The bills that didn't become Georgia law in 2022
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The 2022 Georgia legislative session ended with a flurry of bills, including a last minute amendment that could restrict transgender girls from playing high school sports.
Yes, but: Many proposals did not become law.
The big picture: Even in an election year, some of the most polarizing issues did not see final passage, including a bill to effectively ban abortion pills by mail and add a new ultrasound requirement for abortion-seekers.
Some of the proposals sent to the scrap heap:
Elections: State House Republicans proposed a slew of election administration changes rooted in misinformation about the 2020 election, as the AJC reported. After extensive protests from elections officials, the state Senate scrapped the ideas and batted down a Hail Mary attempt to revive them Monday night.
- Instead, a more limited change passed, giving the Georgia Bureau of Investigation original jurisdiction over elections.
- Guns: Republicans failed to pass changes to Georgia gun laws that would have automatically permitted firearms in places of worship. Currently, weapons are only allowed in those places if the organization’s leadership gives the OK.
- The bill would have also prevented local governments from restricting firearm use on private property larger than 10 acres.
Protest restrictions: A bill that would have increased penalties for protestors and punished localities for failing to control protests, a priority of the state Senate Republican caucus, never got traction in the state House.
Medical marijuana revamp: Late Monday, the state Senate rejected a compromise to solve problems facing the controversial Medical Cannabis Commission and its secretive licensing process.
- Thus, the status quo persists: Patients still cannot access medical cannabis oil in Georgia years after its cultivation became legal.
Gambling: Several bills seeking to expand access to legal gambling, from horse racing to online sports betting, failed yet again.
Leaf blower regulation: Remember our coverage of a bill proposing to preempt local regulation on gas-powered leaf blowers? It didn’t get a vote before either chamber.
School accreditation: A proposal that would have changed how accrediting agencies evaluate school districts failed to progress in the state House.