ATLANTA -- This year’s session of the legislature ends Thursday.
Here's the breakdown of some bills that will get a lot of eyeballs during the Sine Die finale:
One bill would streamline the alphabet soup of transit systems from Cobb County to Gwinnett to MARTA. Ballyhooed at the start of the session, the transit bill has stalled in recent weeks and may have trouble Thursday.
In addition to mass transit, there’s distracted driving. This bill would enact stiff penalties on motorists who use their hands to call or text on cell phones.
Backers say it’s gained momentum in recent days.
"The Senate has passed a version. And the hope is that the House will pass that version," said Harris Blackwood, director of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety and a backer of the bill. "There have been some changes made, and most of the changes are good."
A bill called the “Hidden Predator Act” hasn’t fared as well. The Senate watered down a House bill that would extend the number of years in which victims can sue sexual predators and the organizations that enabled them.
A bill to change the state’s voting system to paper ballots has also stalled. The bill wouldn’t take effect until the 2020 presidential election, which may explain the foot-dragging this session.
Another bill is a religious freedom bill that would impact gay adoptions. Critics say the bill would allow private adoption agencies to discriminate against gay parents. It has passed the Senate. The question is whether the House will even vote on it.
"In the sine die world, nothing is over until it’s over. There’s always hope," said Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga), chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. "There’s always a chance, there’s always a vehicle that can be amended to another bill. So nothing is over until midnight at Sine Die."
