A busy Crossover Day in the Georgia Senate saw a number of major pieces of legislation come up for a vote that would serve as their last chance (for now) to pass into the House.
Among them:
SB 2: Not much debate was needed for Sen. Steve Gooch’s (R-Dahlonega) rural broadband legislation, which allows Georgia’s electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) to provide broadband services. Rural broadband was a key platform issue for nearly every candidate who won an election in 2018, and the bill’s passage marks the first tangible step towards fulfilling that promise.
SB 108: The bill would add computer science courses to the curriculum for state middle and high school students, a pet project of new Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan. He praised its easy (51-1) passage, saying “My goal is for our state to be recognized as the Technology Capital of the entire East Coast. I’m fully committed to that vision and this legislation is a step towards preparing our students to meet the demands of a 21st century economy.”
SB 131: Debate over Sen. Burt Jones’ (R-Jackson) airport takeover bill went on for hours on Thursday, featuring fiery rhetoric from both sides. After a series of amendments to the bill brought up by Democrats failed, the writing appeared to be on the wall and later in the afternoon it passed the Senate 34-22, largely along party lines. Now it crosses over to the House, where it will surely remain one of the headliners of the session, with the City of Atlanta and its allies lining up to strongly oppose any transfer of control – Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms called the move an “act of war” in an interview with GPB. Senate Republicans had no qualms about supporting the bill, but will their counterparts in the House, particularly Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) with his ties to the business community, feel the same?
