Sine Die started slow but picked up steam as the clock ticked towards midnight (and about 15 minutes beyond) Monday, finishing with a flurry of votes on key issues. See some of the highlights below, and keep an eye out for more inside information on what passed, and what didn’t, on the 40th day of the legislative session.
The FY23 budget debate didn’t kick off until nearly 11PM, but once it did the House signed off on the $30.2 billion HB 911 that includes pay raises for state employees and teachers, funding for behavioral health, and an emphasis on community/law enforcement partnerships. The House gave a standing ovation to presenter Appropriations Chair Terry England, who is retiring after this year.
More bills that passed Monday night:
In a last minute move, the House added a ban on transgender athletes in school sports to HB 1084, which also bans the teaching of “divisive concepts” in schools. Democrats immediately protested, but the bill passed the House and then the Senate by a party line vote. Expect to hear a lot more about this one in coming months.
SB 89 was revived early in the day and rewritten as this year’s elections bill. The legislation grants increased power to the GBI to investigate allegations of election fraud, and allows the public to unseal and review paper ballots suspected of being fraudulent. It passed both chambers along party lines.
HB 681 will add a course in financial literacy to the core curriculum for students in grades eleven and twelve required for graduation.
HB 517 institutes an income tax cut that will gradually lower the state income tax down to a flat tax of 4.99% by 2029.
SB 259, a gun rights bill, repeals prohibition on church carry, prohibits building a registry of gun owners, and prohibits the seizure of guns in an emergency, among other 2A topics.
Notable bills that failed:
HB 1425 was aimed at updating the state’s medical cannabis production licensure process, adding three more licenses, and forcing applicants for those licenses to drop their protests or lawsuits against the original bidding process that have been holding up the issue. It passed in the House but wound up tabled in the Senate and didn’t get a final vote.
SR 135, originally the “gaming” bill that could have led to the legalization of casino gaming and sports betting, was brought up for a vote – but with all gaming and sports betting language removed. The resolution was gutted and replaced with language seeking to drop the tax rate on harvested timber, which passed 160-6. Casino gaming, horse racing, and sports betting stalled out yet again despite significant support among both parties.
More to come on what passed, what failed, and what snuck through on Sine Die.
