Sine Die 2024: Here's what bills passed and were left hanging at the Georgia Capitol
ATLANTA - "Sine Die" has been shouted, bringing this year's legislative session to an end.
This session officially came to a close early Friday morning. As is always the case, in the last-minute rush, a number of bills made it to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk, while many others failed and will have to wait another year to become law.
Lawmakers took a number of steps that could impact your bottom line. They voted to decrease the state income tax by .1%, going from 5.49% to 5.39%. Plans call for more gradual tax cuts until the rate reaches 4.99%, assuming state coffers remain full. Parents will get a break. Assuming Kemp signs the bill, the state child deduction will jump from $3,000 to $4,000 per child.
Property tax assessments have been a big concern for some homeowners. The legislature passed a bill to cap those increases at 3% annually. However, those caps don't have a lot of bite, because local governments can opt out if they choose to do so.
A lot of people are going to get raises. The state's $36.1 billion budget calls for salary increases for 300,000 workers and educators. Teachers will see a $2,500 bump in pay. Money will also go to pay for increased school campus security, including adding resource officers.
Not all the action involved finances. In the wake of the February murder of nursing student Laken Riley, Republicans made a push to beef up Georgia immigration laws. One of those bills, HB1105, passed. It forces local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration agents. It also punishes sheriffs who don't check the immigration status of inmates in their jail. Another immigration-related bill didn't get across the finish line. HB301 would've allowed citizens to sue local governments and if those places were determined to be sanctuary communities, state funding could be withheld from them. That bill didn't get the Senate approval needed.
Another bill that failed yet again was sports betting. This means that voters won't get the chance to vote on the measure this November.
Also coming up short was a so-called "Frankenbill" dealing with school-related social conservative issues. Originally a House mental health bill, it was highjacked by the Senate. They added a set of red meat initiatives, like banning students born as biological males from playing in girls' high school sports, preventing the teaching of sex-ed in grades 5 or lower and requiring schools to tell parents when their children access books from the library. That bill never came back up for a vote in the House. House Speaker Jon Burns called the social issues important and says some of them House Republicans embrace, but added that the timing wasn't right to move the bill forward.
On a less serious note, lawmakers passed a bill declaring the white Georgia shrimp the state's official crustacean.
After the session was over, Speaker Burns praised the efforts of House members. He told reporters they delivered on issues that matter most to the people of the state, cutting taxes, improving education, strengthening public safety and improving the quality of life for "each and every Georgian."
Kemp will have 40 days to sign, veto, or allow legislation to become law without his signature after the session ends. In the meantime, many lawmakers will turn their focus to reelection, with all 56 Senate seats and 180 House seats on the ballot this year.
Immigration bill passes Georgia Senate
A controversial immigration bill has passed the Georgia Senate on Thursday, the day after the father of a college nursing student who was murdered in Athens addressed the chamber. Investigators say the man who killed her was in the country illegally. What the bill requires.
Here's a look at some of the key measures that are heading to Kemp's desk or didn't make it at the state Capitol:
Bills that are waiting for Gov. Brian Kemp's signature
PROPERTY TAXES: Future increases in a home’s taxable value could be limited under House Bill 581, while House Resolution 1022 is an accompanying constitutional amendment. House Bill 1019 could increase the state homestead exemption by as much as $4,000. [READ MORE HERE]
IMMIGRATION: House Bill 1105 would require local law enforcement to help federal agents enforce immigration law,
ELECTIONS: Senate Bill 189 would create new rules for challenging voter qualifications, possibly let more candidates qualify for Georgia's presidential ballot, and ban the use of QR codes to count ballots after 2026. House Bill 1207 allows a reduced number of voting machines. [READ MORE HERE}
INCOME TAXES: An already-planned state income tax cut would be accelerated under House Bill 1015, giving the state a flat 5.39% income tax rate retroactive to Jan. 1.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Senate Bill 351 seeks to require social media companies to get parental permission before letting children younger than 16 create accounts. It also bans the use of social media using school computers and internet and creates new anti-bullying rules.
CASH BAIL: Senate Bill 63 would require cash bail for 30 additional crimes, including some misdemeanors, and would impose new rules on nonprofit bail funds.
UNION ORGANIZING: Companies receiving state economic incentives would be barred from recognizing labor unions without a secret ballot election under Senate Bill 362.
HEALTH CARE PERMITTING: Some health care facility expansions would be allowed without state permits under House Bill 1339.
FOREIGN-OWNED FARMLAND: Senate Bill 420 would ban agents of China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Russia from owning farmland in Georgia or any land within 10 miles of a military base.
WATER RIGHTS: House Bill 1172 would alter the law regarding using Georgia’s waterways for boating, fishing and hunting. Proponents say it balances public use and private property rights.
LAWSUIT LIMITS: Senate Bill 426 would limit the ability to sue an insurance company directly after a truck wreck
Bills that failed to beat the Sine Die deadline
MEDICAID: The House and Senate discussed expanding Medicaid health insurance to more lower-income adults, but Republicans instead want to study the issue.
SPORTS BETTING Senate Bill 386 and Senate Resolution 579 could legalize online sports betting, but only if voters approve a state constitutional amendment in November.
SCHOOL POLICIES House Bill 1104 would ban transgender girls from playing high school sports with other girls, ban sex education in fifth grade and below and require a system for notifying parents of every item a child obtained in a school library.
JUDGE PAY: Senate Bill 479 would create guidelines to raise and standardize pay for judges, and might be accompanied by a constitutional amendment, House Resolution 1042.
LIBRARIES: Senate Bill 390 would ban using public money for dues or programs associated with the American Library Association.
OKEFENOKEE MINING: Georgia would pause future permits allowing an expansion of a mine near the Okefenokee Swamp for three years under Senate Bill 132.
FILM TAX CREDIT: House Bill 1180 would require more use of Georgia-based employees and contractors to get the top 30% income tax credit on film production.
WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS: Senate Bill 429 would create a commission that could recommend that people who are imprisoned and later cleared of wrongdoing be paid at least $60,000 for each year they were imprisoned.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY: Proponents say Senate Bill 180 would protect religious liberty, while opponents say it’s a license to discriminate against LGBTQ+ in the name of religion.
IMMIGRATION: House Bill 301 would cut off funding and remove elected officials of governments that harbor people who entered the country illegally.
ELECTIONS: House Bill 976 would create new rules for challenging voter qualifications, while House Bill 974 would require audits of more than one statewide election and make ballot images public.
2024 bills that have already become law
ANTISEMITISM: Kemp in January signed House Bill 30 defining antisemitism for use in hate crimes and anti-discrimination cases. Opponents warn it will be used to censor free speech and equate criticism of Israel to hatred of Jewish people.
PROSECUTOR DISCIPLINE: Senate Bill 332 revived a commission with powers to discipline and remove prosecutors, a move Democrats warn is aimed at Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ prosecution of former President Donald Trump. Kemp signed the bill earlier this month.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.