March 29 marked the end of the Georgia General Assembly’s 2023 legislative session, an event referred to as Sine Die.
Sine Die is when bills that have previously passed the House and Senate have their final opportunity to pass their respective chambers before the end of this session. This year, many bills regarding sports betting, medical marijuana, mental health reform and a budget for the 2024 fiscal year were up for a vote.
HB 237, a bill that contained language that would provide an avenue to legalize sports betting, was championed as a possible benefit for college students and HOPE scholarship beneficiaries as it would place the Georgia Lottery in charge of sports betting, according to the bill’s text. However, this bill, like multiple sports betting bills before it, failed to pass this session according to 11Alive News.
HB 520, which was focused on mental health reform, including adding resources to hire more people to work in the mental health industry and promoting greater cooperation between the criminal justice system and the mental health industry, did not pass. The late former house speaker David Ralston was a proponent of this legislation.
A House bill addressing anti-semitism that would extend legal protection to Jewish Georgians through amending the state’s hate crime laws did not pass the Senate. School vouchers did not pass, despite being championed by Gov. Brian Kemp. Although the bill was defeated by four votes, school vouchers could still pass the legislature next session as there are signs it may be considered again by House members after a vote.
What did pass were a combination of bills seen as helpful to voters, and some perceived as controversial.
The House passed SB 92, which creates a commission charged with overseeing prosecutors and giving the commission the power to discipline or remove district attorneys and county solicitors general. Though some call for oversight as a tool to counter prosecutorial misconduct, it is seen by the bill’s opposition as a direct response to District Attorney Fanni Willis and her work in a probe of former President Trump’s attempt to possibly interfere in the 2020 election in Georgia, according to AP News.
The legislature also passed SB 140, which bans most forms of gender-affirming surgeries and hormone therapies for minors. Notably, puberty blockers are not banned in this bill.
The Senate passed HB 129, which provides cash assistance to underprivileged expecting mothers. SB 129 passed the House, which provides time off for workers to vote on Election Day or during early in-person voting.
The 2024 budget has also passed, with notable cuts in higher education spending compared to what was originally proposed. Overall, the state passed a $32.4 billion budget, which will also return a budget surplus of $1 billion to Georgia residents in the amount of $250-$500 a household depending on filing status.
Any bills that have not passed in this first-year session have until the end of the next session to pass, according to Georgia.gov.
The last day of the General Assembly session is a busy one, with many bills brought to the floor for a vote as one last effort to pass them before the legislature adjourns until the next session. There are 40 days in a session, with Georgia’s General Assembly beginning its session in early January and ending in late March. As this session ended at midnight, papers flew into the air to commemorate yet another session come and gone.
