse racing.
Crossover Day was for some time on the 30th day of the legislative session but was moved to the 28th day of the 40-day legislative several years ago to urge legislators to move bills through in a more timely manner (check back on day 40 when legislators are frantically voting at 11:30 at night). Crossover Day is nearly as busy as day 40, the Senate Rules Calendar currently has 45 bills and resolutions on the docket for Tuesday – though those can certainly change as well, with some being dropped and others possibly up for being added in.
Perhaps the splashiest item is whether the state will allow voters to decide on horse racing and pari-mutuel betting. If approved, voters would have the chance in November to approve horse racing but the Senate Resolution 131 amends the constitution so will require two-thirds of the chamber to pass. The powerful Georgia Faith and Freedom Coalition run by Ralph Reed opposes the measure and was urging voters to contact their legislators ahead of the vote on Tuesday.
Another bill that would signal a change in Georgia deals with medical marijuana. While not the groundbreaking change that horse racing would be, medical marijuana passed the chamber three years ago but has gotten slogged down by lawsuits from companies that have been denied permits for sales. Three different bills – Senate Bill 609, House Bill 1453 or House Bill 1400 – would settle the disputes, finalizing the licenses for companies that have already been selected or giving licenses to both the selected and the disputing companies.
Another elections reform bill is up this year as well. House Bill 1464 would give the Georgia Bureau of Investigation power to conduct investigations into voter fraud and would make election records, such as paper ballots, publicly available. Georgians could request access and review for errors, with Democrats calling it another attempt by Republicans to attack voting rights but Republicans hoping it can satisfy the demands for election tightening by some in the Republican base still dissatisfied with the results of 2020. Currently, the secretary of state’s office is in charge of these types of investigations but the GBI is seen as more of an outside party by some.
There is a transgender sports bill as well, SB 435, that would prohibit transgender girls from playing on girls’ teams at school that may get some attention in the news and passage seems likely. Constitutional carry, where no licenses or training are required for carrying a concealed firearm, is almost certain to pass as each chamber has already passed a version of the bill and Republicans firmly control both chambers.
Plus, there’s almost certainly to be some surprise, it is Crossover Day and when legislators get going…
