ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers reached a key deadline on Monday, which was crossover day in the General Assembly. That's when bills and other measures are required to pass in the House or Senate and move on to the other chamber.
Some key proposals had already moved forward, like restrictive voting and elections bills. The Senate passed additional restrictive voting and elections proposals on Monday.
Also passing Monday was a bill to overturn Georgia's citizen's arrest law.
Measures that have failed include an effort to impose new criminal penalties on some protests.
This is the first year of a two-year term, so measures that don't advance this year could still pass next year.
Below is a list of legislative items that saw movement on crossover day:
Adult criminal raised
Georgia’s House has approved a measure that would raise the age for charging most people from 17 to 18.
The House voted 113-51 on Monday to pass House Bill 272, sending it to the Senate for more debate.
House Juvenile Justice Committee Chairman Mandi Ballinger has been pushing the idea for years. The Canton Republican cites testimony from experts that teen brains are still developing to full adulthood and lack the impulse control of older people. Advocates say 17-year-olds should go before juvenile courts, where judges can decide cases while promoting growth without giving them a permanent criminal record.
No-excuse absentee voting
Georgia’s state Senate narrowly passed a Republican-backed bill that would end no-excuse absentee voting. The bill passed 29-20 on Monday, as Republicans moved to roll back voting access after record turnout led to recent Democratic victories.
Senate Bill 241 would limit absentee voting to people 65 and older, those with a physical disability and people who will be out of town on Election Day. It would also require an ID for those who are able to vote absentee, among many other changes.
The bill is likely headed to a Senate-House conference committee where the chambers will hash out their difference on the issue.
Citizen arrests law
Georgia’s House have voted unanimously for a bill to overhaul the state's citizen’s arrest law. The move comes more than a year after a Black man, Ahmaud Arbery, was fatally shot after a pursuit by armed white men.
House members voted 173-0 Monday for the bill, which would generally bar bystanders and witnesses from making arrests. It now goes to the Senate.
Supporters say Arbery's fatal shooting last year showed the need for change. Two of the three men charged with murder in Arbery’s death had said they were attempting a citizen’s arrest, suspecting a burglary. Prosecutors say Arbery stole nothing and was out jogging when the men pursued him.
Pay hike for lawmakers
Georgia senators have rejected a plan that would nearly double pay for lawmakers and also boost pay for all statewide officials except the governor.
The Senate voted 33-20 to reject Senate Bill 252 on Monday.
The vote raises questions about whether plans for increased salaries will advance.
The House could still vote Monday on House Bill 675, which is a nearly identical proposal. But if the measure does not advance by the end of Monday night, it’s unlikely to survive this year.
Base pay for the 180 House members and 56 senators would have risen from $16,200 a year to nearly $30,000. Lawmaker pay hasn’t changed since 1999.
Visitors in medical facilities
Georgia House members want to allow at least one designated person an hour of daily access to hospital and long-term care facility patients.
The House passed the proposal on Monday, sending it to the Senate for more debate.
The measure responds to facilities banning visitors during the pandemic. Gov. Brian Kemp implemented a ban on visitors at long-term care facilities in April by executive order. Kemp eased those restrictions in September, allowing visitors based on the severity of a local outbreak.
Under the bill, a patient in a hospital or long-term care center could name a “designated legal representative” that would get at least one hour of contact each day.