The Georgia legislative session comes to an end on Friday with something of an anti-climactic feel.
State lawmakers have already settled some of the most pressing debates during a two-week reboot that started with a massive protest for social justice at the Capitol’s steps.
A landmark hate crimes bill was adopted, a deal struck over a $26 billion spending plan and a proposal that allows some stores and restaurants to deliver beer, wine and booze won final approval.
But plenty of major issues are still on the table, and the pressure of the Sine Die deadline can spark a legislative frenzy to pass measures before the clock runs out.
Here’s a look at some of the key proposals up for debate:
Gambling
It was the scuttlebutt in the halls of the Capitol throughout Thursday: Well-connected lobbyists were making a late push for legislation that would let Georgia voters decide whether to legalize casinos, horse racing and sports betting.
Advocates have compared the revenue windfalls from gambling to the expansion of the film tax credit in 2008, the last time the state faced a steep economic downturn. And as lawmakers streamed out of the Capitol late Thursday, some supporters held out hope that a vote was near.
Skeptics see it as unlikely. Supporters in the House believe they have the two-thirds majority needed for passage, but the tally in the Senate is murkier.
Just as uncertain is whether Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and Senate leaders are ready to push the issue this late in the session or wait another year.
Elections law
An overhauled elections proposal that would ban Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger from mailing absentee ballot request forms to voters as he did before this month’s primary infuriated Democrats and voting rights advocates.
But was it intended purely as a message for Raffensperger or a legit policy discussion? We’ll soon find out. The measure is still pending days after a Georgia House committee voted to prevent the kind of large-scale voting effort undertaken during the June primary.
The latest version of the proposal also no longer requires election officials to add precincts, poll workers or voting equipment if voters had to wait in line for more than an hour in the previous election – a provision that Democrats worried could lead to more confusion at the ballot box.
