Highlights from Crossover Day

“It’s a long, long wait
While I’m sitting in committee,
But I know I’ll be a law someday
At least I hope and pray that I will,
But today I am still just a bill.” – Excerpt from Schoolhouse Rock, “I’m Just a Bill”

Thursday morning – Crossover Day, a lot of bills hoping to get their chance. Some biting their nails that they wouldn’t make it through, for they knew that if they weren’t passed by the end of the day, they would have to wait another year.

A few notable bills that got to the finish line in their respective chambers and have a chance at full passage before the end of session:

SB 180: Sponsored by Senator Ed Setzler, R-Acworth, SB 180 is the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act which takes aim at the preservation of religious freedom. Setzler noted that Georgians should be free to worship how they choose without government interference but Democrat opponents noted concerns that it could lead to discrimination, notably around gay and lesbian issues. Sen. Kim Jackson (D-41 Pine Lake) took to the well to voice her concerns that adoption organizations could discriminate against gay couples, such as herself and her partner who have an adopted 3-yr-old boy. The bill passed along strict party lines, 33-19.

Over on House side…

HB 583: Sponsored by Rep. Leesa Hagan, R-Lyons, the bill allows for the production and sale of cottage food items – basically, food items prepared in a home rather than a commercial kitchen. The bill was supported by the business-friendly group Americans for Prosperity and passed overwhelmingly, 166-1. Keep an eye out for more home-made breads and other baked goods at your local market.

HB 910: Rep. Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper, is sponsoring the bill which would create a civil penalty against businesses that distribute “material harmful to minors” (pornography) without performing age verification, proving users are over age 18. The bill was supported by a variety of pro-family groups, including Frontline Policy Action, one of the state’s most influential faith-based lobbying organizations. Few concerns about free speech here, the bill passed 165-1.

HB 1180: One of the day’s most notable bills, HB 1180 would change the Georgia Film Tax Credit. The overall structure of the credits does not seem to be changing, but it does add a limit to the amount of credits that can be transferred each year and it also adds a base investment number to qualify for the credits. Advocates for independent filmmakers are concerned about the base investment number but ultimately the bill passed 131-34. Feel free to read the bill to learn more but, perhaps notable on a possibly politically sensitive bill that could have economic repercussions, it’s a complicated one. Unlike many bills that might just be a few pages, this one comes in at a cool 40 pages.

“Sometimes we sneak in at the end,

A bill gets changed and carved up,

I thought I was doomed,

But some legislators tried again,

Now I’ve passed and wait for Kemp’s pen,”

 – From the “I’m Just a Bill,” Sine Die secret maneuvering edition