Partisan Protests Signal Political Friction as Georgia Legislative Session Nears End

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In Georgia, lawmakers are rushing to pass multiple bills before the close of the legislative session. Senate Bill 255, which allows legislative committees to issue subpoenas and conduct investigations, has been approved by the House of Representatives and is set to return to the Senate for a final vote. House Bill 397, a broad election bill restricting in-person absentee ballot drop-off the weekend before election day and withdrawing Georgia from a voter registration accuracy organization, passed the Senate and is awaiting another vote in the House.

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The 40-day session is racing towards its end, marked by political friction and partisan protests.

On Thursday night, State lawmakers debated numerous bills, with some key legislation on the GOP agenda reaching Governor Brian Kemp’s desk while others remain uncertain.

As the session concludes, legislative leaders are in discussions to push their bills forward.

Find out more about the controversial religious liberty bill here.

Read about the contentious transgender bill here.

Here are some other critical legislations:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

The Georgia Senate passed a law late Wednesday targeting public K-12 schools and colleges from discussing topics categorized under “diversity, equity, and inclusion” by Republican lawmakers.

House Bill 127 received a divided vote of 33-21, backed by Republicans.

Democrats used all procedural tools to delay the vote, including filing 20 amendments.

Republicans responded with their own measures to avoid debating amendments.

The bill is now awaiting the House’s consideration.

Investigations and Subpoenas

The House authorized a bill late Wednesday that would empower legislative committees to issue subpoenas and conduct investigations.

Senate Bill 255 grants committees the authority to enforce subpoenas in court and require witnesses to testify under oath.

Non-compliance with the subpoena could result in contempt of court.

This development comes as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ authority is under question due to investigations linked to an election interference case.

SB 255 secured a 91 to 67 vote in the House and now awaits Senate approval.

Government Secrecy

Georgia representatives proposed a measure that would make their work less publicly available.

The bill aims to maintain secrecy over all legislative communications and data shared with government agencies.

This would be implemented under Senate Bill 12.

The bill would also limit the initial information on police reports shared with the public.

The bill is pending a House vote.

Trump Attorney Fees and Wrongful Convictions

A bill that passed the Georgia House could allow President Donald Trump to recover millions in attorney fees from Fulton County.

Senate Bill 244 would permit defendants in criminal cases to collect attorney fees and costs if the prosecutor is disqualified due to misconduct.

The Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified Willis from the case in December, citing “an appearance of impropriety” due to her romantic relationship with a top deputy prosecutor.

The bill also includes language to standardize the state’s approach to compensating those who have been wrongfully convicted.

The bill passed the House 103 to 61 and now returns to the Senate.

Elections Overhaul

The Senate approved a wide-ranging elections bill that includes banning in-person absentee ballot drop-off and withdrawing Georgia from a voter registration accuracy organization.

House Bill 397 passed the Senate 33-23 and now awaits a final House vote.

State Senator Max Burns, a Republican, said the bill would not restrict voting access.

“If you’re home on that weekend, you simply hand that ballot to a relative or a parent, and they can deliver that ballot for you (on a weekday),” Burns stated.

The legislation also mandates Georgia quit a 24-state partnership that identifies outdated voter registrations.

The Senate also passed Senate Bill 214, which would eventually replace Georgia’s touchscreen voting system with hand-marked paper ballots. This won’t reach a House vote until next year.

‘America First’ License Plate

The House approved a license plate displaying Trump’s “America First” campaign theme.

The measure passed 95-68, largely along party lines.

“This bill is about putting America first but not in a partisan way, not in a divisive way, but in a way that should unite us all under the great red, white, and blue,” said state Representative Martin Momtahan.

However, several Democrats, particularly Black members, pointed out that the America First slogan dates back to the early 20th century when the America First party advocated for isolationism during World War II as millions of
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