Georgia General Assembly: Early voting, abortion and delta-THC
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Legislation clamping down on early voting, restricting transgender athletes' participation in sports, and unraveling the mystery of Georgia's sky-high insurance premiums are on state lawmakers' agendas.
Driving the news: The Georgia General Assembly is entering its final week, and lawmakers are practicing legislative judo to get their pet proposals across the finish line before Sine Die, the day the session formally ends, on April 4.
Here's a look at what's moving, stopping and stalled.
🗳️ Elections
Senate Republicans are pushing a 26-page bill that would require poll workers to hand count ballots and force Georgia to leave a multi-state voter integrity group.
- The full Senate and House must vote on the measure before it heads to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk, the AJC reports.
A proposal by state Sen. Max Burns (R-Sylvania), to end Georgia's use of touchscreen voting machines may wait until 2026 for a vote, the AJC reports.
🏠 School safety
House Bill 268, which would (among other things) require schools to develop safety plans in the event of a shooting, provide suicide prevention training, and help schools hire behavioral health coordinators, is waiting for a Senate vote.
📵 Cellphones in schools
If signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp, House Bill 340 will require districts to restrict access to cellphones and other personal electronic devices for kindergarten through eighth-grade public school students.
⚕️ Reproductive rights
The Georgia Prenatal Equal Protection Act, or House Bill 441, would define life as beginning at conception and effectively outlaw all abortions in the state.
- The bill, which must still pass out of committee and both chambers, would also create legal risks for IVF providers, according to witnesses who testified against the legislation.
🌿 Hemp
Legislation limiting the amount of delta-THC compounds in tinctures and edibles and outright banning THC beverages will likely wait until next year, House Regulated Industries Committee chair Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) said.
- Another proposal in the House would create a committee to study "intoxicating cannabinoids in consumable hemp products," potentially giving lawmakers, industry players and users more time to find common ground.
🤰 Maternal health
A bill sponsored by state Sen. Sally Harrell (D-Brookhaven) would require corn masa flour and similar products made and sold in Georgia to contain folic acid.
- Public health officials say the measure could help pregnant Latina women who don't get enough of the nutrient.
🙏 Religious freedom
House Republicans revived a controversial — and seemingly stuck — effort to add protections on the local and state levels for people who feel they face discrimination because of their faith.
- Critics say the legislation, which awaits a Senate vote, would create a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people.
⚖️ Tort reform
Legislation putting limits on third parties that finance civil lawsuits — the second and final piece of Kemp's "tort reform" push — has received Senate approval and awaits final passage in the House.
- Separate legislation reducing the liability of property owners for crimes committed on their property was amended after pushback from advocates for sex trafficking survivors. The bill awaits Kemp's signature.
🏳️⚧️ Transgender rights
State Sen. Ben Watson (R-Savannah)'s measure to ban transgender minors from receiving puberty-blocking medications now permits some access with parental consent, the Georgia Recorder reports.
- Bills that passed the Senate and now await a vote in the House: legislation barring state employees' health plans from covering gender-affirming care and prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in female sports.
💵 Insurance reform
State lawmakers would study why insurance premiums in Georgia have skyrocketed and possible reforms under a proposal approved Wednesday by a House committee.
- House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington), the leader of the chamber, is the only co-sponsor.