Dozens of bills cleared a key legislative deadline Monday, with some controversial measures – like a ban on some gender-affirming care – squeaking by as the clock wound down.
And in the House, it was notable what didn’t come up for a vote at all: sports betting. The bill likely represented the last shot this session at expanding gambling in Georgia beyond the lottery after two proposals were rejected in the Senate, but the House adjourned without putting it to a vote.
“This year was not the right time for it in the House,” House Speaker Jon Burns told reporters late Monday night.
Some of the most spirited debate in the House Monday happened on a bill creating oversight panels for local prosecutors and another measure that would increase weight limits for tractor-trailers, which narrowly survived with a 93-to-81 vote.
Here’s a rundown on some of the other highlights from Crossover Day, which is the Legislature’s self-imposed deadline for a bill to get a vote in at least one chamber.
School voucher bills passes in the Senate
Georgia’s limited school voucher program could be extended after the Senate passed a toned-down version on a party-line vote Monday.
The bill would provide $6,000 to parents who pull their children out of public schools ranked in the bottom 25% of the state. A previous version applied to nearly all students.
“I would actually argue to you that we have two paths in public school right now, the haves and the have-nots, and this bill levels the playing field for parents who want to get their kids out of schools that are in the lower 25% of all the schools in the state, and gives those parents help they may otherwise (not) have,” said the bill’s author, Cumming Republican Sen. Greg Dolezal.
Democrats said the plan will drain needed funds from public schools and will primarily benefit families that can already afford private…
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