Three months ago Georgia lawmakers gaveled in the 2022 Legislative Session. Monday, the session comes to a close – Sine Die has arrived – and there are still a lot of bills and unfinished business for state lawmakers to address. Here are a few:
Legislation that would change the state’s tax code is still sitting and waiting for action. Last Monday, House Bill 1437, sponsored by Rep. Shaw Blackmon (R-Bonaire), received a do pass recommendation by substitute from the Senate Committee on Finance. This legislation would revise the rates of taxation on income by lowering Georgia’s maximum income tax rate from 5.75 percent to a single, flat rate of 5.25 percent. On Friday, April 1, the Senate passed by substitute HB 1437 by a vote 33 to 19, but the House disagreed with the Senate substitute.
Time is running out for this bill. It might be saved by a conference committee today.
Many thought this was the year for Georgia to pass legalized gambling. The clock is ticking, but some think lawmakers could favor a voter referendum on gambling that would focus only on online sports betting, and not include casinos or horse racing. Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) amended two gambling bills passed by the Senate in 2021, both of which were approved in a House committee. One bill proposes a voter referendum to allow all types of gambling while the other is enabling legislation for mobile and retail sports betting. Proponents are not sure they have the votes going into the Sine Die.
Senate Bill 456, sponsored by Sen. Bruce Thompson (R-White) awaits a vote before the full House. The bill would require pregnant women to see a doctor in person before being able to obtain mifepristone, the abortion pill – and would prohibit getting the bill through Telehealth. Pills could not be sent through the mail or given on state property — or at any K-12 school or college that receives state funds. A doctor would also have to perform an ultrasound before the drugs could be prescribed and schedule a follow-up visit.
Changes to the state’s election law are still up in the air. Last week, a Senate committee scrapped the framework of a bill that had already passed the House. This latest version of the bill is smaller than Republicans’ original bill. Lawmakers removed many of the proposed changes that election officials criticized most during public testimony last month – including chain of custody rules for ballots and restrictions on local election offices accepting non-profit funding. Others have questioned the need to expand the jurisdiction of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to election crimes.
A conference committee of six lawmakers is trying to hammer out a plan to get Georgia’s slow-moving medical cannabis program moving quicker. So far, the two chambers have disagreed on how to expand the number of licenses for providers.
Early last week, House Resolution 842 received a do pass recommendation by substitute from the Senate Committee on Ethics. HR 842 proposes an amendment to the Constitution to restrict the ability of the General Assembly to increase the salary of state Senators and Representatives and establishes a standard salary for state Senators and Representatives equal to 60 percent of the median household income in Georgia. On Friday, April 1, HR 872 was tabled in the Senate. It could come off the table and face a vote today.
After a week of negotiations, House and Senate budget writers have reached a deal on the 2023 budget, which they will present Monday morning. The $30.2 billion budget funds the state government starting July 1.
