As usual the best news is that the Georgia General Assembly has adjourned Sine Die and, as the old joke goes, “women and children are now safe to walk the streets again.” I might add that so too is Governor Nathan Deal, who nearly became a political victim of many legislators obsessed with passing gun legislation that could have made his reelection more difficult.
The full version of the so-called “gun bill” did not pass, in part because Deal and his team put the hammer down and made it clear that things would be ugly were he handed legislation that, in the eleventh hour, once again tried to allow students with permits to carry guns on campus. And while the bill passed with some expansion of gun rights and a curious section related to challenging an individual carrying a concealed weapon, it seems unlikely to serve as a major political weight on Governor Deal in the election season.
Generally speaking both leaders in the House and Senate scored high marks this session. Speaker David Ralston kept his crew in line and on time. Noting that the clock was at midnight and the time for “Sine Die” final adjournment had technically passed, Ralston wryly asked “What time zone are they (the Senate) in?”
For his part Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and Senate leadership stood firm in refusing to pass the more virulent version of the “gun law,” one which every major poll in Georgia suggested would be overwhelmingly disliked by voters.
But the media take on the session likely won’t be quite so charitable, so here are a few themes we can expect to hear over and over again, particularly once the primary nominees emerge:
- The legislature can expand gun rights but won’t help children with endless seizures obtain liquid marijuana-based medicine. Add to that, they won’t help kids with autism. The response will be that the two bills got tangled up together and that mandating coverage for kids suffering from autism is not the government’s role. Hold that thought for a minute.
- There was no money to fund numerous projects and needs brought before the General Assembly, but they could find millions to help fund efforts related to the new Falcons stadium, all for a Democratic Falcons owner who will likely work hard to defeat the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate and may be helping fund “sideline” efforts for Jason Carter against Governor Deal (that one remains a bit unclear).
- The legislature could find no way to allow thousands of Republicans clustered in an area they themselves call “Lakeside” to become a city because they could find no way to legitimately pass a City of Tucker, which arguably is far less Republican in makeup, at the same time. Fortunately for Governor Deal, he and his staff advocated for both cities to be passed and even the ardent Lakeside sponsor Senator Fran Millar gave Deal huge kudos.
- The Republicans refused to bow to the rants and chants of a group known as the “Moral Monday” protesters. Medicaid was not expanded, which was one of the group’s major gripes. Polling suggests that most Georgia voters really don’t care too much about Medicare expansion, so while there may be great merit to their cause, no political harm was done.
- The GOP still looks like a bunch trying to regulate and codify everything that isn’t nailed down. From drawing up lists of various individuals with illnesses, to dealing with mail order prescriptions, to attempting to regulate cars for hire thru phone apps the argument will be made that Georgians had less government intrusion under Democrat rule than in the current run of GOP control. A noted earlier, the GOP will be painted as leaders who can find no way to allow the politically popular limited use of liquid marijuana for sick kids or coverage for children with autism. That’s a theme we can all count on hearing this election year.
In the end it was a short session which meant less harm could occur to most of the public because there simply was not enough time to pass more bills. And while it won’t be noted as a great session for the Georgia General Assembly, this year’s version did not create the sort of political fallout that some past ones have left behind. Except for one freak snow storm, the memory of which will likely melt away by next November, Governor Deal had an excellent session. And the leadership of the House and Senate once again proved they were the adults in their respective playgrounds.
