It’s Crossover Day in the Georgia General Assembly, one of the busiest days of the year at the Capitol where legislators will vote on dozens of bills.
Crossover Day is the deadline for bills to pass at least one legislative chamber — either the House or Senate — to have a chance of becoming law this year.
Among other measures, votes are planned on proposals to withhold funding from schools with diversity programs, cut taxes, ban drones made in China and build a statue of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Follow along here throughout the day as our team of reporters covers one of the most important — and exhausting — days in the legislative calendar.
In a surprise vote, the Senate passed an amended version of Senate Bill 254 that would ban all beverages containing THC.
Caught off guard, Democrats said the bill would effectively kill a segment of the hemp industry in Georgia.
“It would destroy the whole industry — it's crazy,” said Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones II.
But Republicans say Georgia needs to slow hemp use.
“We need to pump the brakes, slow down and let’s make sure we’re doing the right thing for our state,” said Sen. Randy Robertson, R-Cataula, who proposed the amendment.
Another measure, sponsored by Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, R-Marietta, would limit the content of delta-8 hemp products to 0.3% THC. That passed in a 50-6 vote.
The House of Representatives has taken a lunch break. Lawmakers in that chamber return at 1:30 p.m.
An income tax refund sailed through the Georgia House of Representatives on Thursday.
House Bill 112 would refund taxes to individuals who filed income tax returns in 2023 and 2024. Individuals or married people filing separately would receive a refund of up to $250. Heads of household would get up to $375, while married couples filing jointly would receive up to $500.
Unlike the tax rate cut approved earlier, which drew Democratic opposition, the tax refund passed by a vote of 175 to 0.
The House of Representatives on Thursday approved an income tax cut that’s one of Gov. Brian Kemp’s top priorities.
House Bill 111 would reduce the tax rate for individuals and corporations from 5.39% to 5.19% beginning July 1. Republicans said the tax cut is the product of the state’s fiscal conservatism and will benefit every Georgian.
“While other states are raising taxes on their citizens, and while we’re facing sky-high prices and can least afford it, we’re doing the opposite,” said Rep. Soo Hong, R-Lawrenceville, the bill’s sponsor.
Democrats said the tax cut would primarily benefit the wealthy, while ordinary Georgians would see little benefits. They said the lost revenue – about $1 billion through fiscal 2026 – would be better spent on expanding health care and other services.
“We won’t have enough money (for services) because we keep giving it to the top earners,” said Rep. Ruwa Romman, D-Duluth. “Our values are so upside-down.”
The bill passed by a vote of 110 to 60.
Republicans are bristling at Democrats' claims the proposed tax cuts will mostly benefit the wealthy.
House Majority Whip James Burchett, R-Waycross, said the bill would cut taxes for everyone "regardless of what you make, from the lowest earner to the highest."
"If you think you can spend Georgians' money better than they can, I welcome you to make that case in November," Burchett said.
Democrats have finished speaking against the bill to cut individual income taxes. Now, Republicans get 20 minutes to have their say.
"You don't have to take it all," House Speaker Jon Burns noted, as time is ticking on Crossover Day.
How do lawmakers prepare for the chaos of Crossover Day?
State Rep. Esther Panitch, D-Sandy Springs, scrapped events this weekend to make sure she got plenty of rest. State Sen. Derek Mallow, D-Savannah, broke out his reading glasses for the hundreds of freshly printed measures loading his desk.
And state Rep. Clint Crowe, R-Jackson, is happy he’s not confined to the House gallery – as he and dozens of other legislators were during the coronavirus pandemic.
Today’s Politically Georgia podcast features a behind-the-scenes look about the pressure-cooker deadline day under the Gold Dome.
House Democrats are assailing a proposal pushed by Gov. Brian Kemp to speed up a planned cut to individual income tax rates.
House Minority Whip Sam Park, D-Lawrenceville, showed a chart saying most of the savings would go the top wealthiest 1% of Georgians. The bottom 60% would save about $6 a month, he said.
"You can't even afford a dozen eggs with $6 a month," Park said.
Senate Bill 61 passed this morning in a 33-22 vote.
The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, would create a felony offense of “terroristic threat of a school or terroristic act upon a school.” It would require schools to conduct annual threat assessments.
State Sen. Emanuel Jones, D-Decatur, argued that the bill would focus on punishing students who make threats rather than rehabilitating them.
“I believe there’s a different approach when it comes to school safety,” Jones said, referencing a bill he sponsored that would establish a statewide database to monitor threats.
The Crossover Day action isn’t all under the Gold Dome.
Hundreds of anti-abortion advocates gathered in the chilly morning air at Liberty Plaza across from the Georgia State Capitol to urge lawmakers to support new restrictions on abortions.
They gave a warm welcome to Gov. Brian Kemp, who signed a 2019 law that bars most abortions as soon as six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.
The governor called it a fight to “preserve the lives of those who are most vulnerable — the unborn.”
“When the fight seems difficult, remember all that we have accomplished together,” he said. “We proved to the nation that it was possible to pass legislation not only protecting the lives of the most vulnerable among us, but also recognizing their dignity through personhood.”