But the end of this year’s session, which arrives Friday, is more unpredictable than most. Bipartisan tensions are rising as Republicans push to implement President Donald Trump’s agenda, while ambitious lawmakers are quietly positioning themselves for Georgia’s next elections.

Gov. Brian Kemp’s top priority — a vast rewrite of Georgia’s civil litigation system that passed last month — exposed divisions within both parties and tested his clout. And a series of votes Wednesday approving Trump-aligned policies left Republicans triumphant and Democrats seething.

Credit: Matthew Pearson/WABE via AP

Credit: Matthew Pearson/WABE via AP

The atmosphere was so tense that Democrats, with few tools to stop the GOP majority, flexed their political muscles in different ways.

They gave long, time-killing speeches about ho-hum bills. They tried to stall measures with floods of amendments and other delaying tactics. And in a dramatic act of defiance, House Democrats walked out of the chamber during debate over contentious legislation.

“It’s like watching your uncle do something really weird and then expect you to just look past it,” said Democratic state Rep. Park Cannon of Atlanta, likening the GOP to the awkward relative.

That didn’t stop Republicans from pushing forward on measures that could reach final approval on Friday.

One pending measure could allow Trump to recoup legal fees. Another would ban Georgia’s public schools and universities from promoting “diversity, equity and inclusion” issues.

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

And the House gave final passage to a “religious liberty” bill that once sparked mass protests and a high-profile veto by former Gov. Nathan Deal. Kemp is expected to sign it, however.

The bill that prompted the Democratic walkout, which would block gender-affirming care for state prison inmates, easily passed the House to the delight of Republicans.

“Walking out of a chamber and playing games doesn’t advance policy to the betterment of all Georgians,” said House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration.

Zombie bills and last-minute changes

One thing is guaranteed before the final gavel drops: Lawmakers will approve the state’s $37.7 billion budget, the only bill they’re constitutionally required to adopt.

But the fate of many other measures under the Gold Dome is still up in the air. The House has yet to vote on a broad elections bill that would pull Georgia from a voter registration accuracy organization. The Senate is sorting through dueling proposals on regulating school safety cameras.

Some of the more controversial proposals have been the source of debate for years, like a sales tax break for gun buyers or a measure to erect a statue honoring Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Others surfaced with little warning, tacked onto unrelated bills in last-minute rewrites.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

One overhauled proposal on Wednesday now includes provisions that would exempt more state records from public disclosure. Another transformed a measure expanding sick leave for teachers into legislation targeting DEI that has sparked backlash on college campuses.

“Bills like this will make Georgia and Georgia schools significantly less attractive places to go to school,” said Francesca Ruhe, a Georgia Tech student who opposes the measure. “Students aren’t stupid. They apply to a lot of colleges. Students will just go elsewhere.”

‘Wild things’

There’s a broader shift underway, too. For years, the Georgia House has served as a buffer, bottling up some of the Senate’s most controversial culture war legislation to avoid blowback from swing voters and business interests.

That firewall shattered on Wednesday as House Republicans embraced a wave of hard-line Senate proposals drawn straight from Trump’s playbook — and Democrats responded their most coordinated show of resistance yet.

“Democrats showed we are no longer taking butter knives to this war on ‘others’ from our Republican counterparts,” said Democratic state Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick of Lithonia shortly after the walkout.

Republicans used the backlash to galvanize their own base. State Rep. David Clark, R-Buford, framed it as a moment of contrast: “Democrats play political games, while Republicans deliver on their promises to the people.”

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

It’s against that backdrop the final day arrives — following a familiar, if chaotic, script.

Lawmakers will work until midnight Friday, and quite likely beyond it. There will be last-minute compromises, impassioned speeches, frantic lobbying and long stretches of waiting.

And when the final gavel bangs and the confetti falls, the work still won’t be done.

Kemp will have until mid-May to sign or veto the flurry of legislation that reaches his desk. And it may take weeks to fully understand what passed, what changed and what it all means.

Macy McFall, a lobbyist and longtime Capitol hand, has seen what the final day can bring — backroom deals, sudden reversals and legislation upended with a stroke of a pen.

“Wild things can happen.”

Staff writers Jason Armesto, Caleb Groves and Mark Niesse contributed to this report.