2024 Crossover Day cheat sheet at the Georgia Capitol
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Thursday is Crossover Day at the State Capitol.
Why it matters: It's the deadline by which bills must pass one chamber to move over to the other to become law before the legislative session ends on March 28.
Here are some key issues to watch:
🐝 Sex education: A Senate Bill exempts Georgia schools from teaching sexual health in K-12 schools and, should they choose to do so, only after fifth grade and with the public's input on course curriculum.
🎬 Moviemaking: Hollywood productions would have to meet four out of nine requirements — including spending $30 million in the state or recording the production's score in Georgia — to earn the state's lucrative film tax credit.
Religious liberty: Republican lawmakers have revived controversial legislation that they say would protect people's religious beliefs. Opponents argue the proposed law could allow discrimination against LGBTQ people.
🐊 Okefenokee: House legislation calls for a three-year moratorium on new strip mining projects near the southeast Georgia natural attraction. Federal officials say a 10-year freeze is more appropriate, according to E&E News.
🚇 Transportation: A last-minute measure to abolish a recently created regional transit agency and transfer its assets to the State Road and Tollway Authority is zipping through the General Assembly and likely to receive a vote.
🩺 Medicaid: A Georgia-centric version of the health insurance program for people living on low incomes was expected to dominate the session but is likely on hold after House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) expressed doubts.
📚 Libraries: A bill that would ban the use of public or private funds to purchase materials from the American Library Association is up for consideration in the Senate.
Immigration: Gov. Brian Kemp and state lawmakers said they'd prioritize state-level measures to curb illegal immigration after the killing of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student in Athens.
Yes, but: Bills can have a certain Rasputin-like quality at the Capitol.
- Lawmakers can find ways to slide legislation that did not pass either chamber into other bills — known as "vehicles" — until the session wraps on the final day known as sine die.
Go deeper: Check out what bills are set to be debated in the House and Senate.