This week the General Assembly convened Monday through Thursday for Legislative Days 9 through 12.  Legislative and committee action began to pick up substantially this week, with dozens of bills being introduced in each chamber every day this week.  Committees that did not already hold their first meeting to adopt rules did so this week, and those that had already held organizational meetings began hearing and voting on bills. 
 

The pace of the session will likely pick up dramatically in the coming weeks, as legislators now have just over one month to get their bills passed out of their assigned committees and chambers in which they originated—Crossover Day is slated for Monday, March 6.  Legislators return to the Capitol next week Monday through Friday for Legislative Days 13 through 16. 
 

The Supplemental Budget for Fiscal Year 2023, which runs from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, House Bill 18, passed the full House Appropriations Committee by substitute on Wednesday.  This was the first budget overseen on the House side by Representative Matt Hatchett (R-Dublin), who was appointed Appropriations Chairman in December by then-Speaker Jan Jones.  The budget was considered by the full House on Thursday morning, and after passing with just one dissenting vote, it was immediately transmitted to the Senate.   
 

The House-approved Amended FY 2023 budget includes Governor Kemp’s proposed property tax cut, totaling approximately $1 billion, $139 million to provide to schools for safety, and bonuses for state government retirees, which was added in by the House.  The Senate will now take its turn to review the mid-year budget, while House budget writers will turn their attention to the FY24 budget.  
 

This week Governor Kemp’s floor leaders in the House and Senate dropped a number of his legislative priorities for the session: 

Last session Senate Bill 345, sponsored by Senator Jeff Mullis, was passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Kemp.  The bill prohibits state and local governments from mandating proof of a COVID-19 vaccination for government services.  When the measure was under consideration last session, an automatic repeal date of June 30, 2023 was added to allow the legislature to reevaluate the measure this year.  Senate Bill 1, authored by Senator Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming), would remove the automatic sunset.  The measure to remove the sunset was passed by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee this week, so it is now eligible for selection by the Rules Committee for consideration on the floor. 

Gun Bill

Senate Bill 67, the ‘Second Amendment Preservation Act,’ was introduced this week by former House member and freshman Senator Colton Moore (R-Trenton). The measure would prohibit the enforcement of certain federal laws relative to firearms and would impose a fine of up to $50,000 for any city, county, or law enforcement agency that employs an officer who knowingly deprives a citizen of his or her Second Amendment rights.  The bill was assigned to the Interstate Cooperation Committee, which is chaired by Senator Moore, but otherwise made up entirely of Democrats.  

Sports Betting

This week Senator Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro) introduced Senate Bill 57, the ‘Georgia Sports Betting Integrity Act.’ The measure, which has a number of bipartisan cosponsors, would legalize sports betting in Georgia and provide for its regulation and taxation.  If passed, sports betting would be governed by the Georgia Sports Commission.   The bill has been assigned to the Economic Development and Tourism Committee, which is chaired by Senator Brandon Beach (R-Alpharetta), who is a cosigner on the bill. 

Ranked Choice Voting

This week Representative Joseph Gullett (R-Dallas) introduced House Bill 200, which would allow cities to opt in to using instant runoff voting for their elections.  Under this procedure, voters would be able to use ranked-choice voting to indicate their preferred order of candidates.  Georgia is the only state that requires runoffs in the primary and general elections if no candidate reaches the 50 percent plus one threshold, which often leads to lengthy election seasons. The measure has cosponsors on both sides of the aisle, including former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacy Evans (D-Atlanta) and Representative Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur). 

Special Elections This Week

This week four special elections were held to fill vacant House and Senate seats.   In Senate District 11, formerly held by Dr. Dean Burke (R-Bainbridge), former House member Sam Watson (R-Moultrie) defeated two challengers with 76 percent of the vote.  In House District 7, formerly held by the late Speaker David Ralston, banker Johnny Chastain (R-Blue Ridge) narrowly defeated Sheree Ralston, the widow of Speaker Ralston, in a runoff election.  In House District 172, which was vacated by Sam Watson to run for the Senate, Colquitt County Administrator Chas Cannon (R-Moultrie) ran unopposed. 

In the crowded race to fill the seat of former House Appropriations Chairman Terry England, which was vacated by Representative-Elect Danny Rampey, no candidate was successful in reaching the 50 percent plus one threshold.  The House District 119 seat will go to a special election runoff between Republican Holt Persinger and Republican Charlie Chase.